Latest news with #1976
Wall Street Journal
16 hours ago
- Science
- Wall Street Journal
The War With Tech Isn't New
Reading Allysia Finley's article 'AI's Biggest Threat: Young People Who Can't Think' (Life Science, June 23), I couldn't help but recall 1976. That was the year I entered junior high—the same year Texas Instruments introduced its TI-30 scientific calculator. Our teachers and parents repeatedly warned us not to become too dependent on this newfangled technology, as it might hinder our ability to think for ourselves. The more things change . . . Greg Ross
Mail & Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Mail & Guardian
Acts of resistance: The Market Theatre's enduring power 49 years on
John Kani in Nothing But The Truth. (Photo supplied) Johannesburg is a city where the pavements speak, if you listen close enough — stories beneath tar, between bricks and rising in spaces that have defied silence. Among these sacred spaces is a building that once bustled with the rhythms of trade: fruit piled high, hands exchanging change, spices scenting the air. But beneath that everyday chaos, something deeper was always stirring because the building that housed Johannesburg's Indian Fruit Market would become one of South Africa's most radical, revolutionary cultural sites — The Market Theatre. Today, 49 years after that transformation, the Market Theatre still stands. Not just as a venue but as a living archive of resistance, artistry and the unwavering human urge to speak truth to power. It is no accident that The Market Theatre was born in 1976, a year that ripped off the apartheid regime's mask of control. On 16 June 1976, thousands of students across the country rose in peaceful protest against the forced use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in black schools. What followed was state violence that left hundreds, possibly even thousands, dead. That year became etched in our bones. Just three days later, on 19 June 1976, Mannie Manim and the late, legendary Barney Simon founded The Market Theatre inside the very structure built in 1913 for the Indian Fruit Market. It was prophetic timing. As the streets burned with rage and sorrow, this theatre opened as a space of artistic defiance, where the suppressed stories of black South Africans could breathe. The theatre's existence challenged apartheid laws — multi-racial casts performed for integrated audiences in defiance of segregation. It was a rebellion with stage lights and scripts. It was activism in performance. Woza Albert!; Asinamali; Sophiatown; Bopha; You Strike the Woman, You Strike a Rock; Born in the RSA; Black Dog — Inj'emnyama — these were not just plays. They were urgent dispatches from the ground. They were history spoken aloud. They allowed those denied the right to speak to roar. These productions turned The Market into the Theatre of the Struggle. They gave South Africans a mirror in which to see, not only the wounds inflicted by oppression, but the resilience of spirit fighting back. Every ticket stub from that era is an artefact of courage. Few artists have walked the Market's boards as long or as faithfully as Paul Slabolepszy — one of South Africa's most prolific playwrights. In his words, we hear the heartbeat of what this theatre means to those who have shaped it. 'I still get a thrill every time I walk into the foyer of the Market Theatre. Those that have gone before us still 'people' that space. I feel the presence of the storytellers … who took on a regime that sought to divide us and stifle the truth.' He remembers knocking down actual walls in the theatre's earliest days, under Barney Simon's direction, as part of a performance about young prisoners. Asinamali, June 2013. (Photo supplied) 'When that wall went down,' he says, 'the area was transformed to become the theatre laundry.' That story is a metaphor for what The Market has always done — breaking down barriers to build something bigger than bricks. It is also a place of mentorship and generational exchange. 'Barney Simon gave me the courage to write,' Slabolepszy adds. 'Today, 49 years and 38 plays later, I am still writing, still learning.' He remembers sitting in the Market's bar talking to the late Matsemela Manaka about theatre and life. 'He was a sage who left us too soon,' he says. But like all great sages, Manaka's spirit remains in the walls, in the words, in the vision still unfolding. The Market is not just about history. It is about the present and the imagination of what comes next. Artistic director Greg Homann sees the space not only as a stage but as a vessel of legacy and creativity. 'At 49 we acknowledge the fearless storytelling, rebellious spirit, and theatrical magic that has always been at our heart. 'On The Market's birthday, we honour the generations of artists, audiences and activists who have shaped us into a powerful space for truth, transformation and imagination. 'Here's to the legacy we carry — and the future we continue to create. Here's to the journey, the people, and the powerful stories still to come.' Homann's words are both reflection and rallying cry. They invite new voices into the fold while acknowledging the generations whose sacrifices made this platform possible. The Butcher Brothers, August 2010. (File photo) John Kani, a man whose artistry helped define this space, has chosen to save his reflections for the 50th anniversary. But even in his restraint, there is immense respect. 'You are one year early … Congratulations to The Market Theatre for 49 years of their incredible impact! They have proved that art can make change within a society.' And that, really, is what The Market Theatre is about — change. Not just political but personal. Not just in content but in consciousness. It teaches us what it means to be human. As Slabolepszy puts it, 'Theatre — live storytelling — transforms and enriches our lives and enables us to celebrate in our common humanity.' So when a young actor walks onto that stage today, they walk among the ghosts — Barney, Matsemela, Ramolao Makhene. And when the audience leans in, they do so not just to be entertained but to be reminded of the country's heart, its pain and its possibility. At 49, The Market Theatre is not aging. It is evolving. It continues to 'feed audiences hungry for connection', as Slabolepszy says. It continues to tell stories that refuse to be sanitised. It is still 'the newspaper of our lives', chronicling the uncomfortable, the beautiful and the necessary. And so we celebrate. Not just a birthday but a legacy. A movement. A sacred space that has held our laughter, our grief, our questions, our dreams. Here's to the next act. Here's to the storytellers still to come. Here's to The Market Theatre — always rising, telling it like it is.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Death threats, a few regrets... and my bid to replace Sir Alex with Souness: Former Rangers chairman SIR DAVID MURRAY reflects on a rollercoaster journey through life in his new autobiography
Sir David Murray recently revisited the spot where a tyre of his purple Lotus Elite blew, sending him smashing into a tree and lying unconscious next to the wreckage, his legs so mangled by an impact which forced the engine into the driver's seat that they would be amputated. The marks are still there at the base of the tree, nearly 50 years on, just as there are still purple shards of the car's bodywork embedded in his upper leg. It struck him, for the first time, that he'd so nearly avoided that life-defining catastrophe, on an overcast Saturday afternoon on a dual carriageway in East Lothian, after playing in a rugby match in 1976.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Jaws' turns 50: Steven Spielberg's caught-on-camera Oscar snub still smarts — and shows need for Best Director reform
Steven Spielberg, one could say, was less than pleased when he found out he was not nominated for the Best Director Oscar for his game-changing shark thriller Jaws. On Oscar nominations morning in 1976, the then 29-year-old was so confident that the blockbuster was "about to be nominated in 11 categories" that he turned the camera on himself to document his live reaction. "You're about to see a sweep of the nominations," Spielberg boasted in the footage (watch above), which has since become legend thanks to the Media Burn Archive collection. More from GoldDerby All the 'Abbott Elementary' Season 4 Emmy predictions, including those 'Sunny' guest stars Ryan Murphy and the JFK Jr.-Carolyn Bessette controversy, explained: Why 'American Love Story' Instagram post got so much hate Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2 Along with friends Joe Spinell and Frank Pesce—both of whom were filming Rocky, which would go on to win Best Picture at the subsequent Oscars—Spielberg watched as Best Director was announced on TV. The nominees were Federico Fellini for Amarcord, Stanley Kubrick for Barry Lyndon, Sidney Lumet for Dog Day Afternoon, Robert Altman for Nashville, and Miloš Forman for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. While that's legendary lineup of directors, Spielberg was aghast: "Oh, I didn't get it! I didn't get it! I wasn't nominated. I got beaten out by Fellini!" (Amarcord was the only film without a corresponding Best Picture nomination and had also won Best Foreign Language Film the year prior, giving it international distribution for 1975 eligibility.) By the time Jaws was announced as a Best Picture nominee moments later, it seemed like a consolation prize to the young director. "Well, it's about time," Spielberg stated, the sting still fresh. Spinell and Pesce also expressed frustration, comparing it to 1972 when The Godfather and Cabaret split the top two categories. "You cannot have the Best Picture unless the director is also nominated. Who made the picture?" Spinell declared. "The greatest picture of all time was made and they haven't recognized the director," Pesce added. Universal Pictures/Everett Collection After being informed by his assistant that Jaws was only up in four categories instead of the 11 he expected, Spielberg attributed the snubs to commercial backlash, meaning: "When a film makes a lot of money, people resent it. Everybody loves a winner, but nobody loves a WINNER." Although much has evolved with the Academy Awards in the 50 years since, Spielberg's theory still rings true. Jaws became the catalyst for the movie business model that exists today and also redefined what we think of as box office success. Still, high grosses don't necessarily translate to certain Academy Award recognition. At the time, many were overwhelmed by Jaws' commercial success and perhaps thought that was enough for the movie. Even today, the Oscars remain more of a launching pad for independent and purposely "artistic" films, only occasionally recognizing blockbusters for the top category—and even less so for Best Director. Back when there were only five slots in Best Picture, the stars would have to align for the kind of golden sweep experienced by box office juggernauts like Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, each of which won 11 Oscars and tied for the most all-time wins. The reason the Best Picture field expanded to 10 nominees can be credited to the outrage over Christopher Nolan's 2008 smash The Dark Knight being shut out of major categories. Since then, more blockbusters have been nominated—including Black Panther, Wicked: Part One, Top Gun: Maverick, Barbie, and both Dune films—but none of those corresponded to the directing category. As Spinell said incredulously in that 1976 clip, "Who made the picture?" READ: 'Jaws' at 50: Jeffrey 'Deputy Hendricks' Kramer recalls 'horrific' first scene and an epic Roy Scheider flub Jaws ended up winning three of its four Oscar nominations, taking home Best Original Score for John Williams, as well as Best Sound, and Best Editing. Spielberg went on to amass 23 nominations, including nine Best Director mentions and two wins. So while he may have been disappointed 50 years ago, Jaws kickstarted the career of Hollywood's most commercially successful director. At the same time, the Academy got it wrong then and continues to get it wrong too often now. Don't hold your breath for the organization to revamp the Best Director category to include more nominees; there is a lingering snobbery when it comes to the perception of art versus commerce, with the two rarely intersecting for voters. In the case of Jaws, history has proven the film's immense value. No offense to, say, Fellini or Kubrick—both undisputed titans of cinema—but a half-century later, neither of their 1975 offerings has the cultural cachet of Jaws. "Amarcord at 50" headlines just aren't a thing. Jaws, meanwhile, is still enjoyable as an intense, suspenseful thriller about an unlikely trio trying to thwart a great white shark before it kills any more innocent civilians. However, Spielberg also makes it a story about the complicity of local governments and the value of corporate greed over human lives—something that still resonates. And what Spielberg does with his camera, establishing the horror through underwater shots, split diopters, dolly zooms, and the alternating iconic two-note score by Williams has influenced filmmaking for five decades. Jaws is universal and unforgettable... and its Oscar omissions are truly unforgivable. Best of GoldDerby Tom Cruise movies: 17 greatest films ranked worst to best 'It was wonderful to be on that ride': Christian Slater talks his beloved roles, from cult classics ('Heathers,' 'True Romance') to TV hits ('Mr. Robot,' 'Dexter: Original Sin') 'It almost killed me': Horror maestro Mike Flanagan looks back at career-making hits from 'Gerald's Game' to 'Hill House' to 'Life of Chuck' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
How the infamous heatwave of 1976 compares to temperatures these days
Temperatures are soaring across the UK as it braces for a heatwave, but how does it compare to the famous long hot summer of 1976? Whenever there is a spell of hot weather, there is one year that always get mentioned, with those of a certain generation claiming, "This is nothing compared to the heat in 1976!" Forty-nine years ago, hot air from the Mediterranean unleashed 10 weeks of blistering heat across the UK, sparking a summer heatwave that has since passed into legend, bringing the worst drought for 250 years. At that year's Wimbledon tennis championships, umpires were allowed to remove their jackets for the first time ever, and when Bjorn Borg shot to victory on court, 400 spectators were treated for heat-related symptoms. At its peak, the heatwave saw 15 consecutive days with temperatures over 32C somewhere in Britain - the hottest recorded temperature was 35.9C in Cheltenham. Lasting from late June to late August, the prolonged lack of rain meant the heatwave's impact was keenly felt across Britain. That summer is widely regarded as an anomaly, but many climate scientists have a different take on it these days. To them, what is even more concerning is that the temperatures that baked Britain five decades ago are no longer unusual. 'I have heard 1976 brought up frequently when discussing this year's temperatures," said Max Dugan-Knight, a climate data scientist at weather data specialists Deep Sky Research. He told Yahoo News: "But compared to the past few years, 1976 does not look out of the ordinary.' The prolonged heat and drought meant that Ladybower Reservoir in Derbyshire ran dry, revealing flooded villages unseen for years. The weather dried out and killed off plants on which aphids depended - as a result, about 23.65 billion seven-spotted ladybirds swarmed the country. Hosepipe bans were imposed and showers encouraged, while a popular T-shirt suggested: "Bathe with a friend." A lioness fainted at a circus near Norwich and people regularly dived into the fountains at Trafalgar Square in London to cool off. Parts of the south west of England went an astonishing 45 days without any rain. The weeks without rain led then prime minister James Callaghan to consider importing water in tankers from Norway - and Birmingham MP Denis Howell was appointed the minister for drought. However, the UK's drought wasn't caused by the 1976 heatwave alone. As the Met Office pointed out in 2018, the drought "came after a previous sunny summer of 1975 and also a very dry 12-month period". Nonetheless, the 1976 heatwave still played a major part in the most significant period of drought - May 1975 to August 1976 - since Met Office records began. Shortly afterwards, thunderstorms broke across the country, at a point where London had just 90 days of water supply left - and the two following months were very wet indeed. "Looking back at the data, the summer of 1976 was much hotter in the UK than other years around it," said Dugan-Knight. "But the UK is not the world. The summer of 1976 was anomalously hot in the UK but it was actually below average in most of Europe and the world." In 1976, the highest temperature was set in Cheltenham on 3 July and was recorded as 35.9C, which was then a record until being surpassed in 2022, although it remains one of the hottest days on record. It was also the sunniest summer on record, with 669 hours of sunshine. The 1976 heatwave was unusual (and memorable) because it was so dry and so sustained, but recent years have been hotter. The UK is set to see its hottest day of the year so far this week, with the warm weather predicted to remain in place into the weekend, when a high of up to 33C is forecast on Saturday in the east of England. Dugan-Knight said: 'July and August 2022 was hotter in the UK than 1976. Since then, temperatures have been slightly lower but still much higher than average temperatures in the 70s.' The fact that Britain still harks back to a heatwave almost 50 years ago, even though temperatures are higher now, illustrates how people have "got used" to warmer conditions, said Dugan-Knight. "Climate change does not mean that each year will be progressively warmer than the last. We have all become used to on average warmer temperatures due to the general trend. Younger people will just be accustomed to higher temperatures.' According to Deep Sky Research, heatwaves are becoming more common and more dangerous. Writing in The Guardian in July 2022 about the same issue, Dr Ella Gilbert, a climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, criticised those who hark back to the 1976 heatwave in an attempt to diminish the seriousness of climate change. She said: "As a climate scientist, I'm tired of hearing about why it means we shouldn't take the climate crisis seriously. 1976 was undeniably a hot summer... but in many ways it was nothing like the heatwave we're enduring right now. "In 1976, the UK was an anomalous red blob of unusual heat on a map of distinctly normal summer temperatures. Contrast that to July 2022, and there are few places on Earth where temperatures are not considerably above average. "Climate breakdown is increasing the intensity, duration and frequency of extreme heat events." New research published by the Met Office this week warned that the UK has a 50/50 chance of seeing temperatures soar to 40C and above in the next 12 years. It also warned that far higher temperatures of 45C or more 'may be possible' in today's climate, while heatwaves could go on for a month or more. Dr Nick Dunstone, Met Office science fellow and co-author of the study, said: 'The well-known hot summer of 1976 had more than a fortnight above 28°C, which is a key heatwave threshold in south-east England. 'Our study finds that in today's climate such conditions could persist for a month or more. 'These findings highlight the need to prepare and plan for the impacts of rising temperatures now, so we can better protect public health, infrastructure, and the environment from the growing threat of extreme heat.'
