The Greatest.
RIP.
Playwright Peter Shaffer, of Equus and Amadeus fame. Haven't seen the plays, but the film versions are superb.
http://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2016...-dies-aged-90/ (What is it with Cork that it gets to many thesp types?)
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/20...-equus-amadeus
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
That's a wonderful piece.
We are all of an age where we remember the end of boxing's golden age and some of us are still just young enough to be told of the age of Ali, Frazier and Foreman by parents and grandparents... simply put they were the greatest.
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Also this photo:
Always always gets me.
Last edited by BonnieShels; 06/06/2016 at 10:12 PM.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Muhammad Ali was a fascinating human being. So utterly charismatic, majestic and captivating. In a brilliant New Yorker piece documenting his life, David Remnick asked: "What modern athlete, much less one at Ali's level, has ever talked with such political complexity, ambiguity and engagement?" I can't think of one who comes close.
Ben Carrington astutely observed: "The significance of Ali isn't so much that he 'transcended' sport into politics but that he showed how sport itself was inherently political."
Of course, there are the detractors too. Piers Morgan, the fool, claimed Ali said "many more inflammatory/racist things" than Donald Trump. Presumably Morgan was referring to Ali's comments with regard to the "White Devil" and the self-preservation of his own marginalised, stigmatised and brutalised people. To equate Ali's words in the '60s and '70s with Trump's displays a profound and contemptible ignorance of Ali's life, experiences and cultural memory on the part of Morgan. Ali never oppressed anyone for their race.
Ali said: "Hating people because of their color is wrong. And it doesn't matter which color does the hating. It's just plain wrong."
Ali and his people were the victims of some of the worst injustices and oppression known to man; this was all at the hands of dominant white society. On the other hand, Trump is a white billionaire who has enjoyed an upbringing steeped in privilege. That's the key qualitative difference that one must consider when interpreting Ali's statements about white people and when interpreting Trump's statements about Mexicans or Muslims. Ali was talking about how he and his people were mistreated by whites. He was speaking for the disenfranchised and punching up. He was expressing valid anger. He wasn't talking about people he wanted to mistreat or prejudice, nor was he trying to manipulate through stoking division. That's what Trump does. Trump punches down. There's a world of difference.
Challenging oppression isn't racist. If Morgan thinks challenging oppression is inflammatory, I think that says more about Morgan than it does about Ali who he's trying to discredit.
Ali was entirely right to take on white America, it's privilege and its prejudice. He wasn't so much the embodiment of the "American Dream". He exposed it for the nightmare that it was. He shone a light deep into its dark core.
Here is a section of his 1972 interview with RTÉ's Cathal O'Shannon where he speaks of struggle, solidarity and culture upon his visit to Ireland:
I feel honoured he had that to say of us. Sure, Ali mightn't have been perfect - who doesn't have flaws? - but he had immeasurably more insight to disclose to America and the world than the likes of Donald Trump could ever dream of. What a ludicrous comparison.Originally Posted by Ali
Rest in peace, the Greatest.
RTE are reporting that former u-21 Eamonn Dolan has passed away, aged 48. Far too young, but he battled cancer for a long time
http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2016/...n-passes-away/
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
Pat Dolan's brother, and the one at the centre of the slighty controversy around the Kevin Doyle (or was it Shane Long) transfer.
Didn't know he'd been ill.
Musician and owner of the famous Leo's Tavern pub in Donegal, and father of Enya and Clannad, Leo Brennan, died today at the ripe old age of 90.
A sad loss to Donegal today.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
No loss.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
Just as Brexit throws Northern Ireland up in the air again, Patrick Mayhew, secretary of state when the Downing St Declaration was signed, passes away.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0625/798...k-mayhew-dies/
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
Theresa Saldana: ‘Commish’ & ‘Raging Bull’ Actress Who Survived Stalker Knife Attack dies at the age of 61
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...ies-age-61.htm
Forget about the performance or entertainment. It's only the result that matters.
Basketball revolutionary Pat Summitt
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/bl...asketball-ncaa
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I remember reading about her before and it always struck me that her maiden name was Head and she married to become Summitt. Mad.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
She really reached the top.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Scotty Moore, aged 84. Most famous as Elvis Pressleys guitarist in the early rock 'n roll years
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Caroline Aherne, Royle Family, Mrs Merton and voice of Gogglebox. Only 52.
http://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2016...e-aherne-dies/
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
Two directors, with barely a handful of films between them - but what a cinematic legacy they left.
Robin Hardy, best known for The Wicker Man.
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36693545
Michael Cimino, The Deer Hunter and Heaven's Gate.
http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-36696560
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
You beat me to it. Also, 915 on a Sunday is no time to be awake never mind coming in here.
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
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