Meet Miles Copeland: The Founder Of I.R.S. Records

*courtesy of the Dash Cafe Ever wonder what it would be like to be the son of an American CIA officer and a Scottish intelligence agent who grows up to found a record label? Miles Copeland doesn't. From Wikipedia:Miles was born in London, England, to Miles Axe Copeland, Jr., a CIA officer from Birmingham, Alabama, United States, and Scottish Lorraine Adie, who was in British intelligence. Due to Miles Jr.'s profession, the family moved throughout...

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Orange You Glad The Fun Boy Three Discovered Bananarama?

Perhaps hoping to re-create the male-female dynamic the Specials had briefly experienced when the Go-Go's made a cameo appearance on their second album, the Fun Boy Three decided to collaborate with a previously unknown female trio going by the vowel-challenged name of Bananarama. From whence did this "Bananarama" appear? The trio were ardent followers of the punk rock and post-punk music scene during the late 1970s and early 1980s and often performed...

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Specials Release Crowning Achievement, Promptly Disappear Like Ghosts

I wouldn't have pegged early '80s Britain as a bouquet of roses, exactly, but I was surprised to learn about the true depth of urban turmoil and violence during that era. From Wikipedia:In 1981, the United Kingdom suffered serious riots across many major cities in England. They were perceived as race riots between communities, in all cases the main motives for the riots were related to racial tension and inner-city deprivation. The riots were caused...

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The Small Games of 2012 (Part 1)

2012 may not have brought about the apocalypse, but it did produce a slew of excellent small games. So excellent in fact that multiple media outlets have awarded the small games Journey and The Walking Dead game of the year. Journey comes from thatgamecompany, who brought us 2009's Flower. The Walking Dead, based on the comic/TV series, comes from Telltale Games. Unfortunately, I haven't played either (my Playstation 3 broke this summer so I haven't...

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Why Beauty And The Beat Is The Greatest Album Of All Time

I used to keep a list of all my favorite albums by year of release. It was quite a sight to behold. I think 1969, 1970, and 1973 were the overall champions, but even so, I had at least one album per year for every year from about 1964 through 2001. Every year, that is, except for one: 1981. Once I thought I had it when I added The Clash's Sandinista! to the list, but nope - released in December 1980. Damn. Well, the moment I heard Beauty and the...

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Women Who Rocked - In The '80s

As I have established by now (and will continue to establish going forward), the Go-Go's rocked. But if you thought they were the only women in the '80s who rocked, well, you've got another thing coming. Of course, there were women who rocked long before the '80s: Brenda Lee, Janis Joplin, Grace Slick, Tina Turner, Suzi Quatro, Patti Smith, Heart, Siouxsie Sioux, etc. etc., so on and so on. But I think the women who rocked in the '80s managed to...

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You Don't Get To Celebrate, Muni

In the barrage of significant milestones that have taken place in 2012, you may not have noticed that 2012 was the 100 year anniversary of Muni. I wouldn't have noticed it myself, aside from the fact that Muni told me. To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Muni, the transit system decided to let its passengers ride for free on Friday. That was wonderful, except I'd already paid for a monthly FastPass and Muni's little anniversary gift saved me ......

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Zrbo Reviews: Halo 4 (343 Industries, 2012)

Reviewing Halo 4 is no easy task. As the first in a new trilogy of an already storied franchise, reviewing Halo 4 is perhaps a good exercise for what critics will face when reviewing the new Star Wars movies when they inevitably arrive. Developer 343 Industries has the weight of a massive franchise to carry, with huge expectations to meet, and they mostly succeed. It's nearly impossible to review Halo 4 without taking a look at it's reason for being....

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Zrbo's Five Favorite Songs of the Year

It's nearing the end of the year, so it's time to start rolling out those year-in-review lists.  Here's my selection for my favorite songs of the year.  And yes, just like last year, you may notice that some of these songs aren't necessarily from 2012. #5 - Psy'Aviah - "Timor"My fifth favorite song of the year is a Shakira song. No, really! Belgian duo Psy'Aviah (not to be confused with that other Psy who dominated 2012) deliver a fresh take on a song from a completely unexpected artist and genre. While the song has a completely different...

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Pat Benatar: Androgynous Name, But All '80s Woman

If you put the words "woman," "rocked," and "80s" into a Google search engine, the first thing that would probably pop up is a picture of Pat Benatar. Pat Benatar had the ultimate '80s rocker name: "Pat" is androgynous, and "Benatar" sounds like a cross between a Bengal tiger and a centaur. In addition, Pat Benatar's period of commercial success is exclusively confined by the '80s; she had her first Top 40 hit in 1980 and her last in 1988. She is...

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Tommy James Finds Himself With A Hit In The '80s - And Not For The Last Time

She may have been talented in many ways, but Joan Jett doesn't appear to have been the most prolific songwriter; most of her big hits have been cover versions of other people's songs. But hey, Elvis didn't write songs, either. Anyway, its not what you cover, but how you cover it. "Crimson and Clover" was a #1 hit for Tommy James & the Shondells in 1969. Tommy James is the kind of artist who had about a thousand hits that everyone still knows,...

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Obama State of Union speech watched by 33.5 million on TV

U.S. President Barack Obama (C), flanked by Vice President Joe Biden (L) and House Speaker John Boehner (D-OH), delivers his State of the Union speech on Capitol Hill in Washington, February 12, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Charles Dharapak/PoolView the original article h...

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Lady Gaga needs hip surgery, cancels remainder of tour

Lady Gaga performs onstage during the Rolling Stones final concert of their ''50 and Counting Tour'' in Newark, New Jersey, December 15, 2012 Credit: Reuters/Carlo AllegriLOS ANGELES | Wed Feb 13, 2013 10:38pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Lady Gaga canceled the remainder of her "Born This Way Ball" concert tour to undergo hip surgery, promoters Live Nation said on Wednesday.The 26-year-old singer announced she was suffering from an inflammation...

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West, Kardashian in security screening flap at JFK: reports

Rap musician Kanye West is seen court side with reality television star Kim Kardashian as the Miami Heat play the New York Knicks in their NBA basketball game in Miami, Florida December 6, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Andrew InnerarityNEW YORK | Wed Feb 13, 2013 10:34pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - Two celebrity passengers - reported by newspapers to be Kanye West and Kim Kardashian - were allowed to bypass airport security to catch a flight at New York's...

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Josh Groban beats Tim McGraw to top of Billboard 200 album chart

Singer Josh Groban poses at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) 2012 Art + Film Gala in Los Angeles, California October 27, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Mario AnzuoniBy Piya Sinha-RoyLOS ANGELES | Wed Feb 13, 2013 2:21pm EST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Singer Josh Groban scored his third No. 1 on Wednesday as his latest album shot to the top of the Billboard 200 album chart, edging out new entries from Tim McGraw and rock band Coheed and Cambria."All...

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"Endless Love" leads Billboard's top love songs

By Noreen O'DonnellNEW YORK | Wed Feb 13, 2013 4:17pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - When it comes to love, sometimes old songs say it best.The 1981 Motown ballad "Endless Love" by Diana Ross and Lionel Richie topped Billboard magazine's "Top 50 'Love' Songs of All Time" list on Wednesday, just in time for Valentine's Day.The duet, written by Richie and used as the theme song for Franco Zeffirelli's film of the same name, earned Richie an Academy Award nomination for best original song.The list is based on the rankings on the Billboard Hot 100 singles...

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Asian shares gain on improving sentiment, G20 eyed

1 of 9. A woman looks at an electronic board showing Japan's stock price index at the Tokyo Stock Exchange in Tokyo February 6, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Toru HanaiBy Chikako MogiTOKYO | Thu Feb 14, 2013 3:14am EST TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares rose on improving risk sentiment while the yen steadied ahead of the weekend meeting of G20 finance and central bank officials, whose views on global growth and differences over currencies will be scrutinized...

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Comcast sees growth from NBCUniversal stronger than anticipated

By Liana B. BakerWed Feb 13, 2013 3:59pm EST n">(Reuters) - Stronger-than-expected growth in NBCUniversal's entertainment unit gave Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O) the impetus to buy the rest of the company from General Electric Co (GE.N) two years earlier than expected."NBCUniversal's 2012 results highlight in particular the improving performance of our broadcast businesses," Comcast Chairman and Chief Executive Brian Roberts said in a call with analysts. "NBC's prime time performance this fall has been improving."While we recognize it is early in...

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BNP Paribas begins overhaul after fourth-quarter profit drop

A man walks past an automatic teller outside a BNP Paribas bank in central Paris October 26, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Jacky NaegelenBy Lionel Laurent and Matthias BlamontPARIS | Thu Feb 14, 2013 2:46am EST PARIS (Reuters) - BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) said it would kick off a three-year plan to save 2 billion euros ($2.69 billion) in annual costs and ramp up growth in Asia after its fourth-quarter profits were hit by Europe's weak economy.France's No. 1...

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American-US Air $11 billion merger gets board OK: sources

A US Airways plane (R) taxis for takeoff past an American Airlines plane at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia, February 10, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Mike TheilerBy Soyoung KimNEW YORK | Wed Feb 13, 2013 8:08pm EST NEW YORK (Reuters) - The boards of AMR Corp (AAMRQ.PK) and US Airways Group Inc (LCC.N) each met on Wednesday to approve a merger that would create the world's largest airline with an expected market...

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Boeing looking at interim 787 fixes: WSJ

The Boeing 787 lands in Everett, Washington travelling with crew only from Fort Worth, Texas February 7, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Kevin P. CaseyView the original article h...

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Japan's economic contraction supports government policy action

Containers are stacked up at a port in Tokyo January 24, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Yuya ShinoBy Leika Kihara and Kaori KanekoTOKYO | Thu Feb 14, 2013 2:08am EST TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's economy unexpectedly contracted in the fourth quarter, failing to escape a mild recession and playing into the hands of a government pushing for more aggressive monetary expansion that's drawn international criticism.While a 0.1 percent drop in output defied expectations...

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Cisco results beat Street; CEO sees challenge in Europe

By Nicola LeskeWed Feb 13, 2013 8:10pm EST n">(Reuters) - Cisco Systems Inc's quarterly results topped Wall Street views on Wednesday amid early signs tech spending was on the mend, but CEO John Chambers warned the picture was mixed and parts of Europe remained challenging.The company's shares were down 1.7 pct in after hours trading after Cisco reported that revenue growth in Europe - which accounts for a quarter of its business - was down 5 percent. Revenue in the Americas was up 9 percent and was 8.3 percent higher in the Asia-Pacific region.Chambers...

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Boeing denies misconduct after union files complaint

The Boeing logo is seen on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner airplane in Long Beach, California March 14, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Lucy NicholsonView the original article h...

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Nestle sees 2013 as challenging as past year

 Packets of Nestle cereals are pictured at the Innovation Center of Cereal Partners Worldwide (CPW), a General Mills' joint venture with Nestle, in Orbe October 11, 2012. Credit: Reuters/Denis BalibouseBy Emma ThomassonVEVEY, Switzerland | Thu Feb 14, 2013 2:58am EST VEVEY, Switzerland (Reuters) - Nestle SA (NESN.VX) said it expected 2013 to be as challenging as 2012 as the world's biggest food group reported weaker-than-expected quarterly sales growth in Asia and the Americas.Underlying 2012 sales growth at the maker of KitKat chocolate bars...

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Soros fund bets against yen, makes $1 billion: WSJ

n">(Reuters) - U.S. hedge fund investor George Soros has gained about $1 billion since November betting against the yen, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people with knowledge of the firm's position.The yen lost nearly 20 percent against the dollar between November and early February, picking up speed as Japan's new government put pressure on the Bank of Japan to ease monetary policy more aggressively to defeat deflation.Soros Fund Management's internal portfolio, which has been led by Scott Bessent since last summer, holds about 10...

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