Latest news with #Strauss
The Citizen
a day ago
- The Citizen
Manhunt launched for armed suspects in Wonderpark CIT robbery attempt
Police are still on the hunt for the suspects involved in the attempted cash-in-transit (CIT) robbery on July 21 at Wonderpark Shopping Centre, north of Pretoria. According to police, at about 08:20, heavily armed suspects targeted a CIT vehicle during a routine cash collection in the centre's underground parking, which led to multiple shots being fired. Tshwane Flying Squad spokesperson Sergeant Alfred Legodi said the suspects tried to intercept the vehicle, but fled the scene. 'Law enforcement received further intelligence regarding a suspicious firearm believed to be stashed near the Akasia Flats, not far from the shopping centre. 'Officers acted promptly on the tip-off and proceeded to the location. They successfully recovered an R5 rifle, a high-powered military-grade firearm, believed to be linked to the robbery,' said Legodi. The weapon is suspected to have been discarded by the fleeing suspects during their escape. 'The R5 rifle was found concealed and has been booked at Akasia SAPS. It will undergo forensic testing to determine whether it was used in the robbery or linked to other crimes,' he stated. Wonderpark Shopping Centre management said no injuries were recorded and operations have resumed. Marketing manager Marli Strauss said the centre is reviewing and tightening its security protocols in collaboration with law enforcement and private security firms. Strauss said despite the chaos, no injuries were reported, thanks to the swift defensive actions of Volsec Security Services and the CIT officers on site. 'Their rapid response allowed the vehicle to escape safely, avoiding what could have been a fatal encounter. The safety of shoppers, staff, and tenants remains our top priority. 'We commend the swift and professional response of the security personnel involved. We are relieved that no lives were lost and are working closely with authorities to support the investigation and enhance on-site security,' said Strauss. The police have urged members of the public who may have information to come forward by contacting their nearest police station or calling Crime Stop anonymously at 08600 10111. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok.
Spectator
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Spectator
Why has the world turned on the Waltz King?
On 17 June 1872, Johann Strauss II conducted the biggest concert of his life. The city was Boston, USA, and the promoters provided Strauss with an orchestra and a chorus numbering more than 20,000. One hundred assistant conductors were placed at his disposal, and a cannon shot cued The Blue Danube – the only way of silencing the expectant crowds. Estimates vary, but the audience was reckoned to number between 50,000 and 100,000; in all, there must have been a minimum of 70,000 people present. This month's Oasis reunion only played to 80,000. The result, in an age before modern amplification, was much as you might expect. 'A fearful racket that I shall never forget as long as I live,' was Strauss's own description. Still, the point stands. Johann Strauss II was famous; very famous. A Europe-wide newspaper poll, conducted in 1890, named Strauss as the third most popular individual in Europe – pipped to the top slot only by Queen Victoria and (in second place) Otto von Bismarck. Strauss died in 1899, before the era of recorded music, but within his lifetime sheet music for The Blue Danube sold upwards of one million copies. That's platinum disc territory, and in the 21st century, the phenomenon endures. The perma-tanned Dutch violinist André Rieu, whose classical pops orchestra is named after Strauss, has picked up some 500 platinum discs while his live shows – built around Strauss's music – play across the world to stadium-size audiences. His 2018 tour outgrossed Elton John, globally. Again, this is old news. I'm not here to tell you that Johann Strauss's waltzes, polkas and operetta hits were the pop music of their day: that people loved them, and continue to love them, is a matter of record. So why – in 2025, the 200th anniversary of his birth – is there a Strauss-shaped hole in the programmes of our major orchestras and opera companies? Classical music is obsessed with anniversaries and Strauss is proven box office, so where are the festivals, the rediscoveries, the operetta revivals? The Proms has a single Saturday morning concert; the Grange Festival staged Die Fledermaus – and in the UK, that's basically it. In Britain, at least, it seems that the people who decide what classical music we should hear have rather fallen out of love with this most accessible of 19th-century masters. If that's the case, they're swimming against the tide of history and the judgment of genius. The deepest divide in late 19th- century European music – a culture war of generation-defining bitterness – was between the devotees of Wagner and Brahms. Yet both composers revered Strauss. For Wagner, Strauss was 'the most musical man in Europe'. He hired a private orchestra so that he could conduct Strauss waltzes as a birthday treat, and licensed the Strauss orchestra to première excerpts from Tristan und Isolde in Vienna at a time when the city's ultra-conservative musical establishment refused all contact with Wagner's 'music of the future'. Brahms, meanwhile, was practically a fanboy, comparing Strauss to Mozart. When Strauss's stepdaughter asked him for an autograph, Brahms scribbled the opening of The Blue Danube and wrote 'Unfortunately not by Johannes Brahms'. For several generations afterwards, to be a progressive force in European music was to admire Johann Strauss. Gustav Mahler put Die Fledermaus on the stage of the Vienna Court Opera, and there's hardly a Mahler symphony that doesn't, at some point, swing into waltz time, or pause to squeeze the sadness and sweetness of life out of the succulent close harmonies – the yearning, Italianate thirds and sixths – that were Strauss's hallmark. Mahler's disciples, the arch-modernists Schoenberg, Berg and Webern, made exquisite pared-down arrangements of the Emperor Waltz, the Treasure Waltz and Wine, Women and Song. It wasn't just a German thing, either. In Paris, Ravel's La Valse portrayed the 19th century dancing to its doom, but Ravel had only love for the composer he called 'the great Strauss, not Richard, the other one – Johann'. A distinction needed to be made. The Bavarian Richard Strauss was no relation to Johann but in 1911 he'd woven a garland of waltzes into the score of Der Rosenkavalier. The opera was set in the 18th century, but that didn't matter. Like Stanley Kubrick (five decades later, in 2001: A Space Odyssey), Richard perceived that Johann's music embodied an entire civilisation. I could say more: of the eminent conductors (from Henry Wood to Christian Thielemann) who've adored Strauss; of his legacy in popular music, from the Gershwins' admiring tribute 'By Strauss' ('It laughs, it sings! The world is in rhyme/ Swinging in three-quarter time') to the way the long, poetic introductions and codas of Strauss's greatest waltzes anticipate contemporary DJ sets – building and shaping a collective mood, as well as providing a beat for dancing. Most startling of all is the knowledge that, having outlawed the works of Mendelssohn and Mahler, Goebbels suppressed evidence of Strauss's Jewish ancestry. Cancelling Johann Strauss was a step too far even for the Third Reich. Still, here we are, in a Strauss-deprived classical music world. Why? Perhaps the televising of the Vienna Philharmonic's annual New Year's Day concert has normalised the idea that Strauss is a purely seasonal treat. Most British orchestras programme a solitary Viennese evening in early January – typically under-rehearsed and delegated to a novice conductor, though artists who shortchange this music pass sentence on themselves. As with Mozart or Haydn, the superficial simplicity of Strauss's inspiration is a mirror that reveals a conductor's soul. Furtwängler's Emperor Waltz has a monumental inner logic; Karajan's Blue Danube shimmers with sensuous richness. Carlos Kleiber made the Thousand and One Nights waltz sound like a long, warm smile. The original score of Johann Strauss II's The Blue Danube (1867). ART IMAGES / GETTY IMAGES And then there's our old friend snobbery. Rieu may be a factor there; likewise the high-kitsch framing of the annual New Year broadcast from Vienna. Euro-camp dance routines and crowds of Belgian retirees are just not cool. The tastemakers of the classical world say they want diverse audiences – but not that kind of diversity, and classical music social media foams with disdain on the morning of New Year's Day. It's embarrassing to witness. True, any creator as prolific as Strauss will have off days and arid patches (even Bach was no exception). But any truly musical listener should be able to discern the fundamental artistic quality of Strauss's finest work. Brahms heard it; Wagner heard it. It shouldn't be this hard. We live in an aesthetic climate that favours the arduous over the graceful, and privileges the grim over the joyous (though no one with ears to hear can miss the ever-present melancholy that offsets Strauss's sweetness). In the meantime, it's hard not to feel that we're missing out on something life-enhancing – and god knows, we could use it. Strauss can (and does) flourish even without elite orchestras and big-name maestros, but the pleasure that comes from hearing genius exploring its own lighter side shouldn't be confined to the first of January. Until the 1980s, Viennese nights used to be a regular (and best-selling) feature of the Proms, and there is a vast untapped repertoire to explore. Imagine an inventively programmed evening of Strauss rarities and favourites performed by, say, Ivan Fischer and the Budapest Festival Orchestra (who played an exquisite sequence of Strauss waltzes in the 2014 Proms), or John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London (who delivered an exhilarating Fledermaus overture as recently as 2021). Preconceptions and prejudices would evaporate like mist on the Prater. Hope springs eternal. There's another Strauss anniversary in 2029: a second chance to celebrate some of the most perfect popular music ever created. And to join Brahms, Wagner, Mahler, Schoenberg, Webern, Ravel, Gershwin, Richard Strauss, Furtwängler, Karajan, Kleiber and (yes) André Rieu – plus millions of music-lovers across continents and centuries – in grateful homage to the Waltz King.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 days ago
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Republican Jim Jordan deposed in federal suit tied to sex abuse by late Ohio State team doctor
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan was among those questioned under oath this month after release of a new documentary about the sexual abuse of Ohio State University athletes decades ago by a team doctor, according to a court filing. Jordan's deposition Friday came in a federal lawsuit brought by former student athletes against the university over its failure to stop abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss, who died in 2005. Hundreds say they were abused by Strauss, who worked at the school from 1978 to 1998. Many ex-wrestlers over the years have accused Jordan, who served as assistant coach of the Ohio State wrestling team from 1986 to 1994, of knowing about the abuse and failing to act. The 10-term congressman's office had declined to confirm Friday's deposition, but it reiterated Jordan's denial of any awareness of Strauss' crimes or the cover-up. 'As everyone knows, (House Judiciary) Chairman Jordan never saw or heard of any abuse, and if he had, he would have dealt with it,' a statement said. Jordan formerly sat for questioning during the university's independent investigation of the matter, but this was his first time under oath. A Monday court filing shows attorneys for the former athletes also questioned Michael Murphy and John Doe 72, both plaintiffs in the case, on July 9 and July 11 respectively, and former long-time Ohio State Athletic Director Andy Geiger on Wednesday. The depositions follow the airing of 'Surviving Ohio State,' a documentary on the Strauss scandal produced by George Clooney and directed by Academy and Emmy award-winning director Eva Orner. The film was released June 17 on HBO and Max.
The Citizen
5 days ago
- Health
- The Citizen
ADHD support needs teamwork, not blame
POLOKWANE – Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) remain a hot-button issue in schools, homes and online forums. While some people still offer outdated advice like 'just give the child a good hiding,' professionals and parents who live with these conditions know the reality is far more complex. Many frustrated parents blame teachers for not doing enough to 'control' their children, while teachers sometimes face criticism for recommending medical intervention. But the truth is, no child is casually put on medication – there's a thorough assessment process involving healthcare professionals. Occupational therapist Liné Strauss explains that ADHD is one of the most common psychiatric disorders among children, affecting between 2% and 16% of school-aged kids. 'It's not something occupational therapists diagnose; that's the job of medical professionals. But we are very much part of the support system,' she said. ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder that continues into adulthood and is defined by patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsiveness that interfere with everyday functioning. Inattention can look like constantly losing items, poor time management and disorganisation, and difficulty focusing for long periods – even if they're not fidgety or disruptive. Hyperactivity may show up as excessive fidgeting and constant movement, talking too much or making inappropriate comments or impulsive behaviour like shouting out answers or making risky decisions without thinking. To conclude, Strauss stressed the importance of collaboration: 'It's crucial to get everyone involved – parents, teachers, occupational therapists, dieticians and doctors. Each plays a role in helping a child with ADHD reach their full potential. Understanding, patience and informed support can help children with ADHD or ADD thrive, not just cope. The focus should always be on empowerment, not punishment.' Strauss offers practical tips that can make a big difference: Inspired by fellow occupational therapist Helise Duvenhage, Strauss recommends: • Hiding objects in playdough. • Pushing heavy objects like toy crates or laundry baskets. • Doing animal walks like frog jumps or wheelbarrow walks. • Eating crunchy snacks like raw carrots or cucumber sticks. • Wrapping the child tightly in a blanket for a few seconds, then unwrapping them. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
A new film about the Ohio State wrestling team sex abuse scandal indicts those who looked away
For more than 30 years, Fred Feeney refereed matches for the Ohio State University's powerhouse wrestling team. Unlike the dozens of young men whose athletic scholarships depended on staying in the good graces of the team doctor, Richard Strauss, who could withhold permission for them to compete, Feeney didn't have to persuade himself that what Strauss did was OK. He didn't have to pretend it was OK that Strauss was constantly taking showers with athletes. Or that it was OK when, after a match, Strauss masturbated next to Feeney in the shower, then grabbed the ref's ass. A visibly shaken Feeney recounts in the new documentary, 'Surviving Ohio State,' that he left the locker room that day in distress and immediately told wrestling coach Russ Hellickson and assistant wrestling coach Jim Jordan what had happened. Both coaches shrugged, said Feeney, who added that Jordan told him, 'It's Strauss. You know what he does.' Dan Ritchie, who quit the wrestling team in his third year because he could no longer tolerate Strauss' sexual abuse — which included forcing athletes to drop their pants and endure genital and rectal exams when they saw him, for even the most minor complaint — said that Jordan once told him, 'If he ever did that to me, I'd snap his neck like a stick of dry balsa wood.' But Jordan, now the powerful chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and an unwavering ally of President Trump, has assiduously denied ever seeing or knowing about assaults committed by Strauss during Jordan's eight years with the team. He emerges as one of the bad guys in the new film, which is based on the Sports Illustrated 2020 investigation, 'Why Aren't More People Talking About the Ohio State Sex Abuse Scandal?' Produced by the Oscar-winning documentarian Eva Orner and George Clooney's production company, it debuted on HBO Max in June. 'To say that [Jordan] knew nothing, that nothing ever happened, it's a flat out lie,' Ritchie says in the documentary. A callous response to reports of sexual assault was the norm at Ohio State. While administrators deflected reports about Strauss for years, claiming they were just rumors, the university's 2019 investigation, performed by an outside law firm, found that during his 1978-1996 tenure in the athletics department and at the student health center, Strauss assaulted at least 177 students thousands of times. The school's fencing coach, Charlotte Remenyik, complained about Strauss for 10 years until he was finally removed as her teams' doctor. (In response to her efforts to protect her athletes, Strauss accused her of waging a vendetta against him.) A complaint finally caused the university to remove him as a treating physician at OSU in 1996, but he was still a tenured faculty member when he retired, with 'emeritus' status, in 1998. He died by suicide in 2005. It was not until the Larry Nassar gymnastics abuse scandal exploded between 2016 and 2018 that the former Ohio State wrestlers understood that they, too, had been victimized by their team doctor, and that there were probably a lot more of them than anyone realized. 'I said, 'Wow, that's us,'' said former OSU wrestler Michael DiSabato, one of the first to go public. 'It unlocked something in me.' A group of former teammates met in 2018, then later sat down with their old coach, Hellickson, in an emotional encounter. Hellickson promised to write letters supporting them, the wrestlers said, then ghosted them. He did not respond to filmmakers' requests to be interviewed. Likewise, Jordan shunned requests for interviews, and he has appeared exasperated in news clips when questioned about what he knew. He's not a defendant in any of the abuse lawsuits filed against OSU. In 2020, Michael DiSabato's brother, Adam, a former wrestler and team captain, testified under oath during a hearing on an Ohio bill that would have allowed Strauss' victims to sue OSU for damages, that Jordan called him 'crying, groveling … begging me to go against my brother.' Jordan has denied that conversation took place. It seems to me that a normal human being, operating from a place of empathy, might express feelings of sorrow that the young male athletes in his charge were abused to the point that some considered suicide and others quit sports altogether, instead of accusing them of lying. Ritchie, for example, said his father was so disappointed about his decision to quit wrestling — he could not bring himself to tell his father why — that it permanently overshadowed their relationship. I find no evidence that Jordan ever expressed feelings of regret for his wrestlers, though he did insist to Politico in 2018, 'I never knew about any type of abuse. If I did, I would have done something about it. And look, if there are people who are abused, then that's terrible and we want justice to happen.' If? Although the explosive new documentary has been overshadowed by the implosion taking place in MAGA world over the 'Jeffrey Epstein files' and questions about Trump's relationship with the serial sexual predator, the OSU scandal is far from being yesterday's news. So far, OSU has settled with nearly 300 abuse survivors, each receiving an average of $252,000. But many are not willing to settle for what they consider peanuts and note that the average payout to Nassar's victim is more than $1 million. On Friday, as part of a federal civil lawsuit filed by some of them, Jordan was reportedly due to be deposed under oath for the first time about the allegations that he knew about the abuse and failed to protect his wrestlers. Steve Snyder-Hill, one of the first OSU non-athletes to report that he'd been assaulted by Strauss in 1995, told NBC that he planned to be present for Jordan's deposition. 'I expect him to lie under oath,' said Snyder-Hill. 'I don't know a nicer way to put it.' Bluesky: @rabcarian Threads: @rabcarian
