WORLD MARITIME DAY [LAST THURSDAY OF SEPTEMBER]: SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

World Maritime Day

The United Nations (UN), via the International Maritime Organization (IMO), created World Maritime Day to celebrate the international maritime industry’s contribution towards the world’s economy, especially in shipping. The event’s date varies by year and country but it is always on the last week of September.

World Maritime Day focuses on the marine environment, as well as safety and security for boats and ships..

©iStockphoto.com/Olga Kolos

What Do People Do?

World Maritime Day focuses on the importance of shipping safety, maritime security and the marine environment and to emphasize a particular aspect of IMO’s work. The day also features a special message from the IMO’s secretary-general, which is backed up by a discussion paper on the selected subject in more detail.

World Maritime Day is celebrated in many countries worldwide, including Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Many maritime organizations and unions hold special events and activities to celebrate this day. These activities and events range from symposiums to luncheons, as well as school lessons that focus on the day. Some classes may organize a trip to a maritime museum so students can understand the significance of the maritime industry in shaping world history and its importance in world trade.

Public Life

World Maritime Day is a global observance and not a public holiday.

Background

Throughout history, people have understood that international regulations that are followed by many countries worldwide could improve marine safety so many treaties have been adopted since the 19th century. Various countries proposed for a permanent international body to be established to promote maritime safety more effectively but it was not until the UN was established that these hopes were realized. An international conference in Geneva in 1948 adopted a convention formally establishing the IMO, a specialized UN agency that develops and maintains a comprehensive regulatory framework for shipping.

The IMO’s original name was the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization (IMCO) but the name was changed in 1982 to IMO. The IMO focuses on areas such as safety, environmental concerns, legal matters, technical co-operation, maritime security and the efficiency of shipping.

World Maritime Day was first held on March 17, 1978 to mark the date of the IMO Convention’s entry into force in 1958. At that time, the organization had 21 member states. It now has about 167 member states and three associate members. This membership includes virtually all the nations of the world with an interest in maritime affairs, including those involved in the shipping industry and coastal states with an interest in protecting their maritime environment.

Note: The dates below are a rough guide on when World Maritime Day is observed, based on the most recent previous dates it was observed by the UN. It is also important to note that the exact date is left to individual governments but is usually celebrated during the last week in September.

2016 Theme:
Shipping: indispensable to the world

World Maritime Day Observances

Weekday	Date	Year	Name	Holiday Type
Thu	Sep 23	2010	World Maritime Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 22	2011	World Maritime Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 27	2012	World Maritime Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 26	2013	World Maritime Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 25	2014	World Maritime Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 24	2015	World Maritime Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 29	2016	World Maritime Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 28	2017	World Maritime Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 27	2018	World Maritime Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 26	2019	World Maritime Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 24	2020	World Maritime Day	United Nations observance

WORLD RABIES DAY: SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

World Rabies Day

Many people around the world observe World Rabies Day (WRD), which raises awareness about the impact of rabies and how the disease can be prevented. It is held on September 28 each year. is an annual event on April 7 to draw attention to particular priorities in global health.

Awareness issues, such as the importance of pet vaccinations for children’s safety, are brought to attention on World Rabies Day.

©iStockphoto.com/Zhang Bo

What Do People Do?

Many communities and organizations around the world, including the World Health Organization (WHO), which is the UN’s directing and coordinating authority for health, and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC), actively promote various activities and events that center on World Rabies Day.

Many government agencies and disease control centers that support World Rabies Day produce media kits, including posters, pamphlets, and press releases, to increase awareness about rabies and preventing the disease. Symposiums are also held on or around this time of the year to remember researchers who were pioneers in finding a rabies vaccination. Some associations and clinics offer free pet vaccinations and some organizations host competitions, such as t-shirt design contests to promote the event’s message.

Public Life

World Rabies Day is a global observance but it is not a public holiday.

Background

Rabies is widely distributed across the globe. More than 55,000 people die of rabies each year. About 95 percent of human deaths occur in Asia and Africa, according to WHO. Most human deaths follow a bite from an infected dog. About 30 to 60 percent of dog bite victims are children under the age of 15. There are safe and effective vaccines available for people who have been bitten by an animal that might have the disease, but usage in developing countries is low due to the high cost.

World Rabies Day, which is founded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and GARC, aims to unite relevant partners to address rabies prevention and control. With the initial goal of engaging 55,000 people to take action, one for each person who dies each year from rabies, the inaugural campaign saw nearly 400,000 people from at least 74 countries participating on September 8, 2007. The event was held again in 2008, but on September 28 instead of September 8, and September 28 has been used as the date to promote the event from that year onwards.

More than 393,000 people participated and rabies education messages reached more than 50 million people on World Rabies Day in 2008. The result of this event was that there were enough funds to start grass-roots education and control projects in five countries. Various partners, including WHO and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, support World Rabies Day, which highlights the impact of human and animal rabies and promotes how to prevent and stop the disease by combating it in animals.

Symbols

The World Rabies Day logo features a globe in blue and green, and the green shapes in the globe are that of a bat (left), human (center), and dog or canine figure (right).  The words “World Rabies Day” and the event’s date (month, day and year), typed in black, circle the outer part of the globe. These elements are kept within a black ring, completing the logo.

World Rabies Day Observances

 

Weekday	Date	Year	Name	Holiday Type
Tue	Sep 28	2010	World Rabies Day	United Nations observance
Wed	Sep 28	2011	World Rabies Day	United Nations observance
Fri	Sep 28	2012	World Rabies Day	United Nations observance
Sat	Sep 28	2013	World Rabies Day	United Nations observance
Sun	Sep 28	2014	World Rabies Day	United Nations observance
Mon	Sep 28	2015	World Rabies Day	United Nations observance
Wed	Sep 28	2016	World Rabies Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 28	2017	World Rabies Day	United Nations observance
Fri	Sep 28	2018	World Rabies Day	United Nations observance
Sat	Sep 28	2019	World Rabies Day	United Nations observance
Mon	Sep 28	2020	World Rabies Day	United Nations observance

WORLD TOURISM DAY: SEPTEMBER 27, 2016

World Tourism Day

Many people around celebrate the United Nations’ (UN) World Tourism Day, which is on September 27 each year. The day aims to foster awareness among the international community of the importance of tourism and its social, cultural, political and economic values.

World Tourism Day recognizes the importance of tourists and the tourism industry across the globe.

©iStockphoto.com/Alex Nikada

What Do People Do?

The United Nations’ World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) invites people worldwide to participate in World Tourism Day on September 27 every year. The UNWTO Secretary-General annually sends out a message to the general public to mark the occasion. Many tourism enterprises and organizations, as well as government agencies with a special interest in tourism, celebrate the event with various special events and festivities.

Different types of competitions, such as photo competitions promoting tourism, as well as tourism award presentations in areas such as ecotourism, are held on World Tourism Day. Other activities include free entries, discounts or special offers for the general public to any site of tourism interest. Government and community leaders, as tourism business representatives, may make public announcements or offer special tours or fares to promote both their region and World Tourism Day on or around September 27.

Public Life

The World Tourism Day is a UN observance and it is not a public holiday.

Background

Tourism has experienced continued growth and deeper diversification to become one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world. ‎Modern tourism is closely linked to development and includes more new destinations for tourists. These dynamics turned tourism into a key driver for socio-‎economic progress.‎ Tourism has become one of the major players in ‎international commerce, and represents at the same time one of the main income ‎sources for many developing countries.

The UNWTO decided in late September 1979 to institute World Tourism Day, which was first celebrated on September 27, 1980. September 27 was chosen as the date for World Tourism Day because that date coincided with an important milestone in world tourism: the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes on September 27, 1970.

The UNWTO believes that the date for World Tourism Day is appropriate because it comes at the end of the high tourist season in the northern hemisphere and the start of the tourist season in the southern hemisphere, when tourism is of topical interest to many people worldwide, particularly travelers and those working in the tourism sector. Each year has a different theme – for example, “Tourism – Celebrating Diversity” was designated as the theme for 2009, with Ghana as the event’s host country for that year.

2016 Theme: “Tourism for All – promoting universal accessibility”

World Tourism Day Observances

 

Weekday	Date	Year	Name	Holiday Type
Mon	Sep 27	2010	World Tourism Day	United Nations observance
Tue	Sep 27	2011	World Tourism Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 27	2012	World Tourism Day	United Nations observance
Fri	Sep 27	2013	World Tourism Day	United Nations observance
Sat	Sep 27	2014	World Tourism Day	United Nations observance
Sun	Sep 27	2015	World Tourism Day	United Nations observance
Tue	Sep 27	2016	World Tourism Day	United Nations observance
Wed	Sep 27	2017	World Tourism Day	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 27	2018	World Tourism Day	United Nations observance
Fri	Sep 27	2019	World Tourism Day	United Nations observance
Sun	Sep 27	2020	World Tourism Day	United Nations observance

INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE TOTAL ELIMINATION OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS: SEPTEMBER 26, 2016

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons

On September 26, the United Nations (UN) promotes a special day that calls for all countries to get rid of nuclear weapons.

Hiroshima’s Atomic Bomb Dome is a reminder of the city’s destruction in 1945.

©Bigstockphoto.com/budgetstockphoto

17,000 Nuclear Weapons Worldwide

Nuclear weapons are explosive devices with a destructive power that comes from nuclear energy being released. More than half the world’s population live in countries that have nuclear weapons or are members of nuclear alliances. There are at least 17,000 nuclear weapons in the world today.

One single nuclear device can destroy a whole city and eliminate the natural environment and lives of future generations. They have already destroyed entire cities, like Hiroshima in Japan, where at least 150,000 people were killed or wounded after the city was bombed during World War II.

A World Without Nuclear Weapons

One of the UN’s oldest goals is to achieve worldwide nuclear disarmament – in other words, to see the world free of nuclear weapons. In December 2013, the UN decided to create a day to inform people and push governments to see the social and economic benefits of not having nuclear weapons. The Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons is one of the UN’s efforts to seek more action on nuclear disarmament.

What’s Open or Closed?

The day is a global observance and not a public holiday so it’s business as usual.

International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons Observances

 

Weekday	Date	Year	Name	Holiday Type
Fri	Sep 26	2014	International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons	United Nations observance
Sat	Sep 26	2015	International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons	United Nations observance
Mon	Sep 26	2016	International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons	United Nations observance
Tue	Sep 26	2017	International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons	United Nations observance
Wed	Sep 26	2018	International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 26	2019	International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons	United Nations observance
Sat	Sep 26	2020	International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons	United Nations observance

IN REMEMBRANCE: 9-25-2016

BILLO NUNN, WHO PLAYED RADIO RAHEEM IN ‘DO THE RIGHT THING’

By LIAM STACK

SEPT. 24, 2016

Bill Nunn at a 25th anniversary screening of the movie “Do the Right Thing” in 2014. Credit Craig Barritt/Getty Images

Bill Nunn, a versatile actor best known for playing the role of Radio Raheem, the boombox-toting neighborhood philosopher killed by police officers in Spike Lee’s 1989 film “Do the Right Thing,” died on Saturday in Pittsburgh. He was 63.

His death was announced on social media by Mr. Lee. His wife, Donna, told The Associated Press that Mr. Nunn had cancer.

The first major acting role for Mr. Nunn, the son of a well-known professional football scout, was in the 1988 film “School Daze,” also written and directed by Mr. Lee. The next year brought the critically acclaimed “Do the Right Thing,” in which he played the iconic Radio Raheem, who carries a boombox blaring Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” through the streets of the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn on the hottest day of summer.

Radio Raheem sits at the moral heart of the film, delivering a soliloquy directly to the camera on the ceaseless contest between love and hate, symbolized by the four-finger rings he wears on each hand. The character’s choking death at the hands of police officers in front of a crowd of his neighbors incites the film’s wrenching final scenes.

Mr. Nunn became a popular character actor after “Do the Right Thing” and appeared in a variety of films, including “New Jack City,” “Sister Act” and the “Spider-Man” trilogy by the director Sam Raimi. In 2004 he appeared in a Broadway revival of “Raisin in the Sun” as Bobo, alongside Audra McDonald, Phylicia Rashad and Sean Combs.

But it was his performance as Radio Raheem that allowed him to make his greatest mark, Mr. Nunn said in an interview with ABC News to mark the 25th anniversary of the film’s release.

He was a frequent collaborator of Mr. Lee and also appeared in his films “Mo’ Better Blues” and “He Got Game.” Mr. Lee referred to him on Saturday as “my dear friend, my dear Morehouse brother.” They both attended Morehouse College in Atlanta.

William Goldwyn Nunn III was born in 1953, in Pittsburgh. His father was Bill Nunn, a scout for the Pittsburgh Steelers who helped build a football powerhouse in the 1970s by recruiting from the often-overlooked football programs at historically black colleges and universities. He died in 2014.

Mr. Lee memorialized Mr. Nunn in a series of social media posts on Saturday, sharing the text of his “Do the Right Thing” soliloquy as well as pictures of him as Radio Raheem.

“Long Live Bill Nunn,” Mr. Lee wrote on Facebook. “Radio Raheem is now resting in power. Radio Raheem will always be fighting da powers dat be. May God watch over Bill Nunn.”

On social media, Mr. Lee cited the death of Eric Garner, who died after an officer placed him in a chokehold on Staten Island in 2014, as evidence of the continuing resonance of Radio Raheem’s violent death. In an interview with ABC News in 2014, Mr. Nunn reflected on the death of Mr. Garner, which was captured on video and helped propel a nationwide debate on the treatment of black men by the police.

Much like the character that brought him to fame, Mr. Nunn focused on the need for love.

“You know you’re watching a guy lose his life,” Mr. Nunn said in the interview. “For me, I’m just getting a little tired of watching these mothers on television, these poor mothers grieving their sons and children. It makes me wonder sometimes about where the compassion is.”

SOURCE

It is so hard to believe that Bill Nunn is no longer among the living. The first time I made his acquaintance in films was in the movie “School Daze”. His commanding presence on the silver screen at the frat/soror dance, his just trying to get a little salt for his KFC chicken meal, his wanting to “eat steak” after graduating—just so many highlights of “Daze” that years later still linger with me.

And who can forget his performance in “Do the Right Thing”:

“Let me tell you the story of Right Hand, Left Hand. It’s a tale of good and evil. Hate: it was with this hand that Cane iced his brother. Love: these five fingers, they go straight to the soul of man. The right hand: the hand of love. The story of life is this: static. One hand is always fighting the other hand, and the left hand is kicking much ass. I mean, it looks like the right hand, Love, is finished. But hold on, stop the presses, the right hand is coming back. Yeah, he got the left hand on the ropes, now, that’s right. Yea, boom, it’s a devastating right and Hate is hurt, he’s down. Ooh! Ooh! Left-Hand Hate KOed by Love. If I love you, I love you. But if I hate you …”

Bill Nunn has left a legacy of fine acting to be cherished, and his stamp on the world of film will be enduring.

Rest in peace, Mr. Bill Nunn.

Rest in peace.

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ED TEMPLE, TRACK COACH WHO LED WILMA RUDOLPH TO OLYMPIC GOLD

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September 23, 2016  4:42 PM ET

Heard on All Things Considered

Blake Farmer

One of the few coaches in the Olympic Hall of Fame has died. Ed Temple coached sprinter Wilma Rudolph and the legendary Tigerbelles of Tennessee State University.

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

A pivotal figure in American track and field has died. Ed Temple is one of just a handful of coaches in the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. He led two women’s teams in the 1960s, mostly of his own runners from Tennessee State University. Temple died last night. Blake Farmer of member station WPLN in Nashville has this appreciation.

BLAKE FARMER, BYLINE: Ed Temple started coaching when many schools didn’t even have a women’s team, and he produced one of the greatest runners of all time – Wilma Rudolph. He talked to WPLN last year.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

ED TEMPLE: You know, the ’60 Olympics in Rome where Wilma won her three gold medals – that opened up the door I think for women’s sports – period.

FARMER: In all, Temple trained 40 Olympians, and administrators say they all went on to get a degree. In an oral history interview, Temple said he’d assemble the team after every semester.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TEMPLE: I’d go to the registrar’s office, and I’d get the grades of every girl.

FARMER: He’d read their report cards aloud.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

TEMPLE: Now, a lot of people used to criticize me; well, I wouldn’t do that in front of all of them. I’d call them in there individual and tell them. No, I want everybody to know.

FARMER: Temple was a tell-it-like-it-is taskmaster. Don’t even think about being late to practice or missing curfew. His athletes could only ride in his car – a nine-passenger DeSoto station wagon which for many years doubled as a team bus.

WYOMIA TYUS: His rule was always there’s the right way, the wrong way, and there’s his way.

FARMER: Wyomia Tyus was one of Temple’s proteges. She won gold in the 1964 games, then set a world record four years later. But when she got back on campus, there was no favoritism.

TYUS: And I think that was the best thing. Coach Temple never treated his Olympians any different than the girls that did not make the Olympic team.

FARMER: The Tigerbelles of Tennessee State, as they were known, were tight. Not only did they have to fight with male sports for recognition. They also faced intense racism. Journalist Dwight Lewis says they were sometimes not permitted to use the restroom in the field house. But Lewis, who’s writing a book on the famed coach, says Temple didn’t dwell on the discrimination.

DWIGHT LEWIS: But he didn’t go out and beat drums, saying, we’re suffering; we’re suffering; we’re suffering. They did what they had to do.

FARMER: Temple was a matter-of-fact leader, but he was proud, most of all of Wilma Rudolph, who overcame polio to become the fastest woman in the world at the time. Temple attended her funeral where an Olympic flag draped the coffin.

LEWIS: After the funeral was over, Coach Temple was given that flag. He’s had it at his home, and it has not been unfolded since it draped Wilma’s casket. But his wish was that – I don’t want this flag unfolded until it drapes my casket.

FARMER: Ed Temple was 89 years old. For NPR News, I’m Blake Farmer in Nashville.

SOURCE

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STANLEY DURAL JR., FOUNDER OF BUCKWHEAT ZYDECO

By JON PARELES

SEPT. 24, 2016

Stanley Dural Jr., known as Buckwheat, at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2011. Credit Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

Stanley Dural Jr., better known as Buckwheat, the accordionist whose band carried zydeco music from the Louisiana bayous to a worldwide audience, died on Saturday in Lafayette, La., where he was born. He was 68.

Ted Fox, his manager and frequent producer, said the cause was lung cancer. Buckwheat lived in the neighboring city of Carencro.

Formed in 1979, his band, Buckwheat Zydeco, barnstormed for more than 30 years, winning both a Grammy and an Emmy Award along the way. With his broad-brimmed black hat, glasses and a white piano accordion emblazoned with the words “BUCK WHEAT,” Mr. Dural became the face of zydeco for many listeners far beyond the music’s Gulf Coast regional circuit.

He played festivals worldwide and sat in, on stage and on recordings, with a host of rock and pop musicians, including Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, U2, Willie Nelson, Robert Plant and Keith Richards.

Buckwheat’s music melded Louisiana Creole traditions — the tootling propulsion of the accordion and the clatter of the rubboard, a metal vest played with spoons — with the R&B he grew up on in the 1950s and ’60s and with rock.

He sang in French Creole and in English, leading his band in two-steps, waltzes, shuffles, blues and funk, all of which kept dance floors active. Buckwheat Zydeco was celebrated as one of the world’s great party bands.

Stanley Joseph Dural Jr. was born on Nov. 14, 1947. His family, with six brothers and six sisters, shared a two-bedroom house in Lafayette; growing up, he picked cotton.

His father was an accordionist who played Creole music, but Stanley Jr. was drawn to R&B, and chose the organ as his instrument. He was nicknamed Buckwheat for his braided hair, which resembled the character Buckwheat, played by William Thomas Jr. in “The Little Rascals” short films. He made his first recordings in the early 1970s with his 15-piece soul band, Buckwheat and the Hitchhikers, and had a local hit with the single “It’s Hard to Get.”

Buckwheat rediscovered zydeco in 1976, becoming the organist in the band, which was led by Clifton Chenier. A pioneer in merging Creole music and blues, Mr. Chenier was universally acknowledged as the Gulf Coast’s king of zydeco until his death in 1987.

Buckwheat took up accordion in 1978; a year later he started his own zydeco band. At first he called it the Buckwheat Zydeco Ils Sont Partis Band, from the Creole French announcement he had heard at horse races at Evangeline Downs, which was then in Carencro: “They’re off!”

In the early 1980s the band recorded for blues and folk labels: Blues Unlimited, Black Top and Rounder. In 1986, he signed a five-album deal with a major label, Island Records, and the band became simply Buckwheat Zydeco.

Its touring circuit grew. In 1988 the band opened for Eric Clapton on a tour that stretched across North America and to the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Buckwheat Zydeco returned largely to independent labels for albums in the 1990s and 2000s, including Buckwheat’s own label, Tomorrow Records. The band worked constantly, from club dates in Louisiana to festival appearances in Montreux in Switzerland.

Television, film and advertising producers seeking Louisiana atmosphere placed his songs on many soundtracks, and Buckwheat performed and helped to write the theme song for “Pierre Franey’s Cooking in America” on PBS.

The band appeared at events for both presidential inaugurations of Bill Clinton; it also opened on the last show of “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” playing Bob Dylan’s “On a Night Like This.”

In 1996, Buckwheat Zydeco performed at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games in Atlanta. And in 2002, Buckwheat shared an Emmy with the composer Brian Keane for the CBS documentary “Pistol Pete: The Life and Times of Pete Maravich,” about the professional basketball star who played for Louisiana State University.

The first major label Buckwheat Zydeco album, “On a Night Like This” (Island), from 1987, was nominated for a Grammy. In 2010, Buckwheat Zydeco won the Grammy for Best Zydeco or Cajun Music album for what would be its final album, “Lay Your Burden Down” (Alligator) in 2009.

More recently, Buckwheat blogged, with Mr. Fox, his manager, for The Huffington Post and celebrated music and Southwestern Louisiana culture in a documentary YouTube series, “Buckwheat’s World.”

Buckwheat’s band included his son, Sir Reginald M. Dural, on rubboard and keyboards. He survives him, along with Buckwheat’s wife, Bernite Dural, and four other children, Stanley Paul Dural III, April Germain Dural, Stacie Durham and Tomorrow Lynn Dural.

SOURCE

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FRESH AIR REMEMBERS ‘LA CONFIDENTIAL DIRECTOR CURTIS HANSON

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September 22, 2016   2:43 PM ET

Heard on Fresh Air

Hanson also directed The River Wild, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, 8 Mile and the TV movie Too Big to Fail. He died Tuesday in Los Angeles at the age of 71. Originally broadcast in 1997.

DAVE DAVIES, HOST:

This is FRESH AIR.

Curtis Hanson, who directed the 1997 film “L.A. Confidential,” died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 71. Among his other films are “The River Wild,” “The Hand That Rocks The Cradle,” “Wonder Boys,” “8 Mile,” and the TV movie “Too Big To Fail.” Hanson grew up in Los Angeles. “L.A. Confidential” was nominated for nine Oscars and won two, including Best Adapted Screenplay, which Hansen shared with his co-producer Brian Helgeland.

Terry spoke to Curtis Hanson in 1997. Here’s a scene from “L.A. Confidential.” Kevin Spacey plays Jack Vincennes, a cop who consults for “Badge Of Honor,” a TV show like “Dragnet.” He’s dancing at a party for the show. Later in the scene, you’ll hear Danny DeVito as Sid Hudgens, a scandal sheet reporter who’s in cahoots with Vincennes.

(SOUNDBITE OF MOVIE, “L.A. CONFIDENTIAL”)

KEVIN SPACEY: (As Jack Vincennes) I’m the technical adviser. I teach Brett Chase how to walk and talk like a cop.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS #1: (As Karen) Brett Chase doesn’t walk and talk like you.

SPACEY: (As Jack Vincennes) Well, that’s because he’s the television version. America isn’t ready for the real me.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS #1: (As Karen) Is it true you are the one who arrested Bob Mitchum?

SPACEY: (As Jack Vincennes) Mm-hmm.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS #1: (As Karen) These “Badge Of Honor” guys like to pretend, but being the real thing must be a thrill.

SPACEY: (As Jack Vincennes) Why don’t you and I go someplace quiet? Because I’d love to give you the lowdown on Mitchum.

DANNY DEVITO: (As Sid Hudgens) Big V. Jack Vincennes.

SPACEY: (As Jack Vincennes) Hey.

DEVITO: (As Sid Hudgens) May I have this dance?

SPACEY: (As Jack Vincennes) Of course. Karen, this is Sid Hutchens from “Hush-Hush” magazine.

DEVITO: (As Sid Hudgens) Hello, Karen.

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS #1: (As Karen) Hello, yourself.

SPACEY: (Jack Vincennes) What’s that about?

DEVITO: (As Sid Hudgens) We did a piece last year, “Ingenue Dykes In Hollywood.” Her name got mentioned. Hey Jackie boy, friend of mine just sold some reefer to Matt Reynolds (ph). He’s tripping the life fantastic with Tammy Jordan (ph).

UNIDENTIFIED ACTRESS #2: (As character) Hi, Jack.

SPACEY: (As Jack Vincennes) Sorry. I lost you for a second, Sid.

DEVITO: (As Sid Hudgens) Contract players, Metro. You pinch him, I do you up a nice feature next issue, plus usual 50 cash.

SPACEY: (As Jack Vincennes) No, I need another 50. Two 20s for two patrolmen and a dime for the watch commander at Hollywood Station.

DEVITO: (As Sid Hudgens) Jackie, it’s Christmas.

SPACEY: (As Jack Vincennes) No, it’s not. It’s felony possession of marijuana.

DEVITO: (As Sid Hudgens) Actually, circulation 36,000 and climbing. There’s no telling where this is going to go – radio, television. Once you whet the public’s appetite for the truth, the sky is the limit.

DAVIES: Terry asked Curtis Hanson why he wanted to make “L.A. Confidential,” and how he first came across the story.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED BROADCAST)

CURTIS HANSON: Well, it all started with the book. I read James Ellroy’s novel for pleasure about four years ago. And I read it not looking for a movie, but just because I had read half a dozen of his other books and thoroughly enjoyed them. Because I think Ellroy is a unique voice in contemporary fiction.

What happened with “L.A. Confidential,” and what I was not prepared for, quite frankly, was the degree to which I got emotionally involved with the characters. And involved in a rather complex and surprising way because when I met each of the major characters, I didn’t like them. But as I kept going, I got emotionally involved and ultimately, really began to care about each and every one of them and their personal struggles.

TERRY GROSS, HOST:

What are some of the things that you’ve seen in period films that you wanted to avoid?

HANSON: I didn’t want this to be a picture that was an homage to a style of another era. I wanted – my number one directive to my collaborators was let’s create the world of “L.A. Confidential,” Los Angeles, 1953. Let’s pay great attention to the detail. But then let’s shoot it as though we don’t care about the detail. Let’s shoot it as though it’s a contemporary movie, so that the characters are in the foreground and their emotions are in the foreground. So my film references were more what I wanted to avoid, rather than what I wanted to do.

And of course, Dante being a camera man, was just all over that. He got what I was saying immediately. And it – and he took it one step further, which was he found the key to the lighting in that example, which was that “L.A. Confidential” would be lit in a naturalistic way, which – where the audience is aware of the source light, where the light is coming from in each scene. Which is sort of diametrically opposed to the way classic film noir is lit, with the, you know, highly stylized black and white with the vivid, dark shadows that bisect the screen and so forth.

GROSS: It’s a really interesting period in Los Angeles history that the movie is set in. It’s a period when, you know, there’s a show like “Dragnet” that’s imitating the cops. Whereas, you know, like, the cops in “L.A. Confidential” want the heroism and celebrity of the TV stars. And the politicians are tied in to some of the corrupt parts of Hollywood. The tabloids are covering it all. Everything as depicted in the movie is corrupt in this part of Los Angeles.

You grew up in Los Angeles in the ’50s, didn’t you?

HANSON: Yes. I grew up in Los Angeles, as in fact did both my parents. I mean, Terry, that’s the fascinating thing about Los Angeles in the early ’50s. So much of what was beginning in Los Angeles at that time, in that period of optimism and economic growth after World War II, is still with us today for better or for worse.

You know, television as this powerful image-making machine that was used in a very deliberate way by the LAPD to sort of sell the image of this new police force that had been reworked into a military model based on the Marine Corps in World War II. And the result was a police force that was empowered in a way that no force ever was before. Because – because of that TV image, they felt they could do no wrong. And, in fact, the public felt they could do no wrong.

And the birth of modern tabloid journalism as we know it, Danny DeVito in the movie plays the editor of Hush-Hush magazine. As he says at the beginning of the movie – radio, television, once you whet the public’s appetite for the truth, the sky’s the limit. Well, that’s where we’re living today.

GROSS: Another really potent idea in the movie is that there’s this ring of prostitutes who with the help of plastic surgery are made up to look like Hollywood movie stars. Kim Basinger plays the prostitute who’s made up to look like Veronica Lake. And that whole idea that sex will be even more exciting if the person looks like a Hollywood movie star, so we’ll just, like, make these prostitutes into those looks is really a very interesting one. Tell me what spoke to you about that idea.

HANSON: Well, first of all, for me, what the overall theme of the movie – and it’s a theme that I’ve dealt with a little bit in other movies – is the difference between image and reality, the difference between how things appear and how they really are. And, of course, the Kim Basinger character sort of sums that up for the audience because she looks like Veronica Lake, but in fact, you know, is something else quite different.

Interestingly enough, that idea of prostitutes that look like movie stars is based on fact. One of the – what I’ve always found interesting about Elroy’s technique is that he takes things that are true, such as that, such as Mickey Cohen, Johnny Stompanato – the major sequence in the beginning of the movie that’s called “Bloody Christmas,” where the policemen sort of riot and beat up some Mexican prisoners – that’s all based on things that actually happened in Los Angeles at the time. And then, of course, we spin off into our tale.

GROSS: OK, one last question, and that has to do with the soundtrack. And I have to say this is I think one of the great soundtracks…

HANSON: Wow.

GROSS: …In the recent past because you’ve chosen great records for this, including a couple – you know, a Chet Baker vocal, a couple of – a Betty Hutton track, Dean Martin, a couple of Lee Wiley tracks. And I was so surprised and delighted to see Lee Wiley represented on the soundtrack of the film. She’s a wonderful singer who started her career I think in the ’30s or maybe…

HANSON: She was actually the first – she was actually the first, Terry, to do the so-called songbooks of…

GROSS: Right…

HANSON: …Composers.

GROSS: …Gershwin and Cole Porter…

HANSON: Yes.

GROSS: …And maybe Harold Arlen, too. What does she convey to you that you wanted in there?

HANSON: Well, she’s very much a personal favorite of mine. And so I took the opportunity to include her both for storytelling reasons and also to expose the audience to her. It’s all storytelling to me, Terry. And I took the opportunity in selecting the songs to help tell the story and illustrate the theme of the movie and also to help delineate the themes of the individual characters.

When I met Kevin Spacey for the first time and handed him the script, I said I want you to think of two words when you read this, Dean Martin. And he immediately got what I was talking about. He said, you mean the cool guy we wanted to be when we grew up. And he just, you know, took that and ran with it. And to help set the tone of that, I used two Dean Martin tracks at pivotal scenes that Kevin Spacey is in.

And each song is picked with something like that in mind. And Lee Wiley, you know, she does these two songs, here’s “Looking At You” and then “Oh! Look At Me Now.” Again, it gets back to the theme of this picture, the difference between how things appear or look and how they really are.

DAVIES: Curtis Hanson, speaking with Terry Gross in 1997. Hanson died Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 71. Here’s Lee Wiley singing the Cole Porter song “Looking At You.”

(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, “LOOKING AT YOU”)

LEE WILEY: (Singing) Looking at you while troubles are fleeing, I’m admiring the view ’cause it’s you I’m seeing. The sweet honeydew of wellbeing settles upon me. Life seemed…

DAVIES: Terry isn’t with us, but it’s a special day for her and all of us in the FRESH AIR family. Today at the White House, President Obama awarded Terry a National Humanities Medal.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BARACK OBAMA: We have an impressive crew with us here today. We’ve got Terry Gross and a whole bunch of people who Terry Gross has interviewed.

(LAUGHTER)

DAVIES: The award says her patient, persistent questioning and thousands of interviews over four decades has pushed public figures to reveal personal motivations behind extraordinary lives, revealing simple truths that affirm our common humanity. You probably knew that already. You can hear Terry talk about her career on today’s All Things Considered.

FRESH AIR’s executive producer is Danny Miller. Our interviews and reviews are produced and edited by Amy Salit, Phyllis Myers, Ann Marie Baldonado, Sam Briger, Lauren Krenzel, John Sheehan, Heidi Saman, Therese Madden and Thea Chaloner. For Terry Gross, I’m Dave Davies.

SOURCE

SKYWATCH: ROSETTA’S FINAL DAYS OF COMET EXPLORATION, RV GUIDE TO 2017 ECLIPSE, AND MORE

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HATEWATCH: HEADLINES FOR 9-22-2016

Hatewatch Staff

September 22, 2016

 

Meet Trump’s supporting cast of extremists; ‘TDS’ uncovers new Hillary theories; Lively hopes to see Putin-style anti-LGBT laws; and more.

******************************************************

Mother Jones: Meet the white nationalists, neo-Nazis, militiamen, Klansmen, and other extremist leaders endorsing Donald Trump.

Salon: The farther you dig into Trump Jr.’s background, the more his connections to white nationalists deepen.

Talking Points Memo: Trump’s new outreach to black voters includes a plan to use more ‘stop and frisk’ tactics.

Media Matters: Alex Jones discusses his personal phone calls with Trump, plans to advise him on Snowden.

Esquire: The Daily Show uncovered some hot new conspiracy theories about Hillary Clinton at a Trump rally.

Right Wing Watch: Scott Lively hopes to see some Russian-style anti-LGBT laws passed if Trump wins the presidency.

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INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE: SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

International Day of Peace

The United Nations’ (UN) International Day of Peace is celebrated on September 21 each year to recognize the efforts of those who have worked hard to end conflict and promote peace. The International Day of Peace is also a day of ceasefire – personal or political.

The dove is a symbol often associated with the International Day of Peace.

©iStockphoto.com/Sue McDonald

What Do People Do?

On the International Day of Peace, also known as Peace Day, people around the world take part in various activities and organize events centered on the theme “peace”. Events vary from private gatherings to public concerts and forums involving large audiences. Activities include:

• Interfaith peace ceremonies.
• A toast for peace.
• A peace choir.
• Lighting candles.
• Peace prayers.
• A peace convoy of vehicles.
• Tree planting for peace.
• Art exhibitions promoting peace.
• Picnics for peace.
• Peace walks.

Organizations such as Roots & Shoots, an international environmental and humanitarian program for youth, show their support for the event on an annual basis. Young people involved in Roots & Shoots may engage in activities such as crafting giant peace dove puppets from re-used materials and flying the doves in their communities. People from diverse religious and spiritual backgrounds also commit to organizing an International Day of Peace Vigil. Some groups observe a minute of silence at noon in every time zone across the world on Peace Day.

Public Life

The UN’s International Day of Peace is a global observance and not a public holiday. It is a day when nations around the world are invited to honor a cessation of hostilities during the day.

Background

A UN resolution established the International Day of Peace in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the UN General Assembly. The first Peace Day was celebrated in 1982 and was held on the third Tuesday of September each year until 2002, when September 21 became the permanent date for the International Day of Peace. The assembly decided in 2001 that the International Day of Peace should be annually observed on September 21 starting from 2002. By setting a fixed date for the International Day of Peace, the assembly declared that the day should be observed as a day of global ceasefire and non-violence.

By creating the International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace and encouraged people to work in cooperation for this goal. Since its inception, Peace Day has marked personal and planetary progress toward peace. It has grown to include millions of people worldwide and many events are organized each year to commemorate and celebrate this day.

Symbols

The peace dove flying with an olive branch in its beak is one of the most commonly featured symbols for the day. In Judaism, Christianity, and Islam a white dove is generally a sign for peace. The dove can also represent “hope for peace” or a peace offering from one person to another, hence the phrase “to extend an olive branch”. Often, the dove is represented as still in flight to remind people of its role as messenger.

External Links

International Day of Peace: September 21

International Day of Peace Observances

 

Weekday	Date	Year	Name	Holiday Type
Tue	Sep 21	2010	International Day of Peace	United Nations observance
Wed	Sep 21	2011	International Day of Peace	United Nations observance
Fri	Sep 21	2012	International Day of Peace	United Nations observance
Sat	Sep 21	2013	International Day of Peace	United Nations observance
Sun	Sep 21	2014	International Day of Peace	United Nations observance
Mon	Sep 21	2015	International Day of Peace	United Nations observance
Wed	Sep 21	2016	International Day of Peace	United Nations observance
Thu	Sep 21	2017	International Day of Peace	United Nations observance
Fri	Sep 21	2018	International Day of Peace	United Nations observance
Sat	Sep 21	2019	International Day of Peace	United Nations observance
Mon	Sep 21	2020	International Day of Peace	United Nations observance

BROTHER MALCOLM ON NEWSPAPERS AND THEIR COMPLICITY IN LIES