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Blues pioneer Long John Baldry led the British greats

Long John Baldry was the British blue-eyed blues pioneer who taught Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart and Elton John how to sing blues-based rock ‘n’ roll. But, as s Arts columnist Brian Brennan reports in his new time capsule piece, Baldry got left behind when Jagger, Stewart and John went off to the United States to become rich and famous. An excerpt of Brennan’s Brief Encounters column, The godfather of British blues: Long John Baldry: He liked to say he stood head and shoulders above his contemporaries. Because Long John Baldry stood six-foot-seven (2m) in his stocking feet, this was probably literally true for a

Auschwitz: 70 years after a death factory is liberated

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, when Soviet troops freed the survivors of the Nazi death factory. More than one million people were murdered at Auschwitz, most of them Jews.  Read Auschwitz: ‛It took from three to 15 minutes to kill the people. The “Verbatim” feature is Facts and Opinions copy editor Michael Sasges’ report: extracts of the reasons for judgment prepared by members of the International Military Tribunal for Germany, which tried German leaders accused of war crimes. The document is one of the earliest summaries of the causes and consequences of the horrors perpetrated in the camp.  Recommended

Who are you calling “American People?”

‘The American people’ do not exist, writes Tom Regan, author of F&O’s Seeking Orenda column. “They are as much of a myth as Sasquatch, Area 51, Nigerian yellow cake, and the Tooth Fairy.” An excerpt of his new column, Why the ‘American people do not exist:   It’s wacky season in Washington once again. Wacky season comes in two flavors in the nation’s capitol: during the summer, when all the politicos would rather be jetting to a prime vacation spot on the private jet of a fat cat corporate sponsor, and when it’s time to start running for president. It’s the

Rabbie Burns, och aye

On January 25, say Scotch drinkers the world over, we are all Scottish. Today’s the birthday of Robert Burns, the Scottish bard and one of the first Romantic poets. ’tis as good an excuse as any to pour a dram of single malt. (Neat, with a splash of water.) As a half-Scot, the words of Rabbie Burns — the same words used by my late Scottish mother and our relatives — have reverberated through my life, adding colour and more often confusion to the “Queen’s English.” “Och, aye” or “A dinna ken” slip out at the oddest of times. And, of

Today’s election could change Greece — and Europe

For years the world has watched Greece, the cradle of democracy, implode in protests and economic decline. Indebted Greece has long been ill-served by its political and business leaders, and lately beholden to creditors bent on austerity. And today when the Greek people go to the polls in a general election —  if most pundits are right — not only Greece will change, but the ripples will be felt throughout Europe and globally. Excerpt of an analysis by academic Theo Papadopoulos: Syriza is poised to win by a large margin and this victory will end four decades of two-party rule in Greece.

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