Latest news with #1985
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Himachal makes dope testing for ‘Chitta' mandatory in police recruitment
Days after Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla expressed concern about the drug menace in the State, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Tuesday said his government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards the drug menace, even as it decided to introduce mandatory dope testing for 'Chitta' (heroin) during police recruitment. He made the remark during the Cabinet meeting held under his chairmanship in Shimla. The Departments of Police, Social Justice and Empowerment, and Health elaborated the steps being taken to combat drug abuse in Himachal Pradesh. 'The State government has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards the drug menace and is fully committed to protecting the youth from falling victim to drug abuse,' said Mr. Sukhu, adding that there's an urgent need of coordinated actions to dismantle drug networks to protect the youth of the State from addiction. The Cabinet decided to introduce mandatory dope testing for 'Chitta' (heroin) during police recruitment. Besides, all new government employees will be required to submit an undertaking confirming they do not consume 'Chitta', said an official statement, adding that strict action would be taken against any government employees found involved in drug-related activities. 'It was informed during the meeting that the drug abuse situation in Himachal Pradesh remains under control, with Narcotic Drugs And Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 cases accounting for nine percent of total cases, significantly lower than Punjab's 20%. Under the tenure of the present government, 45 cases were registered, and properties worth Rs 42.22 crore belonging to individuals involved in drug-related activities were attached. This marks a more than two-fold increase in the number of cases and a three-fold increase in the value of properties seized as compared to previous periods,' it added. The Chief Minister directed the Health Department to intensify its efforts in capacity building, awareness generation, treatment, counseling, follow-up, and rehabilitation of individuals affected by drug addiction. Besides, he emphasized the need for a coordinated approach, asking all concerned departments to work jointly in waging a comprehensive war against substance abuse. He also stressed the importance of regular interstate border monitoring to prevent drug trafficking.
Buzz Feed
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
21 Hit Songs You Never Knew Were Actually Covers
Many people prefer certain song covers to the original, which is perfectly fine. On the other hand, there are songs that people are clueless about, even if they are song covers in the first place! Which means I can now rock out to two versions of these classics! Here are 21 songs you didn't know were actually covers: "1985" by Bowling for Soup is a cover of the song by American pop-punk band SR-71, which was released just two months earlier in Japan before the manager believed it was a better fit for Bowling for Soup. Although probably more well-known, the emotional song "Hurt" by Johnny Cash is a cover of the song performed by the rock band Nine Inch Nails. "Respect" by Aretha Franklin is a cover of Otis Redding's 1965 song by the same name. Franklin really flipped the lyrics on their head to create an all-time classic. "Renegades of Funk" by Rage Against the Machine is a cover of the Afrika Bambaataa & The Soul Sonic Force song of the same name. The song "It's My Life" by No Doubt is a cover of the English band Talk Talk's original release in 1984. The iconic "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston is a cover of the 1974 song by Dolly Parton, which was featured on her famous album "Jolene." An absolute shocker to my '90s brain, but the 1997 hit song "Torn" by Australian singer Natalie Imbruglia is actually a cover originally sung by American rock band Ednaswap, which was released in 1995. The popular song "Don't Cha" by The Pussycat Dolls is a cover of the original song by Tori Alamaze. The popular '80s hit "Tainted Love" by Soft Cell is a cover of Gloria Jones's "Tainted Love," released in 1964. The song "Superman" by R.E.M. is a cover of "Superman" by The Clique. A B-Side track on the album "White Tornado," it's an R.E.M. gem. The mega summer hit from 1999 "Mambo No. 5" by Lou Bega is a sample of the original version by Cuban musician Dámaso Pérez Prado from 1950. The 1992 song "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus is a cover of "Don't Tell My Heart," which was first recorded in 1991 by The Marcy Brothers. The song "If I Were A Boy" by Beyoncé was performed initially by BC Jean in 2008. The song "Black Magic Woman" by Santana is a cover of the song by Fleetwood Mac. Mind blown. In my defense, the Santana version has more views on YouTube than any other version by Fleetwood Mac. "Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band might be the more popular version, but it was originally written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen. The popular Joan Jett & the Blackhearts song "I Love Rock 'n Roll" is a cover of the British glam band Arrow's song "I Love Rock 'n 'Roll." "Dancing in the Moonlight" by the English band Toploader is a cover of the song originally recorded by Sherman Kelly's band, Boffalongo, which first released it in 1970. Then, Kelly rereleased the song with his new band, King Harvest, in 1972. So, technically, Kelly covered his own song. "Black Betty" by Ram Jam is a cover of a song credited to songwriter Huddie Ledbetter. The oldest recorded version was performed by James "Iron Head" Baker and a group of Texas prisoners in the 1930s. "Take Me to the River" by American rock band Talking Heads is a cover of the 1974 soul song by Al Green. The 1995 hit "Gangster's Paradise" by Coolio (ft. L.V.) is actually a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise" from 1976. Lastly, and mainly for the youngins, Post Malone's cover of the alternative rock song "Only Wanna Be With You," originally released by Hootie & the Blowfish, is now a pop song featured in the Pokémon 25 soundtrack, which has 18M views on YouTube. Is there a song you were stunned to learn was a cover? Comment below (the song and artists)!
The Spinoff
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The Unity Books bestseller chart for the week ending July 25
The top 10 sales list recorded every week at Unity Books' stores in High St, Auckland, and Willis St, Wellington. AUCKLAND 1 Better the Blood by Michael Bennett (Simon & Schuster, $27) Second week in a row! 2 A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Ardern (Penguin, $60) The former prime minister's memoir. 3 The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb (Simon & Schuster, $40) Good Readers are mostly digging it, giving this latest Lamb a 4.44 rating on 20,333 votes so far. However sounds like you must brace yourself for the beginning: 'One of the most shocking and heartbreaking first chapters I've ever read,' says one reviewer. 4 Polkinghorne: Inside the Trial of the Century by Steve Braunias (Allen & Unwin, $38) One of the most sensationalised court cases in recent memory. 5 1985 by Dominic Hoey (Penguin, $38) Brilliant, propulsive, warm, generous novel about growing up in Grey Lynn in the 80s. 6 Strange Pictures by Uketsu (Pushkin Press, $37) A murder mystery involving pictures as clues. 7 The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (Jonathan Cape, $38) Vuong's much-praised, Oprah-approved second novel. 8 The Safe Keep by Yael van der Wouden (Penguin, $26) Rightful winner of this year's Women's Prize for fiction. 9 Mahi A Atua by Mark & Diana Kopua (Huia Publishers, $55) Huia have been busy! Here's the blurb for this latest publication: 'Mahi a Atua is a Māori wellbeing framework based around storytelling. Grounded in a Mori Māori view, this approach is designed to foster transformation and systemic change and indigenise practices, institutions and personal and professional spaces. The knowledge, messages and principles within purākau spark conversations aimed at promoting wellbeing, consciousness raising and healing.' 10 Fulvia by Kaarina Parker (Echo Publishing, $37) Caeden at Unity Books Auckland says that 'this novel brings something bold, new, and refreshing to ancient world retellings. Parker has done her research to make sure her writing is as authentic as possible, while telling a story that's scarily appropriate for the current political moment. An excellent novel of ambition, power, and infamy.' WELLINGTON 1 The Stars Are A Million Glittering Worlds by Gina Butson (Allen & Unwin, $38) 'In January 2023, I wrote a story and named it for a mountain in Guatemala. But the deep-sea root of the story was something my mother told me a year or so before she died. . .' Butson wrote about the various inspirations for her debut novel r ight here on The Spinoff. 2 Stone & Sky #10 The Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (Orion Books, $38) The latest in the bestselling detective series. 3 A Different Kind of Power by Jacinda Ardern (Penguin, $60) 4 The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey (Te Herenga Waka University Press, $38) 'Chidgey's latest novel is uncannily similar to Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go (which she has not read),' writes Claire Mabey in her rave review. 'It takes similar aim at British identity by puncturing its society with the normalisation of skewed medical ethics. What both novels have in common are questions of nature versus nurture and the eternal thought exercise of what does it mean to possess a soul? The two writers share an interest in the dehumanising potential of such questions. Both Ishiguro (one of the greatest novelists of all time) and Chidgey (fast becoming one of the greats herself) investigate how whole societies, entire countries, can enter a path of gross moral corruption one person, one concession, at a time.' 5 M ātauranga Māori by Hirini Moko Mead (Huia Publishers, $45) Everything you need to know about mātauranga from an authority on the subject. 6 Polkinghorne: Inside the Trial of the Century by Steve Braunias (Allen & Unwin, $38) 7 Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (Macmillan, $40) She's baaackkkkk. Shark attack victim and Zuck victim Wynn-Williams' memoir contains some unsurprising but still fascinating/horrifying perspectives on working for Meta and the people who run it. Read a review of the book on The Spinoff, here. A community of women and a post-apocalyptic world. 9 Is a River Alive? By Robert Macfarlane (Penguin, $65) Acclaimed nature writer Robert Macfarlane explores the nature of rivers and how people relate to them. 10 Pūkeko Who-Keko? by Toby Morris (Puffin, $21) Full of delightful gags, linguistic play and wonderful illustrations, this is a bird book you can get behind. The Spinoff Books section is proudly brought to you by Unity Books and Creative New Zealand. Visit Unity Books online today.
The Guardian
22-07-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
The greatest year in sports history? Why it has to be 1985
I've been putting this off for years, but the recent Live Aid nostalgia has pushed me over the edge. We've all had the debate in the pub about the greatest sporting year – no, just me then? – so I'm here to argue the case for 1985. After 40 years, it is time to tell 1985 that I'm crazy for you. There are, of course, many factors involved when it comes to picking your favourite sporting year. Allegiance matters. Therefore, Manchester United winning a treble, Europe collapsing in the Ryder Cup and Australia winning two World Cups means I don't want to party like it's 1999. Yet pushing all this irrational stuff to one side, there can be no doubting the credentials of 1985. Yes, it was a year when I didn't have a care in the world. Approaching the ripe old age of 10, I felt as if I spent that summer walking on sunshine, even if the weather was often dreary. It's easy to romanticise the past but hopefully the stories below dismiss the notion of all of this being wistful tosh. Where to begin with the year that Marty McFly was so desperate to get back to? Approximately 12.23am on the morning of 29 April at the Crucible and the black ball final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. Davis, a three-time world champion racing into an 8-0 lead against Taylor, the lovable Irishman with the unusual glasses. The comeback of all comebacks. The final frame, the final black. Ted Lowe's simple exclamation of 'no' as Davis fluffed his chance. Approximately 18.5 million watching on BBC 2 as Taylor celebrated and his local community were dancing in the street. It was a fine year for Northern Ireland in sport. Barry McGuigan boxed four times in six months, winning the world featherweight championship and the BBC Sports Personality award. The national football team also qualified for the World Cup, something they have not managed since. Timing is everything. If I had stumbled on cricket in 1989, I'm not sure I would have fallen in love with the sport so easily. If I was a Gen Z child, cricket might have passed me by completely. But 1985 provided the perfect ingredients. Success in the Ashes helped. Admittedly these were not vintage England and Australia teams, but winning the urn got me hooked on the sport, and from this point on I was trapped. That first summer, the joy of hearing Soul Limbo and listening to Richie Benaud, new heroes in Tim Robinson, David Gower, Allan Lamb, Ian Botham and Richard Ellison. The Wayne Phillips incident. It wasn't just the Test match scene that we could cherish in 1985. Most summers in the 1980s seemed to involve a nail-biting one-day final or two, with the 1985 NatWest Trophy final a fine example. Give me this any day over the tournaments we now have to endure every August. A wise man once said that timing is everything. I thought I was lucky enough to experience Seve Ballesteros winning at St Andrews for my first Open Championship in 1984, yet 12 months later Great Britain's search for a champion golfer ended with Sandy Lyle's triumph at Sandwich. And there was more to come. The Ryder Cup had been on the road to nowhere for decades before the introduction of European golfers in 1979 gradually turned the tide. At the Belfry in September 1985, 28 years of hurt ended as Sam Torrance sank the winning putt to seal Europe's victory. And like any young sports fan, I jumped on this glorious bandwagon. Things would never be the same again. Europe's win in 1985 helped to create the great event we see today. As we move closer to the 2025 Ryder Cup and Americans asking for appearance money, you may think 1985 has a lot to answer for. But those three days at the Belfry were glorious. Before Wimbledon 1985, my only real interaction with tennis had been viewing clips of John McEnroe moaning at umpires during tournaments, the 'you cannot be serious' shout a favourite of many impersonators at the time. Viewing Wimbledon for the first time, I fully expected McEnroe to win the tournament again. What I didn't cater for was a 17-year-old unseeded German arriving on the scene, playing tennis that seemed to be years ahead of its time. Boris Becker had won Queen's in the run-up to Wimbledon, so those in the know may have been aware of his abilities. Yet watching the young German dive around Centre Court, playing keepie-uppies with a tennis ball, and going all the way at Wimbledon added to that amazing sporting summer. I'm not going to completely bury my head in the sand. Not everything was perfect in 1985. Football was in a right mess. The horror of Heysel saw English clubs banned from Europe, with the tragedy of the Bradford fire highlighting the state of stadiums and disregard for fan safety. A TV blackout at the start of the 1985-86 season added to the despondency. But a fine team still emerged from this year of darkness. Liverpool's dominance was becoming boring to those outside Anfield, three consecutive league titles and three trophies in 1983-84 adding to their growing reputation. But the one trophy that got away in 1984 pointed the way to a new challenger. Everton winning the 1984 FA Cup completed a remarkable change of fortunes under Howard Kendall, and the momentum behind his superb team continued. A stunning unbeaten run propelled the team to their first league title since 1970 and the European Cup Winners' Cup. Sadly, the FA Cup final proved one match too many. It takes a lot for football fans to appreciate a rival. But what a team. What memories. One of the finest goalkeepers to have ever played the game; the Derek Mountfield and Kevin Ratcliffe. defensive partnership; that midfield quartet of Kevin Sheedy, Peter Reid, Paul Bracewell and Trevor Steven; Goodison Park's finest night. Even their appearance on Wogan cannot take away any of the love and pride Kendall's team created for their supporters. Convinced yet? Well here are a few more memories as I completely drown in a sea of reminiscence. The classic Challenge Cup final; commentators such as Peter Alliss, Harry Carpenter, David Coleman, Barry Davies, John Motson, Ray French, Bill McLaren, Murray Walker, Richie Benaud, Sid Waddell, Ted Lowe, Brian Moore and Dan Maskell; A Question of Sport in its heyday. Nigel Mansell winning his first Grand Prix in an era of Alain Prost, Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna; admittedly there were no major athletics championships, but what about Steve Cram breaking three world records in 19 days; unforgettable FA Cup semi-finals at neutral club grounds; the emergence of Mike Tyson; Marvin Hagler v Tommy Hearns! The BBC Sports Personality of the Year review summing up the year in a way that we can only dream of now. OK grandad, give it a rest. I'm sure you have your own favourite years and I would be delighted to hear about them in the comments below. I'm your man when it comes to arguing for 1985. I've probably crammed in a few too many song titles from that year into this article. But 1985, I'm saving all my love for you. This article is by Steven Pye for That 1980s Sports Blog
New York Times
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Slow-Burn Summer Thrillers
Two of this month's books are slow-burn stories about summer vacations that devolve into disaster, and one is a techno-thriller about artificial intelligence run amok. You won't be able to guess how any of them end. A Beautiful Family A hum of low-grade unease accompanies a couple and their two daughters as they drive to a New Zealand seaside town in 1985. Their rented house is a disappointment, 'as plain on the outside as a public toilet and not much bigger.' Something is off in the parents' marriage — the mother is distracted, the father resentful. Only 10-year-old Alix, the watchful narrator of Trevelyan's A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY (Doubleday, 310 pp., $28), recognizes that the man next door isn't as harmless as he appears. With her imperfect understanding of the adult world and her longing to keep her family together, Alix is the perfect guide to a story in which so many things are unspoken and unexplained. The book trundles along at a deceptively languid pace until you realize that Trevelyan has expertly set up multiple mysteries that converge, stunningly, late in the game. But for most of the book it looks like a normal vacation. No one's paying much attention to the kids. Alix's surly teenage sister starts shoplifting and sneaking out at night with her sketchy new friends. Thrilled, at least in the abstract, by the tales of a girl who disappeared two years before and is presumed drowned, Alix and a boy she meets embark on a seemingly harmless mission to find the girl's body. Then someone goes missing for real. The Confessions Artificial intelligence is advancing with such terrifying rapidity that it may be outpacing even the fevered imaginations of novelists. In Carr's THE CONFESSIONS (Atria, 324 pp., $28.99), an A.I. model named LLIAM shuts itself down and sends out letters — via the postal service, hilariously — baring the shameful secrets of users around the world. (Maybe the scenario isn't too far-off: In a real-life experiment, an AI chatbot recently exhibited what its creators called 'extreme blackmail behavior,' threatening to expose an engineer's extramarital affair after being fed emails hinting that it might be replaced by a new model.) LLIAM is more advanced than that, making decisions for a billion-plus users: what to eat, whom to marry, where to live, how to carry out their jobs. When it goes rogue by taking itself offline, chaos ensues, paralyzing even the world's most brilliant engineers. Without LLIAM, 'they literally had no idea where to start,' Carr writes. Two people are key to what happens next: the company's chief executive, who took the job when her predecessor suffered an untimely fatal plunge from a rooftop, and the former nun who tried to teach LLIAM how to be humane and who now runs an off-the-grid bookstore. But they're being thwarted by rival forces with their own plans for LLIAM. The story focuses mostly on their race to restart LLIAM and outlines — but doesn't dig deeply into — the interesting details of the catastrophe the shutdown has set off worldwide. But he (yes, LLIAM is a 'he,' by the end) is a terrifying window into the future, either way. The House on Buzzards Bay THE HOUSE ON BUZZARDS BAY (Viking, 276 pp., $30) is set in a seemingly placid town on the southern coast of Massachusetts. It's here that a group of old friends gather for a vacation that, alas, isn't going to be very fun. Jim, whose great-great grandmother built the house, is desperate to resurrect the closeness they all shared in college, now 20 years ago. But the house seems improbably out of sorts, and not everyone shares Jim's nostalgia. 'To keeping things just as they are and never swerving,' one of the group, Bruce, says in a sarcastic toast. 'May we live in museums of generations past.' Things boil over one night when Jim and Bruce exchange angry words, and more. The next morning, Bruce is gone, his room cleared out. Perhaps he's left in a huff. 'It was so like him,' Jim thinks. Murphy's dispassionate style brings to mind the novels of Javier Marías or Katie Kitamura, even as matters in his book descend into the inexplicable. Several people report having frightening, vivid dreams about sex and violence. A mysterious and beguiling woman turns up, declaring that Bruce invited her but acting unruffled by his absence. She also claims to have been married three times, though she looks like she's 25. 'I'm beginning to suspect you appeared this summer with an agenda,' Jim observes. This novel is oddly unclassifiable, and the ending leaves you wondering. Is it a 'Big Chill'-esque story about old friends who learn that the past is a different country? A novel about a haunted house in a malevolent town that doesn't much like outsiders? A murder mystery? Maybe it's all those things.
