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darkarfs · 3 years

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my favorite WWE matches of 1997

Though I officially started watching wrestling in 1995 (my family famously first bought SummerSlam that year, which would be my first wrestling show ever, because it was $25.00. 1995 was a bad year for wrestling), I became a regular watcher of both WWE and WCW Raw and Nitro, and was able to buy my own PPVs, around summer of 1996, when Hogan turned. The first show I bought with my own money was In Your House: Buried Alive, though I kept up with weekly TV. And, for better or worse, I've been a fan ever since.

1997 was a REAL rollercoaster year for wrestling. The NWO was becoming a bloated mess in no time at all, Bret Hart was riding high, while he and Shawn Michaels publicly hated one another, a young Rocky Maivia was slowly transforming into the most charismatic wrestler of maybe all time, a young Steve Austin has broken his neck and can only work 5 minute matches but is somehow the most OVER wrestler in the company, and by the end of the year, the Screwjob happens, Bret's in WCW, Shawn's on handfuls of SOMAs (yet main-eventing). In a lot of ways, I'm grateful, because I side-stepped all of Hogan's WWF and WCW run. But it was a tornado of a year for a business always on precarious footing, as it ever has been.

And it gave us some CRACKING matches! - The 1997 Royal Rumble I love me a Rumble, and it's REALLY hard (but not impossible) to find a bad one (1993, 1995, 1999). And I personally love one with a storyline that runs throughout, and in this case, it's the ultimate heeling of Stone Cold Steve Austin. He visibly dominates the match until he hears Bret Hart's music, and then goes into panic mode. And it furthers the characterization of Bret's hand-spun narrative as being rightfully pissed that he's being taken advantage of by the roster, screwed by the company, and booed by the fans. Fun bonus: this is also the only Rumble appearance of lucha legend Mil Mascaras, who was so full of old-school carny spirit he famously refused to let anyone else eliminate him, so he eliminated himself, pissed Vince off, and was not spoken of again on WWE TV until the 2012 Hall of Fame ceremony, where he was inducted by his huge prick nephew, Alberto del Rio. - Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, WrestleMania 13 This match is considered legendary, and for good reason. The greatest technical wrestler in the company vs. the best brawler, months of build, the world's most iconic (and off-the-cuff) blade-job (so much so that the visual of Austin bleeding in the Sharpshooter going "DAAAHHHH!" became the cover for his first VHS) and the wrestling world's most exquisite double-turn. It's fun, it's thrilling, it feels at once timeless and modern. Fun fact: there's a fun version of this match you can watch with just Austin doing commentary over it, and it's entertaining as hell. A true classic, and one of the greatest 'Mania matches of all time. - Ken Shamrock vs. Vader, No Holds Barred match, In Your House: a Cold Day In Hell Vader, famously, while a big teddy bear and a for-all-accounts lovely guy outside of the ring, had a reputation of being a bit "snug" with other wrestlers. Meaning he hit a little too hard, had little self-control, and took liberties with people, especially rookies and younger guys. It's supposedly why Shawn Michaels didn't want to work a world title program with him from summer to fall of 1996, because he was "too rough." But what never occurred to Vader is that trying that with a guy who's had 2 matches but has almost 5 years of MMA experience might not be the smartest or most prudent idea. Shamrock gives Vader as much as Vader gives him in this match, and there are moments where you can tell the guys are going into business for themselves. There's a moment where Shamrock is clubbing Vader with punches, and you can hear Vader, as he's turtling up and putting his arms up to block, yell "SLOW DOWN!" and then he rolls out of the ring to catch a breather. Vader, by the end of this match, is bleeding through his mask, a product of a broken nose, which is why I assume he gives Shamrock the stiffest short-arm clothesline I've ever seen. It's brutal, it's stupid, it weaves in and out of the script SO many times like a drunk man trying to stand up straight on a canoe, and I'm fascinated by each and every instance. - Owen Hart vs. the British Bulldog, European Championship Tournament Finals, Monday Night Raw, March 3rd Somehow, a workrate classic is stuck on a rinky-dink episode of Raw from Berlin, Germany. Smith and Hart blended some of their acquired WWE-style of work with classic junior heavyweight wrestling, complete with intricate reversals and fast-paced offense that was unlike either man's designed ethos of the time. Hart's shift toward his underhanded instincts as the match wore on provided enough story to balance the beautiful grappling from two men with impressive resumes. You can feel that these two knew one another, grew up together, and most importantly, wrestled together. An honest-to-God sleeper hit, but everyone who knows this match calls it a classic. - Shawn Michaels vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin, King of the Ring It's a concept that would be beaten into the ground in short order: Tag Team Champions that hate each other's guts. John Cena, seriously, has only been tag champions with people he's feuding with. That's

not even a joke. Austin and Michaels won the belts out of mutual dislike for the Hart Foundation, and then were programmed together for a wild match at the King of the Ring, one without a winner. Early on, the two actually pieced together a tremendous wrestling match full of nifty counters (prior to Austin changing his style after August for obvious reasons), before it degenerated into chaos after both men assaulted referees in the heat of the moment. Granted, neither man could really lose this one, so the screwy finish did serve its purpose. Until that point, it's a different type of incredible Austin match. You're never so happy to see a double-DQ finish. - Owen Hart & the British Bulldog vs. Shawn Michaels & Stone Cold Steve Austin, Monday Night Raw, May 26th And now we have a match set! The previous 4 participants in a brilliant and brutal tag team match. The Tag Team championship switch marked Austin's first piece of recognized gold in WWE, in a match on free television no less. That's not to insult the match any, as it was a pay-per-view quality fracas that barely slowed down. It is a mere 14 minutes long WITH entrances, but it moves at a clip, and everyone has their working boots on. It was a harbinger of days to come for this new period in WWE's history, and the crowd ate it up.

- Taka Michinoku vs. the Great Sasuke, In Your House: Canadian Stampede What happened here? Just when you think WCW had the cruiserweights cornered, WWE pulls this shit...and then kind of ignores it for a few months. But not before importing two of Michinoku Pro's finest to have a TakeOver-length exhibition. At first, the crowd in Calgary wasn't sure what to make of the undersized performers, but it wouldn't take long to win them over. From Michinoku's hands-free springboard dive to Sasuke's beautiful Thunder Fire Powerbomb, the expansive crowd was positively hooked on the daredevils with each passing minute. Although Sasuke wouldn't be long for the company, and Michinoku's run as Light Heavyweight Champion faded as 1998 wore on, the display at Canadian Stampede was a wondrous experience. This wouldn't have looked out of place in a Chikara King of Trios tournament. - The Hart Foundation (Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, Brian Pillman, the British Bulldog) vs. Team Austin (Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Legion of Doom, Ken Shamrock and Goldust), In Your House: Canadian Stampede I would have put this match on the list for the entrances and the finish alone. The crowd is at fever static for the entire match, seriously at the level of Punk/Cena at MITB 2011. And even though the Harts are the heels, they're in Calgary, and they get rock-star level ovations for merely existing. Everyone plays it mad and delighted, and you can tell they're all having a ball. Especially Pillman, who is just magically unhinged, a template for a young Dean Ambrose during their feud with the Wyatt Family. It is a magical, unreal main event, one of the best B-ppv main events maybe of all time. Well...other than MAYBE... - Shawn Michaels vs. the Undertaker, Hell in a Cell, In Your House: Badd Blood The very first Hell in a Cell match may very well double as the greatest of its kind. What stands out to me (other than how the match ends) is just how GREAT Michaels' selling is. When he's running away, he's constantly looking around for an exit, like a scared rat. When he finally gets caught and struck, he sells almost to the level he did for Hogan at SummerSlam 2005. But while he was doing that to make Hogan's offense look stupid, he's doing it here to make Taker's offense and anger look legit, and it somehow WORKS. But as fabulous as the match and the psychology is, it somehow takes a backseat to the debut of the Undertaker's monstrous little brother Kane, finally confronting his older brother in perhaps the greatest character debut in WWE history. - Mankind vs. Kane, Survivor Series I dunno what it is about this match that does it for me. Mankind's emotional lead-up to the match, where he's sad that Uncle Paul (Bearer) left him. Maybe the fact that Kane sells like Michael Myers, not so much that he's in pain, but as if he's never been hit in the face with a steel chair, a DDT or a piledriver. Maybe it's because Mick takes more horrific bumps than he needs to to make sure Kane looks like a legit monster. Maybe it's the broken Virtua Boy lighting. But it's genuinely unlike any other Mankind, Kane or ANY match I've seen before or since. It's a perfect somehow sympathetic serial killer vs. bigger, scarier serial killer that feels nothing story in a wrestling match. I didn't even know you could DO that.

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voice-of-anarchy · 3 years

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ARCH ENEMY Celebrates 25th Anniversary: 'It's Been An Awesome Experience,' Says MICHAEL AMOTT

Swedish/Canadian/American metallers ARCH ENEMY are celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2021.

When ARCH ENEMY released its debut album, "Black Earth", in 1996, death metal was stagnating and in desperate need of a kick up the ass. Guitarist Michael Amott's blueprint for the purest of metal strains proved an instant underground hit, both in Europe and Japan, and almost single-handedly resurrected death metal as a viable art form with mainstream potential. Signed to Century Media Records for 1998's sophomore effort "Stigmata", ARCH ENEMY marched purposefully towards a new millennium with a rapidly growing reputation. 1999's "Burning Bridges" added to the band's momentum, their razor-sharp blend of brutality and epic melody becoming more refined with each creative step. But it was in 2001, when original vocalist Johan Liiva stood aside and mercurial frontwoman Angela Gossow stepped in, that ARCH ENEMY truly took off.

Released in 2001 in Japan and nearly a year later in Europe, "Wages Of Sin" showcased a revitalized line-up and newfound gift for immortal anthems, Gossow's feral roar adding many layers of charisma and power to ARCH ENEMY's already-monstrous sound. Swiftly dedicating themselves to a relentless touring schedule, the band's upward trajectory continued throughout the first decade of the 21st century, with each successive album enhancing the band's reputation and bringing legions of new fans to this resolute heavy metal campaign. Albums like 2003's vicious "Anthems Of Rebellion" and 2011's pitch-black and savage "Khaos Legions" ensured that Amott and his loyal henchmen — Gossow, drummer Daniel Erlandsson, bassist Sharlee D'Angelo and Michael's guitarist sibling Christopher — remained firmly at the top of the extreme metal tree: respected veterans at the height of their powers.

Always focused but impervious to other's rules and expectations, ARCH ENEMY evolved once more in 2015 following the departure of Gossow (now the band's manager). Replacing one of the most iconic vocalists of the modern age was never going to be easy, but in the shape of former THE AGONIST frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz, ARCH ENEMY found the perfect candidate. Unveiled on the ferocious, anthem-laden triumph of 2014's "War Eternal", Alissa's powerful identity and extraordinary vocal talents proved a natural and instantly welcomed fit. Further extensive touring cemented the new line-up's thrilling efficacy, before one final line-up change — the arrival of legendary guitarist Jeff Loomis, formerly of NEVERMORE — completed the musical puzzle that Amott had been tinkering with for the best part of 20 years.

Amott comments: "I must admit that it feels somewhat surreal that the year 2021 marks the 25th anniversary of ARCH ENEMY. I never imagined that we would reach a point in our career where we'd be looking back on two and a half decades of creating music, releasing albums and playing live shows all over the planet! It's been an awesome experience, to say the least.

"As a group, we have been fortunate enough to achieve some incredible highs and accomplishments, but we have also lived through difficult times and lows. This is life, peaks and valleys… I have to say, whatever adversities we faced — we've always come through it all stronger than before. Overall, it's been a great journey and one that I am extremely proud of. I wouldn't change a thing.

"Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented us from doing any elaborate grand celebrations of the 25th anniversary, but we are doing some special merchandise and some other cool things - so keep your eyes peeled for that.

"A lot of my memories about the earliest days of ARCH ENEMY are connected to Japan. The first trilogy of albums, 'Black Earth' (1996), 'Stigmata' (1998) and 'Burning Bridges' (1999) were all released first in Japan and we toured there on all those three albums. Before much of the rest of the world really cared about us, we had gained a fantastic Japanese fan base that has supported us throughout the years — to this day. Domo Arigato Gozaimasu!

"With the release of our fourth album 'Wages Of Sin' in the early 2000s, we famously changed singer, a dramatic change from the classic Swedish death metal voice of original singer Johan Liiva to Angela Gossow — an unknown female German vocalist. A new concept at the time, and a bit of a gamble... I remember not being sure how the fans would react to the big change in the band. The new music we had written and recorded was also in a more straightforward style and the overall sound was a somewhat new direction for us. I needn't have worried, the 'Wages Of Sin' album was received very warmly by the fans in Japan, quickly becoming our biggest-selling album there. But maybe more importantly, it finally broke the band into the international metal arena in a big way. We found ourselves embarking on a rigorous touring schedule in Europe, USA and beyond. We had arrived!

"One thing ARCH ENEMY always did was tour a lot. We strongly believed in building the band by proving ourselves on the live stage, city by city, country by country…one show at a time. We really loved performing the concerts and the touring lifestyle — we still do.

"ARCH ENEMY is always pushing to play new uncharted territory — we have on many occasions been the first metal band to perform in a city or even country, which is always a huge thrill. Alongside building our own fan base on our countless headline tours and festival appearances, we also received fantastic opportunities with some of our early influences such as IRON MAIDEN, MEGADETH and SLAYER. They all brought us out as special guest on their tours, introducing us to their audience — for that we will always be thankful to them.

"In 2014 we released the 'War Eternal' album and introduced our new singer Alissa White-Gluz to the world, kicking off a new exciting chapter in the evolution of the band. We hit the road harder than ever before, eager to show the world what the band could do with the new lineup. In the seven years that have passed since then, the band has grown far beyond my wildest dreams. ARCH ENEMY's music continues to connect with new fans every day — it's hugely inspiring and keeps us pushing forward.

"On a personal note, ARCH ENEMY has been my band, my passion as well as my work for half of my life now and I can't really imagine what I would do if this band had not come to be all those years ago. I am eternally grateful to all the people that have helped us along the way in some way, shape or form... My dear band members/friends, all the people in the music business and underground metal scene that believed in us, producers and engineers for making us sound great, our tireless road crew and all the ex-members of course. Most importantly, the incredibly loyal fans that we have, whom I'll never be able to thank all in person. I can only promise that ARCH ENEMY will keep on making music (YES, there is a new album on the way!) ... and, of course, we will be out there playing live shows as we embark on what will be our biggest tour ever! I am very positive about the future.

"Here's to hopefully another 25 years! See you in the pit! Metal is forever!"

#arch enemy #AE25 #Michael Amott #2021 news

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pidgezero-one · 5 years

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Repost from facebook, in case anyone cares about Canadian sports TV

I usually try to take one or two days to think about a hot-button issue and avoid making kneejerk emotional reaction statements in response to it, so a little late to the party: Don Cherry, eh?

There's a lot to talk about here. I'm not going to tell you whether or not he deserved to get fired, because frankly I don't work for Sportsnet or have any first-hand exposure to anything he may have said in the past that led up to this decision. I can't tell you if it was this comment in particular that sent his employers from 0 to 100, or if it was just the latest in a series of flack-catching events that they're tired of doing damage control. I don't particularly care either way, that matter is between him and his former employer. I will tell you, however, that the Government of Canada was not involved in this decision, and his firing was not a violation of his (albeit limited by Canadian laws) freedom of expression, as a television network is well within their rights to dismiss a representative who is delivering content to viewers that is incongruous with what the network wants delivered on their behalf. Moving on.

I have seen some people argue that Cherry was addressing everyone in Canada, and not only immigrants, so since apparently some short-term memories are not so great, I took the liberty of transcribing his comments:

"...Downtown Toronto, forget it! Downtown Toronto, no poppy... How bout [running?] it for the people that buy them? Now you go to the small cities, and you know... you know, those p--... the [rows and rows?] ... You people love, you that you come here, whatever it is, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you could pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that. These guys pay for your way of life that you enjoy in canada, these guys paid the biggest price..."

So, if you only heard every word past "you love our way of life", then I could understand the opinion that he was addressing all Canadians. But that isn't what he said, he used the words "you people ... you come here". Where is "here"? There were three places listed in this rant:

-small cities

-downtown Toronto

-Canada

He's clearly not talking about small cities, since he implies that poppies are everywhere in small cities.

Is he talking about downtown Toronto or Canada? In that case, who "comes here"? It's not Canadian citizens from downtown Toronto (since they did not "come to" a place they were already living), it's not Canadian citizens from outside downtown Toronto (since as mentioned, those people tend to wear poppies proudly in large numbers), so who's left? You already know the answer, it's immigrants.

So, some of you may now be wondering, "so what, what's wrong with that? Should people who move here not be expected to respect our military?" I would say, sure, if moving to another country means adopting some of their ways of life, and you believe patriotism in support of donating to the Legion falls under that, you could make that argument. But why single out immigrants to Canada, when just a few seconds ago people agreeing with him were entirely convinced he was addressing all Canadians? What purpose does it serve to single out immigrants?

Furthermore: why are we pointing fingers at new arrivals to Canada to blame for a decline in poppy sales? Full disclosure: I did not buy a poppy this year. That wasn't on purpose. The part of town I work in has been plagued with construction reducing major arterials to a single lane, so lately I've been resorting to "creative" suburban bus routes to get home.

Did you know that the Legion maintains a list (https://legion.ca/remembrance/the-poppy-campaign) of places where you can get a poppy? I didn't, and I also have not been passing by the listed businesses on my way home lately. It didn't enter my mind, as pretty much the only way I really remember what time of year it is on a day-to-day basis is "is my rent due today?" and "is there snow on the ground?" and I did not enter any of these businesses for any reason as of late, and just forgot to get one. There are countless other adults like me -- what changed over the years?

Compare Remembrance Day to other national days of importance like New Year's. Everyone knows when New Year's is coming up, because its presence is ubiquitous. Everyone talks about their plans, their resolutions, their parties. Remembrance Day is much less culturally ubiquitous in the days before it, meaning there are less frequent "oh yeah, I should do something" reminders entering your field of vision. 15-20 years ago, I would see commercials on TV frequently, and that was a good reminder. Today, I don't subscribe to any cable or streaming services, and I browse the internet with an ad blocker. A lowered frequency of passive reminders is a real factor in your day-to-day decision-making, and perhaps there's room for people much more knowledgeable about marketing than I am to discuss targeting demographics who weaned off TV in the information age. That's not for me to propose any solutions to, just pointing out a cultural source of decline that isn't pre-existing bias against immigrants.

Going back to the immigrants point -- not only is it creating a scapegoat, but it's also just plain wrong. "World War I" and "World War II" are aptly named, check out this table: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties#Human_losses_by_country

World War II killed military members from literally all over the world. Indonesia, Brazil, Iraq, Ethiopia, China, India, Thailand, just to name a couple. Countries like Mexico who suffered no military losses also suffered civilian losses. World War II ended over 70 years ago, but generationally, 70 years is not a long time. Children growing up without their parents and siblings lost to war, they have to live with that forever. Survivors living with PTSD, that is a condition that affects your entire life and those around you. Economically, that much loss in life and prosperity affects the entire world, and always hits the poorest the hardest. The effects of war on a person and their family last for generations, and this is true around the world. People immigrating to Canada, statistically, are probably already well acquainted with this fact first-hand. They do not need to be lectured on the importance of military service any more than a born Canadian citizen does, chances are they already know.

World War II also ended, like I said, a very long time ago, but as we are all already aware, it certainly wasn't the last military effort Canada participated in. While we honour the sacrifices made by veterans in wartime, the CAF and the Legion still need funding for things like supporting veterans living with PTSD (https://www.legion.ca/support-for-veterans/mental-health-ptsd), such as services like the Family Information Line (https://www.cafconnection.ca/National/Stay-Connected/Family-Information-Line/Connect-With-Us.aspx). If you didn't know those services existed, what separates you from a new immigrant who also didn't know about them?

There is a separate discussion to be had by people much more knowledgeable than me about the morality of the CAF intervening in some foreign regions or being involved with cracking down on illegal marijuana, but that's a discussion I won't open up here and am not confident in discussing. However, some of the existing services offered to veterans that are funded in part by poppy sales are what I would consider altruistic and good to know about no matter how long you've lived in Canada, especially if you know somebody who served in wartime.

So how does all of this relate to Don Cherry? Ultimately, it's disappointing that he chose to single out immigrants in this way, when immigrants have no less understanding than born Canadian citizens about what exactly wartime sacrifice means. Interestingly, I was browsing some discussions about this yesterday, and came across some comments from people who do not understand a word of Punjabi, but enjoy watching the Punjabi broadcasting of Hockey Night In Canada because of the genuine unbridled enthusiasm of the commentators for the game. A broadcast program like that exists to do an example of exactly what Cherry and his supporters are critical of "immigrants" for supposedly -not- doing, and that's integrating with and participating in Canadian culture. There is no widespread attitude from new arrivals to Canada to reject Canadian values and culture. Nobody goes to a new country with the intention of having nothing to do with the country around them, that's a miserable way to live and is not something anyone wants to do by choice.* Look at Sweden, the vast majority of people learning Swedish on Duolingo are refugees living in Sweden. His comments were unfairly targeting certain Canadians in a way that singles them out as "others", and that's really unfair for them to have to hear coming from someone who is a Canadian cultural icon commentating a game that countless people from all walks of life, from any part of the world, take great joy in watching as part of being in Canada. All he had to do was apologize, and he didn't, and that's really unfortunate and has made a lot of Canadians who grew up with him as a household name very sad.

* (This is not even getting into the unspeakably horrific sacrifices imposed on our Indigenous populations, which make the whole judgmental comments about "immigrants" an entirely different and gross flavour of ironic.)

It's even worse that it comes at a time of heightened political "us vs them" tensions. We don't need more of that. The line between left and right is getting wider and wider every day. You can even see a visual representation of this courtesy of our neighbours to the South in this video: https://youtu.be/tEczkhfLwqM -- not that you need to, really, just look at our election 3 weeks ago where suddenly a bunch of provinces threatened to leave the country because they didn't get their way. (Speaking of, the election was three weeks ago, holy. Your negative comments about immigrants in the wake of Don Cherry's firing contrasted with your faux-concern about Trudeau's racist makeup has been duly noted. Maybe note that Trudeau's damnable actions happened 20 years ago, aka what some of you consider to be "the good old days" when people were "not so easily offended", as in, a time when Cherry likely would not have been fired for his comments, like Trudeau wasn't fired for his racist makeup. Think about that for a second before sharing that nonsense meme.)

Cherry's words and a refusal to think outside the box or apologize to Canadians just trying to live in Canada and enjoy a hockey game were ultimately promoting political tensions that don't need any further promotion, and that's unfortunate. Ultimately, whether you were born in Canada or not, both you and your neighbours just want to provide the best life you can for yourselves and your loved ones, and some of you actively chose Canada as the best option to achieve that goal in. And that's a pretty special thing to reflect on and unite over in the face of tension and division.

#don cherry #hockey #canada #remembrance day #poppy

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punjabiolympia · 4 years

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28 Bodybuilders Who Passed Away In 3years (2017-2020)

The previous few years have been tough for the bodybuilding and fitness group with the lack of many nice people. Man, girl, previous, younger… dying is not any respecter of individuals. Today, we bear in mind a number of names some you could know of, and a few you could not. Bodybuilders Who Passed Away (2017-2020) 1. Rich Piana Rich Piana was an icon within the trade. He received the Mr. California bodybuilding competitors in 1998 in addition to a number of different competitions. But his excessive reputation was extra attributable to the truth that he had a bigger than life persona and wasn’t afraid to be actual and trustworthy. Piana ran a YouTube channel the place he gave inspirational speeches, exercise recommendation, day within the life, and extra content material. As a consequence, he turned some of the adopted and liked people in fitness. But at age 46, Piana collapsed at home and died a number of weeks after being in a coma. He had enlarged organs however the reason for his dying wasn’t solely confirmed. Date of dying: August 25, 2017

Rich Piana 2. Dallas McCarver Dallas ‘Big Country’ McCarver was an up and coming Open division bodybuilder who positioned eighth on the 2016 Olympia and 2nd on the 2017 Arnold Classic Ohio to call his most notable achievements. He earned his Pro card at solely 21 years of age and it was evident he had all of the potential. However, he handed away at age 26 from cardiac arrest, simply when his profession was beginning to take off. Fellow bodybuilder Josh Lenartowicz discovered him mendacity on the ground in his Florida home nevertheless it was too late. His dying got here just some days previous to the passing of Rich Piana which marks some of the devastating weeks in bodybuilding historical past. Date of Death: August 22, 2017

3. Sifiso Lungelo Thabethe It was a horrible destiny for South African bodybuilder and IFBB Junior World Champion Sifiso Lungelo Thabethe who died after breaking his neck whereas making an attempt a backflip. The incident was captured on video the place the 23-year-old tried the backflip in entrance of a crowd and landed on his neck in 2017. Date of dying: August 5, 2017

4. Michael Bekoev Michael Bekoev was a Ukrainian bodybuilder who handed away attributable to a coronary heart assault at age 54. Death of Death: July 19, 2017 5. Sean Harris Just days earlier than the Tampa Pro bodybuilding contest in 2017, Sean Harris fell asleep behind the wheel and died in a reasonably tragic accident. Harris turned Pro after profitable the masters over-35 heavyweight and total titles within the 2015 IFBB North American Championships. Date of Death: July 27, 2017

6. Scott Wilson Scott Wilson first discovered his ardour for bodybuilding after coming into (and profitable) a present on a dare. He then went on to win the AAU Mr. California the very subsequent year and from there, he received Mr. America and Mr. International. But Wilson would in the end succumb to pores and skin most cancers at age 67. Date of Death: May 6, 2018

Scott Wilson 7. Franco Columbu Franco Columbu was an absolute legend in bodybuilding. Not to say, he was a freakishly robust powerlifter by the identical token. Columbu was Italian-born of which he got here to the U.S. within the late ’60s though he had met Arnold Schwarzenegger in Germany earlier than that. He’s famously identified for profitable the Mr. Olympia title in 1976 and 1981 along with starring alongside Schwarzenegger within the 1977 film Pumping Iron. Columbu suffered a coronary heart assault whereas swimming off the coast of San Teodoro, Sardinia Italy at age 78. Date of Death: August 30, 2019

Photo via Instagram @francocolumbu 8. Ed Corney Hawaiian bodybuilder Ed Corney additionally appeared within the film Pumping Iron with Arnold Schwarzenegger and different in style bodybuilders from the 70s. He received the Mr. Universe twice, Mr. America as soon as, and Mr. World twice. Corney suffered a coronary heart assault in 1999 throughout shoulder substitute surgical procedure though, he ultimately recovered. However, a mind aneurysm in 2018 would show to be deadly as he handed on the primary of January 2019. Death of Death: January 1, 2019

9. David Dearth Dearth was a bigger than life particular person who was very open about his life-style, and he competed within the IFBB however then transitioned to Vince McMahon’s WBF (World Bodybuilding Federation) within the 90s for a quick stint. He was named the “The Rock’N’ Roll Wild Child which McMahon felt was suitable for his personality. Although he’d return to IFBB competition even competing at the 1994 Olympia of which he did not place. Dearth had an accident with a horse at age 56 which resulted in a shoulder cuff and biceps injury. He eventually went in for surgery but abscesses developed after some complications. Following a second surgery, Dearth suffered a heart attack and died. Date of Death: August 5, 2019

Photos via Facebook David Dearth 10. Daryl Stafford Daryl Stafford started bodybuilding at age 25 in 1984 and earned his Pro card in 1993. He was a USA and National champ from the who went on to have a competitive career up until 2010. Stafford died at 58 due to what was reported as a heart attack. Date of Death: January 5, 2019

11. Mariola Sabanovic-Suarez Female Physique competitor Mariola Sabanovic-Suarez died of a heart attack at age 43 a few days after her 2019 Tampa Pro showing where she placed 16th. Date of Death: August 2019

Mariola Sabanovic Suarez At Tampa Pro 12. Stacey Bentley Stacey Bentley most notably placed fourth at the IFBB Women’s World Bodybuilding Championships, in 1979 before going on to win the Frank Zane Pro the same year. She then retired in 1981 to pursue a career in nursing which she had a passion for. She was a kind soul and a great role model for up and coming female competitors. Date of Death: December 31, 2019

13. Paul Love An icon of the sport, Paul Love was a Pro in the 50s and 60s. Although, he was acknowledged most for promoting big shows in the 80s including the World Games Bodybuilding Championships. Shawn Ray posted a message about his death along with several others including former Mr. and Ms. Olympia champions Samir Bannout and Corey-Everson Donia. Love was 86 when he passed away. Date of Death: December 2019 14. Zhanna Rotar Ukraine IFBB Bikini competitor Zhanna Rotar moved to the US from her home country in 1996 at age 16. She developed a passion for fitness and had a good run in competition although not winning any major competitions. Rotar retired from competing in 2010 to become an NPC/Pro League judge and focused on training others. However, on Christmas Day and at 39, she was struck by a vehicle that killed her according to the reports. Date of Death: December 25, 2019

Zhanna Rotar 15. Jusup Wilkosz The Late 70s-80s bodybuilder Jusup Wilkosz was a twice Mr. Universe winner (79-80) who also placed third at Mr. Olympia (84) competition. The German bodybuilder was known to train with Arnold Schwarzenegger but he retired in 1994 after dealing with injuries. Wilkosz passed away at age 71 due to causes unknown at the time. Date of Death: November 19, 2019

16. Pit Trenz Pit Trenz was a veteran of the sport from Germany and was the trainer of well-known bodybuilders Dennis Wolf and Markus Ruhl. He suffered from many illnesses throughout his life and near the end, his heart health got worst of which pneumonia caused serious complications. His lungs collapsed as a result and it was long before he died at age 53. Date of Death: November 3, 2019 17. Daniel Alexander The last on our list was a Mr. USA middleweight champion (2017) who also won the 2015 California Championships. Alexander was preparing for the Legion Sports Fest in 2019 after having not competed since 2017. But unfortunately, he tragically passed away before his Pro debut of which he planned to compete in the 212 division. Date of Death: November 9, 2019 18. Tiffany-Victoria Enriquez The death of Tiffany-Victoria Enriquez was an absolutely devastating one. She was a Bikini competitor out of Hawaii who also worked as a police officer. But she got a call to an apartment complex to deal with an angry tenant who shot and killed Enriquez along with another officer. Date of Death: January 19, 2020

Photos via Instagram @_tiffanyvictoria_ 19. Scott Milne Scott Milne was a Canadian bodybuilder who turned Pro 2002 and competed from 1996-2004. He suffered many injuries which ultimately led him to focus on training others and Canadian television. He died of a heart attack at 45. Dave Palumbo posted the following message about the unfortunate death. “Sorry to hear that one of the true Super Freaks Scott Milne has passed away from a heart attack. The “Canadian Moose” as he was identified might be missed however not forgotten.” At 6’3″ 250lbs, Milne was referred to as a big-hearted big that was beloved by many. Date of Death: February 2020 20. Eddie McDonough Eddie McDonough was a legend, profitable the 1974 and 1977 NABBA Mr. Britain whereas putting third within the Mr. Britain in 1973 and 1976. He had an excellent profession competing in NABBA, WABBA, and AAU and for a number of years earlier than retiring in 1980. McDonough was 85 when he handed. Date of Death: March 2020

Photos via Facebook – Si Sweeney 21. Novoa Mendez Novoa Mendez was a Dominican Pro bodybuilder who was shut mates with the man Pro Victor Martinez. Although, the 2 solely competed towards and met one another as soon as on the 2013 Toronto Pro present. However, Martinez observed how spectacular his physique was and appeared out for his fellow countryman. Here’s a chunk of what Martinez wrote about Mendez on Instagram following his passing. “I got the chance to compete with him in the Toronto pro show in 2013 and his physique caught my eyes because he was very impressive and after learning he was from the same side of town in the #dominicanrepublic el cibao I definitely had to make sure he was ok and understood the prejudging rules.” Mendez had well being points and suffered a stroke at 49 years previous which resulted in his dying. Date of Death: March 24, 2020 22. Joanna Thomas Joanna Thomas was a really promising bodybuilder who was additionally one of many youngest feminine bodybuilder to earn her Pro Card in 1998 at age 21. She competed at Ms. Olympia and different large exhibits whereas even changing into a nurse within the course of. But the British bodybuilder would ultimately endure from Osteoarthritis that in the end meant the tip of her profession and it additionally made life very difficult for her up till her dying. Date of Death: April 26, 2020 23. Aleksandar Srdoc Croatian bodybuilder Aleksandar Srdoc made a reputation for himself in his homeland having competed for greater than a decade. He additionally competed in about 4-5 nationwide stage exhibits. Srdoc served a while after being in bother with the regulation and subsequently, was additionally in a number of media advertisements attributable to his robust and vascular look. But he handed at age 35 attributable to what was stated to be well being points. His brother-in-law posted a photograph and message in honor of the younger bodybuilder. Date of Death: April 23, 2020 24. Mirosław Daszkiewicz Not lengthy earlier than Luke Sandow’s dying, Polish bodybuilder/worldwide champion Miroslaw Daszkiewicz died of hereditary illness. He was the primary Polish man to win the title of Master of the Universe and received a number of IFBB beginner exhibits. Daszkiewicz was 60 on the time of his passing. Date of Death: May 5, 2020 25. Luke Sandoe Luke Sandoe was a very talked-about bodybuilder from the UK who had loads of promise within the Open bodybuilding division. He turned Pro in 2016 and had his greatest end on the 2019 Arnold Classic Ohio. His final present earlier than he handed was the 2019 Mr. Olympia which was additionally his debut the place he got here in 11th place. At age 30, Sandoe took his personal life after having been identified to wrestle with points from his previous. Many paid their respects together with the Arnold Sports Festival via Instagram. Date of Death: May 7, 2020

Photo via Instagram @lukesandoe 26. Mikayla Kingman Mikayla Kingman was a 23-year-old Figure competitor who most notably received the general on the 2017 NPC Jay Cutler Classic. Her dying was by suicide and this was solely days after Luke Sandoe took his personal life. Date of Death: May 10, 2020 27. Joshua Foster Another very latest and premature dying, Wheelchair Pro bodybuilder Joshua Foster also called the “The Freak,” was discovered useless in his home final month. His dying was stated to be attributable to pure causes. Foster suffered a spinal twine harm in 2013 after a automobile accident and needed to discover ways to construct his physique whereas in a wheelchair. He was profitable though his passing got here a lot too early. Date of Death: May 21, 2020 28. Beverly DiRenzo Bodybuilder Beverly DiRenzo was an Open competitor who did pretty properly within the competitors after starting her aggressive profession in 2000. She received the NPC National Championships and made a reputation for herself. Her husband introduced her dying on social media. Apparently, she handed in her sleep. ”RIP.. MY LOVE ETERNAL.. PASSED THE WAY SHE WANTED AT PEACE FALLING ASLEEP TOGETHER….NO MORE PAIN 😢” Date of Death: May 29, 2020 Although this record consists of simply 28 bodybuilders who died from 2017-2020, it’s nonetheless too many. But we are able to take the time to recollect their lives and what they contributed to the game and life usually. Read the full article

#28Bodybuilders

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jasonlawson0 · 4 years

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Legion honours victim, survivor of Snowbirds crash in Kamloops

KAMLOOPS, B.C. — Thousands of people tuned in online Thursday to hear the sombre sound of a bugle playing the Last Post and to take a moment of pause in remembrance of the victim of a Snowbirds plane crash.

The local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion held the ceremony at the Kamloops airport, where the military aircraft took off before the fatal crash on Sunday.

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The ceremony paid tribute to Capt. Jennifer Casey, who died, and Capt. Richard MacDougall, who was seriously injured after they ejected from the plane.

While the public was initially invited, the legion shifted to an online broadcast amid concerns the event would draw a mass gathering contrary to public health recommendations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ceremony also included the singing of O' Canada, the laying of wreaths, and several speakers who showed support for the Snowbirds and all who serve in the Canadian Forces.

Among the speakers was Kamloops Mayor Ken Christian, who said the city will memorialize the tragedy and recognize the contributions of the Snowbirds.

"They're cherished Canadian icons that have been with us for 50 years and we will make an appropriate memorial to their service to this country," Christian said.

Daniel Martin, president of the Kamloops legion, said the Air Force has always been a part of the city, and it was very important to do something to honour the Snowbirds and Casey, while offering condolences to her family.

"Hopefully the healing process can start."

Lt. Alexandra Hejduk, public affairs officer with the Canadian Forces, said the Casey family, who lives in Halifax, is grateful for the support from the Kamloops community in the aftermath of Sunday's tragedy.

She documented the event and sent photos to the family, she said.

"This is a city of so much heart, so much love and giving," she said. (CHNL)

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2020.

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thepermanentrainpress · 5 years

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CONCERT REVIEW: “WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC AT QUEEN ELIZABETH THEATRE - AUGUST 19TH, 2019

Like many people, I'm a lifelong Weird Al fan. Watching his videos parodying artists from several decades made an impression on me at a very young age. I grew up listening to every single album he had, eagerly awaiting a new one every few years. I know the lyrics to just about his entire catalogue. The man has a career spanning five decades, and he’s still actively recording and touring; I’ve seen several of his tours in the past and they never failed to disappoint. This one had a twist—Al was accompanied by a full 41-piece local orchestra, bringing a classical twist to his diverse hits. In the past, Al’s shows have included all sorts of wacky stage antics, involving costume changes, physical comedy, and even a Stormtrooper fleet. I had no idea what to expect for the setlist or stage show this time around. In the end, I was surprised and very satisfied.

The night opened with the orchestra playing a few well-known theme songs: Indiana Jones, Mission Impossible, Superman, and Star Wars. It was really impressive to hear these classic arrangements played live by an orchestra as they were originally recorded. They played for about 20 minutes, and it was a fun warm-up and introduction.

After an intermission, Al took the stage in front of the orchestra, joined by his longtime tour band and three female backup singers in black dresses, to massive applause. He wore his classic Hawaiian shirt look, although there were wardrobe changes throughout.

The setlist included songs from all eras of Al, including some very deep cuts I never thought I`d hear live. After coming out to “Fun Zone” (an original Al instrumental), he began with a montage of early hits. The first was “I Lost On Jeopardy” (one of his best-known songs, and far more popular than the original 1983 The Greg Kihn Band hit “Jeopardy” it parodies), complete with a video of the 1980s host Art Fleming lecturing Al on losing at Jeopardy (“You’re a complete loooooooooser!”) This was followed by “I Love Rocky Road” (a riff on Joan Jett’s “I Love Rock 'n’ Roll”) and the medical Madonna parody “Like A Surgeon.”

Many people assume all of Weird Al’s songs are direct parodies. In fact, about half of the songs on every album he puts out are original, although still very funny. Many of them are ‘style parodies’ of a particular artist, if not a direct melody. For example, the upbeat “Dare To Be Stupid,” performed complete with helmets, is a take-off of Devo’s musical style, but it’s not to the specific tune of any Devo songs. He really brought out the originals: next up was “The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota” – a folk parody in the vein of Gordon Lightfoot and Harry Chapin telling of a family road trip to visit a true iconic American landmark. This 1989 song is seven minutes long, and I’m not sure it had ever been performed live before – definitely not something I expected to hear.

Weird Al’s talent lies in simply how much musical style he can cram into an album or show. He does folk, grunge, new wave, pure rock, alternative, and even raps quite well all in an hour. He’s up there imitating Robin Thicke and Pharrell’s “Blurred Lines” with amazing fast flow on “Word Crimes,” then he’s quietly singing on the original black comedy ballad, “You Don’t Love Me Anymore.” (“You used to think I was nice, now you tell all your friends that I’m the Antichrist.”) He’s stretching the high notes and dancing, then sitting on a stool holding an acoustic guitar that he never actually plays before smashing it to bits at the end of the soft tune.

Between songs, many video clips were shown of bonus Weird Al material. Some were of Al’s own creation – a mock trailer for the gritty Al biopic Weird (starring Aaron Paul as Al), or his role as Isaac Newton in “Epic Rap Battles of History” (battling fellow scientist Bill Nye). Others were his guest roles on cartoons as himself (The Simpsons, Johnny Bravo) or of characters simply discussing the singer (a clip from King of the Hill showed Hank Hill mistakenly informing his son that “Weird Al Yankovic blew his brains out in the late 80s when people stopped buying his records. He’s not worth getting in trouble over”). These videos were a change of pace and allowed for costume changes.

Al himself had no shortage of stage banter, greeting us and saying how great it was to be back in his hometown of Vancouver (“I’m a proud Canadian citizen, although I spent the last several decades in the US doing research”) – a line he no doubt used with every city on the tour. During his upbeat rap “Tacky” (a parody of Pharrell’s “Happy”) he ran through the crowd, dancing with some, mocking others, and leaning extra real close to smiling awkward security guards. His costumes didn’t disappoint either – viking helmets for “Weasel Stomping Day” (it’s part of the tradition!), a Kurt Cobain wig and electric guitar for “Smells Like Nirvana” (the backup singers even had cheerleading pom-poms!), and riding around on a segway in a hoodie for his biggest hit, “White and Nerdy.”

He closed the show with “Amish Paradise,” complete with a traditional black hat and long beard, while his backup singers wore bonnets. This song, to the tune of rapper Coolio’s smooth 1995 “Gangsta’s Paradise,” is what fully utilized the talents of the 41-piece orchestra. It’s a very ominous, fast-paced tune with a large string section, and hearing it live with a full symphony backing was nothing short of epic.

Of course, there was still the encore. After a brief riff of Beethoven’s Fifth, Weird Al came back to the stage accompanied by about ten costumed stormtroopers and Darth Vader himself. The Star Wars songs are a staple of Al’s live performances, and the people on stage were members of the city’s local 501st Legion chapter – a group of dedicated cosplayers. He sang “The Saga Begins,” a six-minute piano ballad to the tune of Don McLean’s “American Pie,” detailing the plot of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. The stormtroopers swayed as Vader (“this here Anakin guy”) swung his lightsaber. Finally, in the very last song of the night, Al brought out his trademark accordion. He finished with “Yoda” (“Lola” by The Kinks) with the whole audience singing along for the chorus before giving him a standing ovation.

Weird Al has been making people laugh for almost forty years. The audience was of all ages – many generations coming together to enjoy the art of a man whom we all got to grow up on. Although I’m sure it was fun for everyone, the set was especially rewarding for diehard fans like myself. Al really brought out the deep cuts and classic material, showing off his career almost to the point of vanity. But you can’t blame him – Al’s music and career has outlasted many of the artists he parodies. He’s still going strong, and everyone who bought a ticket loved him for it. He’s a living legend, the #1 comedy artist of all time, and unique in his status and image. No one does it quite like Al, and I’m sure he’ll be making us laugh for a long time to come.

Written by: Cazzy Lewchuk

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jamesgeiiger · 6 years

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China’s Disappeared: A look at who went missing in 2018

BEIJING — It’s not uncommon for individuals who speak out against the government to disappear in China, but the scope of the “disappeared” has expanded since President Xi Jinping came to power in 2013.

Not only dissidents and activists, but also high-level officials, Marxists, foreigners and even a movie star — people who never publicly opposed the ruling Communist Party — have been whisked away by police to unknown destinations.

The widening dragnet throws into stark relief the lengths to which Xi’s administration is willing to go to maintain its control and authority.

A look at some of the people who went missing in 2018 at the hands of the Chinese state:

——

FOREIGN PAWNS

China threatened “grave consequences” if Canada did not release high-tech executive Meng Wanzhou, shortly after the Huawei chief financial officer was detained in Vancouver in December for possible extradition to the U.S.

The apparent consequences materialized within days, when two Canadian men went missing in China. Both turned up in the hands of state security on suspicion of endangering national security, a nebulous category of crimes that has been levied against foreigners in recent years.

Former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig was taken by authorities from a Beijing street late in the evening, a person familiar with his case said. He is allowed one consular visit a month and has not been granted access to a lawyer, as is standard for state security cases.

Also detained is Michael Spavor, who organizes tours to North Korea from the border city of Dandong. China has not said whether their detentions are related to Meng’s, but a similar scenario unfolded in the past.

A Canadian couple was detained in 2014 on national security grounds shortly after Canada arrested Su Bin, a Chinese man wanted for industrial espionage in the U.S.

Like Spavor, Kevin and Julia Garratt lived in Dandong, where they ran a popular coffee shop for nearly a decade. They also worked with a Christian charity that provided food to North Korean refugees.

While Julia Garratt was released on bail, her husband was held for more than two years before he was deported in September 2016 — about two months after Su pleaded guilty in the U.S.

——

TAX-EVADING ACTRESS

Fan Bingbing was living the dream. Since a breakthrough role at the age of 17, Fan has headlined dozens of movies and TV series, and parlayed her success into modeling, fashion design and other ventures that have made her one of the highest-paid celebrities in the world.

All this made her a potent icon of China’s economic success, until authorities reminded Fan — and her legion of admirers — that even she was not untouchable.

For about four months, Fan vanished from public view. Her Weibo social media account, which has more than 63 million followers, fell silent. Her management office in Beijing was vacated. Her birthday on Sept. 16 came and went with only a handful of greetings from entertainment notables.

When she finally resurfaced, it was to apologize.

“I sincerely apologize to society, to the friends who love and care for me, to the people, and to the country’s tax bureau,” Fan said in a letter posted on Weibo on Oct. 3.

She admitted to tax evasion. State news agency Xinhua reported that Fan and the companies she represents had been ordered to pay taxes and penalties totalling 900 million yuan ($130 million).

“Without the party and the country’s great policies, without the people’s loving care, there would be no Fan Bingbing,” she wrote, a cautionary tale for other Chinese celebrities.

Xinhua concurred in a commentary on her case: “Everyone is equal before the law, there are no ‘superstars’ or ‘big shots.’ No one can despise the law and hope to be lucky.”

——

SECURITY INSIDER

Unlike most swallowed up by China’s opaque security apparatus, Meng Hongwei knew exactly what to expect.

Meng, no relation to the Huawei executive, is a vice minister of public security who was also head of Interpol, the France-based organization that facilitates police co-operation across borders.

When he was appointed to the top post, human rights groups expressed concern that China would use Interpol as a tool to rein in political enemies around the world.

Instead, he was captured by the same security forces he represented.

In September, Meng became the latest high-ranking official caught in Xi’s banner anti-corruption campaign. The initiative is a major reason for the Chinese leader’s broad popularity, but he has been accused of using it to eliminate political rivals.

Xi pledged to confront both high-level “tigers” and low-level “flies” in his crackdown on graft — a promise he has fulfilled by ensnaring prominent officials.

Meng was missing for weeks, before Chinese authorities said he was being investigated for taking bribes and other crimes. A Chinese delegation delivered a resignation letter from Meng to Interpol headquarters.

His wife Grace Meng told the AP that she does not believe the charges against her husband. The last message he sent her was an emoji of a knife.

——

DARING PHOTOGRAPHER

Lu Guang made his mark photographing the everyday lives of HIV patients in central China. They were poor villagers who had contracted the virus after selling their own blood to eke out a living — at a going rate of $7 a pint, they told Lu.

A former factory worker, Lu traversed China’s vast reaches to capture reality at its margins. He explored environmental degradation, industrial pollution and other gritty topics generally avoided by Chinese journalists, who risk punishment if they pursue stories considered to be sensitive or overly critical.

His work won him major accolades such as the World Press Photo prize, but his prominence likely also put him on the government’s radar.

This November, Lu was travelling through Xinjiang, the far west region that has deployed a vast security network in the name of fighting terrorism. He was participating in an exchange with other photographers, after which he was to meet a friend in nearby Sichuan province. He never showed up.

More than a month after he disappeared, his family was notified that he had been arrested in Xinjiang, according to his wife Xu Xiaoli. She declined to elaborate on the nature of the charges.

——

STUDENT MARXIST

In the past, the political activists jailed in China were primarily those who fought for democracy and an end to one-party rule. They posed a direct ideological threat to the Communist Party.

This year, the party locked in on a surprising new target: young Marxists.

About 50 students and recent graduates of the country’s most prestigious universities convened in August in Shenzhen, an electronics manufacturing hub, to rally for factory workers attempting to form a union.

Among them was Yue Xin, a 20-something fresh out of Peking University. Earlier this year, she made headlines by calling for the elite school to release the results of its investigation into a decades-old rape case.

This time, she was one of the most vocal leaders of the labour rights group, appearing in photographs with her fist up in a Marxist salute and wearing a T-shirt that said “Unity is strength” — the name of a patriotic Chinese communist song.

Yue, a passionate student of Marx and Mao Zedong, espoused the same values as the party. She wrote an open letter to Xi and the party’s central leadership saying all the students wanted was justice for Jasic Technology labourers.

Her letter quoted Xi’s own remarks: “We must adhere to the guiding position of Marxism.” Yue called Marx “our mentor” and likened the ideas of him and Mao to spiritual sustenance.

Nonetheless, she ended up among those rounded up in a raid on the apartment the activists were staying at in Shenzhen. While most have been released, Yue remains unaccounted for. She has been missing for four months.

——

Associated Press writer Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this report.

China’s Disappeared: A look at who went missing in 2018 published first on https://worldwideinvestforum.tumblr.com/

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flauntpage · 7 years

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Baseball Community and Others Mourn Roy Halladay’s Death

There’s been plenty of mourning after the death of former Phillies pitcher Roy Halladay, who tragically died in a plane crash this afternoon.

Many of his former teammates and others have sent out their condolences:

I’m stunned to silence over the news of Roy Halladay. My thoughts and heart are with Brandy and the boys. Rest In Peace my friend.

— Charlie Manuel (@CMBaseball41) November 7, 2017

This hurts.

— Jake Diekman (@JakeDiekman) November 7, 2017

Gone too soon my friend!!! Blessed to have shared the field with you as a teammate, competitor, friend and more importantly a brother. Praying for Brandy, Ryan and Brayden

— Shane Victorino (@ShaneVictorino) November 7, 2017

One night I️ will never forget the intensity he pitched with and carried us to a victory🤙🤙🤙all he did was compliment Chooch on calling a great game taking minimal credit…that’s who he was🤙 https://t.co/ZXFZsRRtY8

— Shane Victorino (@ShaneVictorino) November 7, 2017

Such a sad day. We lost a great ball player but an even better human being. Many prayers to Brandy, Ryan, & Brayden. We will miss you Roy.

— Ryan Howard (@ryanhoward) November 7, 2017

Heart is broken to hear about Roy Halladay .great friend, teammate, father and husband. One of the best teammates ever! You will be missed !

— Roy Oswalt (@royoswalt44net) November 7, 2017

Heart broken- Roy was always the guy I looked up to in little league, in high school, in the bigs. So lucky to have been his teammate. Incredible husband, incredible dad, we will miss you Doc!

— Brad Lidge (@SlidersNSaves54) November 7, 2017

Devastating. One of my favorite teammates ever. The blueprint for what a competitor looks like. RIP Roy Halladay. Heartbroken for his family

— Michael Young (@MikeyY626) November 7, 2017

Rip to the doc.. one of the best to ever do it. May you Rest In Peace

— jp crawford (@jp_crawford) November 7, 2017

So saddened to hear about the passing of Roy Halladay.. prayers going out to his family during this tough time…

— Aaron Altherr (@AAltherr) November 7, 2017

Roy Halladay one of the greatest to put on a baseball uniform! My prayers are with his family so sad to see him go! You’re the man Doc

— Cameron Rupp (@CameronRupp) November 7, 2017

Praying for the Halladay family right now. So blessed to have met and learned from one of the best ever. RIP Doc you will be forever missed

— Andrew Knapp (@theknappyboy5) November 7, 2017

My heart is heavy hearing about Roy's crash. He made a difference in so many people's lives, including mine. May God bring peace to his fam.

— Mark Appel (@MAppel26) November 7, 2017

Game lost a good one today. Rest In Peace Doc. Forever a Philly legend.

— Thomas Eshelman (@ThomasEshelman) November 7, 2017

Statement from the Blue Jays organization on the tragic passing of Roy Halladay: http://pic.twitter.com/Ih8D0RQE9p

— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) November 7, 2017

One of the best to ever do it. I had a front row seat to watch his greatness. RIP Doc. to Brandy and the kids.

— Vernon Wells (@VernonWells10) November 7, 2017

We were together in this journey as Canadian Baseball Hall of Famers, now you are gone. RIP Roy Halladay http://pic.twitter.com/x5Vv0r8djx

— Vladimir Guerrero (@VladGuerrero27) November 7, 2017

We lost another member of the Phillies family way to soon! My prayers go out to Doc’s wife and kids and his entire family! RIP Doc!

— John Kruk (@JohnKruk) November 7, 2017

There’s plenty of others as well:

The Eagles are saddened to learn of the passing of Phillies icon Roy Halladay. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. http://pic.twitter.com/hyonhmVntj

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 7, 2017

We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the passing of Roy Halladay. We extend our thoughts and condolences to his family & loved ones. http://pic.twitter.com/IH76mnQ1S5

— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 7, 2017

The 76ers organization is saddened to learn of the passing of Philadelphia Phillies great Roy Halladay. We extend our sincere condolences to his loved ones and our friends within the Phillies organization during this difficult time.

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) November 7, 2017

We're saddened to learn of the tragic passing of Phillies legend Roy Halladay. Our thoughts are with his family & loved ones. http://pic.twitter.com/LMlxmoZw2u

— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) November 7, 2017

So incredibly saddened to hear about @RoyHalladay. Rest in peace brother. Gone way too soon.

— Claude Giroux (@28CGiroux) November 7, 2017

Very sad to hear of the passing of Roy Halladay. My favorite pitcher growing up watching the jays. Thoughts and prayers with his family. RIP

— Scott Laughton (@Laughts21) November 7, 2017

Growing up watching #32 take the mound every 5 days for the @BlueJays was a pleasure. He was an athlete I️ idolized. RIP Doc

— Logan Couture (@Logancouture) November 7, 2017

RIP to the greatest blue jay I ever got to watch play. Competed harder than anybody when he was on the mound! #32 #RIPDocHalladay

— Brendan Gallagher (@BGALLY17) November 7, 2017

In shock over the terrible news about Roy Halladay… a pitcher I grew up admiring & rooting for. Praying for his family & friends. #RIPDoc

— Mike Trout (@MikeTrout) November 7, 2017

I was at the playoff no hitter vs the Reds. Roy Halladay made it look easy that night. The greatest pitching performance I've ever witnessed

— Kevin Negandhi (@KNegandhiESPN) November 7, 2017

http://pic.twitter.com/KdQ5dhXvIh

— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) November 7, 2017

I wanted to be Roy Halladay. I’m heartbroken, rest easy Doc.

— dan haren (@ithrow88) November 7, 2017

I only own like 5 signed jerseys, and I was so scared to ask him. He wrote that he liked watching ME pitch. What an honor http://pic.twitter.com/ufj4G8u5DD

— dan haren (@ithrow88) November 7, 2017

Watching Roy Halladay was one of the reasons I️ fell in love with pitching. Absolutely heartbreaking news. Prayers for his family

— Ben Heller (@BenHeller21) November 7, 2017

RIP to Roy Halladay. When I played baseball, I always wanted to pitch like “Doc”.

— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) November 7, 2017

RIP Roy Halladay.. a Toronto legend! Growing up I used to love watching Doc play, sad day for Toronto sports fans

— Tristan Thompson (@RealTristan13) November 7, 2017

I’m stunned. I just landed,opened up my phone,and saw the news about Roy Halladay. What a competitor, pitcher, and a humble Father. #RIP

— Paul Lo Duca (@paulloduca16) November 7, 2017

I can’t believe it. So many times we competed against each other and even while competing, I wanted to see you! My condolences to his family https://t.co/q5VGqQvoDu

— Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) November 7, 2017

RIP Roy Halladay, the greatest example of a true competitor and a true gentleman. May God Bless him and his family

— Huston Street (@HustonStreet) November 7, 2017

Devastating news about Roy Halladay…an unparalleled artist on the mound. I️ dropped everything to watch him work…Baseball’s heart hurts… My deepest condolences to the Halladay family. #RIPDoc

— Jason Hammel (@HammelTime39) November 7, 2017

Honored to have had the opportunity to step in the box against the Hall of Famer Roy Halladay. Sick to my stomach to hear the news #RIP34

— Justin Turner (@redturn2) November 7, 2017

Oh my god man. Day ruined. Wow. Prayers with the entire Halladay family. This is awful! https://t.co/nrS2INJ231

— Marcus Stroman (@MStrooo6) November 7, 2017

Rest In Peace Doc Halladay. One of the best to ever do it. You will be missed.

— Dallas Keuchel (@kidkeuchy) November 7, 2017

I’m shocked to hear the news about Roy Halladay. Devastating. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.

— Nick Swisher (@NickSwisher) November 7, 2017

We lost an MLB legend today in Roy Halladay! My heart breaks for him and his family. #RIPDoc

— Steven Souza Jr. (@SouzaJr) November 7, 2017

Saddened by the passing of Roy Halladay I declined to go to @Phillies game where he pitched No hitter in post season after that I said never again Thank you for showing the world your talent Prayers to your family

— Tommy Dreamer (@THETOMMYDREAMER) November 7, 2017

RIP @Phillies pitching great Roy Halladay https://t.co/aTwiSljylR

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) November 7, 2017

Devastating news re Roy Halladay. A great competitor, and an even better person. Humble, caring, charitable. RIP

— Dan Shulman (@DShulman_ESPN) November 7, 2017

God damn't, No! Roy Halladay, one of the most dominant pitchers to ever toe the rubber and always generous to his legion of fans. RIP

— Miles Teller (@Miles_Teller) November 7, 2017

Great pitcher and super guy gone too soon. RIP, Roy Halladay. http://pic.twitter.com/NKoU8R0xpv

— Norm Kelly (@norm) November 7, 2017

Here's Roy Halladay's thank-you letter in @TheTorontoSun to fans in T.O. following his departure from the Blue Jays. Dec. 22, 2009. #RIPDoc http://pic.twitter.com/tS9KvHHOJ7

— Toronto Sun (@TheTorontoSun) November 7, 2017

Our hearts and prayers go out to Roy Halladay’s family and friends. https://t.co/9vEXg9WHUX

— St. Louis Cardinals (@Cardinals) November 7, 2017

We are saddened to learn of the passing of MLB great Roy Halladay. We send our sincerest condolences to his friends and loved ones. http://pic.twitter.com/hs84dGoGl0

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) November 7, 2017

We're saddened by the tragic loss of Colorado native & former MLB pitcher Roy Halladay. We send our deepest condolences to Roy's loved ones. http://pic.twitter.com/GQg1V07ORj

— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) November 7, 2017

We join the rest of the baseball world in mourning today’s tragic passing of Roy Halladay. We send our heartfelt condolences to Roy’s family, friends and fans at this difficult time.

— Houston Astros (@astros) November 7, 2017

We send our condolences to Roy Halladay’s family and friends. May he Rest in Peace. https://t.co/mDgIIV6H7o

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) November 7, 2017

It was our honor to share a field with the incredible Roy Halladay. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and fans. http://pic.twitter.com/rwtSYsgpgm

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 7, 2017

We are saddened by the tragic news that Roy Halladay, 2-time Cy Young Award winner & 8-time All-Star, has died in a plane crash. He was 40. http://pic.twitter.com/SOFv3bOLyt

— MLB (@MLB) November 7, 2017

We extend our thoughts & prayers to the family & loved ones of Roy Halladay during this difficult time. http://pic.twitter.com/gOF5KgPDgL

— MiLB.com (@MiLB) November 7, 2017

Roy Halladay's cap and ball from his 2010 perfect game. His legacy lives on in Cooperstown. Rest in peace, Doc. http://pic.twitter.com/PqASdhK8bf

— Baseball Hall ⚾ (@baseballhall) November 7, 2017

Baseball Community and Others Mourn Roy Halladay’s Death published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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ghostlybouquetballoonstuff-blog1 · 7 years

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Top Five Bachelor Get together Locations By Zack Corridor

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nofomoartworld · 7 years

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Hyperallergic: Required Reading

Seoul-based designer Sukwoo Lee designed the medals for the 2018 Winter Olympics, which will take place in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The jagged front are based on the letters of Hangul, the Korean alphabet that dates back to the 15th century. More images at Dezeen. (via Dezeen)

Bendor Grosvenor writes about museum image fees and how they’re out of whack:

But for ‘old’ art the situation is very different. Many museums will have you believe that because they are licensing newly taken photographs of, say, a Hogarth, then they have copyright over that photograph, and can therefore charge what they want for it. But this is not the case. There are variances, but essentially in both US and UK law a straightforward photographic reproduction of an old painting does not generate any new copyright implications. For a new photograph of a Hogarth to have any copyright vested in it, it must in some way be original (ie, amended, added to, written over, distorted). So don’t let museums tell you that what you’re paying for is the right to legally reproduce their photograph of their painting. They’re not. In fact, all they’re doing is hustling you.

The designer of the Papyrus font justifies his invention after SNL lampoons it:

“I designed the font when I was 23 years old. I was right out of college. I was kind of just struggling with some different life issues, I was studying the Bible, looking for God and this font came to mind, this idea of, thinking about the biblical times and Egypt and the Middle East. I just started scribbling this alphabet while I was at work and it kind of looked pretty cool,” Costello said.

He added, “I had no idea it would be on every computer in the world and used for probably every conceivable design idea. This is a big surprise to me as well.”

Curator Andrew Hunter explains why he quit the Art Gallery of Ontario:

I have always been concerned about the role art museums play in the wider world, about how truly engaged they are with the critical issues of our times. I’m fortunate to be able to teach regularly on museum and curatorial practice (currently in the graduate program at OCAD University). We often begin with the origins of the contemporary museum, which was born out of the private collections of wealthy Europeans who had built their fortunes on the extraction of resources, and people, from the most vulnerable nations in the world.

Out of this dubious practice evolved public educational institutions, or so they self-described. Really, they were outward displays of power that reinforced class division and validated the corporate and colonial systems that had made their founders rich. From wealth came power and then cultural dominance: museums set social rules, coercing the broader public toward shared values they deemed to be “acceptable.”

Saudi king’s gold escalator gets stuck (no comment):

Saudi King Salman's travel companion, his gold escalator, let him down during his historic visit to Russia http://pic.twitter.com/xgTaqV8WWG

— TRT World (@trtworld) October 5, 2017

Is the internet changing time? Laurence Scott writes:

The computer scientist and cyber-philosopher Jaron Lanier, who coined the term ‘virtual reality’ and who has written with both optimism and despair about the trajectory of the internet, believes that digitisation’s prodigious memory will be key to a sustainable global economy based primarily on exchanges of information. In Who Owns The Future?, he outlines a possible world in which data is the central commodity and all of us are properly remunerated for our contributions, conscious or involuntary, to the profitable crunching undertaken in Big Data’s storehouses. A simple example is that if you and your spouse meet on an online dating site and eventually get married, then you will receive a ‘micropayment’ every time two other people in the future are successfully matched up based on algorithms of compatibility to which your own happy coupling contributed. Lanier argues that since the data you provide – interests, profession, goals, politics – continually refine and improve the dating site’s ability to pair people, then you should own a share in the efficiency that your information nurtured. In this system, our digital pasts, archived across the network as data, resemble an actor’s filmography or an author’s back catalogue, an ongoing source of royalties. Such a model echoes Airbnb’s desire for everyone to ‘build a history’ online. Here the past is privileged in the way of all valuable things, as unforgettable as any personal treasure. Lanier’s design proposes an economy of remembering, whereby not even the smallest link in a lucrative data chain is forgotten. There is zero tolerance of structural amnesia in this system. As Lanier remarks, ‘Cash unfortunately forgets too much for an information economy.’

You know those orange-handled scissors that are in homes around the world? This is their story (I love design history.):

According to Jay Gillespie, Fiskars’s current VP of marketing, the company decided to vote on what color the final scissors design would be before it went into production. At the time, Gillespie says, colors like orange and lime were very popular, so they decided to stick with orange. “An icon was born from [that vote],” he says.

Nina Burleigh of Newsweek takes a look at Trump’s relationship with God:

Trump’s long and sometimes confounding spiritual journey started in Jamaica, Queens, at the bite-sized First Presbyterian Church, and later, at the WASPy Marble Collegiate Church on Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, where prosperity prophet Norman Vincent Peale preached that you could think yourself to success. In 1952, Peale published The Power of Positive Thinking, a New York Times best-seller for 186 weeks that sold more than 5 million copies and was translated into 15 languages. That tome and his hailstorm of follow-up titles trained a generation of Americans to grin and fake it all the way to the bank. His theology was well summarized by the mantra Fred Trump pounded into his boy, Donald: “You are a killer. You are a king.”

That nugget may have been as close as young Donald ever got to Scripture. During the recent presidential campaign, he called the biblical book Second Corinthians “Two Corinthians,” a transgression on par with referring to the Holy Trinity as the Three Amigos. He has called Communion “my little wine” and “my little cracker.” More alarming for the truly pious, he couldn’t come up with a favorite Bible verse when asked during the campaign, except to say he liked the Old Testament’s “an eye for an eye.”

This investigation by Buzzfeed gives very credible evidence for the close relationship between alt-right troll Milo, Breitbart and lots of other figures (including Peter Thiel) with the white nationalist movement. This is a must-read:

And the cache of emails — some of the most newsworthy of which BuzzFeed News is now making public — expose the extent to which this machine depended on Yiannopoulos, who channeled voices both inside and outside the establishment into a clear narrative about the threat liberal discourse posed to America. The emails tell the story of Steve Bannon’s grand plan for Yiannopoulos, whom the Breitbart executive chairman transformed from a charismatic young editor into a conservative media star capable of magnetizing a new generation of reactionary anger. Often, the documents reveal, this anger came from a legion of secret sympathizers in Silicon Valley, Hollywood, academia, suburbia, and everywhere in between.

In case you wondered what equivalent climate regions around the world were for the US, this map is interesting:

US climate with equivalent cities from around the world [OC] [1513 x 983] from MapPorn

Mona Kareem writes about popular fascination with fiction by Arab dictators:

The news of this new release provoked me, specifically because it reflects a demeaning western approach to modern Arabic literature. Back in 2003, Saddam’s novels were widely discussed among Arab intellectuals exchanging accusations of writing for dictators for money, or under threat. It was an exhausting and embarrassing battle, but nevertheless necessary. At least in these debates, no one claimed to be “politically neutral.” Political neutrality is the discourse of the dominant, they who take their individuality for granted and in such they assume that their actions can be abstract, ahistorical, and isolated of all contexts.

The interest in “Saddam Hussein’s world,” as one Iraqi novelist once described it, was a serious western fetish after the Iraq war. Despite the fact that the man ran a bloody and exciting life, in all impossible ways, the scale of horror and violence was not satisfactory for western eyes. They needed play-cards, movies, novels, video games, private recordings, and all sorts of things to complete a picture of the enemy. It was the best way to abstract the mass destruction of Iraq as something far, far away, on another planet, in Saddam Hussein’s world.

If you buy a US flag made in the United States, there’s a good chance it was made by a prisoner:

I was born and raised in California and certainly took my fair share of California history classes from elementary school through college. In high school, I marched in protests against Proposition 21, the 2000 ballot initiative that made it easier to prosecute young people, and I was educated by the types of teachers who gave extra credit for attending demonstrations in downtown San Francisco against the Iraq War. But even I was surprised to learn that our country’s symbols of freedom were made by women who had none.

What should Canadian Twitter users with the new increased character count? Well:

All true Canadians know there is only one proper use of the new 280 character limit on Twitter. | Tous les vrais Canadiens savent qu'il n'y a qu'une bonne utilisation de la nouvelle limite de 280 caractères sur Twitter.

— Matt BB-8 (@tederick) September 28, 2017

Required Reading is published every Sunday morning ET, and is comprised of a short list of art-related links to long-form articles, videos, blog posts, or photo essays worth a second look.

The post Required Reading appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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mediafocus-blog1 · 7 years

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The 10 nice First World War battlefield tours

New Post has been published on https://mediafocus.biz/the-10-nice-first-world-war-battlefield-tours/

The 10 nice First World War battlefield tours

n November eleven 1918, the First World War came to a stop with a ceasefire coming into effect at 11 am. Earlier that morning, an armistice with Germany had been signed in a railroad carriage at Compiègne, with the battle has lasted for four years, three months and 14 days. By the time the armistice was agreed, the entire range of army and civilian casualties had reached greater than 40 million, making it a number of the deadliest conflicts in international records.

Reading books and looking programs offers background, however not anything sheds greater mild on these bloodiest of battles than journeying the websites. A quantity of guides and battlefield tour professionals are already offering special itineraries to commemorate the lives misplaced for the duration of the outbreak of the conflict in Britain.

We have hand-picked a diffusion of the great battlefield tours in 2017-18, protecting a number of the major battlefields of the First World War, together with the Somme, Ypres, Messines, Amiens, and Verdun. For people who would really like to go to the battlefields of each the First and Second World Wars, there is an option that takes inside the key web sites of each. We have also listed a special tour to Passchendaele led by way of Royal British Legion publications, who are able to assist families in locating a loved one’s grave or memorial.

1. 1918 Centenary tour

This centenary tour takes in some of the foremost moves of 1918, a yr that saw the balance of the battle swing from a German success to an overall allied victory. Led by Navy historian Dr. Bruce Cherry, this itinerary investigates the main occasions of the year, journeying iconic battlefields which include Villers-Bretonneux, the St Quentin Canal, Le Quesnoy, Mons and, fittingly, the web site of the November armistice signing at Compiègne. This tour might be of unique interest to people with Australian, New Zealand and Canadian hobbies, and, of a route, those from the British Isles.

The excursion is based totally in Amiens, which performed a fundamental function all through the war but particularly in 1918.

A four-day 1918 Centenary Tour from Cultural Experience (0345 475 1815; theculturalexperience.Com) starts of evolved from £1,245, together with accommodation, some meals, and rail journey. Departs July 29, 2018.

2. Passchendaele in depth

1917 become dominated by two great offensives: the Battle of Messines, at some stage in which 19 mines have been detonated below the Messines Ridge, and the Battle of Passchendaele, which has come to be one of the maximum iconic battles of the First World War. This tour seems at the marketing campaign in some depth, beginning with the Canadian memorial at Crest Farm earlier than meandering to the village to see the memorial in the church; the Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres; the Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery; Talbot House in Poperinge and the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate. Other highlights are Messines, Ploegsteert, Pilckem Ridge and Tyne Cot.

A five-day They Called It Passchendaele excursion from Leger (01709 787463; leger.Co.Uk) fees from £489, which include accommodation, breakfast every day and teaching tour. Departures between August 2017 and October 2018.

. Historian’s insight

On this excursion, political historian and commentator Sir Anthony Seldon joins guests in Arras to visit major sights of the First World War, along with the subterranean tunnels of Vimy Ridge, earlier than a personal lecture. An expert manual is handy to provide context to the points of interest, each major and lesser-regarded, from the white marble graves of 12,000 servicemen killed in war at Tyne Cot to the ancient tank offensive of the Battle of Cambrai. Historians Professor Gary Sheffield or Nigel Jones offer in addition insight.

A 4-day Battlefields of the First World War tour from Telegraph Tours (0.33 122 8482; telegraph.Co.Uk/tt-seldon) prices from £1,445, consisting of lodging, meals, entrance fees and Eurostar travel. Departs September 29, 2017.

Four. Poetry in motion

Melding history and poetry, this excursion exhibits the various aspects of struggle: from the important thing moments of the preventing to the wartime lives of character poets. Led by military historian Andrew Spooner, the excursion uses July 1, 1916, as the start line of the Battle of the Somme to look at the occasions at the day and next weeks, with a sprinkling of poetry from 1914 and 1915 in addition to 1917 and 1918. Poems are positioned inside the context of the battlefields and the lives and deaths of the many and sundry folks that wrote them.

A four-day Poets and the Somme tour from Martin Randall (020 8742 3355; martinrandall.Com) costs from £1,430, inclusive of lodging, all food with wine and coach tour. September 1, 2017, and September 7, 2018.

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