GalleryThe Prince of Wales presents former lead singer of Led Zepplin Robert Plant with a CBE during an Investiture at Buckingham Palace, 10 July 2009.© Press Association
British royal family joins Twitter - World AP - MiamiHerald.comBritish royal family joins Twitter--FOLLOWS 0
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The Associated Press
LONDON -- Britain's royal family has extended its kingdom further into cyberspace and joined Twitter - but don't expect Her Majesty to tweet.
Buckingham Palace, which already has a significant online presence, said Friday that it has set up a Twitter account to alert royal watchers to what's happening with the family.
But that won't result in any re-tweets or trending topics from Queen Elizabeth II or Prince Charles. A palace spokeswoman says the account won't be used to air personal opinions.
The queen launched Buckingham Palace's Web site in 1997. She also has her own YouTube channel.
The New York Philharmonic Is Considering Cuba’s Invitation - NYTimes.com
New York Philharmonic May Perform in Cuba The New York Philharmonic, hoping to notch another exotic destination in its touring history, said on Thursday it had been invited to perform in Cuba and was seriously considering such a visit.
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The orchestra’s president, Zarin Mehta, and other of its officials planned to travel to Havana on Friday to investigate concert halls, hotels and other logistical matters. The Philharmonic has received licenses to travel there, in light of the United States embargo.
The trip would be yet another recent dip into cold-war waters for the Philharmonic. It would take place just a few days after the orchestra returns from an Asian tour in October that will include Vietnam. Last year it traveled to isolated, totalitarian North Korea. The Philharmonic said that it had never been to Vietnam or Cuba, and that the North Korea visit was a first for any major orchestra.
A tour of Cuba would further etch the image of the Philharmonic as America’s musical ambassador, a profile that orchestra officials are eager to promote. The North Korea trip was a publicity boon, winning the ensemble wide attention outside of classical music circles — an increasing rarity for classical music institutions in recent decades.
High-profile touring “defines the New York Philharmonic, but I think it defines our country,” Mr. Mehta said.
“It’s important that we fly the flag,” he added.
If the trip comes off, it would probably last four days, starting on Oct. 30 — five days after the orchestra returns from Asia, Mr. Mehta said. It would most likely give two concerts. The Philharmonic’s incoming music director, Alan Gilbert, would conduct during both tours.
The Philharmonic’s decision to move forward with the trip comes after the Obama administration has eased some sanctions against Cuba, including limits on visits by Cuban-Americans to relatives and the sending of gifts and money.
Mr. Gilbert called a Cuban visit “entirely appropriate” and said, “It’s probably not a coincidence that it’s happening at this time.”
Orchestra officials also took pains to say the trip had strong United States government approval. The idea was run past the office of Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Mr. Mehta said. “They said, ‘Absolutely, it’s a wonderful project, and you should pursue it,’ ” Mr. Mehta said.
Representatives Charles B. Rangel and Steve Israel, along with Senator Charles E. Schumer, all Democrats of New York, also approved, he said. And leading board members of the Philharmonic and the orchestra’s tour committee are in favor of the trip, Mr. Mehta said.
The Cuban invitation came in the wake of the North Korea trip. Several Philharmonic officials had casual conversations with an ABC News official who has contacts with Cuban diplomats in Washington, Eric Latzky, the orchestra’s spokesman, said. The ABC official put the two sides together, unofficial contacts ensued, and a formal invitation came last week, Mr. Latzky said.
The orchestra took some criticism for agreeing to visit such a closed and repressive country as North Korea. Orchestra officials said that among the conditions for agreeing to go to Pyongyang was a guarantee from the North Korean government that the concert be broadcast to North Koreans and that journalists be allowed in.
Mr. Mehta said he did not know what Cuba’s broadcast plans might be, and that he planned to ask the Cubans to guarantee access to American journalists.
Yet orchestra officials also played down any comparison to the North Korea trip. Mr. Gilbert said he would not be surprised by a “healthy discussion” over a Cuban version. “My sense is that the prevailing feeling will be positive,” he said. “I think that music really does speak for itself.” He called the Cuba trip a nonpolitical “cultural exchange.”
“It’s actually as straightforward as what it seems,” Mr. Gilbert said. “We’re playing music for appreciative audiences.”
Deaths of Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley were huge stories | Midwest VoicesDeaths of Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley were huge stories
By Lewis Diuguid, Kansas City Star Editorial Page columnist
My 22-year-old daughter, Leslie, sent me a text message from Omaha, calling Michael Jackson’s death on June 25 the story of the century worldwide.
I pooh-poohed her at the time. The closest thing to it for me was the death of Elvis Presley on Aug. 16, 1977.
Like Leslie now, I was 22 when Presley died, fresh out of college and just starting my career. Other parallels between now and then are eerie.
Elvis was only 42; Jackson, 50.
Investigations into Jackson’s death could show similar links to drugs, which were behind Presley’s untimely demise.Presley died at Graceland, his home in Memphis. Jackson died at his rented home in Holmby Hills in Los Angeles.
Like Presley, Jackson’s death stylishly moon walked past stories about the faltering economy, the deaths of U.S. soldiers in wars, job losses, rising gasoline prices, Kansas City School District problems and President Barack Obama’s travels to Russia, seeking deep cuts in nuclear arsenals. Jackson was all that most people talked about.
In the library of The Kansas City Star, I reviewed microfilm of newspapers from 1977. Stories that were drowned out then by Presley’s passing were similar to those that Jackson’s death overshadowed.
They included efforts to find U.S. servicemen listed as missing in action in Southeast Asia, work by the Carter administration to end nuclear proliferation with the Soviets, parents wrangling with the Kansas City School District and people criticizing energy bills in Congress for not doing enough to end U.S. dependence on foreign oil.
Business stories told of the stock market hitting a 19-month low and worries over interest rates, inflation and economic slowdowns.
Jackson and Presley wore crowns because of their phenomenal contributions to music.
Elvis was the King of Rock; Jackson was the King of Pop. The music, movies and what the men did to bridge American’s racial divides also can’t be overlooked. Jackson, like Presley, was a crossover artist. Presley picked up the style, rhythm, voice and moves of black musicians and sold that to white audiences in the 1950s and 1960s.
Jackson was one of Motown’s leading stars making black people, music and culture as sweet and as satisfying as Kool-Aid even during America’s hottest, sweatiest and most difficult days in the ’60s and ’70s. Jackson lifted his crossover music, videos and dance to a high art form in the years that followed.
It’s no wonder that basketball great Magic Johnson credited Jackson at the memorial service last week with his own rise to superstar status.
Before Jackson, outstanding black athletes were routinely passed over by corporations looking for pitchmen for their products. White players were favored. But Jackson’s stardom made black people and culture marketable like never before.
“I want to thank Michael for opening up so many doors for African Americans,” Johnson said at the Staples Center. “He allowed Kobe (Bryant) and me to have our jerseys in people’s homes across the globe because he was already there and he opened all those doors.”
If Jackson’s death is the story of the century worldwide, then the future may hold annual parades here in Jackson’s honor just as there have been for Presley. The number of touring Jackson impersonators here and at nightspots worldwide also may grow just like those who make a living playing Presley.
People love Presley’s hits, including, “Don’t be Cruel,” “Love Me Tender,” “Jailhouse Rock,” “In the Ghetto,” “Teddy Bear” and “Suspicious Minds.” Headlines after Presley’s death told of his albums’ being sold out at record stores worldwide.
Jackson’s death sparked a similar demand.Jackson’s music, including “ABC,” “I’ll Be There” and “I Want You Back” defined the coming of age of baby boomers like me. His continuing artistry with “Thriller,” “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “Heal the World” and “Man in the Mirror” defined my daughters’ generation.
The contributions of each man will benefit America and the world long after his death. My texting daughter is right.
Lewis W. Diuguid is a member of The Star’s Editorial Board. To reach him, call (816) 234-4723 or send e-mail to
