Latest news with #Lindy
Otago Daily Times
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Dance festival set to swing
Snappy steps and swivelling hips will get the party started when a popular dance event returns. The Dunedin Swing Festival is staging its 11th edition over King's Birthday weekend, offering big band energy, syncopated beats and buoyant revelry. Festival director Sibby Dillon said the event's core styles traced back to innovators of the 1920s-'40s swing era. "African-American communities in different parts of America were responding to the music of the time in different ways." Swing was freer than more structured forms of dance. "There's so much more personality, your own personality that you bring to the dance, and that makes it incredibly fulfilling. "It means that when you are dancing with someone else, you are actually bringing your personality to that dance and they are bringing their personality to the dance." The festival caters to a range of skill levels, from absolute beginners through to advanced classes. Age groups are also covered, starting with a free under-5s dance class. "A lot of us now have little people and we like to involve them in our community as well," Dillon said. Teaching co-ordinator Kieran Ford said although swing was popular in its own era, the dances had stayed in demand. "It is the same whakapapa that goes all the way through to hip-hop and disco and house music. "It is the same story, part of the same culture, one just led from one to the next." Six experienced tutors will lead 10 hours of workshops — John and Julia Wharington, Miya Miyazaki, Evan Hughes and Jessie Gordon, of Australia, will be joined by Lindy hop star Ramona Staffeld, of the United States. "She has won multiple awards at the International Lindy Hop Championships," Ford said. Social events include a blues dance night at Errick's featuring the Whirling Eddys band and the Josephine Ball at Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, featuring Jessie Gordon and her Rinky Tinky Jingle Jangle Jazz Club — comprising local musicians. Gordon was a multiple Fringe World Music and Cabaret Award-winning singer, Dillon said. The festival draws enthusiastic dancers from Dunedin and beyond. Dedicated festival-goers can look forward to seeing familiar faces from previous years. "I think that community of people is a really special group that comes together once a year here. "It is definitely very much a party and a celebration," Ford said. The Dunedin Swing Festival is a supporter of LGBTQI+ nonprofit organisation the Safe Space Alliance. Funding from the Otago Community Trust helps ensure the event takes place. • The Dunedin Swing Festival will take place from May 29 to June 2. Visit for timetables, tickets and registration.
The Sun
21-05-2025
- The Sun
Man's head left hanging on by just his skin after he was internally decapitated in horror crash
A MAN was told he was the most broken patient paramedics had ever seen after being internally decapitated in a car crash. Simon Clark, now 45, suffered severe brain trauma, more than two dozen major fractures, multiple organ damage and tore a two inch hole in the main artery carrying blood from his heart. 5 5 Tragically the accident also claimed the life of his partner Lindy, who had been driving when their car swerved into the path of an oncoming car on a blind bend. Simon doesn't remember much more than a loud bang and intense pain in his left hip. His next memory was of lying in the long grass with rain falling on his face. 'I took the full impact on my left side which is why I sustained so many broken bones,' he says. 'I shattered the top three vertebrae and completely separated my skull from my spine. My head was only held on by skin, muscle, nerves and other tissue. Basically, my head was flopping around like a chicken with its neck broken.' Simon was put into a coma at the scene by the medics of the Great Western Air Ambulance and remembers nothing until two months later where he received the devastating news that the love of his life had died in the collision. Paralysed and unable to speak, he was also told that he would never walk, eat or breathe independently again. 'I just had to lay there and listen to the never-ending horror story that was my prognosis,' he says. 'My brain was screaming at this point. I lurched from extreme survivor's guilt to wanting to end it all. 'I even tried to bite my tongue off at one point but luckily I didn't have the strength to do much more than make it very sore. 'Not being able to pick my sons up for a cuddle rips me to pieces,' says dad after crash 'The worst moments were lying in that hospital bed not long after leaving ICU, when all of the staff had finished for the day and my visitors had left. 'I would be left there in the dark, unable to move, unable to do anything for myself, barely able to speak. I had spent the majority of the day counting the dimples in the ceiling tiles and now I just had the beeping of the machines for company.' Simon spent the long hours in total anguish and turmoil, wishing for death to take him. 'I truly wanted to die. Just to end the pain and torture of knowing my life was over and I'd never got to say goodbye to Lindy,' he says. 'Just bad luck' The cause of the crash in October 2019 will remain forever a mystery. Police told Simon his partner was not speeding, had not been drinking and had done nothing suspicious. They concluded it was a genuine accident and 'just bad luck.' Physically shattered and emotionally traumatised, he struggled to see any way forward. But as the days and weeks wore on, Simon made a remarkable discovery. He found that he could control his thoughts and in doing so, could decide to recover beyond a life of living in a hospital bed. I made the firm decision that I would walk out of the hospital on my own two feet without any assistance, within six months of the accident Simon Clark 'I decided I would not stop until I was fitter and stronger than I was before the accident. I made the firm decision that I would walk out of the hospital on my own two feet without any assistance, within six months of the accident,' he says. Incredibly he did just that. 'I had nothing else to work with so I began to try and regain control of my mind,' he says. 'I didn't have use of my body anymore so I had to try and save a tiny piece of Simon. I built a little fort in my mind where Simon could hide from all the horrible things that were happening. 'After many months of mental anguish and physical pain my body started to respond. "At first it was just being able to blink, when I had mastered that I was able to communicate with my family by spelling out words by blinking while they ran their fingers along a board with letters printed on it. "Then I moved on to trying to wiggle a finger, and then maybe move my foot. It was an incredibly slow, frustrating period of slowly trying to move every single limb and then building up the strength so I could use them. "Learning to walk again has been the most painful of all of my recovery." 'Nordic walking helped me' After he left hospital, Simon discovered Nordic Walking thanks to the help of his physiotherapist Melissa Domaile. The method is an enhanced walking technique that uses poles to work your entire body not just your legs. 'So many physios told me all the things I would never do again,' he says. 'But Melissa took the time to get to know me and she saw my drive, she saw my love of the mountains and what I was willing to give to get back to them, to have a full and meaningful life again. 'Nordic Walking helped me walk a few paces without getting out of breath, which turned into walking around a football field then walking the Everest Base Camp Trail less than five years after the accident.' He has also trekked the Icelandic Highlands, climbed Mount Toubkal in Northern Africa and is now training to walk to the North Pole, determined to show that recovery - while painful and slow - is possible in the face of overwhelming odds. 5 5 5 Simon, who had been working as an estate agent at the time of the crash, is still far from well. He is in constant pain, struggles with exhaustion and carries deep emotional scars from the accident. He suffers from PTSD and crippling bouts of anxiety and depression, as well as nerve pain and brain damage. 'I still have a lot of problems with my heart and lungs,' he says. 'I'm working on about a third of my lung capacity and my heart beats frantically which can result in me passing out. 'I was warned by cardiologists not to let my heart rate go above 120 bpm as it will most likely cause a heart attack. Unfortunately just walking across a car park puts my heart above that. 'While training I am often in the 150-160 bpm range and on the way to Everest I pushed to 186 bpm. 'I will also need to travel to Svalbard very soon to do some cold weather testing and training to see how my body responds to extreme cold as I currently don't feel any temperature changes. For me all weather conditions feel like spring.' But Simon has to keep going. He knows moving his body is excellent therapy. 'The best recovery from all of this has been physical exercise, learning to get my life back and rebuilding my body, then simply just getting out into nature,' he says. 'A walk in the hills cures most problems and those that it can't, it puts into perspective.' How to cope with the effects of a traumatic event Accessing and accepting support from others It is very comforting to receive physical and emotional support from other people. It is important not to reject support by trying to appear strong, or trying to cope completely on your own. Talking to others who have had similar experiences, or understand what you have been through, is particularly important - it can allow you to release pent up feelings and enable barriers to be removed and closer relationships to develop. Some friends may be reluctant to push their support forward even though they would like to help - do not be afraid to ask and say what you want. Research has shown that social support and community networks are important and can facilitate psychological recovery. Taking time out for yourself In order to deal with your feelings, you will at times find it necessary to be alone, or just be with close friends or/and family. Confronting what has happened Confronting the reality of the situation, e.g. by talking to a friend, can (instead of will) help you come to terms with the event. Staying active Helping others, keeping busy, maintaining usual routines where possible can be helpful. Returning to your usual routine It is usually advisable to return to your usual routine as soon as possible after the event in order to avoid incubation and magnification of fear while away from the situation. Source: NHS
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Costs of a semi-war, and keeping hope
I have barely slept in the last 48 hours. There is a semi-war going on, escalating every passing day. But honestly, I am not scared or anxious. Why am I not scared yet? Maybe, it's either India's multi-layered air defence system or my usual middle-class irrational optimism. Kuch nahi hoga (Everything will be alright). I am sleep-deprived. Following conflict from far, but not far enough, is a new experience for me. During the Kargil war in 1999, the internet and I were both young — not many memory bookmarks, nothing to scroll. But, war in current times is a unique cocktail of humour and tragedy. This is the first time we have missiles and memes together. Taking turns to reach us from across the border. Following such a war evokes a spectrum of feelings. Fear at one end and thrill at the other; which side of the spectrum you are on depends on how close your family is to the border. I am in Gurgaon, with my parents in Lucknow. But I know a girl who works in Delhi, whose parents are living in Jammu. She broke into tears the moment her first call didn't go through to her parents. Even semi-wars are tough. You also learn about missiles, jets, drones, and air defence systems. You learn it is actually a sales-exhibition of military hardware, for defence manufacturers to show to the presidents, oligarchs, dictators, drug dealers, and others who will place orders the moment they see your jet killing another jet. The share prices go up/down pegged to the life and death of citizens. In a world where kids are born to eventually grow up and enhance shareholder value, this, sadly, makes sense. There is another carnival during the time of war called TV news. Imagine a news panel where a 60-year-old expert is dissecting a topic, bringing in his three decades of experience. Everybody is listening intently, and suddenly an air siren goes off; it is the BREAKING NEWS siren, everybody bows in reverence to the power of 'breaking news', even though we eventually find out the massive breaking news is basically the home minister going for a meeting to the Prime Minister's Office. The expert has lost his train of thought, the anchor deems the visit as 'kuch bada hone wala hai (something big is about to happen)', despite the minister just doing his daily job. All of it, just for the sake of commercial breaks! My only sympathies are with the on-field reporter who's at the LoC, with missiles flying over his head, risking his life. I know they love their job, but it is a gig where they just get 15 seconds of airtime before they are cut off and the anchor moves on to an 'expert' sitting in the air-conditioned studio. We hope the reporter opens a YouTube channel in the future. The war is still on. Nobody knows how far up the escalatory ladder we will climb, but with each successive rung, we exchange a bit of thrill for some fear. The radius of indifference may shorten. But we still believe in the Lindy effect — the longer something has existed, the more likely it is to continue existing, or to put it crudely in my native tongue— kuch nahi hoga. Here's to hope. Abhishek Asthana is a tech and media entrepreneur and tweets as @gabbbarsingh. The views expressed are personal
New York Times
18-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Sabres' Lindy Ruff becomes fifth NHL coach to reach 900-win milestone
BUFFALO, N.Y. — Lindy Ruff became the fifth coach in NHL history to win 900 games when the Buffalo Sabres beat the Philadelphia Flyers 5-4 in their season finale on Thursday night. Ruff had reached 899 wins a week ago, but a four-game losing streak delayed the milestone. Ruff, 65, joined Scotty Bowman (1,244), Joel Quenneville (969), Paul Maurice (916) and Barry Trotz (914) as the only coaches in NHL history with 900 wins. Ruff has coached the third-most games of all time. Ruff is also one of two coaches in NHL history to have at least 600 wins with one franchise. Advertisement 'Lindy has proven his value as an NHL coach for over 30 years, being able to adapt to all changes in the style of hockey, and he has always been a winner,' Bowman, the NHL's all-time winningest coach, told The Athletic in a text message. 'To reach such a milestone that very few coaches have done is the true testament to what he is all about.' Ruff spent the first 16 years of his head-coaching career with the Sabres after a long career in Buffalo as a player. He led the Sabres to the Eastern Conference final three times and to the Stanley Cup Final once. He was hired for a second stint with the franchise last April. The expectation was that he would be able to help a young team get over the edge and end the franchise's league-record playoff drought. Instead, the Sabres took a step back from their point total last season and missed the playoffs for the 14th straight season. A 13-game winless streak in December sank their season. Congratulations on 900 @NHL wins, Lindy! 👏 — Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) April 18, 2025 That's why Ruff hasn't taken much time to revel in the 900-win milestone in what he has described as one of the most challenging seasons of his career. 'I could care less about 900,' Ruff said last week. 'Seriously.' Ruff is under contract for one more season with the Sabres. To this point, there has been no indication that his job is in jeopardy. Sabres general manager Kevyn Adams said this week that Ruff will be back next season. Recently, Ruff has sounded like a coach who is intent on seeing things through with this Sabres team. 'I'm driven by the fact that I didn't get this team where I needed to get them soon enough,' Ruff said. 'That's what I'm driven by.' The Sabres still finished the season at the bottom of the standings. And given the list of issues the Sabres need to fix, the last thing on Ruff's mind is where he stands on the all-time wins list. 'It's not about me and how many games I've won,' Ruff said last week. 'It's about our team needing to consistently win hockey games, and that is really the whole focus.'
New York Times
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Tiny Love Stories: ‘Breathing Felt Like Betrayal'
Sinew and Silence After my son died, I forgot how to be human. Breathing felt like betrayal. Food, impossible. The floor was the only place that made sense. Then Lindy arrived: retired racer, all sinew and silence, a greyhound built to fly. He couldn't fix me. But he was fully present in my grief, a sentinel to my stillness. Lindy wasn't a therapy dog, but a witness. Nudging me with his snout, acknowledging my pain with a wordless knowing. He let me break. He made me breathe. — Mark E. Paull An Expanded Family One morning, while I was making rounds as a medical resident, a handsome nurse asked me out. Shayne was a gift of warmth and comfort when life was cold and punishing. He took me bowling; a few months later, I was pregnant. We would have two other children, get married, move to Ohio, Florida and back to Vermont before I found the courage to tell him I'm a lesbian. I have a girlfriend now. Shayne does too. We're family and next-door neighbors. Our tweens groan that we're 'so weird,' but agree that no one has more love than we do. — Britt Olmsted Filling the Blanks In the past 15 years, I've lived in 12 homes. Each spot has had bare walls. I buy art but don't hang it. What's the point when living alone? But last year, I met you at a dinner party. For some time now, you've been coming over to my apartment, and I to yours. I drive the highway between us and think: This is starting to feel like home. I look at my art and start mapping it onto the walls. Next time you come, could you help me put some up? Home, I believe, is a two-person job. — Florianne Jimenez Poetry in the Park My toddler, Hugo, believes in a world where toast feels disappointment, socks miss each other in the wash and the moon follows us home out of loyalty. He creates whimsical stories about puddles filling his boots, the wind lifting his hair. I used to think I was good with words, but his are better. More imaginative, joyful, less afraid. He makes poetry out of breakfast, errands, the walk in our local London park. I used to want to teach him everything, but now I just want to listen. — Naomi Couper See more Tiny Love Stories at Submit yours at Want more from Modern Love? Watch the TV series; sign up for the newsletter; or listen to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify or Google Play. We also have swag at the NYT Store and two books, 'Modern Love: True Stories of Love, Loss, and Redemption' and 'Tiny Love Stories: True Tales of Love in 100 Words or Less.'
