Rock fan convinces Billy Idol to perform at his birthday bash

Rock and roll: Billy Idol will play at a devoted fan’s birthday bash (Picture: Reuters)

Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/world/915862-rock-fan-convinces-billy-idol-to-perform-at-his-birthday-bash#ixzz2AW5vCsAR

All rock fan Michael Henrichsen has ever wanted is a birthday party to end all parties.
His dream bash? Billy Idol rolls up in a limo and tells him to hop in. Later, when the rock icon takes the stage and rips into Rebel Yell, his friends go wild.
Sound far-fetched? Not anymore now Idol, 56, has agreed to perform at his fan’s 26th birthday.
Mr Henrichsen has been planning his dream birthday for two years.
He said he had nothing to look forward to in life and was struggling to make ends meet as he worked three jobs to pay off college loans.
Salvation came when Idol’s hit White Wedding blasted out of the radio during a shift and he joked to a work colleague: ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if Billy Idol played at my birthday?’
They laughed, but it fired Mr Henrichsen’s imagination. He set up a website, playmybirthdaybillyidol.com to start the ball rolling.
It attracted hits from all over the world, but ‘no word’ from Idol’s people.
So, to promote his ambition, Mr Henrichsen staged concerts, dubbed Billy Idol Aid, to raise cash for charity and get the 80s rock star’s attention.
It worked, and at a gig in August a video message from Idol was played to fans, where he said: ‘The world has spoken... the dream will become reality.’
Idol will play for Mr Henrichsen and 1,800 friends in Seattle on Thursday.
‘It’s gonna be pretty much the coolest night ever,’ said Mr Henrichsen


Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/world/915862-rock-fan-convinces-billy-idol-to-perform-at-his-birthday-bash#ixzz2AW5nvEz9

Australian "misogyny" speech prompts change to dictionary

CANBERRA (Reuters) - A fiery speech against sexism by Australia's first woman prime minister has prompted the textbook of Australian English to broaden the definition of "misogyny" to better fit the heated political debate raging downunder.

 

Prime Minister Julia Gillard last week used a parliamentary debate to launch a strong attack against conservative Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, accusing him of being a misogynist, and her speech has since become an Internet hit.

In response, Australia's Macquarie Dictionary, the authority on the English language in Australia, has decided to broaden the definition of "misogyny" to better match the way the word has been used over the past 30 years.
The dictionary currently defines misogyny as "hatred of women", but will now add a second definition to include "entrenched prejudice against women", suggesting Abbott discriminated against women with his sexist views.
"The language community is using the word in a slightly different way," dictionary editor Sue Butler told Reuters.

In her parliamentary speech, Gillard attacked Abbott, a conservative Catholic, for once suggesting men were better adapted to exercise authority, and for once saying that abortion was "the easy way out". He also stood in front of anti-Gillard protesters with posters saying "ditch the witch".

Abbott has labeled the attack as cheap and personal and part of a government smear campaign against him.

The fallout from Gillard's speech has followed her on an official visit to India, where it was raised during a panel discussion, but she told reporters in New Delhi on Wednesday that she would not give advice on word definitions.

"I have been left in no doubt that a lot of people have clicked on and watched that speech here in India," she said on Wednesday.

"I will leave editing dictionaries to those whose special expertise is language."

But the opposition has ridiculed the dictionary's move, with lawmaker Fiona Nash saying Gillard is the one who needed to be more careful with her words.

Abbott, a super-fit cyclist and swimmer, has been battling perceptions he has a problem with women voters, with his wife and three daughters making public appearances in recent weeks to soften his tough-guy image.

Lord Neil Gibson Updates

Lord Neil Gibson is a professional who has gained a reputation as a humanitarian. Through his service as an ambassador at large to West Africa, as well as his development efforts within the Kingdom of Lesotho, he has contributed positive change to many parts of the world. Most recently, Lord Neil Gibson has begun discussing the possibility of utilizing business ventures to contribute to the development of communities and infrastructure within the country of Belize.

By working closely with the members of the communities within Belize, Lord Neil Gibson will be able to create a development plan that accurately addresses the problems that the people of Belize face. Through his strategic approach, he will be able to rebuild roads and other important items.

In addition to physically rebuilding the landscape, Lord Neil Gibson hopes to help the economy of the country. He aims to help the government secure national debt, to finalize plans for the funding of a new international airport, and to create housing for homeless residents. This, he believes, can be achieved with the help of the financial entities with which he will work.

The vision that Lord Neil Gibson has for this project is one of positive change. By providing the necessary resources through his unique ability to combine his business skills with his humanitarian efforts, Lord Neil Gibson is working to improve the quality of life experienced by the people living in the country of Belize. With the support and encouragement of the residents of the country, he hopes to embark upon this new venture and provide the rebuilding services that Belize needs to thrive.

Exploits Around the Globe!

 

Obviously, when you have a title like Ambassador at Large and a reputation for bringing humanitarian relief to nations as divergent as Hong Kong and Iraq, to say nothing of ravaged areas like New Orleans, it should come as no big surprise to learn that you’re plenty busy, and that you have different projects going on in many different nations. Certainly, this is the case with Lord Neil Benjamin Gibson, a man whose ability to bring humanitarian aid to a needy nation is the result of his pragmatic approach, his many powerful alliances, and, more than anything, his refusal to give up or settle for a sub-par solution.
We have already addressed some of the global endeavors of Lord Neil Benjamin Gibson. We talked about the amazing work he did as Ambassador at Large to West Africa, about his relief work in New Orleans, about his financial rebuilding in Lesotho, even his hospital construction in Iraq. But of course, we could go on and on. Here are just a few more of the many areas in which Lord Neil Benjamin Gibson has been involved:

• Currently, Lord Neil Benjamin Gibson is hard at work in Central America—specifically, in the nation of Belize. He is working alongside the government of Belize to build a road, one leading from the port in Belize into the nation of Guatemala, something much-needed in that area.
• Lord Neil Benjamin Gibson is currently aligned with the government of South Africa to bring special events—like boxing matches—to that nation, and to promote them, something that will stimulate the local economy in many different ways.
• Additionally, Lord Neil Benjamin Gibson is in talks with a California film studio to launch a production company in Belize!
• Finally, we might mention that Lord Neil Benjamin Gibson is seeking to purchase a diamond mine in South Africa, one he would surely manage and promote in such a way as to be immensely beneficial to the local economy.

Clearly, Lord Neil Benjamin Gibson is a busy man, and he’s busy doing truly important work—helping those in need and bringing economic relief to areas in dire need.