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Friday, September 14, 2007

The Kennedy Center announced that its 30th presentation of the Kennedy Center Honors would go to pianist Leon Fleisher, comedian Steve Martin, singer Diana Ross, director Martin Scorsese and musician Brian Wilson. The Center was opened to the public in 1971 and was envisioned as part of the National Cultural Center Act, which mandated that the independent, privately-funded institution would present a wide variety of both classical and contemporary performances, commission the creation of new artistic works, and undertake a variety of educational missions to increase awareness of the arts.

In a statement, Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman said that “with their extraordinary talent, creativity and perseverance, the five 2007 honorees have transformed the way we, as Americans, see, hear and feel the performing arts.”

Fleisher, 79, a member of the Peabody Institute‘s music faculty, is a pianist who lost use of his right hand in 1965 due to a neurological condition. He became an accomplished musician and conductor through the use of his left hand. At 67, he regained the use of his right hand. With the advent of Botox therapy, he was once more able to undertake two-hand performances in 2004, his first in four decades. “I’m very gratified by the fact that it’s an apolitical honor,” Fleisher said. “It is given by colleagues and professional people who are aware of what [an artist] has done, so it really is apolitical — and that much more of an honor.”

Martin, 62, a comedian who has written books and essays in addition to his acting and stand-up comedy career, rose to fame during his work on the American television program Saturday Night Live in the 1970’s. Schwarzman praised his work as that of a “renaissance comic whose talents wipe out the boundaries between artistic disciplines.” Martin responded to the honor saying, “I am grateful to the Kennedy Center for finally alleviating in me years of covetousness and trophy envy.”

Ross, 63, was a product of Detroit‘s Brewster-Douglass Projects when as a teeager she and friends Mary Wilson and Florence Ballardis formed The Supremes, a ground-breaking Motown act. She portrayed singer Billie Holiday in the 1972 film Lady Sings the Blues, which earned her an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe award. “Diana Ross’ singular, instantly recognizable voice has spread romance and joy throughout the world,” said Schwarzman. Ross said she was “taken aback. It is a huge, huge honor and I am excited to be in this class of people.”

Scorsese, 64, is one of the most accomplished directors the United States ever produced, whose work includes Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, GoodFellas, Cape Fear, The Last Temptation of Christ and The Departed, for which he won a 2006 Academy Award for Best Director after being nominated eight times. Scorsese said, “I’m very honored to be receiving this recognition from the Kennedy Center and proud to be joining the company of the very distinguished individuals who have received this honor in years past.”

Wilson, 65, along with his brothers Dennis and Carl, formed the Beach Boys in 1961. They had a series of hits that included “Surfin’ U.S.A.” and “Wouldn’t It Be Nice.” Their 1966 album Pet Sounds is considered one of the most influential recordings in American music. “This is something so unexpected and I feel extremely fortunate to be in the company of such great artists,” said Wilson, who is currently on tour.

The Kennedy Center’s board of trustees is responsible for selecting honorees for “lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts.” Previous honorees, including Elton John and Steven Spielberg, also submitted recommendations. A wide variety of people were under consideration, including Emanuel Ax, Evgeny Kissin, Renee Fleming, Laurence Fishburne, Francis Ford Coppola, Melissa Etheridge and Kenny Chesney.

President Bush and first lady Laura Bush will attend the center’s presentation at its opera house on December 2, 2007, which will broadcast on December 26 on CBS.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

26 motorcycles and two cars have piled up on the Interstate 5 road in Oregon, United States. Two bikers have been critically injured.

The crash occurred near the Baldock Rest Area, which is just south of Wilsonville, at 2:45 p.m. Friday. The group of motorbikes, belonging to members of the Brother Speed club, was in the left (fast) lane behind one of the cars when traffic slowed down. Despite attempts to take evasive action, the bikes and car collided. The second car was hit by a motorbike that veered into the middle lane.

The bikes were in a formation of two columns — standard for large motorbike parties. According to eyewitness Terry Scott, a silver SUV suddenly slammed on its brakes and while the leading two bikers managed to swerve out of the way, the rest were caught up in a chain reaction. “There were bikes and people and gear flying,” said Scott, who had been driving with his girlfriend behind the bikes.

The crash scene was “ordered mayhem” according to Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue’s captain Mike Towner. “Firefighters from Aurora and Canby were providing medical care to injured bikers as non-injured bikers tried to assist,” he said.

A LifeFlight air ambulance took two bikers to hospital and eight more were taken away by ambulances. Some bikers suffered from broken bones as well as shoulder and hip injuries. KPTV quotes the club’s website as saying that they are “serious about brotherhood, respect, riding fast and building Choppers.”

The accident was responded to by paramedics and firefighters from various locations, including Canby, St. Paul, Woodburn and those from the multi-city Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. The entire road was closed northbound until 4 p.m., when one lane was reopened. Investigators kept the other lanes closed until 6 p.m.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

A public memorial for the victims of the plane crash that occurred last Saturday where the Polish president, Lech Kaczy?ski along several members of the Polish government died, was attended by 100,000 citizens of the country in Pilsudski Square of Warsaw.

A gigantic white platform having a giant cross across the centre was constructed in the area which had photos of the victims, including Maria Kaczy?ski, the first lady of Poland and many high ranking Polish officials. The names of the deceased were read, beginning with the president and his wife, as their only daughter, Marta and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the twin brother of Lech Kaczy?ski and former prime minister of the country, looked on. Former President Lech Walesa, Prime Minister Donald Tusk and interim president Bronislaw Komorowski were also present. The audience held Polish flags held together with black ribbons and observed a two minute silence before emergency sirens and church bells rang out.

“Our world went crashing down for the second time at the same place,” acting President Komorowski said about the crash, which occurred near Russia’s Katyn forest, where thousands of Polish soldiers were killed during the second World War. Prime Minister Tusk called the crash “the greatest tragedy in Poland since the war.”

It marked the beginning of two days of ceremonies. A funeral Mass for the first couple will follow the memorial. The funeral will be held at St. John’s Cathedral at 6 p.m. local time (16:00 GMT) in Warsaw.

The coffins of Lech and Maria Kaczynski were taken to the St. John’s Cathedral for the evening Mass. They will be flown to Krakow Sunday morning for the state funeral, Presidential Palace spokesman Jacek Sasin stated.

“During those few days when the palace was open, some 180,000 people came through the palace” to pay their final respects, he said. Some of them waited for as much as 14 hours in the queue, he added. Teresa Winkler, 76, was one of the mourners who said that she came to pay respect to a President “who took care of the people forgotten by society,” such as aging soldiers and activists.

“He was a real patriot and a real Pole,” Winkler said. “I am afraid it will be hard to find another president like Kaczynski,” she noted. Several other groups came to honor the first couple for their work for the nation.

A state funeral for the first couple is slated to be held on Sunday; however, some world leaders canceled their plans to attend it. The principal cause for this was that several European airports remained closed, owing to volcanic ash that hovered in different parts of the continent.

Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf and Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and Finnish President Tarja Halonen canceled their plans to visit Warsaw for this reason. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sophia were also among those who canceled their trip. Heads of state of Egypt, Macedonia, India, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, New Zealand and Pakistan also canceled their plans to attend the service on Sunday.

American President Barack Obama, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and French President Nicolas Sarkozy were still expected to arrive. Czech President Vaclav Klaus had stated that he would come to Krakow via train and car, while the presidents of Slovakia and Slovenia said they would arrive by car.

South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan also canceled his plans to attend the state funeral while Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, was unable to travel from Rome to deliver a memorial Mass on Saturday.

The first couple, along with other Polish dignitaries, died when their plane went down in heavy fog after hitting the tops of trees on approach to Smolensk, Russia. They had been on their way to attend a memorial for thousands of Polish army officers who were killed in 1940 by the Soviet Union.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Zimbabwe has decided to abandon its currency, the Zimbabwean dollar, in favour of other currencies.

Acting Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa announced today that Zimbabweans will be allowed to make transactions in other currencies along with the local currency. “In line with the prevailing practices by the general public, [the] government is therefore allowing the use of multiple foreign currencies for business transactions alongside the Zimbabwean dollar,” he said, adding that the Zimbabwean dollar will not be removed from circulation and would be used alongside other currencies.

This decision comes during the current period of hyperinflation, which has massively devalued the Zimbabwean dollar. Banknotes up to $100 trillion have been printed, despite the removal of ten zeroes from the currency last summer to try to make transactions easier. The official inflation rate, last updated in July 2008, was 231,000,000% a year, although independent estimates place the number as high as 6.5×10¹⁰⁸, or 6.5 quindecillion novemdecillion, percent.

Up to now, only vendors with licenses were legally able to accept foreign currencies, although the practice was widespread — private businesses altogether refuse to accept the unstable Zimbabwean dollar.

Large sections of the workforce, including teachers and doctors, have gone on strike because hyperinflation rapidly renders their wages worthless. Representative groups said salaries, now measured in trillions of dollars, are insufficient to pay for even the bus fare to work.

Zimbabwe also faces other crises, including a cholera epidemic that has claimed the lives of over 3,000 people, according to statistics from the World Health Organisation.

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