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Congress Recommends Pardon For African American Legend
The US Congress has recommended that a presidential pardon should be granted to the first black world heavyweight boxing champion.
Jack Johnson won the title in 1908 but was later convicted of transporting white women across US state lines for immoral purposes.
Johnson served nearly one year in prison for what is now seen as a racially motivated conviction.
Congress stated that Johnson's success motivated other black athletes.
His 1908 victory over Tommy Burns prompted the search for a "Great White Hope" who could defeat the black man, but Johnson held the title until 1915.
After his conviction in 1913, Johnson fled the US, returning in 1920 to serve his term.
He returned to boxing but was unable to regain his title.
'Victim of the times'
The congressional resolution urges President George W Bush to grant Johnson a pardon.
It states that the conviction was racially motivated, prompted by his sporting success and his relationships with white women.
"He was a victim of the times and we need to set the record straight - clear his name - and recognise him for his groundbreaking contribution to the sport of boxing," said member of the House of Representatives Peter King, the author of the resolution.
US authorities had at first tried to unsuccessfully prosecute Johnson over his relationship with a white woman whom he later married.
A second white woman then testified that Johnson had transported her across state lines in violation of the Mann Act.
A similar resolution, sponsored by presidential candidate John McCain, now goes before the Senate for consideration. The US Congress has recommended that a presidential pardon should be granted to the first black world heavyweight boxing champion. ... more -
The life and legends of an Inuit artist
Vancouver Sun arts reporter Kevin Griffin talks with Inuit artist Germaine Arnaktauyok about the legends and legendary characters that populate her work. Arnaktauyok's drawings and etchings are being shown at Inuit Gallery of Vancouver until Friday, Oct. 3. Vancouver Sun arts reporter Kevin Griffin talks with Inuit artist Germaine Arnaktauyok about the legends and legendary characters that... more
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CFL legend Lancaster dies at age 69
He coached the Edmonton Eskimos and Hamilton, becoming the fourth-winningest coach in CFL history with 138 victories and twice being named the league's coach of the year. He also won the 1993 Grey Cup with Edmonton and the 1999 Grey Cup with Hamilton. He coached the Edmonton Eskimos and Hamilton, becoming the fourth-winningest coach in CFL history with 138 victories and twice being ... more
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Jelly Belly quits Neighbours for good
Ramsey St. legend Harold Bishop, played by Ian Smith, is making a permanent departure from the Aussie soap in October. The 70-year-old actor reprised his role as the bumbling tuba-player on a part-time basis last November but has since decided to call it a day for good.
His character hadn't been seen in the soap for a while after Harold hung up his general store (née Coffee Shop) overalls and went travelling around the world.
A spokeswoman for Australia’s Channel 10 - which makes the soap - said: "It was entirely his decision. We love him and would have loved to keep him."
It’s thought his last storyline will see Harold leave Erinsborough after beating prostate cancer.
Note: even cancer can't keep The Bishop down. Ramsey St. legend Harold Bishop, played by Ian Smith, is making a permanent departure from the Aussie soap in October. The 70-year-old... more -
Legendary DJ Rex versus Q in a magic photo face off
Two of the UKs most photographic men, great posses, never dull, music by turbulent soundscape
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Bo Diddley 1928-2008
One of Rock n' Roll's godfathers is dead. Bo Diddley was widely recognized as one of a handful of musicians that brought about the transition from blues to rock and roll. Also known for his rectangular guitar, Bo Diddley's influence in rock and roll will place him amongst a distinguished few in the caverns of music history. One of Rock n' Roll's godfathers is dead. Bo Diddley was widely recognized as one of a handful of musicians that brought abo... more
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The Bo Diddley Beat Stops At 79
Bo Diddley, the Hoochie Coochie Man, one of the grandfathers of Rock'n'Roll and a staple of the Chicago blues scene, died today of a heart attack at 79 year of age. Diddley was best known for being an advocate of the distorted guitar sound that we've grown accustomed to in today's rock music. He was the only musician in history to have a specific musical beat, or rhythmic pattern, named after him and was one of the most influential musicians of our time. Bo Diddley, the Hoochie Coochie Man, one of the grandfathers of Rock'n'Roll and a staple of the Chicago blues scene, died to... more
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Bo Diddley, Rock ’n’ Roll Pioneer, Dies at 79
Bo Diddley, a singer and guitarist who invented his own name, his own guitars, his own beat and, with a handful of other musical pioneers, rock ’n’ roll itself, died Monday at his home in Archer, Fla . He was 79.
The cause was heart failure, a spokeswoman, Susan Clary, said. Mr. Diddley had a heart attack last August, only months after suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa.In the 1950s, Mr. Diddley — along with Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and a few others — helped reshape the sound of popular music worldwide, building it on the templates of blues, southern gospel and rhythm and blues. His original style of R&B influenced generations of musicians. And his Bo Diddley syncopated beat — three strokes/rest/two strokes — became a stock rhythm of rock ’n’ roll.
It can be found in Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away,” Johnny Otis’s “Willie and the Hand Jive,” Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride,” The Who’s “Magic Bus,” Bruce Springsteen’s “She’s the One” and U2’s “Desire,” among hundreds of other songs.
Yet the rhythm was only one element of his best records. In songs like “Bo Diddley,” “Who Do You Love,” “Mona,” “Crackin’ Up,” “Say, Man,” “Ride On Josephine” and “Road Runner,” his booming voice was loaded up with echo and his guitar work came with distortion and a novel bubbling tremelo. The songs were knowing, wisecracking and full of slang, mother-wit and sexual cockiness. They were both playful and radical.
So were his live performances: trancelike ruckuses instigated by a large man with a strange-looking guitar. It was square, and he designed it himself, long before custom guitar shapes became commonplace in rock.
Mr. Diddley was a wild performer, jumping, lurching, balancing on his toes and shaking his knees as he wrangled with his instrument, sometimes playing it above his head. Elvis Presley, it has long been supposed, borrowed from Mr. Diddley’s stage moves; Jimi Hendrix, too.
Still, for all his fame, Mr. Diddley felt that his standing as a father of rock ’n’roll was never properly acknowledged. It frustrated him that he could never earn royalties from the songs of others who had borrowed his beat. Bo Diddley, a singer and guitarist who invented his own name, his own guitars, his own beat and, with a handful of other musical pione... more -
United Kingdom Talk Thursday 29th May 2008
Thursday's edition of my three times a week talk show. Watch the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
In todays show :
Pluto and who ?
A new idea for jewelry.
The hoover still works.
2 stupid things.
Suko in pain.
BBC Lee.
Justin's birthday present.
Unzipping.
My mugs.
A bit of organ playing.
My slow cooker.
Scotty's Flip Cam video's.
Kidney stones.
Melting chocolates.
Who's castle ?
Someone meets possibly the most famous American politician at the moment.
A Chris virgin.
"Living legend".
What rate of celebrityness am I ?
A new noise - Wood Pigeon.
"This Morning"
Shadows.
http://unitedkingdomtalk.forums4free.org/
Email :
chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UK Thursday's edition of my three times a week talk show. Watch the show here on CURRENT TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats. ... more -
Nightclub legends Chris and Glenn
These boys rock....having a night out in the outskirts of London we met Glenn and Chris,
they were alot of fun and they liked to party...Also Chris's sister was rocking out too These boys rock....having a night out in the outskirts of London we met Glenn and Chris, ... more -
Recycling 101: College of Menominee Nation sets example in EPA Great Lakes 2008 Ea...
The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin contributed over 4 tons of electronic and pharmaceutical waste to the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.
This is the first of several videos explaining the tribes numerous projects that included cleaning up the reservation, replacing gang symbols with Native American art, teaching youth about the legend of the sturgeon and its place in tribal culture.
In part one, the non-profit interfaith Earth Healing Initiative looks at the many recycling projects of the College of Menominee nation.
The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin in Keshena is being praised for its massive cleanup projects during the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge - involving over 100 projects across eight states that comprise the Great lakes basin.
The college of Menominee Nation held a pharmaceutical and electronic waste collection as part of the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge.
Other tribal projects during the challenge included the clean up of two reservation communities by tribal school students, the Menominee Teen Court Panel, and many other volunteers.
All classes at the tribal school taught the students about the sturgeon, that is a vital part of Menominee heritage.
Called the protector guardian of Menominee wild rice, the sturgeon used to spawn on the reservation until a man made dam blocked the route to ancestral spawning grounds.
The students whitewashed gang graffiti at a skateboard park replacing it with American Indian art.
"The younger students put their hands in paint and made flower hand prints on the wall," said teacher Beth Waukechon.
Adults participated in the challenge in a big way - as the tribe's Solid Waste and Recycling Department held curbside e-waste collections during Earth week 2008 - and all month accepted e-waste at the transfer station.
Native American and other students also made garbage monsters at the Keshena Public Schools with help from their parents using common every day trash from home.
More than four tons of e-waste and other recyclables were removed from the reservation during April.
At the College of Menominee Nation, over 23 pounds of medicines were turned in including 100 bottles of pills, more than 25 computers and dozens of related components like hard drives, printers, keyboards and speakers; televisions, radios, DVD players, 12 cell phones and over 100 small batteries.
Sponsors include the tribe's Community Resource Center, Menominee County Police, Menominee Tribal Police, Tribal Clinic Wellness Program (Maehnowesekiyah), Probation and Parole, Community Recycling Project, Recreation Department and the U.S. Post Office in Keshena.
While hosting the collection, the college's Implementing Sustainable Development class found out they won the National Recycling Coalition Bin Grant through Coca-Cola, said professor William Van Lopik, Ph.D.
"One of premises of the class is to do things, not just talk about what we are going to do and how the world is going to be changed, but having students do things," Dr. Van Lopik said.
The grant pays for 50 recycling bins.
The class has participated in the ten-week Recycle Mania project two years in a row that involves weighing recyclables as they leave the building. This year, the class ranked 136 out of 200 colleges and universities with 8 pounds of recyclables per person, beating out Ohio State and Georgetown, Van Lopik said.
This video on the projects connected to the Great Lakes 2008 Earth Day Challenge was made possible by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in collaboration with the EPA Region 5 office in Chicago, and the EPA Great Lakes national Program Office in cooperation with the non-profit Interfaith Earth Healing Initiative in Marquette, MI.
The EHI involves American Indian tribes and "a coalition of churches, synagogues and other faith traditions joining together to heal, protect and defend the environment," said EHI founder Rev. Jon Magnuson of Marquette, Michigan. The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin contributed over 4 tons of electronic and pharmaceutical waste to the EPA Great Lakes 2008 Ear... more -
WWED? (What Would Elvis Do?)
"What Would Elvis Do" in today's world gone mad? We get the skinny from the next best thing - today's premiere Elvis Impersonators. Tackling modern social and cultural issues, these "tribute atrists" hand us the keys to the kingdom and unlock possibly the deepest thoughts of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. "What Would Elvis Do" in today's world gone mad? We get the skinny from the next best thing - today's premiere El... more
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Johnny Cash: "Hurt"
As this year ends I cannot help but think of those whose words and music influenced and filled my days. Johnny Cash is one of those people. I grew to love his music in the early seventies because my dad loved him. His music was not just considered "country", but music that appealed to those of us who knew what hard times were all about and those of us who rebelled against authority. He was a missive for the forgotten ones. He was indeed, "The Man In Black" and I treasured every moment I spent with my dad listening to his songs, that I now listen to with my own son. So in thinking about him and still to this day listening to his music that spanned generations and genres I am reminded of what he also suffered in his own life that made him stronger and the love he found with June Carter that led him to the words he sang that inspired me, and I miss him. As this year ends I cannot help but think of those whose words and music influenced and filled my days. Johnny Cash is one of those pe... more
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The Official Elvis Costello Website
This is the one and only one stop site for all things Elvis...sign up and the site will notify you when he is in your area or when new material is released. This is the one and only one stop site for all things Elvis...sign up and the site will notify you when he is in your area or when new... more
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Todd Rundgren's website
Official Site maintained by Todd himself. Full of information about the rock and roll legend and his work as a recording artist, songwriter and producer. A very impressive resume. Official Site maintained by Todd himself. Full of information about the rock and roll legend and his work as a recording artist, songw... more
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Todd Rundgren on imdb.com
Considered by many to be the "Ultimate Rock Cult Hero", Todd Rundgren has maintained a legion of fans through four decades, rivaled only by The Grateful Dead. Todd was raised in the Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) area, and his first professional bands, Money and Woddy's Truckstop, achieved much regional success. It was in the late 1960s, however, that Todd's searing guitar work reached a nationwide audience, in his role as lead guitarist for the blues-psychedelic band Nazz. he wrote and arranged almost all of the work that went into the three albums the group produced. Their music ranged from Southern blues to hard rock to heavily orchestrated symphonies. Nazz broke up in the early 1970s and Todd released two solo albums under the name of Runt. His first big solo success was in 1971 with "We Gotta Get You a Woman" and in 1973 from the double album "Something/Anything?" he scored big on the charts with "I Saw the Light" and a revision of a Nazz song, "Hello, It's Me." Perhaps the superstardom that seemed imminent at this time eluded Rundgren due to his reluctance to be pigeonholed into any single type of music. He still released albums with great love ballads, but they were also laced with heavy guitar rock, and occasionally mini rock operas. Rundgren has scored huge as a music producer, most notably on Meat Loaf's "Bat Out of Hell" opus. In the late 1970s and through the 1980s Todd formed the group Utopia, each member an accomplished musician and vocalist. In recent years Rundgren has become a computer enthusiast, marketing many new innovations, some in conjunction with his music. He has also been called on by films and TV for his musical scores. Todd also maintains his own website. Considered by many to be the "Ultimate Rock Cult Hero", Todd Rundgren has maintained a legion of fans through four decades, ... more
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"The Harder They Come" Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff is a true living legend. "The Harder They Come" is a classic film.
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The Legend of the Home Run King
If you think about it hitting a baseball is not an easy task. The concept of hitting a round ball with a round bat still has the physicist inside of me stumped. Big leaguers practice hitting every day and most end up hitting less than 30%. Any player that averages .333 (which means getting a hit 33% of the time) is considered one of the best in the game. Now that is just hitting the ball! Hitting a home run means hitting the ball close to perfectly so that it travels at least 300 feet and makes it over the fence. Hitting 25 balls out of the park a season makes you one of the best in the business. Babe Ruth hit 714 in 22 seasons before he retired in 1935. Hank Aaron topped the Babe and ended his career with 755. Seven hundred and fifty five is so many I had to write it out. These two legendary players have held the home run record for about three quarters of a century. Thousands of players have played in the big leagues during this time but nobody could reach the top, until Barry Bonds hit 756.
Bonds became the new home run king when he hit an 84 mph pitch over the right field wall. Circling the bases for his 756th time in his professional career Bonds finally eclipsed Hammerin Hank. He now stands alone with the most home runs in Major League Baseball history. Even an anti-Barry fan like myself couldnt help getting a little swept up in the emotion of the event but something just wasnt right. This uneasiness, which I undoubtedly share with the majority of America, is telling of the times we live in. Gone are the days of innocence and glory that made baseball the pastime it is supposed to be today. Today, baseball is fueled by mass media and the all too powerful dollar.
Where and when did we part from the true essence of professional sports? Baseball started out as a working mans sport that unified the community and entertained the people. In the early years players would play ball for half the year and then find part time work when the season was over. Players lived on the same block as the fans and would even walk to the ball yard with them on game days. These were sports heroes that everyone could relate to. Compare that to the state of the game now and I think youll find that things look a little different. Today, sports are pretty much analogous entertainment. Barry Bonds breaking The Record is both an example of this trend and a gloomy harbinger of what the future holds for the endangered community of traditionalists who appreciated sports in their pure form.
Barrys great moment and this great record are now forever tainted. We should be honoring the new home run king like any good peasant lucky enough to witness such a legend. Instead we are squabbling about asterisks and talking about that kid from New York who caught the money ball. Thats not baseball. Players like Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron attained legendary status by hitting more home runs than anyone thought possible. The all time home run record stood for Herculese-esque capabilities and perseverance. Hitting 700+ home runs marked a very special and rare accomplishment that might be granted twice every century. The old record is gone and now the greatest home-run hitter of all time is a player that approximately 80% of the American people think cheated. How could this have happened? Perhaps our collective respect for the game of baseball changed so subtly that we didnt realize it until it was to late. Now the game that brought us through the great depression, helped break down discrimination and brought joy to the workingman is in dire straights. With our most sacred of records taken away and the spirit of the game evaporating with every scandal and compromise, is there still hope for the future of sports? If you think about it hitting a baseball is not an easy task. The concept of hitting a round ball with a round bat still has the physi... more
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Legend
