Blow

Blow may refer to:

In film and television

Film

Television

In music

Artists

Albums, EPs and mixtapes

Songs

In other uses

Blow (Ghinzu album)

Blow is the second album by Belgian rock group Ghinzu released in 2004. It features the single, "Do You Read Me?", and the song "The Dragster Wave" which was used in the 2008 film Taken and is included in its original soundtrack.

The album was first released on Dragoon, the label owned by the band (and distributed by the indie label Bang!) in February 2004 in Benelux. It was released in France six months later via Atmosphérique/Universal and then in Germany, Switzerland and Sweden via V2. The album cover art for the European release is different from the Belgian version. The Belgian cover shows singer John Stargasm holding his own cut-off head while singing. This was judged too aggressive by their French label (the band was under license of the major Universal via Atmosphérique) especially at a time where American hostage in Iraq, Nick Berg, just had been beheaded. The international album cover shows a negative image of two horses.

Blow was particularly successful in the French-speaking parts of Europe, where the single "Do You Read Me?" became a hit. This allowed Ghinzu to play big summer festivals, like the Eurockéennes de Belfort on July 2, 2005, where the band did a noticed performance on the Main Stage. Blow sold about 100,000 copies worldwide.<ref name="Ghinzu à la charge" in Le Vif/L'Express>"Ghinzu à la charge". 30 March 2009. Retrieved 8 October 2009. </ref>

Blow (drink)

Blow is a controversial energy drink notable for its use of drug culture in its marketing, such as the name of the drink itself, which is a slang term for cocaine. Rather than being sold in liquid form, it was distributed as vials of white powder similar in appearance to cocaine, which were to be mixed with water or any other beverage, and can be bought in large Styrofoam containers made to resemble cocaine bricks. Additional packages on the drink's website were referred to by names such as "The Recreational User Pack" or "The Fiender's Hook-Up" for various quantities. Cases on the website also included free stickers, tattoos, or shirts sporting the brand's logo. The powder has also been distributed along with a mirror and imitation credit card to simulate the "cutting" of cocaine.

Blow's producers have come under fire from parents and other concerned parties, who allege that its marketing targets adolescents and glorifies illegal drug abuse, citing the use of rock music and women in seductive poses on the drink's website, as well as the inclusion of a Myspace link.

Banditry

Banditry is the life and practice of bandits. The New English Dictionary on Historical Principles (NED) defined "bandit" in 1885 as "one who is proscribed or outlawed; hence, a lawless desperate marauder, a brigand: usually applied to members of the organized gangs which infest the mountainous districts of Italy, Sicily, Spain, Greece, Iran, and Turkey". In modern usage the word may become a synonym for "thief", hence the term "one-armed bandit" for gambling machines that can leave the gambler with no money.

Origin of the word

The term bandit (introduced to English via Italian around 1590) originates with the early Germanic legal practice of outlawing criminals, termed *bannan (English ban). The legal term in the Holy Roman Empire was Acht or Reichsacht, translated as "Imperial ban".

History

About 5,000 bandits were executed by Pope Sixtus V in the five years before his death in 1590, but there were reputedly 27,000 more at liberty throughout central Italy.

Marauding was one of the most common peasant reactions to oppression and hardship. The growth of warlord armies in China was also accompanied by a dramatic increase in bandit activity in the republican period; by 1930 the total bandit population was estimated to be 20 million.

Bandit (TV series)

Bandit was a Welsh language music television show on S4C, produced by Boomerang. It included live performances, videos and interviews and was presented by Huw Stephens, Elis James, Sarra Elgan Rhydian Bowen Phillips and Huw Evans. The programme aimed to raise the profile of Welsh-language popular music but also included music from Wales with lyrics in other languages (usually English). The last episode of Bandit was broadcast on 28 December 2011, after a decade of being on the air. The special show was presented by Stephens and Evans.

The Bandit team also used to organise several gigs each year and the show was considered to be S4C's flagship music programme. Their multiple nominations for BAFTA Cymru awards each year demonstrated the programme's appeal. One of their BAFTAs was won for "Best Title Sequence/Best Motion Graphics"; the attention to detail had also been carried over to their website.

External links

References

Bandit (raccoon)

Bandit (c. 1994 – May 9, 2004) was a raccoon which came to attention after being named "The World's Fattest Raccoon" by The Guinness Book of World Records.

He was born with a thyroid problem which led to his massive weight gain. He was adopted by a dog and raised as one of her puppies, then later taken in by a woman in Palmerton, Pennsylvania. At the time of his death he weighed almost 75 pounds.

References

External links