Latest news with #Bono
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blair happy to keep guitar from Bono – but not one from Mexico's president
Prime minister Tony Blair was delighted to keep a guitar presented to him by the rock star Bono – but when it came to a similar gift from the president of Mexico, not so much. Official files released to the National Archives show Mr Blair was keen to take advantage of rules on ministerial gifts to buy the instrument given to him by the U2 singer and Live Aid campaigner once he left office. He did, however, question whether he would have to pay 'the full purchase price'. No 10 officials suggested the prime minister, who fronted a rock band called Ugly Rumours in his student days, might want to take the same approach when it came to a white Fender Stratocaster, valued at £2,500, from the Canadian singer Bryan Adams. However, Mr Blair was much less enthusiastic about an acoustic Vargas guitar presented to him by President Vicente Fox during an official visit to Mexico in 2001, noting: 'I don't actually use it.' The files also show that Mr Blair rejected advice that he should not keep a Pro Braided tennis racket given to him by the manufacturer, Slazenger. Officials feared that it was part of a 'marketing ploy' by the company and suggested it should be donated to a children's charity as 'you cannot be seen to endorse any product'. Mr Blair, however, instructed them just to thank the company, adding: 'It is very churlish to refuse to use it.'
Irish Times
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Tony Blair was happy to keep guitar from Bono but not one from Mexico's president
Former UK prime minister Tony Blair was delighted to keep a guitar presented to him by the rock star Bono . However, when it came to a similar gift from the president of Mexico , he was less enthused. Official files released to the UK National Archives show Mr Blair was keen to take advantage of rules on ministerial gifts to buy the instrument given to him by the U2 singer once he left office. He did, however, question whether he would have to pay 'the full purchase price'. Officials at 10 Downing Street suggested the prime minister – who fronted a rock band called Ugly Rumours in his student days – might want to take the same approach when it came to a white Fender Stratocaster, valued at £2,500, from the Canadian singer Bryan Adams . However, Mr Blair was much less enthusiastic about an acoustic Vargas guitar presented to him by president Vicente Fox during an official visit to Mexico in 2001, noting: 'I don't actually use it.' The files also show that Mr Blair rejected advice that he should not keep a Pro Braided tennis racket given to him by the manufacturer, Slazenger. Officials feared that it was part of a 'marketing ploy' by the company and suggested it should be donated to a children's charity as 'you cannot be seen to endorse any product'. Mr Blair, however, instructed them just to thank the company, adding: 'It is very churlish to refuse to use it.' - PA
The Independent
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Why Tony Blair was unhappy with guitar gifted by Mexico's president
Former Prime Minister Tony Blair was reportedly keen to hold onto a guitar gifted by U2 frontman Bono, newly released official files reveal. The documents, from the National Archives in Kew, west London, show Mr Blair was eager to use the rules on ministerial gifts to acquire the instrument from the Live Aid campaigner once he left office. He did, however, question whether he would have to pay "the full purchase price". Under the rules, Mr Blair, who was prime minister from 1997 to 2007, was allowed to accept gifts worth over £140, but had to pay for them himself, less the £140 difference. No 10 officials suggested that the prime minister might want to take the same approach when it came to a white Fender Stratocaster, worth £2,500, from the Canadian singer Bryan Adams. But while delighted with those offerings, Mr Blair's enthusiasm waned for a similar gift from the president of Mexico. Of the acoustic Vargas guitar, which was presented to him by President Vicente Fox during an official visit to Mexico in 2001, he said: 'I don't actually use it.' Mr Blair is a noted music fan and played guitar and sang in a rock band called Ugly Rumours while a student at the University of Oxford. In 2000, rock legends Pete Townshend, David Bowie and Mick Jagger bought a 1957 Fender Stratocaster, once owned by Eric Clapton, in a charity auction and gave it to Mr Blair. However, the prime minister gave the guitar back so it could be auctioned again to raise more money for flood and drought victims in Africa. Appearing on the BBC's Desert Island Discs on 1996, Mr Blair chose a guitar for his luxury item. The files also show that the prime minister rejected advice that he should not keep a Pro Braided tennis racket given to him by the manufacturer, Slazenger. Officials feared that it was part of a 'marketing ploy' by the company and suggested it should be donated to a children's charity as 'you cannot be seen to endorse any product'. Mr Blair, however, instructed them to simply thank the company, adding: 'It is very churlish to refuse to use it.'
Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Mark Bonokoski's colleagues, loved ones remember him fondly
We here at the Toronto Sun are devastated by the passing of legendary columnist Mark Bonokoski, a.k.a. Bono, given he was our larger-than-life rock star. He was 76. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Bono joined the Sun in 1974 after stints at the Calgary Herald and Windsor Star , but it was here, throughout his nearly half-century career, where he left an indelible mark with readers and colleagues alike. Read on to see what others had to say. Paul Godfrey, former Toronto Sun publisher and CEO I left politics to join the Toronto Sun and I met the greatest group of people that you could ever think of. And the man that just passed was one of the great heroes of the Toronto Sun . He did things that were different. For instance, when the Toronto Blue Jays became a team, he went down to spring training and actually worked out and built out the image of how the Toronto Sun was going to deal with sports and baseball. He touched everything in sports. He touched everything in business. He touched everything that the Sun ever did. He was just an angel to be on your team. He always took the tough tasks that reporters and journalists look forward to doing, and he never said no to the toughest jobs in the media business. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He became a publisher and leader in the Ottawa Sun in his later years, so he could do everything in the media business. And he's leaving a big gap in the history of the Toronto Sun . He dedicated his life to journalism, he dedicated his life to the Sun , and he was there when everyone needed him. Adrienne Batra, Sun editor-in-chief Mark's remarkable talent as a columnist and his unwavering dedication to journalism left an indelible mark on all of us who had the privilege to work alongside them. Bono had a unique ability to weave words into powerful narratives that resonated with readers and inspired countless writers. His insights and perspectives not only helped shape the Sun , but also enriched the lives of many. Andy Donato, political cartoonist I remember back in the mid-'70s when he came up from Windsor with Les Pyette and Ron Base, Brian Vallee, Cam Norton, and others. They were called the 'Windsor Mafia' and Bono went on to be our general reporter and then he tried out for the Blue Jays and wrote a column each day about trying to get a job in the major leagues. He went to England as our foreign correspondent, covered the Berlin Wall coming down, and the Lockerbie bombing when the plane went down. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He was just the greatest writer, I think one of the best in Canada. Andy Donato editorial cartoon on the death of Mark Bonokoski. Steve Simmons, sports columnist Mark Bonokoski was the Toronto Sun at its best — when we were brave and irreverent and cheeky and unpredictable. He was the consummate newsman, columnist and storyteller with the kind of human touch that attracted readers. It's not accidental he was elected to the Canadian News Hall of Fame. He was that to all of us who worked with him, around him, learning from how he pushed the envelope and how he brought his stories to print. Rest in peace old friend, colleague, hero. You made our lives and our business better. Warren Kinsella, political columnist Very, very sad about his passing. My politics drove him crazy but he never stopped being a mentor or a friend. My deepest condolences to his family. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He was such a great guy, a mentor to all of us, a kind of hero to all of us too because he represented something that's really unique. He didn't have a left-wing, right-wing, centre. He had his own wing. His wing was the street, and I in some ways emulate myself after that, that same style. He could get along with right, left and centre and that's why he was such a good news guy. Nobody wrote like that. I called him Bones. 'Hey, Bones.' I had my own little nickname for him. That's the thing with Bones — people underestimated him. He wasn't all bravado or guts; he was ultra-talented. He was a great storyteller, a great writer, and he worked the phones. He treated every story like it was the most important thing. He did all that but he also had amazing talent. Not everybody has that. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He's right there with [Peter] Worthington, [Christine] Blatchford, Bob MacDonald in terms of the greatest Sun writers. Those four, they're all up there in that newsroom in the sky. You can imagine the kind of party that would be but also, the kind of problem they would be for those that aren't doing things right up there because they weren't afraid of anybody. Les Pyette (from left), Andy Donato and Mark Bonokoski at the Canadian News Hall of Fame gala presented by the Toronto Press and Media Club in Toronto, Ont. on Tuesday November 22, 2016. (Ernest Doroszuk/Toronto Sun) Matt Wren, Mayor of Brockville Very sad to hear of the passing of Brockville native and Canadian media legend Mark Bonokoski. A guy who never forgot where he came from and was so devoted to his mom in her later years. Condolences to his loved ones. Lance Hornby, sports columnist Bono was one of the first people I met at the Sun , incredibly intense at his job and on the diamond in the Press League. As with everything, he battled cancer head on. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Read More Mark had the career we all wanted when we went into journalism. He loved regaling us all with stories. I got to work with him for five or six years and he just had the most amazing stories, especially from his years as a foreign correspondent. Part of what was great about listening to stories from Bono was, even if it was mundane, that crazy, raspy voice of his just made you want to listen! I last saw him a couple years ago in Ottawa, he had been in ailing health for a while, but he kept writing, even as his eyesight was going, he would keep up writing. Beyond his wife and daughters and grandkids, it's what he truly loved. Erin Bonokoski Paulusse, Mark's daughter and former director of strategic communications to PM Stephen Harper On Wednesday we said goodbye to my dear old Dad, Mark Bonokoski. Talented beyond measure, my Dad dedicated his life to telling the stories of those who would otherwise not be heard. Devoted husband to my Mom of 40+ years, amazing Papa to Briar and Morgan, and the best Dad. MMA Toronto & GTA Tennis Celebrity Sunshine Girls
Toronto Sun
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
Bono was larger than life and a legendary columnist
Get the latest from Lorrie Goldstein straight to your inbox Longtime columnist Mark Bonokoski. Photo by Toronto Sun files Mark Bonokoski was the Toronto Sun's rockstar, so it was fitting that we always called him Bono. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Growing up in Lyn, Ontario near Brockville, he graduated from the journalism program at what was then called Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto, before being hired by the Calgary Herald and Windsor Star as a general assignment reporter. A member of the 'Windsor Mafia' — a bevy of talented young Windsor Star journalists who eventually landed at the Toronto Sun, which rose from the ashes of the Toronto Telegram in 1971 — Bono joined the paper in 1974, and never looked back. Actress Shannon Tweed, left, and Mark Bonokoski. Photo by Toronto Sun files An uber-talented, larger-than-life, no-holds-barred writer with his long hair, trademark moustache, gravelly voice and 24/7 work ethic, Bono — tough on the outside but with a kind heart and a profound sense of right and wrong — embarked on a remarkable career for almost half a century, centred around the Toronto Sun and Sun Media. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Given an up-front, daily news column in 1977 at the age of 28 in recognition of his talent, Bono churned out five must-read pieces a week as a young marquee columnist who instinctively understood the Toronto Sun's motto to 'write for the man and woman who rides on the King St. streetcar.' Bono banged out his first column — in triplicate — on a manual typewriter from a low-rent motel room near Kingston Penitentiary. He was up for anything, including trying out for the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin and writing about the experience. Mark Bonokoski in Jays uniform in 1979. Photo by Toronto Sun files He was fearless, never backing down from a fight if the cause was just. He wrote about out-of-control crime by showing how easy it was to get an illegal gun, by buying one himself. His media contacts were legendary, including the time he received a phone call in the newsroom from the hitman who had just murdered Toronto mobster Paul Volpe, directing Bono to the exact location where his body could be found. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He exposed the antisemitic hatred of Ernst Zundel, long before Zundel became infamous for his views. He fought to raise $50,000 to get experimental stem-cell research in China for two disabled sisters from Port Perry. Mark Bonokoski examines the ticket for parking in a No Standing zone that he fought successfully in an Old City Hall courtroom on May 17, 2006. Photo by Toronto Sun files He campaigned successfully for the name of Toronto Staff-Sgt. Eddie Adamson to be included on a memorial wall of fallen police officers, after it was determined his suicide stemmed from not being able to go in and try to save Const. Michael Sweet, who was bleeding to death at the hands of the notorious Munro brothers during a botched robbery in 1980. Then Ontario ombudsman Andre Marin launched one of the largest investigations in his office's history as a result of a series Bono wrote on post-traumatic stress disorder among Ontario Provincial Police officers and the anguish caused by the brass' failure to address it. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He wrote a 15-part series titled the 'Red Road' on the challenges, tragedies and hardships faced by First Nations citizens living in Canada's cities. About his decades of international reporting for Sun Media — including an assignment as the chain's London-based foreign correspondent — Bono wrote: 'There is no greater adventure than to be at history's elbow when the word changes, to be in Berlin at the very moment the Wall came down, to dodge gunfire in Rhodesia, to find yourself in a room in the Vatican next to where a pope lies recovering from an assassin's bullet, or to be in an IRA funeral cortege in sectarian Belfast when two off-duty soldiers get lynched.' Mark Bonokoski, right, and Barbara Amiel horse around at a Sun charity function in the '80s. Photo by Toronto Sun files Along the way, Bono served as a national affairs columnist and national editorial writer for Sun Media and editor, publisher and CEO of the Ottawa Sun. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. His own toughest critic, Bono wrote with brutal honesty about his time as an executive: 'My worst days … were those three years … when I was publisher and CEO of the Ottawa Sun, and my eyes were buried in budget books and not staring at a blank page on a computer screen with a column deadline looming … writing is what I loved, not management.' Bono didn't write to win awards but he won so many they would be too numerous to list here, culminating in his induction into the Canadian News Hall of Fame in 2017. Toronto Press and Media Club president Ed Patrick, left, inducts Mark Bonokoski into the Canadian News Hall of Fame at the Toronto Press and Media Club on November 21, 2017. Craig Robertson/Toronto Sun/Postmedia Network Photo by Craig Robertson / Toronto Sun He even went over to the dark side of journalism — politics — briefly. He sought the nomination of the now-defunct Canadian Alliance Party in Ottawa West-Nepean in 2000, but was defeated because some party members felt he was too moderate. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. He later served stints as director of communications to then Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak and as a communications advisor to then Conservative federal transport minister Lisa Raitt. Mark Bonokoski back in the 70s with the Fly United T-shirt he was wearing when arraigned in court for marijuana possession. Photo by Toronto Sun Finally there were the roles he was proudest of — husband of 41 years to his beloved Karen, father to his 'beam of light,' daughter Erin, and grandfather of two. In June, Bono broke his final story, that his lung cancer was terminal and he did not have long to live. He told his Facebook followers: 'Doctors say the days of treating the disease are over. Radiation didn't work and chemotherapy has been ruled out. Time to let it run its course. So this is it. My last Father's Day. My last birthday at month's end. So I will be leaving at age 76. Wife Karen, bless her, has thus far been a rock. Daughter Erin a beam of light. I'm a lucky man.' And we're all the luckier for having known him. Toronto & GTA Tennis Toronto & GTA MMA Toronto Maple Leafs
