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Hej, Ikea! Where's the rest of my kitchen? Widow gets half a kitchen due to discontinued items
Hej, Ikea! Where's the rest of my kitchen? Widow gets half a kitchen due to discontinued items

Hamilton Spectator

time01-07-2025

  • Business
  • Hamilton Spectator

Hej, Ikea! Where's the rest of my kitchen? Widow gets half a kitchen due to discontinued items

Debra Selkirk had long dreamed of updating her 1960s-era kitchen and strategically waited for a sale at Ikea. The cupboard doors would be soft grey with raised panels; pretty and practical. She wanted something that wouldn't show every finger smudge or bit of dirt. The Hamilton widow landed on the Bodbyn line, which Ikea says 'bring a traditional character with a warm and welcoming feel to your kitchen.' What the company didn't say, until two months after she paid nearly $3,000 to order the majority of the pieces an in-store Ikea kitchen designer determined she would need for the project, was that the line would soon be discontinued. Since April 9, Selkirk has been four doors, one drawer, seven cover panels and a couple of toe kicks away from completing her dream kitchen. Ingka Group, Ikea's parent company, operates 16 stores across Canada, which made $2.6 billion in sales last year (a slight dip from 2023). Space-planning software helps Ikea's in-house designers produce a 'shopping list' for customers buying kitchens. It's a summary that includes each product's unique article number, its weight, price and 'picking place,' although that field is not populated on the printout. Only items in stock can be ordered and paid for. On April 2, when Selkirk drove to the Burlington store for help planning and ordering her kitchen, only a third of the items she needed were in stock. 'The girl said to me, 'It's really a busy because we're having a sale and everybody orders the kitchens … if you come back in a week or so, everything else should be in. So going on that, I ordered the first chunk of stuff.' A week later, Selkirk returned to the store and ordered a second chunk of items. But 15 pieces remained outstanding. Over the next two months, Selkirk would cross the Skyway 10 more s in search of the rest of her kitchen, which her son was going to put together before his daughter's competitive soccer season started. Selkirk had begun packing up her cupboards and her son dismantled most of the original cabinetry in the hope that the Ikea pieces she needed would soon be available. Debra Selkirk had packed up her cupboards and her son had dismantled most of the original Sixties cabinetry in the hopes that the Ikea pieces she paid for would soon be available. 'The last I went, I said, 'You know, been two, almost three months. And she goes, 'Well, to be honest with you, we're not getting that in anymore.'' Selkirk says she was told to head downstairs to the customer service counter to file a complaint. 'So I go downstairs and I tell them my story and they type it all up and then they call upstairs and they go, 'Can you guys please stop selling that kitchen? She's the second customer I've had today.'' Selkirk says the customer service agent told her the company would pull the missing pieces together from other stores and ship them to her. When no one reached out, Selkirk called Ikea. 'As soon as she pulled up my complaint, she immediately said, 'Oh yes, I am really sorry but your cabinet doors are discontinued and we're not getting any more in.'' Selkirk said the company's 'only olive branch' was that it would pick up all of the kitchen components she had already ordered and refund her ... 'as long as I pay the cost to deliver it back to them.' Understandably, Selkirk did not take the olive branch. She went back online and started searching inventory at every Ikea store across the country. Surely the company hasn't entirely sold out the line, she thought. She found three doors in Calgary, a fourth in Quebec City. The toe kicks (the trim piece between the lower cabinets and the floor) were in Burlington. The cover panels (the sides of cabinets), were in Richmond, B.C. Ikea, Selkirk says, told her it won't do store-to-store transfers and if she wanted those pieces she would have to pay to have the components shipped to Ontario. Also, she'd have to pay full price on each item. The company told her it wouldn't honour the 15 per cent discount it gave her on the original order in April. 'So technically they can finish my order,' she says. 'This is the most ridiculous situation.' Alicia Carroll, a public relations leader at Ikea Canada, responded to my call for action. In my first message to Carroll, I laid out Selkirk's dilemma. The company's most recent annual report and much of its advertising emphasizes its commitment to making people's 'life-at-home dreams a reality.' I noted that Ikea staff sold Selkirk a dream that it should have known it couldn't fulfil. Carroll got back to me with a plan. At Ikea, she wrote, 'we aim to provide a seamless and positive experience for all our customers. In this instance, we recognize that we fell short of that goal.' The CTA says the airline hasn't provided them with information for their investigation — despite I wanted to know whether Ikea's kitchen planning software alerts staff to shortages. It does not, Carroll says. Carroll noted that customers can sign up for online notifications to be prompted when an out-of-stock item becomes available. Selkirk says the system didn't work. 'We have internal processes designed to help ensure customers are informed when planning with discontinued items, but it appears this information was not clearly communicated in Debra's case,' Carroll wrote. 'We acknowledge this gap and are committed to improving how we support customers in similar situations.' The Bodbyn kitchen door style in gray, specifically, is discontinuing and has an end date of October 2025, Carroll clarified. 'Our co-workers are trained to inform customers if a product is going to be discontinued six months in advance of the end date.' Ikea confirmed it is 'working to source' all 15 missing kitchen components for Selkirk. If an item is no longer available, Carroll said Ikea will 'collaborate' with Selkirk 'to find an alternative solution that maintains the look and feel of her kitchen — such as offering glass door options in the same colour.' Selkirk says she's not a fan of glass doors. 'Who wants to look at a mess of glasses and plates?' What about the discount? I asked Carroll. And the shipping? 'We'll also provide free delivery of the remaining items and honour the original 15 per cent discount from her purchase,' Carroll confirmed. 'While it's not standard practice to extend promotional pricing after the fact, we believe this is the right approach in this case.' Selkirk told me Ikea has since contacted her by phone to get things moving. 'Twice they told me, 'You know, if they get damaged you can't replace them, are you sure you want them?'' Selkirk didn't hesitate. 'Oh yes, I'm sure!'

Sly Stone Believed Everybody Is a Star: The Massive Legacy of an Avant-Funk Revolutionary
Sly Stone Believed Everybody Is a Star: The Massive Legacy of an Avant-Funk Revolutionary

Yahoo

time16-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

Sly Stone Believed Everybody Is a Star: The Massive Legacy of an Avant-Funk Revolutionary

Thank you for the party, but Sly could never stay. Sly Stone was always the ultimate mystery man of American music, a visionary genius who transformed the world with some of the most innovative sounds of the Sixties and Seventies. With Sly and the Family Stone, he fused funk, soul, and acid rock into his own utopian sound, in hits like 'Family Affair' and 'Everyday People.' Yet he remained an elusive figure, all but disappearing in the 1970s. When he died on Monday, it seemed strange he was 'only' 82, because he seemed even older — as if he'd outlived himself by decades. Yet his music sounds as boldly futuristic and influential as ever, which is why the world is still reeling from this loss. Nobody ever sounded like this man. Sly could write inspirational songs of unity, anthems like 'I Want to Take You Higher' that would turn a live crowd into a euphoric tribe, or uplifting hits like 'Stand!' or 'Everybody Is a Star' that can catch you in a lonely moment and make you feel like the rest of your life is a chance to live up to the song's challenge. More from Rolling Stone 'He Would Be in the Top 10': Ben Fong-Torres on Writing Sly Stone's Rolling Stone Cover Story Vernon Reid on Why Sly and the Family Stone Were the Greatest American Band Chuck D Explains How Sly Stone Influenced Public Enemy But that went side by side with his streetwise sense of betrayal and rage. 'Everybody Is a Star' comes on like a love song to human hope, so radiant in every tiny sonic detail, with Sly chanting, 'Shine, shine, shine!' But it's also got the weird question, 'Ever catch a falling star? Ain't no stopping till it's in the ground.' Sly Stone wanted to remind you that you were the star of hope in the sky — but you could also be the star that comes crashing down into a crater. All his contradictions come together in his greatest song, the 1970 funk blast 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),' with the hardest bass-versus-guitar staccato slash attack on Earth. The chorus sounds cheerful on the surface: 'Thank you for letting me be myself again!' But the closer you listen, the more dread and anger you hear. For Sly, with all of his fame and fortune, this is what it all comes down to: Lookin' at the devil. Grinnin' at his gun. Fingers start a-shakin'. I begin to run. It's a death haiku that's all the scarier for being delivered as a party chant. Bullets start a-chasin'. I begin to stop. We began to wrestle. I was on the top. The groove keeps churning, but with no resolution. There's no victory in Sly's battle with the devil — just the temporary triumph of not being defeated, at least not yet. The Family Stone was his ideal of a band as a self-contained community, uniting musicians of different races, different genders, some friends, some relatives — but with everyone lending a voice. His Family Stone built the template for countless music collectives, whether it was the Native Tongues, Prince's Revolution, Afrika Bambaata's Zulu Nation, the Wu-Tang Clan, OutKast and the Dungeon Family, or beyond. 'The concept behind Sly and the Stone,' he told Rolling Stone in 1970, 'I wanted to be able for everyone to get a chance to sweat. By that I mean … if there was anything to be happy about, then everybody'd be happy about it. If there was a lot of money to be made, for anyone to make a lot of money. If there were a lot of songs to sing, then everybody got to sing. That's the way it is now. Then, if we have something to suffer or a cross to bear — we bear it together.' Some of the Family were virtuoso singers, others just filling in for a line or two at a time, but there was always that utopian tribal spirit. His band was a visionary blend of James Brown/Stax/Muscle Shoals funk teamwork, but with the anarchic jamming of the hippie bands from the San Francisco acid-rock scene where he made his first converts. As Sly put it in the title of their debut album, it was A Whole New Thing — a radically democratic sound where everybody was a star. Sly's tough charisma made him a unique presence in Seventies pop culture — remote, cool, unknowable, hiding behind a smile that gleamed like bulletproof glass. You could always see him show up in places like the sitcom Good Times, set in a Chicago housing project, where the cool teenager Thelma had posters of Sly and Stevie Wonder on her bedroom wall, almost like good-angel/bad-angel twins. There was a comedian on BET who used to do a hilarious routine about growing up in the Seventies and watching Soul Train. 'When I was a kid, I didn't know what drugs were. I just knew there was something wrong with Sly.' Those contradictions were always built into his music. 'If It Were Left Up to Me' is one of his funniest, nastiest gems ever, a Fresh funk quickie from 1973, where the singers chant sardonic promises full of sleight-of-hand wordplay, until it ends with a sarcastic, 'Cha-cha-cha!' There's 'Que Sera Sera,' also from 1973, refurbishing an old Doris Day chestnut about how everything always works out for the best, except that Sly turns it into a slow-motion dirge full of dread, a warning that fate is out to get you. 'Que Sera Sera' took on a new life in 1989 as the perfect closing theme for Heathers, as Winona Ryder struts through her high school, covered in soot and ashes. When Shannen Doherty gasps, 'You look like hell,' Winona smirks, 'I just got back.' A very Sly line — so it's fitting that Heathers made 'Que Sera Sera' the closest he got to a comeback hit in the Eighties or Nineties. Sly Stone was born in Texas, but raised in the blue-collar Bay Area town of Vallejo. He was just five years old when he cut his first record with his family gospel group, the Stewart Four. But he was already a musical prodigy, mastering piano, guitar, bass, and drums. Barely out of his teens, he became a radio DJ on KSOL ('Super Soul'), where he honed his eclectic musical tastes. 'I played Dylan, Lord Buckley, the Beatles. Every night I tried something else,' he said in 1970. 'I really didn't know what was going on. Everything was just on instinct. You know, if there was an Ex-Lax commercial, I'd play the sound of a toilet flushing. It would've been boring otherwise.' But he got bored with the strictures of genre formatting. 'In radio,' he said, 'I found out about a lot of things I don't like. Like, I think there shouldn't be 'Black radio.' Just radio. Everybody be a part of everything.' He became a house producer at the local label Autumn Records, producing Bobby Freeman's huge 1964 dance hit 'C'Mon and Swim.' But he also worked with the wildly innovative folk rock of the Beau Brummels — he helmed their 1965 classics like 'Don't Talk to Strangers,' 'You Tell Me Why,' and 'Not Too Long Ago' with the melancholy tinge he would bring to his own band. He also produced one of the Bay Area's first hippie bands, Grace Slick's pre-Jefferson Airplane group, the Great Society. For their classic debut single — 'Free Advice' on one side, the original 'Somebody to Love' on the other — he famously drove the band through 286 takes. But one of his most crucial learning experiences at Autumn was watching everybody get ripped off. It was his first time getting burned in the music business, and he made sure it would be the last. He never again got involved with projects he didn't control. So he began putting together his own band, inspired by the local free-form rock scene happening at places like the Family Dog and the Fillmore. 'The concept was to be able to conceive all kinds of music,' he said in 1970. 'Whatever was contemporary, and not necessarily in terms of being commercial — whatever meant whatever now. Like today, things like censorship, and the Black-people/white-people thing. That's on my mind. So we just like to perform the things that are on our mind.' Once the world heard 'Dance to the Music,' nobody could resist, as the hits kept coming: 'Everyday People,' 'M'Lady,' 'Stand!,' 'Hot Fun in the Summertime.' The Family stole the show at Woodstock, turning 'I Want to Take You Higher' into a massive hippie chant. People always wanted more-more-more from Sly, based on the utopian promises of his songs. But he became the first major star who made an artistic flourish out of pulling back, whether it was going onstage late — he made that one of his trademarks — or simply blowing off shows. He made a point of being combative in interviews. That also meant long delays between records — after Stand!, he kept everyone waiting an unimaginable 18 months for new music, forcing his record company to drop the utterly perfect Greatest Hits. (The delay also gave Motown time to whip up the perfect Sly and the Family Stone substitute: the Jackson 5, who filled the gap with their doppelganger hits like 'I Want You Back' and 'The Love You Save.') After the wait, he stunned everyone with There's a Riot Goin' On, his radically negative refusal to play the commercial game, with its low-fi beatbox avant-funk. It was the prototype for independent swerves like Radiohead's Kid A or Nirvana's In Utero — yet like those albums, it was a sales blockbuster, hitting home with an audience that idolized him for going his own way. 'Family Affair' is the best-known classic, with Bobby Womack's virtuoso blues guitar, in a heartbreaking tale of newlyweds falling apart. But it also has stunners like 'Spaced Cowboy,' sounding uncannily like Young Marble Giants with its basement drum-machine clank, before it builds into a cocky drug boast with ironic Wild West yodels. 'I can't say it more than once, because I'm thinkin' twice as fast,' Sly growls. 'Yodel-ay-hee, yay-hee-hoo!' But the toughest, bleakest moment is 'Africa Talks to You (The Asphalt Jungle),' where the chorus chants, 'Timberrrrr! All fall down!' 'I wrote a song about Africa because in Africa the animals are animals,' he told Rolling Stone at the time. 'The tiger is a tiger, the snake is a snake, you know what the hell he's gonna do. Here in New York, the asphalt jungle, a tiger or a snake may come up looking like, uhhh, you.' He switched gears with Fresh in 1973 — his most exuberantly upbeat funk, jumping right out with 'In Time.' It's as flamboyantly cheerful as Riot was hostile, which isn't to say it's any less brash in its confrontational spirit. 'Let Me Have It All' is the most openhearted love song he ever did, rhythmically and vocally. Yet it's also an album about drugged-out euphoria on the verge of crashing. 'If You Want Me to Stay,' with its drowsy pimp strut of a bass line, warns you not to be foolish enough to count on him or expect anything out of him — especially if you bought a ticket for one of those shows where he didn't turn up. After Fresh, his music suddenly fell off a cliff, with depressing comeback efforts like Small Talk, High on You, or Heard Ya Missed Me, Well I'm Back, with its faux anthem 'Family Again.' Everyone was still stealing ideas from Sly — most notably Miles Davis — but the man himself ghosted. The tabloids kept reporting the bad news: He was wasted on drugs, broke, living out of a car. His final albums barely got noticed, with smarmy titles like Back on the Right Track or Ain't but the One Way, ending with 'High, Y'All.' His final highlights came with George Clinton, his most outspoken disciple, on Funkadelic's 1981 The Electric Spanking of War Babies. 'FREE SLY!' Clinton declared in the liner notes, having recently gotten busted with Stone. Sly also shone on Clinton's 1983 robot-funk hit 'Hydraulic Pump,' from the P-Funk All-Stars' album Urban Dance-Floor Guerillas. 'Hydraulic Pump' was a prophecy of the Detroit techno to come, but it also turned out to be Sly's final moment of glory on wax. When Stone died on June 9, it was just a few days after the 51st anniversary of his most famous celebrity stunt: getting married onstage at Madison Square Garden, in a sold-out 1974 show. In so many ways, that wedding event was his farewell to his public life, as he became a reclusive figure for his final decades. 'Dying young is hard to take, selling out is harder,' he warned in 'Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),' still just in his 20s. The ultimate epitaph for Sly is that he managed to avoid doing either. Yet the world never came close to forgetting about Sly Stone. The excellent Questlove documentary Sly Lives! (The Burden of Black Genius) was a reminder of why he still loomed so large, years after he'd seemingly said his goodbyes. You can hear that legacy everywhere, even in young punk rockers like Turnstile, who turned 'Thank You' into their own 'T.L.C. (Turnstile Love Connection).' 'Everyday People' has to be the only song that's ever gotten covered by both Tom Jones and Joan Jett. 'We gotta live together,' the song goes, even though its author made a point of living apart. But he went out as a musical revolutionary who owed the world nothing. Every goodbye he ever had to say was already there in 'Thank You': 'We began to wrestle, I was on the top.' Sly Stone defined that sense of lifelong struggle in his music. But he managed to turn that struggle into songs that will keep right on changing and challenging the world forever. The message in the music is clear as always — everybody is a star. Best of Rolling Stone Sly and the Family Stone: 20 Essential Songs The 50 Greatest Eminem Songs All 274 of Taylor Swift's Songs, Ranked

Tay ferries and Royal Arch star as amateur photographer's photos of 60s Dundee unearthed
Tay ferries and Royal Arch star as amateur photographer's photos of 60s Dundee unearthed

The Courier

time06-06-2025

  • General
  • The Courier

Tay ferries and Royal Arch star as amateur photographer's photos of 60s Dundee unearthed

Old photographs which capture the changing character of Dundee have been digitised to bring the past back to life. They chart moments of city history and lost landmarks in the 1960s. The photos were taken by Dundonian Ron Wilson, whose lifelong passion for photography started from a young age, inspired by his mother. Ron was a Clydesdale Bank manager and well-known in Dundee. He died aged 69 in 2000. The slides had lain untouched for decades before his family decided to preserve them for future generations, including the grandchildren he never met. They were digitised by Grant Millar from Broughty Ferry, who runs a business converting cine films, videos, slides and negatives from the analogue era. His daughter Fiona Robb, from Kinross, said the collection goes back to 1959. She said: 'We have great memories of family evenings, setting up the projector and screen to look at the slides. 'Dad was interested in capturing events on his camera. 'Because he lived in Dundee for so long, he had a lot of photos of Dundee scenes. 'We wanted to get them digitised to preserve the images and prevent any further deterioration. 'Another reason was that my parents sadly did not get to meet their grandchildren. 'Preserving the photos lets the grandchildren have an idea of what their grandparents were like, as well as seeing their parents' generation growing up. 'It will give them a visual family history.' Ron was born in March 1931 in Dundee. He grew up in Glenprosen Terrace and attended Rockwell School and Harris Academy. After a period of National Service in the RAF, he started working as a bank clerk for the Clydesdale Bank in Dundee High Street and sat his bank exams. He lived in Glenprosen Terrace until he married Marjorie MacKenzie. And it was a double wedding at St David's North Church in August 1959. Marjorie's sister, Elizabeth MacKenzie, also tied the knot with Stanley Watson Millar. Ron and Marjorie moved to Downie Park in Dundee. Fiona was born in 1962 and Murray followed in 1966. The couple were both dedicated members of the High Kirk in Kinghorne Road. In addition, Ron was a keen photographer – both of family and Scottish scenery. Ron's photographs chronicle the transformation of Dundee in the Swinging Sixties. Street scenes include the old Overgate. And the Angus Hotel is shown welcoming visitors. The Grill and Griddle is pictured serving coffee and breakfast. The Tay Ferries are also still sailing in the photographs taken by Ron. The La Scala cinema was still showing movies. The Murraygate cinema had a narrow facade consisting of a large, square tower clad in white tiles and topped by a huge golden globe. It was recognised as the grandest cinema in Dundee. However, the spectacular building disappeared in October 1968. The Royal Arch and Dundee West Station are still standing in Ron's photographs. Dundee West was one of the city's gothic architectural masterpieces. It closed in May 1965 and was then demolished in April 1966. The Royal Arch stood at the junction of Dock Street and Shore Terrace from 1850. However, it was allowed to fall into disrepair and neglect. Slow but steady work started to dismantle the arch in February 1964. It was blown up with dynamite on March 16 1964. But some saw it as a deliberate act of cultural vandalism. The start of construction of the Tay Road Bridge is also recorded by Ron. The Tay Ferries were still in daily use up until the crossing took over. Rubble from the Royal Arch was used as foundations for the approach ramp. Fiona has spent hours admiring Ron's photographs. She said the family is incredibly proud of his collection. They also show private moments which were all the more precious. 'Dad's main camera was a Pentax Spotmatic SP II,' said Fiona. 'He always took it with him on trips. 'I think our grandmother sparked his lifelong passion for photography. 'We can fondly remember our gran using a Ricohflex box camera with the viewfinder on top and trying not to cut people's heads off! 'We remember that, as children, he would get us to stand still for him to photograph family portraits. 'On Christmas Day he got us to arrange our Christmas presents for a photo. 'This was partly so we could remember who to thank. 'My brother Murray and I can remember being a tad impatient with this process, as we were not allowed to play with our presents until the photo was taken. 'Parties and family occasions were also always photographed by my dad.' After stints as a bank accountant in St Andrews and Ayr, he moved with the family to Lochgilphead, in Mid-Argyll, after he was promoted to bank manager. But he never stopped taking pictures. Ron and Marjorie continued to live there after he retired from the bank in 1988. In 1992 they moved to Forfar. Ron always wore a shirt, tie and waistcoat – even after retiring. Fiona described her dad as quiet and reserved 'with a great sense of humour'. 'He was a very good provider to our family and worked extremely hard and conscientiously, doing his best to be helpful to his many customers,' she said. 'He was a devoted husband, father, son, nephew and family man. 'As well as his interest in photography, Dad was also an avid stamp, coin and toy car collector and proudly displayed his car collection in the hall of the family home.' He was also a fan of classic films and musicals. Westerns with John Wayne, Glenn Ford and Alan Ladd were always a favourite. Fiona said: 'He was a church elder and member of the Iona Community. 'He was also a Rotarian.' His idyllic retirement was shattered when Marjorie died in 1994. She was just 58. Ron was heartbroken. 'Dad regained some zest for life but never really recovered,' said Fiona. 'In the last five years of his life, he suffered a series of mini-strokes. 'He died in 2000, aged only 69. 'We are now so very grateful that he took all these photographs, as it gives us a wonderful collection of photos of family occasions, events in the Dundee area and shots of beautiful Scottish scenery. 'Unfortunately, our parents did not live long enough to meet their grandchildren. 'We want to keep our parents' memory alive, via Dad's photos, so that Joel and Lucas will have some idea of what their grandparents were like. 'When asked, people usually described our dad as a lovely man – unless you were one of the very few who he denied a loan to…'

Remembering George Best: The Manchester United icon whose real life was stranger than fiction
Remembering George Best: The Manchester United icon whose real life was stranger than fiction

Time of India

time22-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Time of India

Remembering George Best: The Manchester United icon whose real life was stranger than fiction

George Best (via Getty Images) On what would have been his 79th birthday, the world remembers George Best, soccer's very first global icon and one of Manchester United 's longest-standing symbols. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1946, Best mesmerized the crowd with his phenomenal talent, winsome personality, and life of glory and tragedy. Here are some unthinkable but true facts about George Best that encapsulate the life of a footballer like no other. A teenage debut that announced a star: The legend of George Best undefined George Best was born into a working-class family in Belfast. He had exceptional footballing talent from a young age. Spotted by a Manchester United scout, he left Northern Ireland as a teenager to join the club's youth system, marking the start of a career that would soon captivate the world. Already 17 years old, George Best made his Manchester United debut in 1963. With his blistering pace and hypnotic dribbling, he was instantly different, for he was one of the youngest ever to make an impact on English football then. George Best's fame and appeal gave him the name ' Fifth Beatle ' Such was George Best's fame in the 1960s that he was dubbed the 'Fifth Beatle' by the British media. With hair streaming down his back, modish sense of style, and irresistible charm, Best was a cultural icon far beyond football, the very image of the Swinging Sixties. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Grow and build next-gen AI skills with BITS Pilani. BITS Pilani WILP Apply Now Undo A European champion at the age of only 22 In 1968, George Best played a key role in Manchester United's record-breaking European Cup victory, the club's first ever. His individual winning goal against Benfica earned him his reputation as one of the best players in the world and won him the Ballon d'Or later that year. With 179 strikes from 470 matches, George Best remains on Manchester United's all-time top scorers' list. His strikes were breathtaking—solo runs, volleys, chips—and most of them remain revered today by supporters and football historians alike. A genius plagued with addiction Although he was a genius on the pitch, Best's personal life off of it was marred by struggles with alcohol. His addictions were no secret and ultimately led to his early retirement and decline in health. Despite this, though, he remained honest about his fight, eventually leveraging his experience as a tool to help raise awareness. While he never attended a major international tournament, Best earned 37 caps for Northern Ireland and netted nine times. Not being at football's biggest competitions did not deter him from being widely regarded as the best player ever from the country. After leaving Manchester United in 1974, Best played for several clubs in Scotland, Australia, and the United States, including the Los Angeles Aztecs and San Jose Earthquakes. Though his best days were behind him, fans flocked to see him play wherever he turned out. Following his retirement, Best was a respected football pundit and enjoyed frequent television appearances. His autobiography and candid discussion of addiction brought him sympathy and respect from football supporters across the globe. One of the first global football stars Long before the Internet age of social networking and modern-day football promotion, George Best was the first of the genuine football stars. His mix of flamboyance, skill, and charisma rewrote the definition of football star. George Best passed away in 2005, but his reputation continues to live on. From murals in Belfast to tributes at Old Trafford, he is a testament to natural ability and the slender margin between greatness and disaster. Also read: Who are Manchester United's all-time top goal scorers? Ronaldo's rank might surprise you From teen prodigy to cultural icon, George Best's life is a story that sounds like fiction. But every astonishing story told of him—whether for scoring from apparently impossible angles or partying with stars—is fact. On his birthday, fans remember not just his achievements but the legend that keeps him in mind. Get IPL 2025 match schedules , squads , points table , and live scores for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Check the latest IPL Orange Cap and Purple Cap standings.

Alison Goldfrapp: I'm obsessed with sweatshirts, the older the better
Alison Goldfrapp: I'm obsessed with sweatshirts, the older the better

Times

time17-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Times

Alison Goldfrapp: I'm obsessed with sweatshirts, the older the better

I have a green and blue mohair scarf from the Sixties that was my mum's, so I'm very sentimental about it. It's beautiful and quite unusual, very bright green and blue. Sweatshirts. It's a weird thing, I get so attached to them. I pick them up when I'm on tour like souvenirs. When they are really ancient and if they are nice cotton they become so cosy. I just can't get rid of them. Off-duty I'm pretty casual, a bit boho, a little chic — boho chic, something like that. On stage it's more graphic, textural. Things that have a good silhouette. The French designer Alexandre Vauthier is incredibly generous and lends me a lot of his wonderful clothes, like the incredible dress I wore

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