One hundred people dressed up as Evita Peron and paraded in the streets of Argentina’s capital Monday, a day before the 100th anniversary of the birth of the charismatic first lady.

 

Eva Maria Duarte, who died in 1952 from cancer at age 33, was an actress who became the second wife of Juan Peron, an army general who served as president for two different spans.

Best known as “Evita,” she was idolized as a “champion of the poor” and helped women obtain the right to vote.

The performers marched through the streets of Buenos Aires to a building decorated with a large cast-iron portrait of Evita. Some wore her trademark top-knot hairstyle, while others donned ballroom dresses in homage to the combative first lady.

 

“We want to highlight the image of Eva Peron as a combative woman. As feminists, we believe in her struggle,” said Nora Elia Savio, an actress. “In her time, she fought for our rights.”

 

Evita’s persona has transcended time and borders.

The global fascination began in the 1970s with Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical “Evita.” Then came Alan Parker’s film starring Madonna based on the musical, and it was followed by Evita’s dresses shown at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of a Christian Dior exhibit.

 

The Evita Museum in Buenos Aires recently inaugurated an exhibition titled “Childhood and Peronism, the toys of the Eva Peron Foundation” to mark the 100th anniversary of her birth.
…

your ads here!

“It’s a Boy!” Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan announced on their official Instagram account @sussexroyal. 

” We are pleased to announce that Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their firstborn child in the early morning on May 6th, 2019. Their Royal Highnesses’ son weighs 7lbs. 3oz.,” the message said.

Officials said Prince Harry was at his wife’s side during the birth but the location has not yet been disclosed. According to the statement, baby and mother are doing well.

“The Duchess and baby are both healthy and well. The couple thank members of the public for their shared excitement and support during this very special time in their lives.”

The infant is seventh in line to the British throne and is Queen Elizabeth II’s eighth great grandchild.

Journalists and well wishers have been camped out in Windsor, 35 kilometers west of London for days now, awaiting news of the baby’s arrival.

According to Kensington Palace, the former residence of the Royal couple, Harry and Meghan don’t plan to pose for a photo or appear in public with their baby for the time being, instead choosing to celebrate the birth privately.
…

your ads here!

For the next 30 days, Tarannum Mansouri will arise at 3 a.m. at her home in Vadodara, India, being careful not to awaken her toddler son. She will bathe and then join the other women in her family in the kitchen to prepare the morning meal.

A filling breakfast of homemade bread, vegetables, perhaps a chicken curry and fruit will be washed down with tea by 4:30 a.m., before the break of day.

So begins the holy month of Ramadan for more than 1.6 billion Muslims around the world.

What is Ramadan?

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, when Muslims believe the holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad by the archangel Gabriel in the seventh century. It is a month of fasting, prayer and reflection for Muslims. It is a time when practicing Muslims refrain from all food, drink, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset.

“It is a holy month,” says Hibo Wardere of London. A month “that you are dedicating to God.”

The last 10 days of Ramadan are considered the most holy. “That is when the seven steps to heaven are open,” Wardere adds. The most important is Laylat al-Qadr, or the “Night of Power,” believed to be the holiest night of the year.

“It is a night everybody stays awake” and prays, she says. “It means all your prayers will be heard, it means all your sins will be forgiven, it means you will get what you dreamed of.”

Islam takes into account that not everyone is able or willing to fast during Ramadan. Children and women who are pregnant or breastfeeding are exempt from fasting.

Others who are old or ill can also forego fasting, but they must feed one poor person for each day of a missed fast. The practice is called fidya and how much it costs depends on where one lives.

In the U.S., “it comes out to $10 per day or $300 for the month,” says Minhaj Hassan of the nonprofit charity Islamic Relief USA. In Britain, Islamic Relief UK has set the daily rate of fidya at 5 pounds or 150 pounds for the month.

On the other hand, “kaffarah is paid by individuals who miss a fast for no good reason,” says Hassan. “The amount is $600 a day, or feeding 60 people in need (the Arabic term is miskeen).” In Britain, the price is 300 pounds per day.

One can also atone for a missed or deliberately broken fast by fasting for 60 straight days.

Observance in non-Muslim countries

Fasting during Ramadan is “a million times more difficult” in a non-Muslim country “than back home,” says Wardere, who is from Somalia but has lived in London for most of her life.

In the U.S., an estimated 3.2 million Muslims will fast during Ramadan, a small number compared to the 327 million population. By contrast, a 2013 Pew Research Center study shows 94% of Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa fast for the month.

​”The practice of fasting in Muslim nations is presumably much more common during Ramadan, since there are likely to be more practicing Muslims,” says Hassan. “And fasting is a part of the daily culture during this month. Thus, if people you know are fasting, you’re likely to do the same.”

Most Muslim countries also make it easier for people to fast. Across the Middle East, Ramadan must be observed in public. Which means, even non-Muslims must refrain from eating, drinking and smoking in public. In most of these countries, religious police patrol the streets and violators are usually punished. Most cafes, restaurants and clubs are closed during the day although some hotels serve food in screened-in areas or through room service.

Most public offices and schools are closed and private businesses are encouraged to cut back their hours to accommodate the fasters. 

“Being part of an environment or community where fasting is encouraged and accommodated can increase the likelihood of people fasting successfully,” Hassan says. “In some Muslim countries, accommodations are provided for fasting, which may not always be the case in the West” or in other non-Muslim nations. 

“Observing Ramadan as a minority has its challenges. But it is not significant enough to make it impossible to fast,” says Naeem Baig of the Islamic Circle of North America. He says it is made easier because “people from other faiths generally are respectful and supportive towards their Muslim colleagues or neighbors.”

Making accommodations

Mansouri, in India, will have to accommodate her fasting while spending weekdays at her job as a teacher in a Hindu school. She says she will try to keep herself busy so as not to think of food when teachers and children take their lunch break.

Similarly, Baig says, “We encourage Muslim parents to inform the schools their children attend and let the teachers know that their children will not be going for lunch break. In most public schools, Muslim children of fasting age can go to the library during lunch and are exempt from PE (physical education).”

Organizations such as the nonprofit Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding work with businesses to help them accommodate the needs of those observing Ramadan.

“Muslim employees observing Ramadan may be fasting during this period. Some may request scheduling accommodations and your company may find that more employees require space for prayer during this time,” writes the group’s deputy CEO, Mark Fowler, on its website.

He encourages his clients to avail themselves to the group’s fact sheet regarding scheduling, dietary restriction, and greetings during Ramadan.​

Ramadan 2019

Muslims in the West, Southeast Asian countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia, and much of the Middle East, including Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, will begin observing Ramadan on Monday. But millions in India, Pakistan and Iran will likely be marking the start of the lunar month on Tuesday, based on moon sightings there.

Ramadan will end on June 3 or June 4, depending on when it started.

After 30 days, Ramadan ends with a three-day celebration known as Eid al-Fitr, when families and friends get together, exchange gifts and feast. 

Watch: What is Ramadan?
…

your ads here!

Madonna, a pioneer for gay rights, accepted the Advocate for Change Award at the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards with a rousing speech that went from playful to emotional, bringing the audience to its feet.

 

The 60-year-old pop icon turned heads as she walked to her table at the Hilton Midtown in New York on Saturday night, before taking the stage to celebrate her three decades of advocacy work in the LGBTQ community.

 

“Why have I always fought for change? That’s a hard question to answer. It’s like trying to explain the importance of reading or the need to love. Growing up I always felt like an outsider, like I didn’t fit in. It wasn’t because I didn’t shave under my armpits, I just didn’t fit in, OK,” she said. “The first gay man I ever met was named Christopher Flynn. He was my ballet teacher in high school and he was the first person that believed in me, that made me feel special as a dancer, as an artist and as a human being. I know this sounds trivial and superficial, but he was the first man to tell me I was beautiful.”

 

Madonna went on to say Flynn took her to her first gay club in Detroit, and that the evening changed her life.

 

“For the first time I saw men kissing men, girls dressed like boys, boys wearing hot pants, insane, incredible dancing and a kind of freedom and joy and happiness that I had never seen before,” she said. “I finally felt like I was not alone, that it was OK to be different and to not be like everybody else. And that after all, I was not a freak. I felt at home, and it gave me hope.”

 

Madonna also said Flynn pushed her to leave Michigan and go to New York to pursue her dreams. And when she arrived in the Big Apple in 1977, she was in awe with all New York had to offer — diversity, creativity — but she also learned about the AIDS epidemic.

 

“The plague that moved in like a black cloud over New York City and in a blink of an eye,” she said and snapped her fingers, “took out all of my friends.”

 

“After I lost my best friend and roommate Martin Burgoyne and then Keith Haring — happy birthday Keith — I decided to take up the bull horn and really fight back,” she added.

 

Madonna, teary-eyed from her seat, received the award from Anderson Cooper, Mykki Blanco and Rosie O’Donnell, who gave a powerful speech about how Madonna helped her become more comfortable in her own skin.

“So here I was — VG, very gay — dating a man and I went to Madonna for advice,” said O’Donnell, who co-starred in 1992’s “A League of Their Own” with the singer. “I was questioning and unsure, my gay life was blossoming but I didn’t quite know what to do. And she told me, ‘Rosie, just follow your heart’ — advice I still follow to this day.”

 

The multi-hour GLAAD event also gave awards to Andy Cohen, the FX series “Pose” and “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” Samantha Bee, the film “Boy Erased,” CNN’s Don Lemon and R&B singer Janelle Monae. The event will air on Logo on May 12.

 

Despite winning seven Grammys, two Golden Globes and countless other honors, Madonna said getting GLAAD’s Advocate for Change Award has a special place in her heart.

 

“Because it’s recognition of years and years of work that I’ve done over three decades. It’s not anything superficial,” Madonna said in an interview with The Associated Press after receiving her honor. “It means something to me because I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into all the work that I’ve done over the years advocating for change.”

14th Album Release

 

Madonna will release her 14th album, “Madame X,” on June 14. It was inspired from living in Lisbon, Portugal, for the last few years and includes collaborations with Colombian singer Maluma, Migos rapper Quavo, Brazilian singer Anitta, and singer-rapper-songwriter Swae Lee of the duo Rae Sremmurd.

 

The album also features the track “Batuka,” co-written by Madonna’s 13-year-old son, David Banda.

 

“That was a family affair — the call and response song,” Madonna said. “(David) likes to take more of the credit than the rest of my children. It’s always fun to work with my kids, especially David.”
…

your ads here!

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday assailed “political correctness” for the decision by horse racing judges to overturn the apparent outcome of the country’s most famous horse race, the Kentucky Derby.

“The Kentucky Derby decision was not a good one” Trump said on Twitter a day after the race in Louisville, Kentucky. “It was a rough and tumble race on a wet and sloppy track, actually, a beautiful thing to watch. Only in these days of political correctness could such an overturn occur. The best horse did NOT win the Kentucky Derby – not even close!”

Three stewards who oversee racing rules infractions at the Churchill Downs race track overturned the outcome of the race 22 minutes after it ended. In the nationwide telecast of the annual race, it initially appeared that one of the pre-race favorites, Maximum Security, had won, after starting the race at 9-2 odds.

But after two competing jockeys filed an objection against Maximum Security, saying that it had interfered with their run and that of other horses in the last turn before the finish line, the stewards examined extensive television footage of the race before declaring that a 65-1 longshot, Country House, was the winner.

Bettors who placed a $2 wager on Country House to win suddenly were able to cash tickets for $132.40, while those who bet on Maximum Security got nothing, with the stewards placing it as the 17th place finisher in the 19-horse field.

It was the first time in the 145-year history of the Kentucky Derby that the first-to-finish horse was disqualified.

Chief steward Barbara Borden said, “We had a lengthy review of the race. We interviewed affected riders,” the jockeys, and “determined that the 7 horse,” Maximum Security, “drifted out and impacted the progress” of other horses as they rounded the last turn on the two-kilometer oval race course. “Those horses were all affected, we thought, by the interference. Therefore, we unanimously determined to disqualify No. 7.”
…

your ads here!

Every evening at the Muntada al-Masrah theater on Baghdad’s Rashid street, the cast and crew of the first TV drama filmed in Iraq in seven years take their places among the rooms and courtyard of this 19th-century building and shoot new scenes of their highly-anticipated series.

The arts are coming to life again in Baghdad, bringing with it a touch of hope and comfort as the country works to rebuild after 16 years of war.

And after two decades abroad, two of Iraq’s leading actors have returned to take part in “The Hotel,” the twenty-episode drama set to air during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

“The Iraqi people are parched for drama,” said Hassan Hosni, a drama star of the 1990s, who returned from Saudi Arabia to direct “The Hotel,” a show about the seedy underbelly of Baghdad and its entanglement with human trafficking.

It is the first Ramadan drama to be produced in Iraq since 2012, according to the cast and crew, and it heralds a return of an essential TV genre to the country.

Across the Muslim world and throughout the month of Ramadan, when the faithful fast from dawn until sunset and stay up late to digest their evening meals, viewers are treated to TV dramas that touch on romance, war, tyranny and other issues of the day.

For years, Iraqis have been watching dramas from other nations, such as “Bab al-Hara,” the blockbuster Syrian series set during the 1930s independence movement from France.

With “The Hotel,” Iraqis will have a home-grown series to watch for the first time in years, amid the longest stretch of stability Baghdad has experienced since the 2003 U.S. invasion.

“We were all waiting for this moment – writers, directors and actors – with total impatience,” said Hosni.

“I felt it in the streets, when we were scouting for locations,” said Hosni. Locals, shocked to see him back in their city, approached the star to ask about the series.

“The joy was clear in their eyes, expressions and words,” he said.

Once the capital of the Islamic world, Baghdad is a city that proudly displays its affection for drama and poetry, boasting monuments that show scenes from Arabian Nights and avenues named after renowned poets such as the boastful Mutanabbi of the 10th century and his bibulous predecessor, Abu Nawas.

It has held on to this pride through the contemporary era, even as the coups and wars of the 20th century, the tyranny of Saddam Hussein and the grip of U.N. sanctions drove writers, actors and producers out of the country.

Mahmoud Abu Al-Abbas, the star of “The Hotel” and a famous thespian in his own right, went into exile in 1997 after he performed a solo play that spoke about harassment by the country’s notorious security services. In Saddam Hussein’s era, it crossed a red line.

“I was interrogated for two days and then advised by the minister of culture to leave Iraq immediately,” he said.

The 2003 U.S. invasion dealt another blow to the arts. The ensuing war tore Baghdad apart, as car bombs tore through the city daily, and fighting turned Rashid Street, once a center of culture and heritage, into a valley of fear and destruction.

A sputtering revival earlier this decade came to a halt, first as money for the arts dried up, then as insecurity gripped the country again with the 2014 Islamic State group insurgency.

After Iraq declared victory over IS in December 2017, the atmosphere inside the capital began to change. The blast walls that protected against car bombs were lifted, and locals started staying out late again, patronizing cafes, malls, galleries, and theaters, where performances change from week to week.

Abu Al-Abbas stayed in the United Arab Emirates for 20 years. But he kept acting, writing and directing plays, and he wrote more than a dozen books on his craft.

In 2017, he returned to his hometown of Basra, the commercial capital of southern Iraq and the hub for its oil, where he founded a theater troupe of young, under-employed local men and taught them a play they went on to perform in other southern cities.

But it wasn’t until screenwriter Hamid al-Maliki called with the script for “The Hotel” that he agreed to return to the screen.

“Violent drama takes a period of contemplation on the part of the writer so that he can give us a `dose’ of work that can treat our situation,” said Abu al-Abbas.

Al-Maliki accepted that “The Hotel’s” transgressive material – including prostitution, human trafficking and the organ trade – would shock viewers, but said it was the responsibility of TV drama to start a conversation.

“It’s a current matter for Iraq,” he said. “It’s a message to the youth to beware of the trap of human trafficking, and it’s a message to the Iraqi state to care for the innocent and the poor who are the victims of the trade.”

And al-Maliki said it was vital for the arts to confront the ideologies that have fueled extremism.

“Culture alone is what will be victorious over Daesh thinking,” he said, using the Arabic term for the Islamic State group.

“Culture is life, and Daesh is death. So we must face death with life. We must face Daesh with culture,” he continued.

Hosni, the star-turned-director, left Iraq in 1996, looking to escape the pressure of the U.N. sanctions levied against Iraq after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait earlier in the decade.

But he never felt far from Iraq, as he continued to work with other diaspora Iraqis in drama in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

“It was a separation in body, but not in mind or soul,” he said.

He was finally coaxed back by al-Maliki this year.

The return of the TV drama, Hosni said, is reassuring.

“It’s a time for the Iraqi family to sit together at home, with their relatives and neighbors.”
…

your ads here!

Spending a month at a historic ranch as its host and caretaker is not a dream vacation description, it’s a volunteer program offered by the U.S. Forest Service. The Hells River Volunteering Program allows anyone to spend a month at one of the most picturesque places in the country. The requirements are applying, stocking up on food and being ready to live without a cell phone. Lesia Bakalets traveled to Hells Canyon to talk with volunteers living at the ranch. Anna Rice narrates her story.
…

your ads here!

Maximum Security led all the way in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, only to become the first winner disqualified for interference in the race’s 145-year history. After a long wait, long shot Country House was declared the winner 

 

Country House, a 65-1 shot, finished second in the slop before an objection was raised, causing a lengthy delay while stewards repeatedly reviewed several angles of video footage.

 

The stunning outcome gave Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott his first Derby victory at age 65. Jockey Flavien Prat, who originated the claim of foul, also won his first Derby.

 

Country House paid $132.40 to win — the second-highest payout in Derby history.

 

It was a crushing turn of events for trainer Jason Servis and jockey Luis Saez, who already had begun celebrating what they thought were their first Derby victories. 

Instead, Maximum Security was dropped to 17th of 19 horses. The colt was the 9-2 second choice in the wagering.

 

Prat claimed that Maximum Security ducked out in the final turn and forced several horses to steady.

 

War of Will came perilously close to clipping heels with Maximum Security, which could have caused a chain-reaction accident.

 

The stewards reviewed race footage for nearly 20 minutes while keeping the crowd of 150,729 in suspense, clutching betting tickets. Trainers and jockeys involved stared at the closest video screen waiting for a result.

 

Code of Honor was moved up to second and Tacitus was third. 

 

Improbable was fourth and Game Winner fifth, two of trainer Bob Baffert’s trio of entries.​
…

your ads here!

New party animals in Los Angeles are literally, well, animals. Parties with dwarf goats are quickly gaining popularity in the City of Angels. Angelina Bagdasaryan crashed one such party to see what it is like to hang out with goats. Anna Rice narrates her story.
…

your ads here!

It’s very unlikely that anyone would willingly walk into a bar named the KGB, but writers and book lovers in New York do it all the time. Iuliia Iarmolenko visited what is actually a lively literary venue and talked to its owner about its peculiar history. Anna Rice narrates her story.
…

your ads here!

National parks traveler Mikah Meyer just completed a three-year, record-setting journey visiting every National Park Service site in America. That’s 419 sites — from parks, canyons and prairies, to oceans, Civil War battlefields, and Native American territories. VOA’s Julie Taboh, who followed many of Mikah’s adventures, was there as he visited the very last site on his list, at the top of the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in his adopted hometown of Washington, D.C.
…

your ads here!

Actor Peter Mayhew, who played shaggy, towering Chewbacca in several of the “Star Wars” films, has died, his family said Thursday. He was 74.

Mayhew died at his home in Texas on Tuesday, according to a family statement. No cause was given. 

The 7-foot-3 Mayhew played the beloved and furry Chewbacca, sidekick to Han Solo and co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon, in the original “Star Wars” trilogy. 

He went on to appear as the Wookiee in 2005’s “Revenge of the Sith” and shared the part in 2015’s “The Force Awakens” with actor Joonas Suotamo, who later took over the role. 

“He put his heart and soul into the role of Chewbacca and it showed in every frame of the films,” the family statement said. “But, to him, the `Star Wars’ family meant so much more to him than a role in a film.”

Mayhew developed lifelong friendships with the other “Star Wars” actors and spent three decades traveling the world to meet his fans, the statement says. 

His family said he was active with various nonprofit groups and established the Peter Mayhew Foundation, which is devoted to alleviating disease, pain, suffering and the financial toll from traumatic events, its website says.

Born and raised in England, Mayhew had appeared in just one film and was working as a hospital orderly in London when George Lucas found him and cast him in 1977’s “Star Wars.” 

He is survived by his wife, Angie, and three children. A memorial service will be held June 29. 
…

your ads here!

Events have begun in Italy and France to celebrate the Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vince on the 500th anniversary of his death. In his Tuscan hometown, Italian experts presented a lock of hair believed to belong to the artist, which they announced would undergo DNA testing.

For the 500th anniversary of Leonardo Da Vinci’s death on Thursday, Italian President Sergio Mattarella traveled to France where he met his counterpart Emmanuel Macron. Together the heads of state paid homage to the Italian genius by laying wreaths at his grave at the Amboise Chateau in the Loire Valley, and visiting the Clos Luce manor house where the artist lived during the last three years of his life.

Tensions arose in recent months between Italy and France over a request by France for some of Leonardo’s works to be loaned by Italy for an exhibit at the Louvre later this year.

But President Mattarella made clear during his visit that Italy and France have historical ties and a solid friendship.

In Italy, exhibits about da Vinci are being planned all over the country. In his home town of Vinci, an exhibit called “Leonardo Lives” opened Thursday. Ahead of the opening, Italian experts presented what they said is a lock of hair from the artist and announced they would carry out a DNA test on the specimen.

They said the relic known as “Les Cheveux de Leonardo da Vinci” had been hidden until now in an American collection. The experts also produced documents they said are evidence the lock of hair comes from ancient France.

Additional exhibits about the artist, scientist and inventor are being held at the Rome airport, which is called Leonardo Da Vinci, Milan, Turin, Florence and Venice. At the Vatican Museums a special exhibition is being held featuring Leonardo da Vinci’s unfinished painting “St. Jerome in the Wilderness.”

Barbara Jatta, director of the Vatican Museums, said that after two years, the restoration of the ancient tapestry that was inspired by da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” also has been completed for this anniversary and is now on display for the public to admire.

Also, to mark the 500th anniversary of da Vinci’s death, Italy has issued 300,000 cards with four new philatelic stamps, which were printed using well-known drawings and paintings by the artist, including the drawing of an eye, the “Adoration of the Magi”, the “Portrait of a Musician” and the head of a young girl known at the “Scapiliata.”

 
…

your ads here!

President Donald Trump will present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Tiger Woods next week.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says an awards ceremony will be held Monday in the Rose Garden. 

 

Woods overcame personal and professional adversity to win his fifth Masters title last month. Trump tweeted after the tournament that he had congratulated Woods and informed him that he would be receiving the medal because of his “incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and, more importantly, LIFE.” 

 

It’s the nation’s highest honor for a civilian and presidents have wide discretion over whom to award it.

Trump is an avid golfer who played with Woods at Trump’s golf club in Jupiter, Florida, in February. Trump also watched the Masters from his Virginia golf club.

 
…

your ads here!

Mother’s Day is in a couple weeks, but Drake gave his mom an early gift with a heartfelt speech at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards, where the rap star also broke Taylor Swift’s record for most wins.

Drake turned up the love for his mom when he picked up top artist, besting Cardi B, Ariana Grande, Post Malone and Travis Scott. He won 12 awards Wednesday in Las Vegas, making his career total 27 (Swift has 23 wins).

He looked up to the ceiling as he held the trophy, then said: “I just want to thank my mom for her relentless effort in my life.

“I want to thank my mom for all the times you drove me to piano. All the times you drove me to basketball and hockey — that clearly didn’t work out. All the times you drove me to `Degrassi.’ No matter how long it took me to figure out what I wanted to do, you were always there to give me a ride, and now we’re on one hell of ride,” Drake said.

Family bonding was a theme at the three-hour show, which aired live on NBC and was hosted by Kelly Clarkson

Ciara’s young son and husband, NFL player Russell Wilson, danced along while she worked the stage, and Nick and Joe Jonas gave kisses to Priyanka Chopra and Sophie Turner of “Game of Thrones” fame when they sang in the audience before hitting the stage. Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco looked to his parents as he accepted top rock song, quoting the name of his current hit: “Hey look Ma, I made it!”

Mariah Carey’s twins cheered her on as she sang a medley of her hits and accepted the Icon award. She was in diva form before taking the award from Jennifer Hudson, throwing her napkin on the floor after dabbing her face with it.

“Without getting into all the drama, all the ups and downs of my career … I guess I always felt like an outsider, someone who doesn’t quite belong anywhere, and I still feel like that lost interracial child who had a lot of nerve to believe I could succeed at anything at all in this world. But, and this is the truth, I did believe because I had to,” she said. “The truth is I dedicated my life to my music — my saving grace — and to my fans.”

Cardi B, the night’s top nominee with 21, locked lips with husband Offset on the red carpet and the couple sat closely inside the venue. She won six awards, including top Hot 100 song for “Girls Like You” with Maroon 5.

“I remember when Maroon 5 hit me up to do this song. I was like, Bro I'm five months pregnant. I can't even breathe.' But this record to me was so amazing. I was like,Oh this is going to be a hit.’ And now I sing this song to my daughter because she’s the girl that I need,” she said.

Drake and Cardi B — who both won multiple awards during the live telecast — used their speeches to promote love and appreciation for their peers in the music industry.

Others, too, brought on the positive energy when onstage. Imagine Dragons’ band leader Dan Reynolds used his speech to highlight the dangers of conversion therapy on LGBTQ youth. He earned rousing applause. Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard followed suit, telling the audience after winning top country song: “In the spirit of so much truth being spoken tonight by so many talented artists, I think we should speak some truth.”

“As artists we all get to experience so many unbelievable things, but in our opinion, at the end of the day, it’s all for nothing if you’re not using your platform for better … to spread love, to help those in needs, to be a light to your community,” he said.

Swift kicked off the show when she brought her new music video to life with a colorful, eye-popping performance of her song “ME!” Dancers wearing bright, pastel colors spun in the air holding umbrellas and a marching band kicked off Swift’s performance — like most of the world, maybe she was inspired by Beyonce’s new Coachella film?

Madonna, wearing an eye-patch, teamed up with Colombian singer Maluma for a performance, but it was Grammy-winning Christian artist Lauren Daigle who had the night’s best performance. She sang “You Say,” giving the audience a calm, yet strong and powerful performance. She was backed by three awesome background singers and a pianist.

BTS, who performed alongside Halsey, also had a major night. At the Billboard Awards and American Music Awards, the K-pop band had only previously won “social” awards based off their fanatic fan base, but on Wednesday BTS picked up top duo/group, besting Grammy-winning groups like Maroon 5, Imagine Dragons and Dan + Shay.

“I still can’t believe we’re here on this stage with so many great artists,” RM said as fans screamed loudly. “We’re still the same boys from six years ago, we still have the same dreams … we still have the same thoughts. Let us keep dreaming.”

An unlikely winner at the Billboard Awards? “Game of Thrones” actress Maisie Williams, whose plays Arya Stark on the HBO series and shined brightly on last week’s episode.

“Shout-out to Arya Stark for putting in that work last week,” Drake said onstage after winning his first award of the evening.
…

your ads here!

Rugby is one of Kenya’s most popular sports, and the country’s national team has played in the World Cup. 

Inspired by the national team’s success, members of Kenya’s deaf community launched a deaf rugby team last year. The team, which is has been training for just more than a year now, has big dreams for the future. 

Every Sunday, Martin Kasuivya begins his journey to the rugby pitch with a rush of excitement in his eyes.

He had played football (soccer) as a child, but had never played rugby until a year ago, when officials of the newly formed Kenya Deaf Rugby Association came to his church.

Martin was born deaf and has largely remained within the deaf community in Kenya. For this story, he speaks to VOA through a sign language interpreter.

Sunday afternoon practice

“Before, when I was growing up, there was no deaf rugby, but people like to join new things so I decided let me go with a new thing,” he said.

At the pitch about an hour’s commute from his house, Martin joins 16 other players for practice. This has become the team’s weekly Sunday afternoon routine.

Maurice Okwatch formed the team and the Kenya Deaf Rugby Association to support it. Speaking through a sign language interpreter, Okwatch explains his motivation.

“In Kenya, the people who are hearing are the only ones who have a rugby team, so we thought let’s copy South Africa, let’s have a deaf rugby team,” he said.

Funding hard to find

Deaf rugby is also played in Australia, Canada and England, and the sport is represented at the Deaf Olympics, which comes up next in 2021.

The players in Nairobi haven’t played a game yet and don’t have a sponsor. They make do with what they have: one ball and mismatched secondhand uniforms. Okwatch says the team is currently self-supporting.

“When I formed this group,” he said, “I tried to look for funding but it was very difficult and the committee ourselves we decided let’s chip in, so we bought a ball as a committee.”

Progress and big dreams

There’s no whistle here. The team’s coach, Brennan Rashid, communicates with players through sign language. In a professional deaf rugby match, the referee waves a white flag to draw the attention of the players.

Unlike the players, Rashid is not deaf. He says that despite a lack of playing experience, the team is getting better.

“I have seen the progress, I have seen them step by step going places with it, getting a proper understanding of the game and that is the best thing I can give,” he said.

Despite the various hardships, Kasuivya and the other players have big dreams, like competing in the Deaf Olympics.

Kasuivya says his goal is to win the gold.
…

your ads here!

Rugby is one of Kenya’s most popular sports, and the country’s national team has played in the World Cup. Inspired by the national team’s success, members of Kenya’s deaf community launched a deaf rugby team last year. The team, which has been training for just more than a year now, has big dreams for the future. Sarah Kimani reports from Nairobi.
…

your ads here!

In one of the most ethically and scientifically challenging cases in modern sports law, two-time Olympic champion Caster Semenya lost her appeal of a rule that requires women to medically reduce their natural levels of testosterone in order to compete in certain track events.

Here is a look at the case that sports’ highest court acknowledged in its 2-1 ruling Wednesday was discriminatory, but said the discrimination is “necessary, reasonable and proportionate” to maintain fairness in women’s track:

The rules

In April 2018, the governing body of track and field published eligibility rules in its races for women runners with “differences of sex development (DSD).”

Those women must reduce their testosterone to comply with IAAF rules for at least six continuous months before competing at top-level events.

The rules apply only to “conditions where the affected individual has XY chromosomes” — male chromosomes — it was explained Wednesday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport. 

Those athletes “have testosterone levels well into the male range.”

The IAAF has said the rules “exist solely to ensure fair and meaningful competition,” and not to judge or question any athlete’s sex or gender identity.

Put on hold by Semenya’s appeal, those rules now take effect next Wednesday.

The IAAF’s first attempt to address the issue in 2011 was rejected by a previous Court of Arbitration for Sport panel in 2015. That ruling challenged the IAAF to produce better evidence because it had not proven that hyperandrogenic women — women with excessive amounts of male hormones — gained a significant advantage.

Semenya’s defense

Semenya’s lawyers argued that “her genetic gift should be celebrated, not discriminated against.”

Although testosterone — a hormone that strengthens muscle tone and bone mass — is a doping product if injected or ingested, no one has suggested Semenya’s natural physiology is a form of cheating.

Semenya’s case was championed by United Nations human rights experts and women’s sports activists, including Billie Jean King, who saw potential for abuse and discrimination against women.

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party linked Semenya’s cause to the liberation struggle of Nelson Mandela and, on Wednesday, accused the IAAF of “acting in a prejudicial manner.”

The judges 

The judges from Canada, Australia and Switzerland scrutinized evidence, including testimony from Semenya, over five days in February in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The nuanced verdict was detailed in a two-page court statement expressing concern about some evidence underpinning the rules and how they will now be applied.

The judges believe some women who choose treatment with medication will have difficulties staying within with the limit and face bans for “unintentional non-compliance.”

The IAAF said Wednesday it “will keep all practical matters of implementation under periodic review.”

Behind the ruling

The judges’ full 165-page verdict remains confidential, and contains sensitive medical information.

A six-page executive summary published Wednesday clarified the judges’ majority opinion without detailing the evidence.

The ruling derives from the premise that separate men’s and women’s races were created due to “insuperable performance advantages derived from biology.”

From there, “it follows that it may be legitimate to regulate the right to participate in the female category by reference to those biological factors rather than legal status alone.”

The case appeared as if it would likely sway on scientific evidence rather than a concept of fairness, and one expert witness called by Semenya’s team questioned the data.

”In the absence of really compelling evidence, something discriminatory is not justifiable,” South African academic Ross Tucker told The Associated Press. “I don’t see good science having been followed here.”

Semenya’s future 

The CAS judges paid tribute to “Ms. Semenya’s grace and fortitude throughout this process.”

She will potentially run her final international 800-meter race on Friday in Doha, Qatar, when the Diamond League series opens.

If she wants to defend her 800-meter world title in September — also in Doha — she must begin medicating within days. The IAAF requires affected athletes to give a blood test by next Wednesday within the set limits.

With the world championships opening on Sept. 28, the IAAF said it will waive the 6-month compliance rule for that event.

Semenya can run without medication in the 5,000 meters — or possibly in the 1,500 if the IAAF follows the judges’ guidance to defer applying the rules to that event. Semenya won a bronze medal in the 1,500 at the 2017 worlds in London.

There is no indication the IAAF will do that.

What next?

Semenya and the South Africa track federation have 30 days to appeal to Switzerland’s Supreme Court in Lausanne.

Federal judges rarely overturn CAS decisions but can intervene if it’s determined the legal process was abused.

Semenya could request an interim federal ruling to freeze the CAS decision pending a full appeal.

With the IAAF rules under permanent review, other female athletes could one day challenge them.

“I can say this decision is certainly not the perfect one,” CAS official Matthieu Reeb said, “but is there a perfect decision in this situation?”

 

 

 
…

your ads here!

Taylor Swift is set to kick off the 2019 Billboard Music Awards on Wednesday with the debut performance of her new song ME! and she could continue her run as the most decorated winner in the show’s history. 

 

Swift, a 23-time Billboard Award winner, will open the show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas alongside Brendon Urie of Panic! at the Disco, who is featured on her new track. Swift is also nominated for two awards: top female artist and top touring artist. 

 

Cardi B, though, is the leading nominee with 21 and will attend the show. Drake — who will also attend the show — and Post Malone are close behind with 17 nominations each. All three acts will compete for the night’s biggest prize, top artist, along with Ariana Grande and Travis Scott, who scored 12 nominations. 

 

Kelly Clarkson will host the Billboard Awards for a second time and also perform at the three-hour show, airing live on NBC at 8 p.m. EDT. 

 

Other performers will include Madonna with Maluma, BTS with Halsey, Paula Abdul, Dan + Shay, Jonas Brothers, Khalid, Tori Kelly, Panic! at the Disco, Lauren Daigle, Ciara and Mariah Carey, who will receive the Icon Award. Grande will perform via satellite from her tour.  

Cardi B’s 21 nominations include top female artist and top Billboard 200 album for her Grammy-winning release, Invasion of Privacy. With her No. 1 hits — I Like It featuring J Balvin and Bad Bunny and Girls Like You with Maroon 5 — she is nominated twice in categories like top Hot 100 song, top selling song and top collaboration. 

Rap strong in album category

Rap music, which dominated the charts and streaming services last year, owned the top Billboard album category. Along with Cardi B, the nominees include Drake’s Scorpion, Scott’s ASTROWORLD, the late XXXTentacion’s ? and Malone’s beerbongs & bentleys. 

 

For top Hot 100 song, rap shined again with nominees like Cardi B’s I Like It, Juice WRLD’s Lucid Dreams, Scott’s SICKO MODE and Malone’s Better Now. Maroon 5 and Cardi B’s Girls Like You is also up for the prize. 

 

XXXTentacion, who was fatally shot last June, earned 10 nominations, including bids for top male artist, top R&B artist and top rap album. Last year, he posthumously won honors at the American Music Awards and the BET Hip-Hop Awards. 

 

The late Aretha Franklin also earned a nomination. The Queen of Soul, who died last August, is up for top gospel album with Gospel Greats. Queen,  whose music hit a new peak late last year with the Oscar-winning Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, received nominations for top rock artist and top soundtrack. 

 

Presenters at the show will include Jennifer Hudson, Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley of This Is Us, David Guetta, Eva Longoria, Florida Georgia Line, Kane Brown and Terry Crews. 

 

Nominees and winners for the Billboard Awards are based on album and song sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring and social engagement. The awards are based on the chart period of March 23, 2018, through March 7, 2019.
…

your ads here!

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey, whose opinions can get millions of fans to try a new diet or turn a book into an international best-seller, is figuring out which Democratic candidate she will endorse in the crowded 2020 U.S. presidential race.

Winfrey, who has ruled out running for the White House, told the Hollywood Reporter in an extensive interview released on Tuesday that she was “quietly figuring out where I’m going to use my voice in support.”

“I’m sitting back, waiting to see. It’ll be very clear who I’m supporting,” she said of the 2020 election campaign.

Winfrey campaigned heavily for Democrat Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012 but adopted a lower profile in her support of Hillary Clinton, who lost in 2016 to current Republican President Donald Trump.

Some 20 Democrats are running for president in 2020.

Winfrey said among the Democrats she is researching are South Bend, Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke and California Senator Kamala Harris.

She said she already knows New Jersey Senator Cory Booker.

Winfrey, a billionaire movie producer, television network owner, magazine publisher and philanthropist, was urged by her supporters to run for the White House herself after delivering a rousing speech at the 2018 Golden Globe awards ceremony. She has repeatedly ruled out the idea.

Winfrey is also an actress who was Oscar-nominated for her supporting role in the 1985 film “The Color Purple.” She also had a major role in the 2018 film “A Wrinkle in Time,” and appeared in “Selma” and “The Butler” as well as the series “Greenleaf” on OWN TV, the Oprah Winfrey Network.

But with a series of documentaries and interview shows lined up for the upcoming Apple TV+ streaming service, Winfrey said she was no longer interested in acting.

“I think to be really, really good at it, you’ve got to do it a lot. You’ve got to work at it. And it’s got to be something that you have true passion about. I don’t think it’s something you can dabble in,” she said. “It doesn’t feed my soul anymore.”
…

your ads here!

Early scenes in Rachel Lears’ documentary “Knock Down the House” take place far away from the halls of power. At a New York taco and tequila bar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is filling ice buckets in the basement. 

It’s six months before the primary that turned Ocasio-Cortez into a liberal phenomenon. Then trailing far behind in the polls, few expected her to win the race for New York’s 14th district and unseat incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley, who had served for two decades and hadn’t faced a primary challenger in 14 years. 

“If I were, like, a normal, rational person, I would have dropped out of this race a long time ago,” she says riding an elevator with sanitary gloves on her hands. 

“Knock Down the House,” which premieres on Netflix on Wednesday, is, in movie lingo, an origin story. But while it has come to be known as “the AOC documentary,” it captures a wider political movement. Shot over two years in the lead-up to the 2018 elections, it follows four progressive insurgent candidates, all women, running grassroots campaigns: the Bronx-born Ocasio-Cortez, Amy Vilela of Nevada, Cori Bush of Missouri and Paula Jean Swearengin of West Virginia. 

One of them – you might have heard – won. 

“They were all considered long shots. We were looking for people that would be very compelling to watch, no matter what happened,” Lears said in an interview. “We were very interested in races that would involve political machines and very entrenched power structures. We were interested in exploring the nature of power in the United States.”

The attention surrounding Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, has raised the profile of “Knock Down the House.” It won the audience award at the Sundance Film Festival, where Netflix acquired it for $10 million – the biggest documentary sale ever at the festival. 

And given the intense partisan divisions around Ocasio-Cortez, “Knock Down the House” has also been used against the congresswoman by some. The filmmakers have had to combat falsehoods that Ocasio-Cortez profited from the Netflix sale (documentary subjects generally aren’t paid). Still, Ocasio-Cortez has said she’s been approached on the House floor about how much she made from the film. 

​On Monday, Kellyanne Conway criticized Ocasio-Cortez on Fox News’ “Hannity” for promoting “Knock Down the House” on Twitter the day after the Sri Lanka Easter bombings. (Ocasio-Cortez responded that Conway was “using this as an excuse to stoke suspicion around my Christianity.”)

“There is a lot of speculation about what the film is,” said Lears. “I look forward to it being out there and people can decide for themselves.”

Ocasio-Cortez, who declined to comment for this article, was unable to attend the film’s Sundance premiere in January, citing complications due to the government shutdown. 

“Some might be assuming that this is her personal project, and that’s not true at all,” said Lears. “We had complete editorial independence.”

Those expecting a glossy political advertisement may be surprised to find something far more personal in “Knock Down the House.” The main thrust of the film is capturing the struggles of working-class women challenging the establishment, navigating the often painful process of stepping into public life and battling far larger, and far better bankrolled political machines.

The candidates are backed by the political action committees Brand New Congress and Justice Democrats, groups that were Lears’ gateway to the four candidates. But the candidates are inexperienced political outsiders motivated to run by personal experience. Bush is a nurse and ordained pastor. Swearengin comes from a long line of coal miners, several of whom died from black lung disease.

​Swearengin unsuccessfully ran against Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat and defender of the coal industry in West Virginia. In the documentary Swearengin summarizes her opposition: “If another country came in here, blew up our mountains and poisoned our water, we’d go to war. But industry can.” 

Vilela, a Nevada businesswoman, entered politics after the death of her daughter, Shalynne. She died at age 22 of a massive pulmonary embolism weeks after being turned away from an ER for lacking insurance. Running on a platform of universal health care, Vilela lost to Democrat Steven Horsford. 

“People right now don’t understand the basis of the film, or the basis of why we ran,” said Vilela. “This movie is about what is to go against the system and it’s not just a Democrat thing. It’s across party lines. It’s money in politics.”

One of the film’s most vivid moments comes when a devastated Vilela, faced with election day tallies that eliminate her long-odds bid, falls to her knees and bursts into tears.

“I was like: And now more people will die,” said Vilela. “And I couldn’t save them like I couldn’t save my daughter.” 

Vilela said she will run for office again. And she guarantees Republicans will watch “Knock Down the House.” 

“People are going to secretly go and watch this movie. They’re ranting about it online. They’re not going to be able to resist,” she said. “I think it will humanize what we’re doing. Hopefully, we won’t be so scary to them, and they’ll understand where we’re coming from.”

Lears was there to document a happier election night for Ocasio-Cortez, and the documentary’s final moments track the Congresswoman’s giddy arrival in Washington D.C. But, to her, “Knock Down the House” isn’t about winning. 

“It’s a testament to the value of trying to be part of the democratic process,” said Lears, “no matter what the outcome.” 
…

your ads here!

Barack and Michelle Obama on Tuesday unveiled a slate of projects they are preparing for Netflix, a year after the former president and first lady signed a deal with the streaming platform.

The Obamas’ production company, Higher Ground Productions, on Tuesday announced a total of seven films and series that Barack Obama said will entertain but also “educate, connect and inspire us all.”

Higher Ground is producing a feature film on Frederick Douglass, adapted from David W. Blight’s Pulitzer Prize-winning biography. Also in the works is a documentary series that adapts Michael Lewis’ “Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy,” the “Moneyball” author’s 2018 best-seller about government servants working under the political appointees of Donald Trump’s administration.

The production company’s first release will be Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s Sundance Film Festival documentary “American Factory,” about a Chinese-owned factory in post-industrial Ohio. Netflix and Higher Ground also acquired Jim LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham’s “Crip Camp,” a documentary about a summer camp for disabled teenager founded in upstate New York in the early 1970s.

The Obamas are also developing an upstairs-downstairs drama set in post-WWII New York titled “Bloom,” and an adaptation of The New York Times “Overlooked” obituary column, about deaths unreported by the paper. A half-hour show for preschoolers titled “Listen to Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents” will instruct kids about food.

“We love this slate because it spans so many different interests and experiences, yet it’s all woven together with stories that are relevant to our daily lives,” Michelle Obama said. “We think there’s something here for everyone — moms and dads, curious kids, and anyone simply looking for an engaging, uplifting watch at the end of a busy day.”

The projects are to be released over the next several years.
…

your ads here!