Republic of Angola (Xyami): New Articles on The Daily Dust today

Monday, December 29, 2008

New Articles on The Daily Dust today

Posted: 29 Dec 2008 06:03 AM CST

"Hey MacDuff, What is your problem man, where is that you get off?"

The Scotsman newspaper is reporting that Professor Ferenc Szasz, from the University of New Mexico is pretty sure that the modern day rapping delights in America have their basis in the ancient Scottish lyrical combat flyting, "where feuding opponents settled scores by trading ever more elaborate insults".

According to the theory, Scottish slave owners took the tradition with them to the United States where it was adopted and developed by the slaves themselves, emerging many years later as rap.

He’s backed up by Professor Willie Ruff of Yale University: “We clearly have European roots too. While it may not be satisfactory and it may not be comfortable, it is what it is. It is in our names, it’s in our music, it’s in our blood," while pointing out the Scottish surnames of Dizzy Gillespie and Louis Armstrong.

(Hat tip to The Scotsman).

And that rapping Macbeth lyric at the top of our article? Who else but Mitch Benn…

Is It Santa? A UFO? Or some Weird Science?

Posted: 29 Dec 2008 05:08 AM CST

The temptation about a letter to Santa mistaken as a UFO is too much for Rise and Shine.

The final Rise and Shine of the season chronicles the small town of Peebles and the residents spotting what was, in their mind, a UFO. Fortunately there was a simpler explanation… Iain Weir was delivering his daughter’s letter to Santa not by sending them up a chimney, but by a small paraffin powered lantern, teaching here about hot air balloons in the process.

As reports of colourful lights climbing up the valley came in , Weir came to the bashful conclusion that he’d "done an Orson" on the village. How could the Rise and Shine topical songsters ignore this one?

They couldn’t. So Educating Ellie was written, composed, performed and polished in the requisite three hours, and you can find it on our Rise and Shine player on the right, or back at their own website. And here’s me thinking we might be getting a reference to Rita somewhere in there…

Hat tip, as always, to Rise and Shine, and over 1,200 people, from all over the world, who took part in the songs. They will return in 2009, and I suspect we’ll see them on The Daily Dust as well.

Hat tip and congratulations, as always, to Rise And Shine.

Alexandra Still Has The Number One Factor

Posted: 29 Dec 2008 04:39 AM CST

Second week at the top for Reality Show winner

Hallelujah has retained the top spot in the singles charts for Simon Cowell and Alexandra Burke for a second week. The Leonard Cohen cover stays at the top, while Jeff Buckley’s version slips to number seven, letting Leona Lewis return to number two with (yes, another cover) Snow Patrol’s Run.

Cohen’s original, which Christmas charted at #36 has fallen dramatically down to #98.

Over in the Albums chart, Take That continue their dominance, with a fourth week in the top spot, while all the kerfuffle about Britney Spear’s album having the same name seems long gone, as the American starlet slips out the Top 20 to #21 with her Circus of an album.

Uk Singles Chart, 28 December 2008
Hallelujah - Alexandra Burke
Run - Leona Lewis
If I Were A Boy - Beyonce
Broken Strings - James Morrison & Nelly Furtatdo
Use Somebody - Kings of Leon

UK Albums Chart, 28 December 2008
The Circus - Take That
Spirit - Leona Lewis
Only By The Night - Kings of Leon
Day and Age - The Killers
Out of Control - Girls Aloud

(Hat tip to The Official Charts Company)

Ricardo Fuller sent off for slapping his captain

Posted: 28 Dec 2008 08:46 PM CST

Stoke’s Ricardo Fuller did his part to sink his club at the weekend by getting sent off for slapping Andy Griffin. Wait, isn’t Griffin Stoke’s captain and, unless we’re wrong, Fuller’s team-mate?

Why yes, yes he is…

"Ric raised his hands and you can't condone that. I certainly won't be condoning it."

"The lads said that Ric and Griff had an altercation and Ric's pushed him in the face.

"I've seen the Fuller incident again on TV and he walks up, slaps Griffin on the chin so I will deal with that on Monday.

"I will sort that out. Andy and Ric get on very well together. At the club's Christmas party, they exchanged silly shirts and they have a laugh with each other.

"We shot ourselves in the foot again, just like we did against United and we'll deal with it in house."

Cue hilarious Dyer-Bowyer footage, if only we had the Benny Hill music lying around: