He’s signed a book deal with W. W. Norton, Inc., apparently. The unvarnished saga from Baltimore to Brooklyn, nothing left out.
I’ve been sent some sample text by a jealous competitor (don’t even think of naming him). Here’s how it begins:
This is… this is… this is…. this is…. the story…. this is…. the story….. this is… the story… of… of….of…. of….the story…. this is…
It gets quite interesting in volume three.
Or is Index on Censorship totally losing the plot? This just in from the libertarian organisation.
Jordan Blackshaw, 20, from Northwich Town, and Perry Sutcliffe-Keenan, 22, of Latchford, Warrington, were jailed for four years yesterday after admitting using Facebook to organise riots in their home towns. No trouble took place.
Emily Butselaar, Online editor of Index on Censorship said:
“These sentences and the government’s rhetoric on banning social media during unrest are undermining our international reputation as a bastion of free expression and justice. The fact the Chinese state media have praised the UK government for suggesting such a ban should be acutely embarrassing for No. 10.”
The sentences were imposed with the aim of deterrence. Index is concerned that the courts are in danger of undermining the UK’s reputation for both justice and freedom of speech. Even though these cases did not lead to violence, these “speech crimes” have led to some of the harshest sentences seen following the riots in the UK last week.
In adopting a one-size-fits-all approach to sentencing, the courts have failed to recognise that these are very different cases. Sutcliffe-Keenan claimed he created the Facebook event as a drunken joke. His post was only up for a matter of hours before he took it down and apologised online, whereas Blackshaw was arrested by police at the meeting place he’d designated for ”Smash dwn in Northwich Town”.
For comment contact Index on Censorship tel + 44 (0) 20 7334 2522
The greatest German lyric tenor of the 20th century? Perhaps of all time?
Well, someone had to spot the talent.
The man who did was Emmerich Smola, chief conductor for 40 years of the radio orchestra in Kaiserslautern, southwest Germany.
Starting in 1946 as a double-bass player, Smola became conductor two years later. In 1949 he heard this stunning voice in a programme about the Berlin composer Carl Friedrich Zelter, Goethe’s buddy. ‘Book him,’ said Em. He managed to make several records with the golden lad before he was snapped up by the majors.
Smola died on Tuesday, aged 89.
