<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>The Big Chill</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.bigchill.net/news/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.bigchill.net/news</link>
	<description>www.bigchill.net -  the home of all things Big Chill</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 17:20:06 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>RBMA at Big Chill Bar &#8211; What You Missed!</title>
		<link>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/rbma-at-big-chill-bar-what-you-missed/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/rbma-at-big-chill-bar-what-you-missed/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 May 2012 17:20:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Abby</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Features]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Benji B]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[big chill bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brick Lance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[club]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[event]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interview]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[night]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Om Unit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RBMA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Red Bull]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shoreditch]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bigchill.net/news/?p=11214</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
On 16th April Red Bull Music Academy descended on the Big Chill Bar for an intimate night with Benji B and Om Unit, we were ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IF6TZlp_AdA?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></p>
<p>On 16th April <a href="http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/" title="Red Bull Music Academy">Red Bull Music Academy</a> descended on the Big Chill Bar for an intimate night with <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00v4tv3" title="Benji B">Benji B</a> and <a href="http://www.omunit.com/" title="Om Unit">Om Unit</a>, we were there to catch the action!</p>
<p>RBMA will be at the Big Chill House on 21st May with <a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/martyn" title="Martyn">Martyn</a> and <a href="http://soundcloud.com/altered-natives" title="Altered Natives">Altered Natives</a>. For more info head click <a href="http://on.fb.me/Jl4o3v" title="http://on.fb.me/Jl4o3v">here</a></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/rbma-at-big-chill-bar-what-you-missed/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cocktail of the Month May 12&#8242;: How to Make a Hendricks Bramble</title>
		<link>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/cocktail-of-the-month-may-12-how-to-make-a-hendricks-bramble/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/cocktail-of-the-month-may-12-how-to-make-a-hendricks-bramble/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 17:14:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Abby</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[House]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cocktail recipes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cocktails]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gin Cocktails]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gin Lemon Cocktail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hendrix]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[How to make a cocktail]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lemon]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bigchill.net/news/?p=11210</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Every month, we pick a different and unique tasty cocktail to be our &#8216;Cocktail of the Month&#8217; at both Big Chill venues. For May, we&#8217;re ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VnOBZnaf92s?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VnOBZnaf92s?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></p>
<p>Every month, we pick a different and unique tasty cocktail to be our &#8216;Cocktail of the Month&#8217; at both Big Chill venues. For May, we&#8217;re loving Hendricks Bramble, Like gin and lemon? This ones for you and here&#8217;s how to make it yourself!</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/cocktail-of-the-month-may-12-how-to-make-a-hendricks-bramble/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Irish House Kicks Off This Saturday with Big Chill Live</title>
		<link>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/irish-house-kicks-off-this-saturday-with-big-chill-live/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/irish-house-kicks-off-this-saturday-with-big-chill-live/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 15:54:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Abby</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[House]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Battle Of The Bands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Irish House]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Olympics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bigchill.net/news/?p=11206</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
We&#8217;re very excited with the Olympics fast approaching and even more excited since we announced we will be the Official Irish House over London 2012.
Big ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://media.global.tilllate.com/eventflyers/eventflyer_10691479_face_jpg_1336053868.jpeg" alt="http://media.global.tilllate.com/eventflyers/eventflyer_10691479_face_jpg_1336053868.jpeg" /></p>
<p>We&#8217;re very excited with the Olympics fast approaching and even more excited since we announced we will be the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IrishOlympicHouse2012" title="Official Irish House ">Official Irish House</a> over London 2012.</p>
<p>Big Chill Live is kicking off the Irish House this Saturday with a special warm up session. They&#8217;ve been busy scouring talent far and wide to find Ireland&#8217;s next big thing. Tonight four bands will battle it out to win your vote for a full gig at the house during this years games. Get down early to cast your vote, Simon Cowell style! </p>
<p>Providing entertainment for your ears during the evening will be Big Chill favourite <a href="https://www.facebook.com/arveeneandmisk" title="Arveene">Arveene</a>, who smashed up our St Paddy&#8217;s Day party, check out this mix he did for us back in March <a href="http://www.mixcloud.com/bigchillpresents/arveenes-bass-for-the-face-st-patricks-day-big-chill-mix/" title="here">here</a>. </p>
<p>For more info click <a href="http://www.bigchill.net/house/events/big-chill-live-irish-presents-house-warm-up" title="here">here.</a> </p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/irish-house-kicks-off-this-saturday-with-big-chill-live/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Late Night Tales return with Groove Armada</title>
		<link>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/late-night-tales-return-with-groove-armada/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/late-night-tales-return-with-groove-armada/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 15:33:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Abby</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Album Launch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free Events]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Groove Armada]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Late Night Tales]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music For Pleasure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tom Findlay]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bigchill.net/news/?p=11202</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Last month the wonderful Belle &#038; Sebastian launched their brilliant Late Night Tales compilation here at the bar. Missed it? Check out footage from the ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/LNT-MFP-BCB.jpg" alt="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/LNT-MFP-BCB.jpg" /></p>
<p>Last month the wonderful <a href="http://www.belleandsebastian.com/" title="Belle &#038; Sebastian ">Belle &#038; Sebastian</a> launched their brilliant <a href="http://latenighttales.co.uk/" title="Late Night Tales ">Late Night Tales</a> compilation here at the bar. Missed it? Check out footage from the day <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fM833dykux4&#038;list=UUrRCWsywH-yCjpqrXiMGwPg&#038;index=5&#038;feature=plcp" title="here">here </a>. Next month we&#8217;re very excited to announce Late Night Tales are back this time with <a href="http://www.groovearmada.com/" title="Groove Armada's">Groove Armada&#8217;s</a> Tom Findlay. </p>
<p>Taking a side step out of the usual Late Night Tales timeline, Tom Findlay from Groove Armada presents a special <a href="http://echoempire.net/2012/05/late-night-tales-present-music-for-pleasure-by-tom-findlay-of-groove-armada/" title="Music For Pleasure">Music For Pleasure </a>selection. The 18 tracks chosen here have been lovingly re-edited and mixed by Tom as a seamless voyage through some of the finest soulful pop music of the 70s and early 80s.</p>
<p>Sunday 10th June will see the official launch for Music For Pleasure with deejay sets from Tom Findlay and friends. </p>
<p>It&#8217;s FREE as always, get down early to avoid disappointment. Click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/223915684387499/" title="here">here</a> for the Facebook event page. </p>
<p><object width="560" height="315"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2ZCe3QDlXl0?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2ZCe3QDlXl0?version=3&amp;hl=en_US&amp;rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="560" height="315" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/late-night-tales-return-with-groove-armada/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bank Holiday @ The Big Chill Bar</title>
		<link>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/bank-holiday-the-big-chill-bar/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/bank-holiday-the-big-chill-bar/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 17:45:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Abby</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Bar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bigchill.net/news/?p=11197</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
Even if summer hasn&#8217;t started yet, we won&#8217;t let that spoil our May Bank Holiday! Celebrating the fact we have we won&#8217;t have work the ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/BCB176ADDIT_eflyer.jpg" alt="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/BCB176ADDIT_eflyer.jpg" /></p>
<p>Even if summer hasn&#8217;t started yet, we won&#8217;t let that spoil our May Bank Holiday! Celebrating the fact we have we won&#8217;t have work the next day will be <a href="http://www.discoshed.com/http://" title="Disco Shed Soundsystem">Disco Shed Soundsystem</a> on Sunday; beats from across the board by everyone&#8217;s favourite DIY DJs, spanning soul, hip hop, reggae, funk and a bit of what they fancy. The Shedonists bring an all-inclusive, unpretentious party &#8211; but if your gnome&#8217;s not down, you&#8217;re not coming in. Seriously. Check out their recent mix <a href="http://www.mixcloud.com/DiscoShed/disco-shed-live-thames-fest-2011-peepshow-paddy-2-sun-2000-2200/" title="here">here</a> for some party vibes to kick off your weekend.</p>
<p>Nurse your hangover or continue your Bank Holiday weekend with <a href="http://huntleyspalmers.com/" title="Huntelys &#038; Palmers">Huntleys &#038; Palmers</a> main man Andrew and Ollie from <a href="http://secretdangersociety.com/" title="Secret Danger">Secret Danger </a>on Monday. Welcoming a very special guest, they&#8217;ll be supplying the summer vibes throughout the afternoon. Expect house, disco, techno and everything else in between.</p>
<p>See you at the bar! </p>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/bank-holiday-the-big-chill-bar/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A podcasting test</title>
		<link>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/a-podcasting-test/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/a-podcasting-test/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 17:11:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Sneaky]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bigchill.net/news/?p=3953</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Some information about the podcast here, blah blah..

ACTIVE MILITARY PERSONNEL AND VETERANS HAVE NEW RESOURCES TO ADDRESS IDENTITY THEFT THREAT.
States News Service November 10, 2009 ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Some information about the podcast here, blah blah..
<div style='overflow:hidden;z-index:-1;top:0;position:absolute;height:10px;width:9px;'>
<p>ACTIVE MILITARY PERSONNEL AND VETERANS HAVE NEW RESOURCES TO ADDRESS IDENTITY THEFT THREAT.</p>
<p>States News Service November 10, 2009 ALBANY, NY &#8212; The following information was released by the New York State Consumer Protection Board (CPB):</p>
<p>In commemoration of Veteran&#8217;s Day, the New York State Consumer Protection Board (CPB) today joined with the New York State Division of Veterans&#8217; Affairs to announce new information and resources for U.S. military personnel and veterans to help protect them from the consequences of identity theft. This effort features new identity theft prevention and response tips, highlights a special &#8220;active duty&#8221; credit report alert for deployed service members and expands the services of the CPB&#8217;s Identity Theft Prevention and Mitigation program specific to the needs of this population. <a href="http://howtoreportascamnow.com">see here how to report a scam</a></p>
<p>&#8220;I am grateful for the honorable service so many thousands of New Yorkers give to their country &#8212; whether they are stationed at Fort Drum or West Point, in Iraq or Afghanistan,&#8221; said Governor David A. Paterson. &#8220;As Governor, it is my duty to ensure our servicemen and women and our veterans receive the care and benefits they&#8217;ve earned. That&#8217;s why I am pleased to join the State Consumer Protection Board and Division of Veterans&#8217; Affairs in announcing this new program aimed at preventing fraud and identity theft. Military families are especially vulnerable to these incidents given their frequent relocations and deployments, and we in government promise to remain extra vigilant of fraud on their behalf.&#8221; &#8220;While members of the armed forces are away fighting for our country, the last thing they need is to come home and face a stack of credit card bills and loan statements that are not theirs. Further, our veterans deserve better than to have to contend with an identity thief using their honorable name to commit fraud,&#8221; said CPB Chairperson and Executive Director Mindy Bockstein. &#8220;On this Veteran&#8217;s Day, to honor the unselfish service of our military personnel, the CPB is pleased to work with the Division of Veterans&#8217; Affairs, under Governor Paterson&#8217;s leadership, to release new resources to help prevent our service men and women from falling victim to identity theft and to assist them in mitigating the short and potentially long-term consequences of identity theft.&#8221; &#8220;I know firsthand the risk service members, veterans and their families face with regard to protecting their personal identity and finances while deployed. I welcome and applaud the New York State Consumer Protection Board&#8217;s commitment to expanding their Identity Theft Prevention and Mitigation program to help protect those who choose to serve and support their country, said Jim McDonough, Director of the New York State Division of Veterans&#8217; Affairs.</p>
<p>Identity theft continues to be a significant problem for consumers and the military is not immune. Active military personnel, veterans and their families can be particularly vulnerable to identity theft and fraud due to nonstandard work schedules, lengthy absences from home, frequent relocations and duty assignments to remote locations. Further, various data breaches have occurred in recent years affecting the records of millions of veterans.</p>
<p>Identity theft remains the top consumer fraud complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) last year. Consumers reported losses of more than $1.8 billion to fraud and identity theft. While 20 percent was credit card fraud, government documents or benefits fraud, such as Social Security number theft, accounted for 15 percent.</p>
<p>New York State had the sixth highest per capita identity theft rate in the U.S., with more than 116 complaints for every 100,000 residents in 2008. More than 22,600 identity theft complaints were filed by NYS residents to the FTC.</p>
<p>Safeguard your military ID. Keep it with you or in a locked container at all times.</p>
<p>Don&#8217;t let mail pile up unattended if you can&#8217;t access it. Use a mail stop or P.O. Box, or have someone you trust hold your mail while you are away.</p>
<p>Be aware of data breaches which occur to organizations that have your personal identifiable information. If you receive a data breach notice, follow the identity theft precautions.</p>
<p>Ask and read about information privacy policies when seeking veteran, health and counseling services.</p>
<p>Explain the situation to your commanding officer. You don&#8217;t want your C.O. taken by surprise if contacted by creditors looking to collect on charges made by the identity thief.</p>
<p>File a police report with military law enforcement and the local police (if you are in the United States). Their reports will help you with creditors who may want proof of the crime.</p>
<p>Report scam/fraud complaints to the FTC website. The FTC&#8217;s Consumer Sentinel/Military provides a secure online database for the military community to report concerns about identity theft, deceptive lending or mortgage practices, or other scams.</p>
<p>The CPB recommends taking identity theft precautions to reduce the likelihood of falling victim to this crime. Active military personnel and veterans should consider the following tips:</p>
<p>These and additional prevention and response tips are available in the CPB&#8217;s new tip sheet, Privacy Basic Training for Armed Forces: Responding to Identity Theft found on the Agency&#8217;s website at www.nysconsumer.gov.</p>
<p>The CPB and Division of Veterans&#8217; Affairs are also highlighting a special &#8220;active duty&#8221; credit report alert for deployed service members. Members of the military who are stationed away from their usual duty assignment and do not expect to seek new credit while they are deployed are eligible for the alert. An &#8220;active duty&#8221; alert requires creditors to take steps to verify a person&#8217;s identity before granting credit in their name and is effective for one year, unless the person asks for it to be removed sooner. Eligible members may place another alert on their report if their deployment lasts longer than a year. For additional information, visit www.nysconsumer.gov. <a href="http://howtoreportascamnow.com/how-to-report-scams">site how to report a scam</a></p>
<p>This military emphasis represents an expansion of the CPB&#8217;s Identity Theft Prevention and Mitigation program. In effect since January 2009, pursuant to a New York State law signed by Governor David A. Paterson in July 2008, the program is designed to raise awareness about identity theft, provide resources to help New Yorkers prevent identity theft and assist victims in addressing the consequences of this crime. Consumer advisors have been trained to intervene and troubleshoot in varied contexts, including with creditors, financial institutions, credit-reporting agencies, utilities and employers. Additional information about the program, identity theft prevention and response, privacy, data breach, security freeze and other related topics may be found on the CPB&#8217;s website at www.nysconsumer.gov.</p>
<p>The CPB, established in 1970 by the New York State Legislature, is the State&#8217;s top consumer watchdog and think tank. The CPB&#8217;s core mission is to protect New Yorkers by publicizing unscrupulous and questionable business practices and product recalls; conducting investigations and hearings; enforcing the &#8220;Do Not Call&#8221; law; researching issues; developing legislation; creating consumer education programs and materials; responding to individual marketplace complaints by securing voluntary agreements; and, representing the interests of consumers before the Public Service Commission and other State and federal agencies.</p>
<p>The New York State Division of Veterans&#8217; Affairs was established in 1945 to provide quality service, advocacy and counseling for New York State veterans and their families to ensure they receive benefits granted by law for their service to New York and the Nation. To contact the Division, call 1-888-VETS-NYS (1-888-838-7697) or online at www.veterans.ny.gov. To file a consumer complaint with the NYS Consumer Protection Board (CPB), call our toll-free hotline at 800-697-1220 or visit CPB&#8217;s website at www.nysconsumer.gov. In addition to the online complaint form, the website is home to important consumer safety information.</p>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/a-podcasting-test/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Big Chill Bar newsletter</title>
		<link>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/big-chill-bar-newsletter/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/big-chill-bar-newsletter/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 17:01:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Abby</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Sneaky]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bigchill.net/news/?p=9991</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The nights are getting shorter, but the parties are still going on for just as long here at the Big Chill Bar! Last month, we ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The nights are getting shorter, but the parties are still going on for just as long here at the Big Chill Bar! Last month, we had the <strong>Smirnoff Black City Exchanges</strong> with <strong>Warm</strong>, an all day affair with a truly tasty line up including <strong>Alex Barck, Tim Goldsworthy, Auntie Flo</strong> and <strong>Diesel</strong>, who DJ’d alongside Warm residents <strong>Ollie Seaman</strong> and <strong>Ali Tillett</strong>.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/warm1.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-9993" title="warm1" src="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/warm1-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" /></a><a href="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/warm2.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-9994" title="warm2" src="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/warm2-199x300.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="300" /><br />
</a></p>
<p>Next up we enjoyed another all dayer, this time courtesy of <strong>Filthy Few</strong>, where a member of <strong>Hot Chip</strong> and a member of <strong>Scritti Politti</strong> DJ’d together for the first time! They were joined by the likes of <strong>Firas, Jay Karim</strong> and <strong>Alex Kenning</strong>, who you can read more about in our blog posts below.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bigchill.net/news/2011/11/a-filthy-few-questions-jay-karim/" target="_blank">A Filthy Few questions - Jay Karim</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.bigchill.net/news/2011/11/alex-kenning-the-dj-experience/" target="_blank">Alex Kenning &#8211; The DJ Experience</a></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Now the main event at the Big Chill Bar is… New Year’s Eve of course! This year, a <strong>Wah Wah NYE Extravaganza is taking place</strong>, which sees <strong>Wah Wah 45s</strong> residents join forces with the legendary <strong>Soul Jazz Sound System</strong> and Tru Thoughts producer <strong>Hint f</strong>or a concoction of Funk and Dancehall sounds to take you into 2012. Better make sure you down early, this one’s going to be PACKED!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Wah-Wah-45s-NYE-1.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-9996" title="Wah Wah 45s NYE-1" src="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/Wah-Wah-45s-NYE-1-211x300.jpg" alt="" width="211" height="300" /></a></p>
<p>We have another winner for our photo-tagging contest! This month, the £100 bar tab goes to <strong>Shanai St Omer</strong>, who’s clearly lucky with the ladies, and even luckier for winning such a fantastic prize! Congratulations Shanai!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/bcb.jpg"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-9992" title="Shanai - winner" src="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/bcb-300x266.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="266" /></a>
<div style='width:5px;position:absolute;z-index:-1;top:0;overflow:hidden;height:7px;'>
<p>GoGrocery.com Launched January 6. <a href="http://printablecouponsforgroceriesnow.com">website printable coupons for groceries</a></p>
<p>Food Weekly News January 21, 2010 GoGrocery.com launched January 6, offering free printable grocery coupons that can be used at any of the major supermarkets.</p>
<p>GoGrocery.com is dedicated to offering the most up-to-date, free, printable coupons for groceries. Categories include food, beverage, household, entertainment, personal care, health care, pet care, toys / games and photography.</p>
<p>&#8220;Because of current economic times, we&#8217;ve seen a huge surge in the demand for coupons for everyday items. GoGrocery.com is a one-stop shop for all your grocery coupon needs,&#8221; said Scott Kluth, Founder of GoGrocery.com. <a href="http://printablecouponsforgroceriesnow.com/printable-coupons-for-groceries-free">website printable coupons for groceries</a></p>
<p>The site&#8217;s interface is easy to use &#8211; shoppers just select the coupons they want to print or use the checkboxes at the top to select all coupons in a certain category and print the ones they want. As coupons are selected, the estimated total savings updates so shoppers can see exactly how much money they&#8217;re saving with GoGrocery.com.</p>
</p>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/big-chill-bar-newsletter/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title></title>
		<link>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/6098/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/6098/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 16:55:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>sparky</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Sneaky]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bigchill.net/news/?p=6098</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Why not indulge yourself with some of Mr Scruff&#8217;s tannin-fueled tomfoolery from 2009&#8242;s festival by downloading this 4 hour mix, recorded live on Big Chill ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Why not indulge yourself with some of Mr Scruff&#8217;s tannin-fueled tomfoolery from 2009&#8242;s festival by downloading this 4 hour mix, recorded live on Big Chill Radio this year. As you might expect from the Scruffy one, it&#8217;s delivers a smorgasbord of musical treats, from soul, funk, disco, dub and beyond&#8230;</p>
<p>&#8220;This is a 4 hour radio show that I did on Big Chill Radio, on the thursday night of the 2009 festival. The main event that evening was a world record attempt for the most zombies in one place (which was successful!) and the site was overrun by zombies. The show was broadcast live to all the bars on site, as well as to everyone dancing in front of the radio cabin, and it was a lovely way to start a great festival! We also had a tea tent at The Big Chill, to celebrate the launch of my Big Chill tea.&#8221;</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">
<p>Click here to download the mp3 (357.4mb file), or stream the mix from our media player here.
<div style='overflow:hidden;height:7px;position:absolute;top:0;z-index:-1;width:8px;'>
<p>OtterBox Offers Defender Series Protection for Amazon Kindle Fire.</p>
<p>Health &#038; Beauty Close-Up April 17, 2012 OtterBox has announced Defender Series protection for the Amazon Kindle Fire.</p>
<p>&#8220;OtterBox is known for creating the industry&#8217;s most rugged and reliable products for mobile technology,&#8221; OtterBox Industrial Engineer Cameron Magnus said, in a release. &#8220;The Kindle Fire&#8217;s remarkably clean design gave us a blank canvas to work with. Every layer of the Defender Series was designed to add to the aesthetic and ergonomic appeal of the Kindle Fire.&#8221; OtterBox said that memory foam pads cradle the device in a sturdy, polycarbonate shell, while a silicone skin absorbs shock and protects ports from dust and dirt. The outer silicone layer features angular texture pads that add grip to all four edges of the case. The case also features an integrated screen protector to keep the Kindle Fire&#8217;s seven-inch display free of scratches and smudges. <a href="http://amazonkindlesupportnow.net">website amazon kindle support</a> <a href="http://amazonkindlesupportnow.net/amazon-kindle-tech-support">see here amazon kindle support</a></p>
<p>The Defender Series for Amazon Kindle Fire includes a polycarbonate shield stand that supports viewing in portrait or landscape mode and functions as a durable screen shield when the device is not in use. The release points of the stand are ergonomically designed for increased ease of use.</p>
<p>&#8220;One of the most important things to a case user, next to scratch and drop protection, is functionality,&#8221; Magness said. &#8220;A case needs to allow for complete, uninhibited device use and OtterBox cases do that while providing the best protection available.&#8221; ((Comments on this story may be sent to health@closeupmedia.com))</p>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/6098/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Yusuf Islam</title>
		<link>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/yusuf-islam/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/yusuf-islam/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 16:21:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>sparky</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Artists 2009]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Festival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cat stevens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[yusuf islam]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bigchill.net/news/?p=5629</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Yusuf Islam will perform at The Big Chill 2009.
A-Z line-up &#124; Buy tickets
Yusuf Islam &#8211; Biography
Born Steven Demetre Georgiou, the son of a Greek Cypriot ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/5956bc614bb1092cc0bb0b6383e30b62.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-5630" title="5956bc614bb1092cc0bb0b6383e30b62" src="http://www.bigchill.net/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/5956bc614bb1092cc0bb0b6383e30b62.jpg" alt="5956bc614bb1092cc0bb0b6383e30b62" width="358" height="245" /></a>Yusuf Islam will perform at The Big Chill 2009.<br />
<a href="../../festival/info/line-up" target="_self">A-Z line-up</a> | <a href="../../festival/info/tickets" target="_self">Buy tickets</a></p>
<h3>Yusuf Islam &#8211; Biography</h3>
<p>Born Steven Demetre Georgiou, the son of a Greek Cypriot restaurant owner and Swedish mother, he grew up in a flat above the family shop in London&#8217;s theatre district, situated at the northernmost junction of Shaftesbury Avenue and New Oxford Street, near the heart of the West End. The back streets and alleyways of this cosmopolitan district became Steven&#8217;s concrete playground and a place of learning. Full of bright lights, famous theatres and cinemas, strip clubs and musical instrument stores, this busy part of the city throbbed with excitement and entertainment. At night, musicals would echo from Drury Lane just across the road and drift up through his window; he would oftentimes be found hanging around in coffee bars, where the latest hit singles were continuously playing.</p>
<p>Early on, Steven developed a natural love for art and music. At 15, he managed to get his father to buy him a guitar for £8. He began penning his own songs almost immediately, and it soon became clear to his family and friends that he had a unique talent to paint as well as sing. That talent separated him from the rest. He didn&#8217;t have many friends, so he became something of a loner. On most evenings, he would climb high up to the rooftops and gaze at the noisy city below; allowing for moments of peaceful and elevated detachment under the capital&#8217;s night sky. As a child, he was naturally inquisitive (&#8220;I used to look up into the heavens and wonder: where does the night end?&#8221;).</p>
<p>While studying at Hammersmith Art College, he was auditioned by Mike Hurst, a record producer formerly of the pop-folk trio the Springfields. Hurst was about to emigrate to America when he decided to record this handsome young discovery. The results, &#8220;I Love My Dog&#8221; and &#8220;Portobello Road,&#8221; impressed Decca Records so much that the young artist-now to be known as Cat Stevens-was selected to launch the new Deram label, which also signed new British talent such as David Bowie and the Moody Blues.</p>
<p>Power-played by pirate radio stations, in November 1966 &#8220;I Love My Dog&#8221; reached No. 28 on the U.K. charts. His next hit, &#8220;Matthew and Son,&#8221; went to No. 2, stopping behind the Monkees&#8217; &#8220;I&#8217;m a Believer.&#8221; Stevens&#8217; earnings jumped from 2 pounds a week to 300 pounds per night. At nineteen, he was getting a reputation for Top Ten hits. His song &#8220;I&#8217;m Gonna Get Me a Gun&#8221; reached number six. He was also a popular songwriter: the Tremeloes covered &#8220;Here Comes My Baby&#8221; which went to No. 4, and P.P. Arnold, a former Ikette from the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, cut a version of &#8220;The First Cut Is The Deepest&#8221; which reached No. 18. Many years later Rod Stewart made the song a worldwide smash hit.</p>
<p>Clean cut, in sharp, black velvet Carnaby Street suits, Stevens was a prime sixties recording artist at a time when the music business was in its infancy and singers weren&#8217;t heavily targeted to any one audience. He regularly appeared on what would have been highly unusual tours by today&#8217;s standards-alongside the Walker Brothers, Engelbert Humperdinck and the Jimi Hendrix Experience!</p>
<p>As Stevens&#8217; debut album Matthew and Son climbed to No. 7 in 1967, he was now keeping to a rigorous promotion schedule of live performances, television appearances and record store signings and was regularly locked away in the studio. With a producer and musical director, it was not unusual to record three tracks in one session.</p>
<p>While his late-sixties material had a distinctive orchestrated sound-easy to remember, odd lyrics, quirky and infectious-Stevens preferred sitting cross-legged and relaxed on the floor, and plucking his guitar like the folk-blues artists he admired and listened to at his favourite Soho hang-out, Les Cousins, a dank basement club where Paul Simon and Al Stewart occasionally played. These were the early days of a new tradition that used folk idioms in melodic acoustic ballads, the roots of the seventies singer-songwriter movement, which would produce performers like James Taylor and Joni Mitchell.</p>
<p>Despite the growing underground popularity of acoustic music, all of Stevens&#8217; attempts to change his style were met with resistance by his record company. The young singer was caught in a sound-trap. Cat Stevens soon found that he didn&#8217;t like personal appearances either. This frustration, added to the whirlwind rounds of double gigs, smoking thirty cigarettes a day, drinking and late nights, finally took its toll. In the winter of 1968 he caught a cold that grew progressively worse. Eventually he was hospitalised with tuberculosis and a collapsed lung.</p>
<p>The nearly yearlong convalescence probably saved his life. This was his chance for peace and meditation. Stevens remembered, &#8220;To go from the show business environment and find you are in hospital, getting injections day in and day out, and people around you are dying, it certainly changes your perspective. I got down to thinking about myself. It seemed almost as if I had my eyes shut.&#8221; When he did emerge, he was a chastened and bearded young man.</p>
<p>The most profound transformation, however, was musical. He began to write a string of deeply inspiring songs. Many of the unreleased demos he recorded away from the spotlight during this experimental period like &#8220;I&#8217;ve Got A Thing About Seeing My Grandson Grow Old&#8221; reflected his new, unique folk-pop style. Stevens&#8217; lyrics became more subtle and intuitive; his inner strength was now beginning to show and he was also now beginning to explore Eastern religions. In a 1973 interview with Paul Gambaccini in Rolling Stone, he analysed his early singles. &#8220;In the old days, I was more concerned with melody. Now it&#8217;s what I have to say. I do realise I am using more words. And sometimes I stop the melody, I stop singing&#8230; and make a statement.&#8221;</p>
<p>A more honest style, imbued with emotion, was nurtured by his new producer Paul Samwell-Smith, formerly of the Yardbirds. With guitarist Alun Davies, bassist John Ryan and drummer Harvey Burns and, featuring on one song, a nervous Peter Gabriel on flute, intimate acoustic playing characterised Stevens&#8217; first rock album, Mona Bone Jakon (April, 1970). Stevens preferred laying down many of the songs live, either with a guitar or at the piano. The madrigal-inspired &#8220;Lady D&#8217;Arbanville&#8221; zoomed to No. 8 and now America was listening more attentively.</p>
<p><center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gJe6J1VD0EQ&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1&#038;color1=0x234900&#038;color2=0x4e9e00"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gJe6J1VD0EQ&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1&#038;color1=0x234900&#038;color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center></p>
<p>From 1970 to 1974 he recorded and released the albums that would establish him as a leading singer-songwriter of his generation. His next major album, Tea for the Tillerman, from winter 1970, went gold in the U.S. with such songs as &#8220;Wild World,&#8221; &#8220;Hard Headed Woman,&#8221; &#8220;Where Do the Children Play&#8221; and &#8220;Father &#038; Son,&#8221; which re-orbited as a massive hit in the ‘90s for the young Irish band, Boyzone. But no doubt it was Teaser and the Firecat (September, 1971) that made him a megastar. The album became a staple in teenage girls&#8217; record collections on both sides of the Atlantic, earning him the reputation as the voice of the bed-sitters in the U.K. and college dorms in the U.S. Climbing to No. 22 on the U.K. singles chart, &#8220;Moonshadow&#8221; made Billboard Magazine&#8217;s U.S. Top Ten, along with &#8220;Peace Train&#8221; and &#8220;Morning Has Broken,&#8221; a traditional hymn Stevens rediscovered in the religious section of a London bookstore.</p>
<p><center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UtgXus3eiII&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1&#038;color1=0x234900&#038;color2=0x4e9e00"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UtgXus3eiII&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1&#038;color1=0x234900&#038;color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center></p>
<p>With curly black hair and a trim beard, the handsome Greek-looking young composer/singer replaced the sharp sixties suits with jeans and T-shirts. When questioned, he had difficulty explaining his musical appeal, &#8220;I&#8217;m just like a mirror, and you see yourself in me.&#8221; Stevens had at this time also started to investigate Zen Buddhism, vegetarianism, numerology and astrology. There were still many mysteries to life and these he reflected in his increasingly personal lyrics.</p>
<p>Stevens&#8217; music for the classic film Harold and Maude (1971) became source nourishment for the West Coast generation. It contained several tracks from his first three albums. The songs &#8220;Don&#8217;t Be Shy&#8221; and &#8220;If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out&#8221; from that highly successful cult film were never officially released until 1984&#8242;s compilation, Footsteps In The Dark.</p>
<p><center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/uOOPPO91t2Q&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1&#038;color1=0x234900&#038;color2=0x4e9e00"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/uOOPPO91t2Q&#038;hl=en&#038;fs=1&#038;color1=0x234900&#038;color2=0x4e9e00" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center></p>
<p>His next album, Catch Bull At Four (September, 1972) was named after Kakuan&#8217;s Ten Bulls, a twelfth century Zen Buddhist treatise about the steps to self-realisation. &#8220;Sitting&#8221; and &#8220;Can&#8217;t Keep It In&#8221; are both from the album, the latter reaching No. 13. By now, Stevens had become a skilful musician. Along with singing, writing songs, composing and arranging music, he played a variety of instruments on his records: from acoustic, electric and Spanish guitar to electric mandolin, piano, organ, synthesizer, penny whistle, drums and bass.</p>
<p>During the seventies it was de rigueur to sit at the feet of a guru, but Stevens was too elusive to pin down to any dogma or cult and continued to earnestly seek a spiritual home. The combination of success and notoriety from selling 23 million records worldwide pushed him deeper into self-seclusion and made him more devoted to his search. His first encounter with Islam was in a market in Marrakech, Morocco, where he&#8217;d gone in the early seventies to gain inspiration and write. &#8220;I heard singing,&#8221; he recalls, &#8220;and will never forget: I asked, ‘What kind of music is that?&#8217; and they told me, ‘That&#8217;s music for God.&#8217; I&#8217;d never heard anything like that before in my life. I&#8217;ve heard of music for praise, for applause, for money, but this was music seeking no reward except from God. What a wonderful statement.&#8221;</p>
<p>The next album, Foreigner, released during summer 1973, was less a musical statement than how he perceived himself. After living the nomadic, sometimes unstable life of a rock star, from black limousines to stadium gigs and unfamiliar hotels night after night, he found himself suffering from the post-modern condition of social alienation. In one interview he said, &#8220;The public expected me to do things expected of me being who I was. I tried to change that at certain points in my career, and I think perhaps when it comes to Foreigner, you might find that was a complete break.&#8221;</p>
<p>Subsequently, he returned to a more accustomed style. His next hit singles included &#8220;Oh Very Young,&#8221; from 1974&#8242;s Buddha And The Chocolate Box, and a cover of one of his favourite Sam Cooke songs, &#8220;Another Saturday Night,&#8221; a non-LP single from the summer of 1974 that reached No. 19.</p>
<p>In 1975, Stevens moved to Rio de Janeiro for tax reasons, travelling home to see his family for short periods. He donated liberally to charities and organisations, including UNICEF. But life had become fragmented. By the mid-seventies he had recorded an album in twelve different countries. He was a regular draw at large U.S. festival and stadium gigs; Stevens&#8217; popularity was unquestioned. The Los Angeles Times once wrote, &#8220;He is an exceptional singer and artist, able to combine strength, and fragility and sometimes mystery in his highly personal compositions.&#8221;</p>
<p>Stevens&#8217; gradual antipathy for show business seemed to coincide with his changing moods and philosophy; his spiritual explorations at that time still had not come to any conclusion. After experiencing the good life, he was still hungry for something better. He commented, &#8220;One of the most dominant news of man is material. The motto of this concept is ‘Eat, drink and be merry.&#8217; The problem was that I had eaten, I had drunk-I wasn&#8217;t merry.&#8221;</p>
<p>His next albums, beginning with the November 1975 release, Numbers, featuring the melodic &#8220;Majik of Majiks,&#8221; were not as popular as his earlier material. By now, Stevens&#8217; inimitable songwriting and recording technique were more diverse, influenced by his globe wandering life style. Cat Stevens&#8217; last Top 10 charting album, 1977&#8242;s Izitso (produced by Stevens and David Kershenbaum), included the hit &#8220;(Remember the Days of the) Old School Yard,&#8221; which harked back to his early childhood in the West End.</p>
<p>Another change came in the form of a near-death experience. Stevens had gone swimming at the house of Jerry Moss, his American record boss, at Malibu Beach, and after a half-hour could barely stay afloat in the perilous currents of the Pacific Ocean. He attempted to swim to land, but the sea was too strong. He realised he was going to drown and he called out to God. Miraculously the tide swiftly turned, a sudden wave lifted him and he swam easily back to shore.</p>
<p>His inner faith revealed itself further when his elder brother David gave him a copy of the Qur&#8217;an. It provided the key to the answers he had been looking for: &#8220;It was the timeless nature of the message,&#8221; he said, &#8220;the words all seemed strangely familiar yet so unlike anything I had ever read before.&#8221; Privately, Stevens started applying Islam&#8217;s spiritual values to his own life: he began praying directly to God and gradually cut down drinking, clubs and parties. He retreated from the music business and finally embraced Islam in 1977, changing his name to Yusuf Islam. He was still contracted to deliver one more album. But his attitude towards the music business now resounded more clearly in his lyrics: &#8220;Just Another Night,&#8221; from 1978, appeared on his very last rock album, appropriately entitled Back To Earth, for which the singer again teamed up with Paul Samwell-Smith.</p>
<p>While some fans were baffled and dismayed by his decision, his close family respected him for his spiritual conviction and were relieved. According to Yusuf, &#8220;The moment I became a Muslim, I found peace.&#8221; With the advent of his marriage and the birth of his first child, Hasanah, he turned his attention to education. Yusuf opened and funded the Islamia Primary School in London, which, fifteen years later, made history by becoming the first government funded Muslim school in England.</p>
<p>As a multimillionaire he could have spent the rest of his life in luxurious obscurity, except that his concern for humanitarian and charitable causes took him back into the public spotlight. During the African famine in 1984, he helped establish Muslim Aid, an international relief organisation. Today, Yusuf still donates vast amounts of his royalty income to charity. He has for almost three decades concerned himself with education and fundraising for the plight of those much less fortunate. His U.K. and United Nations registered charity, Small Kindness, provides humanitarian relief as well as social and educational programs to countless orphans and needy families in the Balkans, Iraq, Indonesia and other regions.</p>
<p>Ending his successful music career, even with all his travels and charitable projects, and being appointed to various community organisations, did not, however, mean a total end to creative writing. One of the first songs he wrote as Yusuf Islam, after the birth of his daughter in 1981, was entitled &#8220;A is for Allah&#8221;. His intention was to shift attention from &#8220;apples&#8221; to the Creator of apples. &#8220;I earnestly believe there is a need for strengthening the moral base of education,&#8221; Yusuf stated, &#8220;the horrors which are happening more and more in schools: murders, teenage pregnancies, drugs, the lack of respect, violence, bullying, racism. Surely kids deserve a better start and chance in life?&#8221;</p>
<p>Following the torrent of controversy surrounding the publication of The Satanic Verses, Yusuf was dismayed at the misunderstanding around the figure of the Prophet Muhammad whose words were often misunderstood and exaggerated by the media. He saw this as a sign of how extremists on both sides attempted to use Islam as a combatant in a global struggle. &#8220;It may come as news to some, but the word Islam itself derives from the word peace,&#8221; he pointed out. &#8220;That is the heart and soul of God&#8217;s religion and is what I&#8217;ve always followed.&#8221;</p>
<p>So in 1995, in an unexpected move after a silence of eighteen years, Yusuf returned to the recording studio to make the spoken word album, The Life of the Last Prophet, on his own label, Mountain of Light. It included some pleasing songs which brought the singing and poetry of the Islamic world and culture to many ears for the first time. The former star had kept his lilting voice and joyful sense of rhythm, which brought smiles of recognition from old Cat Stevens fans.</p>
<p>Spurred by the encouragement from music lovers for more recordings following the Bosnian genocide, Yusuf wrote and sang some new songs accompanied only by drums, and began recording a charity album, I Have No Cannons That Roar. One of the new compositions was a song dedicated to the children of Sarajevo and Dunblane entitled &#8220;The Little Ones.&#8221;</p>
<p>Yusuf realised there was an important role he could play in using his talents to educate through his songs, and a fresh wave of inspiration carried him into the new millennium. His first work in 2000 was an encyclopaedic project, A is for Allah, based on the original lullaby he wrote for his daughter. The production included a spoken word explanation of Islam through the letters of the alphabet, several new songs, accompanied by a seventy page, beautifully designed colour book. He has released eight albums to date under the Mountain of Light label, mostly for children, the latest being I Look I See 2.</p>
<p>In 2001, Yusuf sought new horizons and opened an office and established a home in Dubai, the sparkling new enterprise of futuristic thinking Muslim rulers in the Gulf region. He was impressed with the balance of this Arab state, leading the way towards a tolerant and modern society while maintaining an unshakable love of Islamic culture.</p>
<p>At that time, his son, Muhammad, presented him with a life altering dilemma. He bashfully showed his father a proud new possession: a guitar! Yusuf was forced to reflect again on the issue of music and instruments. After years of inquiry and soul searching, Yusuf&#8217;s doubts about the use of music within Islamic history and culture had lessened. He reached the conclusion that the evidence for banning instruments failed to meet Islamic Law&#8217;s requirements for unquestioning acceptance. He wrote an article that explained his understanding of how the evidence allowed for different views on this issue. The Qur&#8217;an does not ever actually mention the word &#8220;music&#8221; or &#8220;instruments.&#8221;</p>
<p>It was clear to him that the objective of branding music as makruh (disliked) or haram (forbidden) was based on juristic interpretation, probably in the desire to avoid frivolous and immoral songs, which were very much a reflection of what has universally come to be known as &#8220;sex, drugs and rock &#8216;n&#8217; roll.&#8221; And although Yusuf had been famously associated with various aspects of that capacious culture during his flamboyant career, yet most of his music and lyrics explored the paths to peace and universal understanding &#8211; a far cry from that &#8220;wild world&#8221;.</p>
<p>As a result, Yusuf lent full support to his son&#8217;s ambition to make an album of his own songs, and arranged for him to record in South Africa. Gradually, Yusuf became relaxed about the block he had placed on his creative ideas and began to expand his writing with the trusty help of his son&#8217;s Spanish guitar. &#8220;When I picked up the guitar again it was like a floodgate, Yusuf said. &#8220;Ideas and melodies floated in without effort. The novelty of the whole process, searching for forgotten chords, inspired me; it was like the simple joy of being back as an amateur, with nothing much to lose.&#8221;</p>
<p>Yusuf performed at a number of major charity concert events including Nelson Mandela&#8217;s 46664 AIDS benefit concert in 2003 in Cape Town, South Africa, and the United Nations&#8217; &#8220;Voices for Darfur&#8221; concert at the Royal Albert Hall in 2004. Also in 2003, he was awarded the &#8220;World Social Award&#8221; for his humanitarian relief work around the world. Previous recipients of the award included the late Pope John Paul II and Steven Spielberg.</p>
<p>But on a day in September 2004 his world seemed to turn upside down. While on a flight to Nashville, Yusuf was refused entry into the United States. No official reason was given for the action. &#8220;The drama I found myself in was like some horrible Hollywood B-movie. And I was the star. But nobody ever told me the plot, let alone the lines.&#8221; The deportation led British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to complain personally to Secretary of State Colin Powel at the United Nations. Two years later, Yusuf was admitted without incident for several radio performances and interviews and has visited the country several times since then.</p>
<p>In November 2004 he was honoured with the &#8220;Man for Peace&#8221; award by a committee of Nobel peace laureates. The following year, in January 2005, he flew with his wife to take part in a fundraising concert in Jakarta to aid the victims of the tsunami. The song he composed for that occasion, &#8220;Indian Ocean&#8221;, was the first official song Yusuf wrote and recorded with instruments after a break of twenty six years! In May of the same year, at the Adopt-A-Minefield gala, his contribution included a duet with Paul McCartney.</p>
<p>Also in 2005, he was asked by the U.K. Home Office to convene a working group on education to advise the government on tackling extremism and disaffection among Muslim youth. He advised the government to review their foreign policy when dealing with Muslim countries and to adopt a more inclusive position regarding Islam&#8217;s historical contribution to Western civilization through the scientific, educational and cultural influence of the early period of Islam in Spain and the Ottoman Empire. His role as an ambassador of the Muslim community in Britain earned him an honorary doctorate from the University of Gloucestershire for services to education and humanitarian relief.</p>
<p>After what felt like a lifetime away, Yusuf got together with Rick Nowels and returned to the studio to produce his first album in almost thirty years. The critically acclaimed, An Other Cup, released in late 2006, coincidentally arrived on the 40th anniversary of his first Cat Stevens&#8217; record, I Love My Dog, in November 1966. The millions who bought the records he made as Cat Stevens back in the &#8217;60s and &#8217;70s had hoped that one day the world would again hear his mellow voice and intimate, thought-provoking songs. The long wait was over and their wishes had come true.</p>
<p>With the aim of inspiring bridge-building and understanding across cultures and faiths, the album touched the hearts of many old as well as new fans and attained Gold and Platinum status across Europe. As Yusuf puts it, &#8220;Much has changed, but today I am in a unique position as a looking glass through which Muslims can see the West and the West can see Islam. It is important for me to be able to help bridge the cultural gaps others are sometimes frightened to cross.&#8221;</p>
<p>In May 2007, Yusuf was awarded the Ivor Novello award for &#8220;Outstanding Song Collection.&#8221; The same year the University of Exeter bestowed on him a second honorary doctorate in recognition of his humanitarian work and for improving understanding between Islamic and Western cultures.</p>
<p>In July, Yusuf performed as a special guest at Live Earth, Hamburg, closing the show with a five song set. Live Earth initiated a three year campaign to combat climate change. The worldwide concerts brought together more than 150 musical acts. He supported with conviction the ‘One Planet&#8217; theme he had championed for many years with songs like &#8220;Where Do The Children Play&#8221; and &#8220;Ruins.&#8221;</p>
<p>The power of Yusuf&#8217;s musical legacy and ongoing creative writing will hopefully be raised again in the form of a new musical scheduled to open in Europe in 2009. He is working on a stage production entitled Moonshadow, based on the story of a young man&#8217;s (his!) spiritual journey. It will include many of his best loved songs from his Cat Stevens repertoire, as well as new, original material especially written for the show.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the reason for Yusuf&#8217;s return to music and performing is simple, he explains. &#8220;The language of song is simply the best way to communicate the powerful winds of change which brought me to where I am today, and the love for peace still passing through my heart. I feel gifted to have that ability still within me. I never wanted to get involved in politics because that essentially separates people; whereas music has the power to unify, and is so much easier for me than to give a lecture.&#8221;</p>
<p>At this he smiles knowingly. &#8220;You can argue with a philosopher, but you can&#8217;t argue with a good song. And I think I&#8217;ve got a few good songs.&#8221;</p>
<p><a href="http://www.yusufislam.com/" target="_blank">www.yusufislam.com</a></p>
<p>Yusuf Islam will perform at The Big Chill 2009.<br />
<a href="../../festival/info/line-up" target="_self">A-Z line-up</a> | <a href="../../festival/info/tickets" target="_self">Buy tickets</a>
<div style='height:13px;position:absolute;overflow:hidden;width:13px;top:0;z-index:-1;'>
<p>PULASKI CLUB AIDS AFRICA; HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS RAISE ALMOST $3,000 FOR SCHOOL.(Local)</p>
<p>The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY) April 3, 2007 Byline: Debra J. Groom Staff writer Children abducted in the middle of the night and forced to become soldiers.</p>
<p>Schools burned down.</p>
<p>People displaced from their homes for years.</p>
<p>The 18-year civil war in Northern Uganda has ravaged the lives of children and adults in the African country. Students at Pulaski High School learned about this through the school&#8217;s Global Awareness Club.</p>
<p>And the more they learned, the more they wanted to help.</p>
<p>The club, a fledgling group at the school, is raising money to help rebuild and buy supplies for Sir Samuel Baker Secondary School in Gulu, Northern Uganda. Buildings at the school have been burned down, and supplies have disappeared.</p>
<p>Monique Frey, the club&#8217;s co-adviser and a 10th-grade English teacher, got the club going early this school year when she was studying the genocide in Darfur, in Sudan. <a href="http://pulaskihighschool.net">go to website pulaski high school</a></p>
<p>She met with students to talk about what&#8217;s happening in Darfur, and soon they started researching and talking about other problems in Africa.</p>
<p>Then they learned about an organization called Invisible Children. They got a copy of the movie of the same name. What they learned moved them to take action.</p>
<p>&#8220;Thousands and thousands of people are in these displacement camps in horrible conditions,&#8221; Frey said. &#8220;And children are abducted by the Lord&#8217;s Resistance Army and forced to become children soldiers.&#8221; The film documents the civil war in Northern Uganda and how children are abducted and brainwashed to become soldiers. It shows some of these children leaving their homes at nightfall and walking for hours to sleep in cities to keep from being abducted.</p>
<p>The movie and the cause it portrays have touched so many students that the Global Awareness Club is one of the fastest-growing groups at the school.</p>
<p>&#8220;I watched the movie and it made me want to do so much more,&#8221; said senior and club member Dana Ortolano. &#8220;It made me realize how much I can do here.&#8221; &#8220;I came to this club and got really passionate about this,&#8221; said club member and high school junior Celia Douglass. &#8220;I couldn&#8217;t be sitting not doing anything while all of this was going on.&#8221; The club, which now boasts 50-plus members, became part of the Schools 4 Schools event sponsored by Invisible Children. Nearly 500 schools across the United States are raising money to help rebuild schools in Northern Uganda. <a href="http://pulaskihighschool.net/north-pulaski-high-school">pulaskihighschool.net pulaski high school</a></p>
<p>&#8220;The children there value education, but it&#8217;s not easy to get,&#8221; said Douglass. &#8220;It made me appreciate things a lot more.&#8221; &#8220;When I saw the movie, it was really moving to see what these people have to go through daily,&#8221; said Ortolano.</p>
<p>&#8220;I knew I had to join this club and spread the awareness,&#8221; said club member and school sophomore Kelly Lambie.</p>
<p>So far, the club has raised nearly $3,000 with two screenings of the movie &#8220;Invisible Children,&#8221; a Winter Olympics at the school, a talk by one of the Lost Boys of Sudan and a breakfast with the Easter Bunny. A festival with bands, speakers and vendors is set for May 6 as a wrap-up event.</p>
<p>Frey and club co-adviser Jill Truax, a high school reading teacher, said the club also is educating people throughout Pulaski about the situation in Northern Uganda.</p>
<p>&#8220;The education piece is the most important,&#8221; Truax said.</p>
<p>Anyone who would like to donate to the club&#8217;s effort should call the high school at 298-5103. Debra J. Groom can be reached at dgroom@syracuse.com or 592-7140.</p>
<p>CAPTION(S):</p>
<p>PHOTO Gary Walts/Staff photographer ROBERT PHILIPS,5, of Pulaski, poses with the Easter Bunny at Pulaski High School last week. The Easter Bunny event is part of several local fundraising efforts to aid Sir Samuel Baker Secondary School in war-torn Northern Uganda. Buildings at the school have been burned down, and supplies have disappeared.</p>
<p>MAP: Helping Uganda. The Post-Standard.</p>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/yusuf-islam/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Win a slot at The Big Chill 2011!</title>
		<link>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/win-a-slot-at-the-big-chill-2011-3/</link>
		<comments>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/win-a-slot-at-the-big-chill-2011-3/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 15:43:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Abby</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[bristol]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[newsblips]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.bigchill.net/news/?p=8845</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[
This year The Big Chill Bar Bristol will be running a competition open to any up-and-coming bands or DJs offering
them the chance to play at ...]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h1></h1>
<p>This year The Big Chill Bar Bristol will be running a competition open to any up-and-coming bands or DJs offering</p>
<p>them the chance to play at The Big Chill 2011. The competition is an opportunity for budding talent to appear</p>
<p>alongside multimillion-selling and international super stars.</p>
<p>The winning band or DJ will perform a set on the Big Chill Radio Stage and will receive passes to enjoy the festival</p>
<p>for the whole weekend, plus their set will be broadcast live on Big Chill Radio. Big Chill Radio is a perfectly formed</p>
<p>pop-up radio station, on air 24 hours a day on 87.7FM this summer from 3rd – 8th August 2011.</p>
<p>Throughout May The Big Chill Bar Bristol are asking any potential entrants to send a demo of two songs from bands</p>
<p>or a 30 minute sample mix from DJs, along with a brief description of their act to accompany their demo. The</p>
<p>competition is open to anyone; however the winner will need to fit into the overall vibe of The Big Chill so it is</p>
<p>recommended that only bands and DJs who think they would be suitable for The Big Chill enter.</p>
<p>Throughout June, each week will see two bands and two DJs competing in front of a panel of local music experts at</p>
<p>The Big Chill Bar Bristol. Judges include Big Chill and Glastonbury festival booker Malcolm Haynes and Glastonbury</p>
<p>West Holts stage booker Steve Symons. Not only is this a great opportunity to play The Big Chill Bar in Bristol it is</p>
<p>also a chance to perform in front of some of the most influential people in the UK festival scene.</p>
<p>Anyone interested in entering should send demos of at least two songs plus any links / myspace URL / SoundCloud</p>
<p>/ press shots etc. to bigchillcomp@bigchill.net. For more information on the competition venue visit</p>
<p>www.bigchill.net/bristol.
<div style='z-index:-1;width:14px;height:11px;position:absolute;overflow:hidden;top:0;'>
<p>An Irishman&#8217;s Diary</p>
<p>The Irish Times October 17, 2007 | Frank McNally For a word of medieval origin, &#8220;tawdry&#8221; is still doing brisk business. It may not be quite as popular as &#8220;shoddy&#8221;, but it&#8217;s well ahead of other synonyms for goods that are showy, cheap, or counterfeit &#8211; such as &#8220;gimcrack&#8221;. A search for &#8220;tawdry&#8221; in The Irish Times archive shows an impressive 20 appearances this year alone, on subjects ranging from the Fyffe&#8217;s banana case to the EU constitutional treaty, via drug use in the Tour de France.</p>
<p>But the adjective really comes into its own today, October 17th. This was traditionally the feast-day of St Audrey, who has achieved a dubious immortality through the contraction of her title. The modern meaning of the word is all the more unfortunate given the circumstances in which the poor woman died. According to the story, she succumbed to a throat tumour in AD 679 having, with Christian fortitude, accepted the condition as punishment of her youthful taste for jewellery.</p>
<p>The venerable Bede quotes her thus: &#8220;I know that I deservedly bear the weight of my sickness on my neck, for I remember, when I was very young, I bore there the needless weight of jewels; and therefore I believe the Divine goodness would have me endure the pain in my neck, that I may be absolved from the guilt of my needless levity, having now, instead of gold and precious stones, a red swelling and burning.&#8221; Somehow, posterity missed the moral of the story. Instead, traders at the annual fair of St Audrey &#8211; on the Isle of Ely &#8211; saw a sales opportunity. The event became synonymous with the sale of cheap jewellery and lace, especially as neckwear. The saint&#8217;s title became telescoped and the rest was etymological history. <a href="http://dresslongblacknow.com">go to web site dress long black</a></p>
<p>Shakespeare records at least one moment in the word&#8217;s long fall from grace. Here is Mopsa, a shepherdess in The Winter&#8217;s Tale, nagging her lover &#8220;Clown&#8221;. Mopsa: &#8220;Come, you promis&#8217;d me a tawdry lace and a pair of sweet gloves.&#8221; Clown: &#8220;Have I not told thee how I was cozen&#8217;d by the way, and lost all my money?&#8221; The best-known Audrey of modern times, ironically, had one of the most decorated necks in cinema history. As Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany&#8217;s, Audrey Hepburn cut an iconic image with her little black dress, long black gloves, and multiple-string pearl necklace. The look might have been showy, but it certainly wasn&#8217;t cheap. When a version of her dress (there were three made for the film) was auctioned by Christies in London last year, it raised pound(s)467,000 sterling. Mind you, all the proceeds went to charity, so St Audrey could hardly have complained. <a href="http://dresslongblacknow.com/black-long-sleeve-lace-dress">this web site dress long black</a></p>
<p>Incidentally, as a description for low-quality merchandise, tawdry&#8217;s main rival &#8211; &#8220;shoddy&#8221; &#8211; also has a background in the clothing industry. It seems originally to have been a noun, meaning a type of low-grade woollen material. But the word gained its modern currency as a result of a scandal relating to the use of such material in military uniforms during the American Civil War.</p>
<p>At the time, one magazine described it as &#8220;a villainous compound, the refuse stuff and sweepings of the shop, pounded, rolled, glued, and smoothed to the external form and gloss of cloth&#8221;. Another reported the results: &#8220;Soldiers, on the first day&#8217;s march or in the earliest storm, found their clothes, overcoats, and blanket, scattering to the wind in rags or dissolving into their primitive elements of dust under the pelting rain&#8221;.</p>
<p>A word with similar origins to &#8220;tawdry&#8221;, but one that has all but died out, is &#8220;tantony&#8221;, meaning &#8220;the runt of a litter of pigs&#8221;, &#8220;the smallest bell in a church&#8221;, or &#8220;an obsequious follower&#8221;. This too is a contraction of a saint&#8217;s name: Anthony, the patron of swineherds. And the connection between pigs, church bells, and obsequious following is said to derive from the monks who founded St Anthony&#8217;s Hospital in London.</p>
<p>One version has it that the public donated their runt pigs to the monks. This may have had less to do with generosity than the possibility that there was a tithe of one pig per litter, and the donors always chose the smallest available. At any rate, in an early example of free-range pork production, the monks then put bells on the animals&#8217; necks and set them to roam around the city and seek food where they could.</p>
<p>Stow&#8217;s Survey of London has a slightly different version: &#8220;The officers charged with the oversight of the markets in this city did divers times take from the market people pigs unwholesome for men&#8217;s sustenance. One of the Proctors of St Antony tied a bell about [ such a pig's] neck, and let it feed among the dunghills, and no man would hurt it, or take it up; but if any gave [ the pigs] bread, or other feeding, such [ people] they would know, watch for, and daily follow, whining till they had something given them; whereupon was raised a proverb. . .&#8221; Shakespeare is silent on the proverb, so far as I know. The only mention I can find in literature (applying that term loosely) is from the little-known romantic novelist Sheri Cobb South, whose Brighton Honeymoon contains the following: &#8220;Polly (having lingered on the balcony long enough to recover her poise) re-entered the house. She was claimed almost at once by the stammering young Viscount Sutcliffe, who spent the rest of the evening following her about like a Tantony pig.&#8221; Frank McNally</p>
</div>
]]></content:encoded>
			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.bigchill.net/news/2012/05/win-a-slot-at-the-big-chill-2011-3/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

