Showing posts with label Elton John. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elton John. Show all posts
Saturday, December 21, 2024
Elton John : Something About The Way You Look Tonight
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Elton John: Legalising Cannabis One of the Greatest Mistakes of All Time
THE TELEGRAPH: Marijuana is addictive and it leads to other drugs, says singer, 77, who has been named Time magazine’s icon of the year
Sir Elton John has called the legalisation of marijuana in parts of North America “one of the greatest mistakes of all time”.
The 77-year-old musician, who brought his touring career to an end last year and has been sober for 34 years, has helped fellow celebrities including Eminem and Robbie Williams to recover from addiction.
As he was named Time magazine’s icon of the year, Sir Elton said marijuana is “addictive” and added: “It leads to other drugs. And when you’re stoned – and I’ve been stoned – you don’t think normally. “Legalising marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.” » | Telegraph Reporters | Wednesday, December 11, 2024
I TOTALLY AGREE with Elton John on this. I have never smoked anything stronger than cigarettes. Drugs have never appealed to me. But I think politicians who wage all-out war on cigarette-smoking and then talk of legalising these ‘soft’ drugs are ABSOLUTE FOOLS. – © Mark Alexander
Sir Elton John has called the legalisation of marijuana in parts of North America “one of the greatest mistakes of all time”.
The 77-year-old musician, who brought his touring career to an end last year and has been sober for 34 years, has helped fellow celebrities including Eminem and Robbie Williams to recover from addiction.
As he was named Time magazine’s icon of the year, Sir Elton said marijuana is “addictive” and added: “It leads to other drugs. And when you’re stoned – and I’ve been stoned – you don’t think normally. “Legalising marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.” » | Telegraph Reporters | Wednesday, December 11, 2024
I TOTALLY AGREE with Elton John on this. I have never smoked anything stronger than cigarettes. Drugs have never appealed to me. But I think politicians who wage all-out war on cigarette-smoking and then talk of legalising these ‘soft’ drugs are ABSOLUTE FOOLS. – © Mark Alexander
Wednesday, May 10, 2023
Elton John : Something about the Way You Look Tonight
Monday, April 24, 2023
Saturday, October 29, 2022
Sunday, August 07, 2022
Elton John : Circle of Life | From The Lion King | Official Video
Friday, May 27, 2022
Elton John : I Guess That's Why They Call It the Blues | Remastered
Friday, May 31, 2019
Elton John: 'I Am a European – Not a Stupid, Imperialist English Idiot'
Elton John has said he is ashamed of the UK over its voting for and handling of Brexit.
While performing on Wednesday in Verona on his last ever world tour, Farewell Yellow Brick Road, he said: “I’m ashamed of my country for what it has done. It’s torn people apart … I am sick to death of politicians, especially British politicians. I am sick to death of Brexit. I am a European. I am not a stupid, colonial, imperialist English idiot.” » | Ben Beaumont-Thomas | Friday, May 31, 2019
Hear! Hear! – Mark
Sunday, March 31, 2019
Elton John Joins call for Boycott of Brunei-owned Hotels
Elton John has joined George Clooney in calling for a boycott of nine Brunei-owned hotels over the sultanate’s new death penalty laws for gay sex and adultery.
“I commend my friend, George Clooney, for taking a stand against the anti-gay discrimination and bigotry taking place in the nation of Brunei – a place where gay people are brutalised, or worse – by boycotting the sultan’s hotels,” the singer wrote on his Twitter page late on Saturday.
The 72-year-old, a veteran gay rights campaigner, said his “heart went out” to staff at the hotels, but that “we must send a message, however we can, that such treatment is unacceptable”.
The nine hotels mentioned by Clooney, in the US, Britain, France and Italy, include London’s exclusive Dorchester and the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles. » | Agence France-Presse | Sunday, March 31, 2019
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
Russian Parents’ Group Demand Ban on Elton John for 'Supporting Sodomites'
In an open letter to Putin, the local parents’ group in the central Ural region was reported as saying: “The singer intends to come out in support of local sodomites and break the current Russian law, directed at protecting children.” » | Thomas Grove | Tuesday. September 24, 2013
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A Malaysian Muslim political party is demanding that Elton John be barred from performing in the country later this week because he is homosexual.
Nasruding [sic] Hassan Tantawi, head of the youth wing of the opposition Pan-Malaysian Islamic party (PAS), said the concert "must be cancelled".
"Artists who are involved in gay and lesbian activities must not be allowed to perform in Malaysia as they will promote the wrong values," he said.
Homosexuality is illegal in Malaysia, where almost two-thirds of the 28 million population are Muslim, and is punishable by caning and up to 20 years in prison.
Mr Nasrudin said that the PAS "will demand that the authorities cancel this immoral performance to protect our society from social degradation." » | David Eimer, Bangkok | Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: President pardons pair 'on humanitarian grounds' after meeting UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon
A gay couple sentenced to serve 14 years in jail in Malawi have been pardoned after their country's president met Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general.
Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20, were tried and found guilty of sodomy and indecency earlier this month in a move that sparked international condemnation.
But after talking with Ban today, Malawi's president, Bingu wa Mutharika, announced the pair would be freed.
"These boys committed a crime against our culture, our religion and our laws," he said after the meeting, at the southern African country's State House. "However, as the head of state, I hereby pardon them and therefore ask for their immediate release with no conditions.
"I have done this on humanitarian grounds, but this does not mean that I support this."
He added: "We don't condone marriages of this nature. It's unheard of in Malawi and it's illegal."
Ban praised the decision, but said: "It is unfortunate that laws criminalise people based on sexuality. Laws that criminalise sexuality should be repealed."
He is due to address Malawi's national assembly later and is expected to ask legislators to look at this.
Although the order was immediate, a prison spokesman told The Associated Press they had not received notification to release the pair by Saturday afternoon.
Earlier this week, a cousin of Chimbalanga, Maxwell Manda, said that he wanted to leave Malawi upon his release.
Joseph Amon from Human Rights Watch said the president was responding to the international outcry following the couple's conviction and sentence.
"I hope that other leaders of African countries with anti-gay laws see that this is just not acceptable in the international community," he said. >>> Amy Fallon | Saturday, May 29, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: My friend, President Mutharika, show compassion: In the spirit of your fight against Aids, free Monjeza and Chimbalanga – an open letter to the president of Malawi >>> Elton John | Saturday, May 29, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: President Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi has pardoned a homosexual couple who had been jailed for 14 years.
Mr wa Mutharika had been under international pressure to reconsider the convictions of Steven Monjeza, 26, and Tiwonge Chimbalanga, 20. They were arrested in December after they were united in a traditional wedding ceremony in the conservative southern African country, where homosexuality is illegal.
Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations Secretary General, met the Malawian president on Saturday in the capital Lilongwe.
Speaking shortly afterwards, Mr wa Mutharika said: "These boys committed a crime against our culture, our religion and our laws.
"However, as the head of state I hereby pardon them and therefore ask for their immediate release with no conditions." >>> | Saturday, May 29, 2010
Related articles and videos here
Thursday, May 27, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: A concert by Sir Elton John has tested the limits of Morocco's drive for modernity, exposing the Muslim nation's complex and ambiguous attitudes toward homosexuality.
Islamists in the North African kingdom were outraged by the gay pop star's visit, while the royal palace, government and his many fans supported his appearance.
Authorities had beefed up security with thousands of police and plainclothes officers patrolling the concert. No violence was reported, despite calls from The Justice and Development Party, or PJD, Morocco's largest authorised Islamist group, for the show to be stopped.
"This singer is famous for his homosexual behaviour and for advocating it," said Mustapha Ramid, a leader and spokesman for the PJD, the country's biggest opposition party.
"We're a rather open party, but promoting homosexuality is completely unacceptable," he said.
Mr Ramid said that homosexuality was against Muslim values, and he feared the British singer would "encourage the phenomenon" and be a bad influence for Moroccan youth.
But in a sign of Sir Elton's popularity, several thousand of his fans appeared to know his lyrics by heart even though most people in this French and Arabic speaking country know little or no English.
Moroccan officials dismissed the calls to ban Sir Elton from performing. >>> | Thursday, May 27, 2010
MITHLY.NET: Elton JOHN au cœur d'un complot contre le Maroc ! >>> Par Stonewall
Related articles and videos here
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Elton John is to headline Morocco's biggest music festival despite calls from Islamist opposition that he should be turned away.
Religious conservatives argued that the gay singer would tarnish the image of the north African kingdom were he allowed to perform at the Mawazine World Rhythms festival in the capital Rabat.
Despite the opposition, the singer will head the festival, beginning on May 21, which brings together musicians from 50 countries and is backed by King Mohammed.
"Elton John is one of the best artists in the world. He is great and extraordinary when he appears on stage. That's why we invite him and welcome him to the Mawazine festival," festival director Aziz Daki said.
"The private life of a singer is not our business. We do not invite singers and artists after assessing their private lives." >>> | Monday, May 17, 2010
abcNEWS: RABAT (Reuters) - Elton John will headline Morocco's biggest music festival this week despite calls by religious conservatives for the gay singer to be turned away, the event's organizer said.
Allowing the British singer and songwriter to perform at the Mawazine World Rhythms festival in the capital Rabat would tarnish the image of the north African kingdom, say powerful opposition Islamists.
The writer of "Candle in the Wind '97"', the best-selling single of all time, according to the Guinness Book of Records, has championed sexual freedom and campaigned against the spread of AIDS during a four-decade musical career.
"Elton John is one of the best artists in the world. He is great and extraordinary when he appears on stage. That's why we invite him and welcome him to the Mawazine festival," festival director Aziz Daki told Reuters.
"The private life of a singer is not our business. We do not invite singers and artists after assessing their private lives." >>> Lamine Ghanmi | Monday, May 17, 2010
AFP: RABAT — Morocco's main Islamist opposition party has called for gay singer Elton John to be banned from performing at a festival in Rabat later this month, a party leader said Friday.
"We categorically reject the appearance of this singer because there is a risk of encouraging homosexuality in Morocco," the head of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) parliamentary group, Mustapha Ramid, told AFP.
"The problem is not with the singer himself but the image he has in society," another leading party member, Lahcen Daoudi, added.
"Moroccan society has a negative perception of this singer and we must take it into consideration." >>> | Friday, May 07, 2010
AUJOURD’HUI LE MAROC: Festival massif de Mawâzine, qu’un paranoïaque quelconque, travaillé au corps et à l’esprit par la campagne indigne de notre pays en cours d’exécution, se jette sur notre invité anglais à coup de slogans vengeurs et rédempteurs. >>> Khalil Hachimi Idrissi | Mercredi 24 Février 2010
AUJOURD’HUI LE MAROC: Les festivals, on le sait, dérangent les islamistes. La musique, et ils le savent, est le seul domaine où ils perdent pied.
En dehors des chants religieux qui restent à audience limitée, tout ce qui est notes, rythmes, percussions ou vocalises prompts à s’emparer de l’âme et des cœurs, doit être, à leurs yeux, détesté et maudit. Ils n’ont donc jamais aimé «Mawâzine» pas plus qu’ils n’aiment «L’Boulevard» ou le Festival d’Essaouira. Et à la limite, c’est leur droit le plus strict et le plus absolu. Mais ce que, en revanche, on doit leur refuser, c’est de parler au nom de tout le peuple marocain. Nous aimons Elton John. Non pas pour son homosexualité, ses provocations ou pour ses accoutrements et lunettes excentriques. Nous l’aimons parce que c’est un grand, très grand artiste. … >>> Par Driss Ajbali | Vendredi 14 Mai 2010
Sunday, March 14, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Sir Elton John has disclosed that a former lover threw himself to his death under a passing lorry because he could not reconcile his homosexuality with his Christian beliefs.
The singer, 62, said he was deeply traumatised by the suicide of the man, with whom he had been involved in a relationship before he "married" David Furnish, a film-maker 15 years his junior, in 2005.
"Years back I had a relationship, and I had absolutely no idea in the world he was going to do this... he threw himself under a truck," Sir Elton said. "There was so much grief."
Mr Furnish told The Sunday Telegraph that the lover, whom he declined to name, had taken his life because he was traumatised by the clash between his Christianity and his sexual inclinations.
"He was so tortured by the conflicting views between his sexuality and his strong religious beliefs that he chose to take his own life," said Furnish, whom Sir Elton "married" in a ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on the first day that civil partnerships could be performed in England. "It is very sad indeed."
Mr Furnish, a former advertising executive, added that "out of respect" for the dead man's family he would not name him. >>> Richard Eden, Deputy Editor, Mandrake | Saturday, March 13, 2010
Saturday, February 20, 2010
THE TELEGRAPH: Sir Elton John has claimed that Jesus Christ was gay.
In a magazine interview, he said: "I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems.
"On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving." >>> | Thursday, February 18, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: Ever since Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus with a kiss 2,000 years ago theologians have argued about his motives. But one British academic has now given credit to Gerry Adams, the Sinn Féin leader, for a new insight into one of the most controversial passages of the Bible.
The man who spent a lot of his youth “on the run” from the Army in Belfast yet still swears that he has never been a member of the Provisional IRA, believes that Judas was turned informer by the Roman security services of the time in Palestine, just as many of his former comrades in the Republican movement were induced to spy. >>> David Sharrock, Ireland Correspondent | Monday, February 15, 2010
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