Category Archives: Immortality

This year, on the diamond of J.P. Small Memorial Stadium, Edward Waters University playedball with a new designation the college of a Baseball Hall of Famer.

Over the weekend, Buck O'Neil, the longtime infielder withthe Kansas City Monarchs of theNegro Leagues during baseball's segregated years and a former Edward Waters ballplayer nearly a century ago, officially enters the ranks of baseball immortality and adds a name to Jacksonville's storied list of giants of the diamond.

On July 24, O'Neil, who died in 2006,will receive formal enshrinement at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. The Hall voted O'Neil into its membership in December.

O'Neil joins a list ofHall of Famers with Jacksonville ties among them, Chipper Jones competed in high school baseball at Bolles, Bill Terry lived in the city for some four decades after his New York Giants career and the likes of Hank Aaron, Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan and Randy Johnson played with minor league teams on the First Coast.

His Edward Waters connection leaves a legacy that's unique among city baseball giants, and one with a tangible legacy.O'Neil's statue stands in front of J.P. Small Memorial Stadium, where today's Tigers played home games on their way to the Black College World Series title in the spring.

"To have someone from our university to enter the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, this is huge for our institution," EWU athletic director Paul Bryant said.

O'Neil, born in the Panhandle town of Carrabelle in 1911, came to Jacksonville and played both baseball and football at Edward Waters before beginning his decades-long career in the Negro Leagues, where he twice earned All-Star recognition as an infielder lining up against giants of the game. He spent the majority of his playing career, from 1938 to 1948, with the Kansas City Monarchs, where his teammates included the likes of Hall of Famers Satchel Paige and Hilton Smith.

At Raines High School, just a few miles north of the fields where O'Neil played during his Edward Waters days, the Hall of Fame selection of an athlete who competed near their home left an imprint on today's players this spring.

"It's a big inspiration to me, and I'm sure for everybody else on the team," said Raines senior Kris Simmons saidin an interview with the Times-Union during the regular season.

Raines baseball coach Jonathan Hicks said O'Neil's determination on the diamondpointedto the value of mastering the mental side of baseball.

"We're trying to get our guys into that mindset," Hicks said earlier this spring. "It's about the preparation and inspiration."

Despite modest home-run power for a first baseman,O'Neil earned three Negro League All-Star appearances and a batting title while receiving accolades for his fielding.

O'Neil also surmounted barriers as a pioneering coach and scout in the majors after his playing career, andworked tirelessly throughout his life to preserve the Negro Leagues' history for the generations to come. In 2020, Major League Baseball officially recognized the leagues' status as major.

"Being the first Black coach in the majors [with the Chicago Cubs], being Midwest Scout of the Year [while in the Kansas CityRoyals organization], those are things we're so proud of," Bryant said. "He set a standard for all that have come after him."

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

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Jacksonville, Edward Waters University ties strong for Baseball Hall of Famer Buck O'Neil - The Florida Times-Union

Nigerias Tobi Amusan and Swedens Armand Duplantis both broke world records in a stunning finish to the 2022 World Athletic Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Starting off with Amusan, she demolished the world record in the womens 100m hurdles TWICE in back-to-back races, though excessive wind speeds meant her second time was subsequently ruled out.

In the final session, Amusan delivered one of the great individual performances of the tournament - if not athletics history.

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First, she won her semi-final in 12.12 seconds, crushing the previous best of 12.20s owned by American Kendra Harrison in 2016.

Then, Amusen blew away her rivals in the final to win the gold medal - her countrys first ever - in a staggering 12.06s.

However, it was revealed five minutes later that the wind reading for the final was +2.5m/s, well over the 2m per second limit, meaning the second run does not count as a world record.

Commentator Tim Hutchings was in awe as he exclaimed: I cannot believe it, shes done it again. Two world records in one night and she makes history by becoming Nigerias first world champion. What a way to do it and what a stage on which to discover sporting immortality. Records can be broken, titles will stand the test of time and tonight shes done both - two world records. 12.06, tonight will never, never be forgotten by anyone lucky enough to be here.

That was utterly extraordinary. We doubted she could do it again, how dare we, how dare we. Nigeria, a proud African nation, are on top of the world tonight. And Amusan has delivered an evening of unprecedented glory and speed. That was utterly, utterly incredible.

Amusan had already crushed the African record when she won her heat the day before in just 12.40s, the fastest first-round time in world championships history. But she went to another level in the finals to demolish her rivals - despite having the third-slowest reaction time of any runner in the final.

Britany Anderson of Jamaica finished second in 12.23s ahead of Puerto Ricos Jasmine Camacho-Quinn, also 12.23s.

Former world record holder Harrison was runner-up in the same semi-final where Amusan first broke the record, finishing second in 12.27s. Remarkably, that time was already faster than the previous championship record of 12.28sec, which Australian Sally Pearson claimed in 2011.

Commentator Tim Hutchings declared after the semi-final: 12.12 that is astonishing. I can hardly believe what Im just seeing. That is a massive, massive world record. Shes looking at the clock to see if it was a mistake, but it wasnt, its been confirmed. A massive, massive world record in the semi-final.

Tobi Amusan has just electrified the stadium. It was an incredible run but we didnt think it was that good. How on earth does she focus on winning the gold medal after storming to a world record. Utterly astonishing.

Gail Devers added: Yesterday when she ran her first heat, she was saying it was so hard for her to slow down because people were wondering why she ran 12.40. But when youre on fire it is hard to slow down. She didnt expect to run the 12.12 but you saw her mechanics, she kept running. What she did so well is she got her lead leg down and she ran away. That was a clinic in how you run the 100-metre hurdles.

In that same race, Australias Michelle Jenneke smashed her previous best of 12.82s by finishing fifth in 12.66s, though it was not good enough to qualify for the final.

In her heat, she had already run her fastest time in seven years since 2015, the same year as her previous PB. But she went one better in the semi-final to demolish her best-ever time, and was clearly overjoyed.

As for Duplantis, the 22-year-old completed his medal collection as he dominated the pole vault for world gold in a new world record.

Olympic champion Duplantis, seeking an elusive first world title, triumphed with a best of 6.21 metres, bettering by 1cm his previous best set when winning gold at the World Indoor Championships in Belgrade in March.

American Chris Nilsen took silver with a bet of 5.94m on countback from Ernest Obiang, whose bronze was a first world medal of any colour for the Philippines

Thats ridiculous. That is absolutely ridiculous, Hutchings said in commentary.

How could we finish any other way than with a world record from the greatest pole vaulter our sport has ever seen. He cannot believe it. You could not script that any better. USA storming to the last track gold with Sydney McLaughlin who smashed her own record in blistering fashion and then just when you thought it was all over, Duplantis as he did at the world indoors, finishes the action with a moment of unprecedented greatness.

Duplantis has taken his world record ever higher, his achievements go ever further and the only question is how many more times will he seize these wonderful nights and sign off in his inimitable style. At 22, he has already done everything and look at what it means.

Duplantis celebrated the record with a backflip as he brought an end to the days events in emphatic fashion.

Tonight has had absolutely everything, he said.

We have never had more nations striking gold at the same world championship as we had here, the previous best was 26, we are already up to 28. Tonight, we have seen the two fastest times over the 100-metre hurdles.

One of them was world-record legitimate and one wasnt because of the wind and weve seen Duplantis become the most prolific six-metre jumper in history and break his own record. What a night for so many reasons.

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That is ridiculous: World records tumble in utterly extraordinary scenes - Fox Sports

Its been announced today that Pippa Middleton has named her newborn daughter Rose.

The 38-year-old sister of Kate Middleton already has two children, Arthur (3) and Grace (1) withmillionaire husband James Matthews.

Nature is perhaps on the mothers mind as its also emerged she also plans to develop her 77 acre farm in a similar manner to Jeremy Clarkstons Diddly Squat farm with plans for glamping, a farm shop and a restaurant.

It looks as if baby names after florals are back after a brief hiatus in which other nature names emerged like Ivy, River and Rain.

Weve put together a list of whimsical, memorable baby names perfect for your little bud.

Acacia

In Greek, this name means thorny.

Ambretta

This name takes after an evergreen that blooms yellow flowers.

Oakley

This strong moniker is Old English for from the oak meadow

Amaryllis

Amaryllis is in the same family as the popular lily flower.

Bryony

With Latin roots, this name means to sprout.

Cassia

This gorgeous Greek name means cinnamon, which is also the scent that the cassia plant emitsits sweet andspicy! This name can be pronounced as cass-ee-a, or as cash-a, like the cassia tree itself.

Ren

This is Japanese for water lily

Fern

This flowery name comes from the feathery-fronded plant that enjoys the shade.

Zinnia

Cool and edgy, Zinnia is of Latin origin, and the zinnia flower symbolizes remembrance. Roald Dahl knows a good name when he sees itZinnia Wormwood is the mother of Matilda in his famous novel of the same name; though she has a questionable personality, her name is pretty cool.

Yolanda

In Greek, this name means violet flower.

Briar

With English origins, this name means a thorny patch.

Pepper

English for spice or berry

Lane

Meaning: One from the meadow farm.

Vernon

This pretty name is French for alder tree or Latin for spring

Wilder

A variant of the English word wild can be seen used in the languages German and Danish

Narcissa

In Greek, this girls name means daffodil.

Kaede

Japanese name that means maple leaf

Tansy

This flower name has Greek origins and means immortality.

Rada

In Yiddish, this name means rose and happy.

Dahlia

This Lithuania name derives from an old rose plant that means destiny.

Read more here:

20 plant-inspired baby names youve probably never heard of - image.ie

THEY are immortal now, these men who delivered Limericks first ever three-in-a-row.

A sporting weekend which had started with Irelands rugby team chopping the All Blacks down to size in Wellington ended with hurlings green giants seizing the day against a defiant Kilkenny team at Croke Park.

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Declan Hannon became the first captain in history to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup on four occasions, eclipsing all the iconic names that have gone before.

He smiled: Its a nice achievement to have but as a player your job is to do a job for the team.

Individual accolades or anything like that are not irrelevant but when youre still playing they kind of are. Im overjoyed for the group and for everyone winning.

It is a nice piece of history for me but it is always about the group and it has to be. Otherwise we wouldnt be where we are.

As if to demonstrate that, when he was accepting the trophy yesterday, Hannon brought the injured Cian Lynch up to the podium to raise it with him. The mercurial Lynch is Limericks most gifted player and the ankle injury he suffered in a training game a week earlier robbed him of a chance to play. But he was there yesterday, hobbling on crutches and wearing a protective boot.

Manager John Kiely said: Hes involved in everything we do, hes our vice-captain so hes there always, at all times, and the boys are all there for him as well obviously.

Because its hugely disappointing for him to have had the season hes had sent off in the Fitzgibbon Cup final, tears his hamstring badly, misses ten weeks, comes back, does all the rehab, gets himself back in a position to play in an All-Ireland final and for him to experience an absolutely freak injury in training, seven days out...

Youre not going to be racing down the road into a bookies when you have that kind of luck. So it was heartbreaking for him, everybody was so disappointed for him. But being the man he was, he was absolutely committed to everything we did all week.

And the boys committed to making sure they werent going to let him be the reason that people might say, Thats why you lost that final.

And what a final it was. There were 60 scores during a frenetic, pulsating game where both teams rained high ball in on top of the opposing defence.

It started off at breakneck speed and despite the high temperatures, the pace of the game hardly dipped until the final whistle.

And at that final whistle, Limerick had become only the fourth county to ever achieve three successive All-Ireland senior hurling titles joining the elite club of Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary.

Hannon said: The three-in-a-row for the group is a serious achievement. The standard of hurling in the country is amazing. To be able to back it up year in, year out is testament to the hard work and the hunger thats still there in the group.

Few players epitomised that hunger yesterday more than Gearid Hegarty and Diarmaid Byrnes.

Both were immense on a day when so many players on both sides emptied themselves.

Kilkenny had 15 different scorers. All five subs the Cats introduced got on the scoreboard. They finished the game with a tally of 2-26. And still ended up on the losing side.

Boss Brian Cody said: We got a good reaction. Thats what its for. Players come on and make a difference but there were so many players on the pitch and they all stood up.

They were manly and they were strong and they were powerful and they just fought it out to the bitter end. They had everything that youd want them to have.

Again, one team will always go home very, very disappointed and unfortunately. today thats us.

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Richie Hogan was one of those subs who scored when sprung from the bench but it remains to be seen if we will see him back in black and amber next year.

Cillian Buckley was an unused sub yesterday and while Walter Walsh made a massive contribution during the second half, there will also be questions over his future.

Cody took Kilkenny closer than many thought possible to beating Limerick but there was a sense this was the one last itch Kielys men needed to scratch beating the Cats in a final.

Hannon said: Kilkenny have been and probably still are the kingpins in hurling. Maybe for other people who have questioned Limerick over the years that they havent beaten Kilkenny to win an All-Ireland, maybe it will quieten a few people.

But there will be no stopping the chatter building now around Shannonside in the days ahead. How about a four-in-a-row? Five even. The age profile of this Limerick team means they will not be disappearing anytime soon.

As they took off around the pitch with Liam MacCarthy for a celebratory lap, Lynch hopped with them.

The two-time Hurler of the Year began the Championship by scoring a magical point while on his knees against Cork but was injured early on in the next game against Waterford.

He only returned to action for the closing stages of the semi-final win over Galway before the cruel blow that saw him miss the decider.

The concerning reality for the chasing pack is that with Lynch back next year, Limerick will be even stronger.

As Dreams got another airing at Croke Park, the Kilkenny players and management made their way off the pitch, Dolores ORiordans haunting voice guiding them down the tunnel.

Back out on the pitch, some young family members had by then joined the Limerick players as they soaked in a fourth All-Ireland SHC success in five years.

Kiely said: All I said to my two girls at home yesterday morning was, I hope you understand that when I was yere age, I went to see Limerick play Galway in the All-Ireland final in 1980. And it was the only time I was in Croke Park in my youth until I was in my twenties in 94. That was it.

They couldnt believe it. I said, Thats the way it was. So you just need to make sure you memory-bank this because you dont know how lucky you are.

Hurlings green giants immortal now.

More:

Limerick reach All-Ireland hurling immortality in the Croke Park cauldron on weekend sporting boundaries... - The Irish Sun

Voting has now closed for The Greatest Ever Race but you can still read our ten fantastic articles.Below, racing writer of the year Lee Mottershead nominates Desert Orchid's 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup triumph. The winner will be announced at racingpost.com at 6pm on Saturday, July 23.

The people have had far fewer horses than we might like to believe.

All too often when a mighty thoroughbred reaches a certain level of fame or wins a certain number of races, the animal takes on the mantle of being "the people's horse".

The harsh reality is that in most of those cases most of the people have never heard of that horse, no matter how popular or celebrated he or she might be in our own parish. Only in the rarest circumstances is a star of this sport also a star outside this sport.

One of the very rarest, wonderful and most cherished examples of such a star was Desert Orchid.

He was indisputably the people's horse. Those who had not even a passing interest in racing were aware of the flying grey. He was a sporting hero, the nation's pet and a national treasure.

Desert Orchid or Dessie to his countless fans was arguably more popular than any racehorse we have known. Fittingly, he ensured the greatest of all his many triumphs is worthy of being remembered as the greatest of all races.

Breeder Jimmy Burridge pictured with a young Desert Orchid

It was mid-March 1989. Desert Orchid was by that stage not simply jump racing's best-loved horse, he was its best horse. With his trademark flamboyance, he had been campaigned by David Elsworth to win a host of contests over fences and hurdles, most notably two runnings of the King George VI Chase.

He ran a lot and won a lot but he was also beaten, for Elsworth and principal owner Richard Burridge were never afraid of defeat. No jumper since then has been campaigned so boldly or brilliantly. Running him in the Gold Cup proved that.

They knew, we all knew, Desert Orchid was never at his happiest when competing on left-handed tracks, particularly when that track happened to be Cheltenham. It was a venue that significantly dulled his powers, yet to have forever swerved the Gold Cup would have been a dereliction of duty, not least given the exceptional season the then ten-year-old had been enjoying under Simon Sherwood.

It really had been the perfect winter. At Ascot in January he displayed his inexhaustible will to win when overhauling Panto Prince in the final uphill strides of the Victor Chandler Chase, a two-mile handicap in which 22lb separated first and second.

Just three weeks later he was at it again, this time at his beloved Sandown, where he sent the grandstands into frenzy by thwarting Pegwell Bay, a rival famed for his resilience and in receipt of 18lb.

"Oh Lord! He'll be the death of us," said John Oaksey, every bit as emotionally frazzled as those who had been watching on Channel 4.

Desert Orchid and Panto Prince are locked together at the final fence of the 1989 Victor Chandler Chase

Gerry Cranham

Desert Orchid simply had to go for gold. To claim the most prestigious of all the festival's prizes was this magnificent chaser's destiny. How ironic, then, that on Gold Cup day it looked as if fate, in one of her most negative moods, had ruthlessly intervened.

It would be an understatement of gargantuan proportions to say when Burridge got out of his car at Cheltenham that Thursday morning, the weather was poor. Snow nestled on the top of Cleeve Hill, while the racecourse at its foot was battered by rain that poured from a morose grey sky.

As the ground became ever softer, the mountain facing Desert Orchid became ever steeper, so much so Sherwood began to pray that the meeting's final afternoon would be postponed until the following month.

His prayers were almost answered. With rain being pumped off the track, Jockey Club stewards put on their wellington boots and braved the elements for a noon inspection. As they did so, Elsworth was in hiding.

Journalists who had spoken to Burridge got the wrong end of the stick and concluded he was edging towards declaring his horse a non-runner. On hearing this or so the story goes Elsworth resolved to stay out of Burridge's way, lest he was asked to withdraw the Gold Cup favourite.

Elsie wanted Dessie to run. Burridge, it transpired, wanted Dessie to run. Every sodden soul at Cheltenham wanted the same. Not long after 3.30pm, it became gloriously apparent that Dessie wanted to win.

Desert Orchid enjoys the splendour of Richard Burridge's North Yorkshire home after his incredible season

Alec Russell

I can't remember how, but I was at home, sitting in front of the television, when the Gold Cup was run. Perhaps I was most fortuitously ill to exactly the permissible amount and no more that school day. Others may have succumbed to the same mild, brief malaise. A few of them might even have made it as far as Cheltenham. It was there that the ideal tonic was to be found.

The ground was heavy, there were 13 runners and Desert Orchid was the punters' choice, sent off 5-2 market leader in a showdown that featured the previous two Gold Cup victors, Charter Party and The Thinker.

Ireland's hopes were carried by the much-vaunted Carvill's Hill, while strongly fancied by many was a former festival-winning novice hurdler, Ten Plus, successful in four consecutive chase starts going into the Gold Cup and a stayer held in the highest regard by Fulke Walwyn. There was also a mud-loving handicapper called Yahoo but you already knew that.

You actually know it all. Those who love jump racing have the 1989 Cheltenham Gold Cup indelibly embedded in their hearts.

Desert Orchid was sent off in front, attacking the field and his fences with relish, as per usual. Carvill's Hill did what trainer Jim Dreaper feared he would do and fell, getting no further than the second ditch. Heading out past the grandstands, Ten Plus was eased into the lead by his adoring jockey Kevin Mooney. He stayed there until jumping the third-last fence. He never jumped again.

Desert Orchid had loomed alongside him when it happened. As Ten Plus departed the scene, Mooney lay on the ground. On rising, the first thing he did was ask the nearest spectator if his mount had got up and galloped away. He had, but having quite clearly sustained a serious injury. Ten Plus was euthanised due to a broken fetlock. Mooney returned to the weighing room in floods of tears.

That would not have happened had the story been penned by Hollywood scriptwriters. Instead, there was a brutal reality to this most punishing of jumps races. That applied most cruelly to Ten Plus, but also to Yahoo, the 25-1 outsider who revelled in conditions that Desert Orchid hated.

He had crept into contention under Tom Morgan and led his rock-star opponent into the home straight. He held that lead over the final two fences. What followed next is what makes this the horseracewhich trumps all others.

David Elsworth with a photograph of Desert Orchid at home in Newmarket

Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

It was not accidental bravery that won Desert Orchid the Gold Cup. The ultimate equine competitor knew exactly what he was doing. Galloping away from the 22nd and final fence a length behind Yahoo, he surged forwards but also to his left. He moved closer and closer to the doomed leader, for whom none of the roars of encouragement were intended.

"If I'd not made a move to straighten him up, he'd have barged poor Yahoo off to the silver ring," said Sherwood later. It's the nearest a horse has ever come to perfecting a mic drop.

"There's a tremendous cheer from the crowd, as Desert Orchid is gonna win it," Peter O'Sullevan told those watching on the BBC, his voice filled with more than excitement. There in those famous tones was pure joy. He felt it. We all felt it.

On passing the post, Sherwood punched the air. "Dessie has done it," added O'Sullevan, quite rightly not an ounce of impartiality in his description of events. Had Morgan been able to hear the commentary he would have understood. You can be sure of that, for when Yahoo reached his nemesis, Morgan reached across and gave Desert Orchid a pat on the neck.

It remains a shame that the BBC's sound equipment suffered a malfunction during the winner's enclosure scenes that followed. One can only imagine what the noise must have been like. It was probably louder and filled with more heartfelt affection than anything heard there before or after.

Those not around at the time will have to take it on trust that Desert Orchid was revered to a degree light years beyond anything we have seen in our part of the world.

If, by the time we go to our graves, that horse and that race remain as good as it gets, there can be no complaints. Truly, we were blessed.

Winning jockey Simon Sherwood recalls his incredible success

Desert Orchid was a horse everyone could relate to. He wasn't wrapped up in cotton wool and was prepared to get out there in the ring on a regular basis and bare his fists.

Prior to the 1989 Gold Cup there was pressure but on the day, once we'd seen what had happened with the weather, I had in the back of my head that if it didn't happen, then the weather and the conditions gave me an escape route.If we'd gone there and conditions hadn't gone so disastrously wrong, there would have been far more pressure.

Proper job: Simon Sherwood, MD and clerk of the course at Ludlow

Steve Davies

When I saw the weather I definitely thought his chance had been reduced but what I hadn't really taken on board was that the attritional conditions were going to take others out of their comfort zone and put things in our favour. We knew he stayed very well and when it was a game of attrition, he usually excelled.

He never liked going left-handed and always lent to the right going on to a fence. He just felt uncomfortable and awkward but because the ground had slowed everything up, it didn't exaggerate that problem.

He felt grand on the first circuit. The second circuit started to get more competitive and there were two or three times that I thought we were in trouble but halfway between the second-last and the last was when I suddenly thought we could nail Yahoo.

About 15 strides before the last he changed his legs and, when he pricked his ears going into the last, that's when I knew we had the petrol if I could keep the engine running.

As he landed over the last I remember hearing an almighty roar. I thought: "Right, get your head down because you've only got one chance of doing this in your life."

You're immersed in the bubble at the time and it's only a few days later that you realise the magnitude of it. It comes up in conversation on a regular basis and I appreciate how much I owe that horse. He enabled me to achieve more than I ever anticipated achieving.

He was charismatic and so honest. You got out on that racecourse and he'd give you everything, every time. I'm lucky to have been associated with such an iconic animal.

Don't miss the rest of this fantastic series here:

Sir Mark Prescott on Mandarin's miracle in the 1962 Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris

Brough Scott on Arkle v Mill House in the 1964 Cheltenham Gold Cup

Richard Hoiles on Crisp v Red Rum in the 1973 Grand National

Nick Luck on Secretariat's stunning win in the 1973 Belmont Stakes

Jessica Harrington on Grundy v Bustino in the 1975 King George

Chris Cook on Dawn Run's win in the 1986 Cheltenham Gold Cup

Rishi Persad on Dancing Brave's victory in the 1986 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe

Richard Forristal on Fantastic Light v Galileo in the 2001 Irish Champion Stakes

Patrick Mullins on Hardy Eustace v Harchibald in the 2005 Champion Hurdle

Stay ahead of the field with 50 per cent off theultimate racing subscription. Enjoy the Racing Post digital newspaper and award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing. Plus, make informed betting decisions with our expert tips and form study tools. Head to thesubscription pageand select 'Get Ultimate Monthly', then enter the code WELCOME22 to get 50 per cent off your first three months. First three payments will be charged at 17.48, subscription renews at full monthly price thereafter. Customers wishing to cancel will need to contact us at least seven days before their subscription is due to renew.

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The day Desert Orchid defied all odds to achieve greatness and immortality - Racing Post

It cant vie with the glitz and glamour of neighbouring Dubai and Qatar, but the tiny island nation of Bahrain has a rich history, and in recent years a clutch of fine museums has sprung up to preserve its heritage.

Hidden away in pockets of traditional architecture amid the urban sprawl, they make for a rewarding few days exploration, says George Kipouros in Wanderlust and, for the curious, there are other more active ways to engage with local culture, from concerts of the local traditional music to lessons in pearl diving, once the islands main industry.

Bahrain means two seas in Arabic, perhaps a reference to the submarine freshwater springs where the worlds best oyster beds are found.

From the fourth to the first millennium BC, Bahrain lay at the heart of a civilisation that experts believe was Dilmun, the trading nation referred to in ancient Mesopotamian texts. Deep in the islands heart lies a huge desert field of burial mounds, which form the worlds largest ancient necropolis.

Many of the treasures found there are displayed in the new National and Qalaat al-Bahrain museums. These include finely carved soapstone seals, and also votive offerings of pearls, and dead snakes, suggesting a ritual that may have been linked to the myth of Gilgamesh, which was a model for the Biblical story of Eden.

In the myth, Dilmun is as a paradise where Gilgamesh finds the flower of immortality in a freshwater sea, only to have it stolen by a serpent. Experts suggest the flower was a pearl: Gilgamesh recovers it like a pearl diver, with stones tied to his feet.

In the old town of Muharraq, a trail called the Pearling Path connects a series of fine 19th-century buildings, including elaborate pearl merchants mansions. Among them are a dozen or so charming small museums, galleries and concert halls overseen by the Sheikh Ebrahim Centre for Culture, which celebrate the islands contemporary arts and traditional culture.

Seepearldiving.bhfor information on pearl-diving trips

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Exploring the ancient wonders of Bahrain - The Week UK

Lord, teach us to pray

This week the Gospel of Luke teaches us about prayer, echoing the Our Father as we learn it in Matthews Gospel. Here I offer a mediation on the third petition of Lukes prayer, Give us each day our daily bread, with help from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

The Catechism tells us that prayer is our relationship with God (No. 2558). Prayer is the recognition of Gods presence and our response, a living conversation that gives shape to our daily life. Thus, the Our Father is not meant simply for recitation, but for living. Our praying of the Our Father is not merely a matter of rote recitation, but to also bring it life to live it. How do we live the petition in which we seek our daily bread?

When meditating on this fourth petition of the Our Father, the Catechism begins with a broad understanding of our bread: The Father who gives us life cannot not but give us the nourishment life requires all appropriate goods and blessings, both material and spiritual (No. 2830). Here, our bread refers to all forms of sustenance necessary to a good and holy life a life lived in conversation with God.

But the Catechism then ends with a focused meditation on the Eucharistic Liturgy as our bread. In the Mass, we received Bread from the table of Gods word, both in Scripture and the Eucharist (cf. Dei Verbum, No. 21). Accordingly, the Catechism can tell us: This petition applies to another hunger from which [we] are perishing: Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, that is, by the Word he speaks and the Spirit he breathes forth. There is a famine on earth, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. For this reason the specifically Christian sense of this fourth petition concerns the Bread of Life: the Word of God accepted in faith, the Body of Christ received in the Eucharist (No. 2835).

Thus, and even more particularly, the Catechism tells us that our bread refers directly to the Bread of Life, the Body of Christ, the medicine of immortality, without which we have no life within us (No. 2837). Echoing St. Augustine, we hear the Church telling us: The Eucharist is our daily bread. The power belonging to this divine food makes it a bond of union. Its effect is then understood as unity, so that, gathered into his Body and made members of him, we may become what we receive (No. 2837).

Friends, notice two things: as our bread the Eucharist is a bond of union, and, as our bread the Eucharist helps us become what we receive. Wow! Does this not mean that if we are in union with the Father, with our Father this our meaning that we are his and he is ours (cf. No. 2829) that we can become what we receive? In other words, doesnt this mean that, when we become united to God in love through his sacrifice of love in the Eucharist, that we can become the bread of love for others?

And Christ himself gives us the example. The Catechism also describes the Our Father as the summary of the whole Gospel (No. 2761). Before becoming the bread of the written Word in Scripture, the Gospel was and is simply Christ himself, the revelation of Gods love lived out for us in a human life. Christ, thus, lived the Our Father, conversing with the Father and carrying his will of love out even unto death. Living the Our Father, Christ became our Eucharistic bread of love. Lets pray that we truly might become what we receive!

Catherine Cavadini, Ph.D., is the assistant chair of the Department of Theology and director of the M.A. in theology degree program at the University of Notre Dame.

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Opening the Word: Our daily bread - Our Sunday Visitor

Capital Pictures Tony Sirico as Paulie Gualtieri, with (back, from left) , Michael Imperioli, Vincent Pastore and Steven Van Zandt, fellow Sopranos cast members - Capital Pictures

Tony Sirico, the actor, who has died aged 79, achieved screen immortality as Paulie Walnuts Gaultieri, veteran associate of the New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano, in HBOs landmark television series The Sopranos (1999-2007).

Amid an unmatched rogues gallery, this was a peach of a part, which Sirico filled to tetchy perfection. A preening peacock with a vicious wit combined with an endless supply of malapropisms, Paulie brushes up well enough to be companionable; but he is also superstitious, vain with his elaborately dyed hair and salon-buffed nails and thin-skinned. As the New Yorker critic Nancy Franklin observed, Paulies angry comic flair is only one notch on the dial away from his murderousness.

That sense of explosive threat was central to the episode Pine Barrens, widely regarded as one of finest hours in the history of television, in which Paulie and Tonys similarly irascible nephew Christopher (Michael Imperioli) lose their way while trying to dispatch a Russian gangster in snowbound woodland. Peaking with a scene in which Paulie loses one of his slip-ons, it was the show in a nutshell: gripping, stressful and wildly, blackly funny.

The role of Paulie drew on Siricos own waywardness. He was arrested 28 times in his early life, the first time aged seven for swiping loose change from a newsstand. After military service, he left the mother of his two children for a new girlfriend and gave up a construction job to become a hired gun for the Colombo crime family: I was very unstable. I wasnt thinking right. So I hooked up with these guys and all of a sudden Im a stick-up artist. I stuck up every nightclub in New York.

He was convicted twice, once for weapons possession, the second time for extortion and coercion. A psychiatric report assessed Sirico as having a character disorder; the judge deemed him a danger to society. He was sentenced to four years in Sing Sing, eventually serving 20 months. It proved a pivotal experience.

After six months without his girlfriend visiting, Sirico realised his relationship was over. Despairing, he attended a performance by Theater of the Forgotten, a touring troupe comprised of ex-convicts. Coupled with his ability to win over fellow inmates (I used to stand up in front of cold-blooded murderers and make em laugh), it persuaded Sirico to consider a new, legitimate career path.

Upon release, he gained a mentor in the playwright-turned-actor Michael V Gazzo; during one early workshop, Gazzo advised his pistol-packing charge to leave the gun at home. Thus disarmed, Sirico landed extra work in two of Gazzos projects: the B-picture Crazy Joe (1974) and then, more propitiously, The Godfather Part II (1974), for which Gazzo would be Oscar-nominated.

Twenty-five years later, David Chase, a Godfather buff, approached Sirico to read for the part of Tonys Uncle Junior in his Sopranos pilot: An hour after I got home, I got a call from Chase. He said, You want the good news or the bad news? I said, Give me the bad news. He said, You didnt get Uncle Junior. But would you be willing to do a recurring role? I have a character called Paulie Walnuts. Sirico agreed on one condition: that Paulie would never be a rat.

Handed a single line in the pilot, he proceeded over six seasons to shape a character who was both representative of an entire criminal milieu and indelibly singular. When I look in the mirror in the morning, I dont know if Im looking at Tony or Paulie, Sirico reflected. We got cross-pollinated.

He was born Gennaro Anthony Sirico Jr on July 29 1942, the third of three sons of Gennaro and Marie Sirico, Sicilian migrants who had settled in the Brooklyn neighbourhood of East Flatbush (his older brother is Robert Sirico, a Catholic priest who formed the libertarian Acton Institute).

Video: Sopranos star Tony Sirico dies (TODAY)

Sopranos star Tony Sirico dies

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The movies were an early influence: I learned how to walk and talk watching [James] Cagney. Its that, its the power, its the glamour. His own roles, inevitably, featured a high proportion of made men: his first onscreen credit came as the Al Capone associate Frankie Rio in Hughes and Harlow: Angels in Hell (1977).

He fell in with the writer-director James Toback, meeting a bloody end at Harvey Keitels hands in Fingers (1978), before featuring in Tobacks Love & Money (1981), Exposed (1983), The Pick-Up Artist (1987) and the documentary The Big Bang (1989), in which Sirico denied killing anybody during his criminal years.

He could, however, be witnessed pushing a postman into a pizza oven in Scorseses GoodFellas (1990), and he bulked out seven roles for Woody Allen, starting with Bullets Over Broadway (1994). He was a boxing trainer in Mighty Aphrodite (1995), an escaped convict in Everyone Says I Love You (1996), and later appeared in Deconstructing Harry (1997), Celebrity (1998), Caf Society (2015) and Wagon Wheel (2017).

The Sopranos gave him renewed clout, two Screen Actors Guild ensemble wins, and the opportunity to mock his screen persona. He played a mobster in A Muppet Christmas: Letters to Santa (2008); reunited with his Sopranos co-star Steven Van Zandt for the Scandi comedy-drama Lilyhammer (2013-14); and voiced the Griffins new attack dog Vinny on Family Guy (2013-16).

Dementia slowed him, but his final credits, on two long-shelved projects, demonstrated his range: a hardnosed pawnbroker in Respect the Jux (2022) and a high-school coach alongside Christopher Lloyd in the comic fantasy Super Athlete (set for release this year).

Offscreen, he practiced karate and did charity work; he also launched his own Sopranos-inspired cologne, Paolo Per Uomo, in 2008. As he told one interviewer: Im proud of what I do. I remember when I got that first part [in Godfather II], and Coppola told me I was a real character, with a line of dialogue and everything. Oh, let me tell you, I was strutting. I was thinking, I got a name. I got a name!

He is survived by a daughter and a son.

Tony Sirico, born July 29 1942, died July 8 2022

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Tony Sirico, actor much-loved by audiences for playing Paulie Walnuts in The Sopranos obituary - msnNOW

Call of the Night has officially made its anime adaptation debut as part of the Summer 2022 anime schedule, and one awesome cosplay has already brought fans' new favorite vampire, Nazuna Nanakusa, to life! The Summer 2022 anime schedule has been particularly stacked with a number of major returns from anime franchises fans have wanted to see new episodes from for quite a while, but there have been just as many new projects that have made their debut as well. One of the leading manga turned anime projects was Kotoyama's original manga series Call of the Night, and its first two episodes have really struck a chord with viewers.

The first couple of episodes for Call of the Night have now premiered, and with them introduced fans to the vampire at the center of the series, Nazuna. This vampire introduced herself to the main character, Ko Yamori, and instantly provided him with the idea of a much better and more interesting life being possible. Now wanting to become a vampire himself, Ko somehow needs to fall in love with this mysterious vampire in order to properly become one. We'll see whether or not this works out, but cosplay from artist @seracoss on Instagram has definitely gotten fans feeling the love with their take on Nazuna Nanakusa! Check it out below:

If you wanted to check outCall of the Nightas it airs new episodes for the Summer to see what all the fuss is about, you can now find it exclusively streaming with HIDIVE. They tease the series as such, "Wracked by insomnia and wanderlust, Ko Yamori is driven onto the moonlit streets every night in an aimless search for something he can't seem to name. His nightly ritual is marked by purposeless introspection until he meets Nazuna, who might just be a vampire! Ko's new companion could offer him dark gifts and a vampire's immortality.But there are conditions that must be met before Ko can sink his teeth into vampirism, and he'll have to discover just how far he's willing to go to satisfy his desires before he can heed theCall of the Night!"

How are you liking Call of the Night's anime debut so far? What has been your favorite anime of the Summer season a few weeks in? Let us know your thoughts all about it and everything anime in the comments!

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Call of the Night Cosplay Highlights New Summer Vampire Favorite - ComicBook.com

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Today ses the publiucation of AXE Eve Of Judgement #1, Hellfire Gala #1 and Immortal X-Men #4. They all lead into the Judgment Day crossover, with Avengers pitted against X-Men ans Eternals now that the secret of mutant resurrection is out. And everyone is salty about it. But there are plenty of questions being raised.

So while Druig looks to wipe out all of mutanity on Earth, due to their excess deviation, for being immortal like the Eternals

Moira Mactaggert si plotting with Orchis to destroy Krakoa themselves, and even coming up with a catchy name.

While Druig justifies his actions in wiping out the mutants of Krakoa with a big bomb

We have Dr Stasis of Orchis suggesting that the murder of mutants may no longer be a crime, as they can be resurrected.

While Druig also plans for the eventual fallout for his bomb.

While Orchis is setting up its own device.

So at the Hellfire Gala, Tony Stark is predicting that something like this is going to happen. Maybe he read the leaked copies from the weekend.

While the world has its own reaction to the appearance of immortality amongst the mutants courtesy of The Five

and it is precisely the most predictable one.

People want in one way or another.

With very nasty consequences.

So how will this lead into Judgment Day? Well some, like Mister Sinister, already know its coming through their Moira Mactaggert timeline resetting clones.

It's a future that Destiny has also seen coming, and so manipulated Sinister to keep this timeline going.

After all, in today's Marauders, we know what too much time changing can do to the soul.

Especially when written down in monologue.

Howver, bombs don't go off, not lietral ones. Moira Mactaggert plants one ion Proteus, her son's mind, before making her departure with Mary Jane Watson's body.

And on returning, seems to have made quite a mess in next month's Amazing Spider-Man #9.

And is ready to reach across the aisle and spill the beans to her new best friends including the Eternals crime lord Jack of Knives.

Jack Of Knives is a recent Eternal on the scene, created by Kieron Gillen and Esad Ribi for Eternals #7, with the power of invisibility. Jack of Knives is one of the Tricks, the four Eternal crime lords, the only one we have seen yet. Could this be Ivani Goldentouch accompanying them? After some of the Eternals learned that their ressurective process was taking human lives, Jack of Knives warned Ikaris not to reveal that to humans, promising to kill any should Ikaris do so. Looks like the Eternals have their own resurrection truth to hide. Might the X-Men threaten them with that revelation as well?

Secrets and Lies, Secrets and Lies who else will be judged on Judgment Day?

AXE EVE OF JUDGMENT #1MARVEL COMICSAPR220733(W) Kieron Gillen (A) Pasqual Ferry (CA) Carlos PachecoFIRST SHOT FIRED JUDGMENT IS COMING!The Eternals know that the mutants have conquered death. But what are they going to do about it? The oldest immortals on Earth eye up the newest, and the doomsday clock starts to tick toward Judgment Day.RATED T+In Shops: Jul 13, 2022SRP: $3.99

X-MEN HELLFIRE GALA #1MARVEL COMICSAPR220769(W) Gerry Duggan (A) Matteo Lolli, C.F. Villa, Various (CA) Russell DautermanNEW TEAM REVEALED!At last year's gala, mutants changed the face of the solar system, terraforming Mars and claiming it for mutantkind. Do you think you can afford to miss this year's gala, all contained in this one over-sized issue!?RATED T+In Shops: Jul 13, 2022

IMMORTAL X-MEN #4MARVEL COMICSAPR220906(W) Kieron Gillen (A) Michele Bandini (CA) Mark BrooksA GALA PERFORMANCE!Emma Frost will do anything to protect the children, including the metaphorical child that is the Hellfire Gala. Last year's was a fantastic success. She would not like it if someone ruined the second. She would not like it at all. But don't worry, I'm sure it'll go fine.RATED T+In Shops: Jul 13, 2022SRP: $3.99

MARAUDERS #4MARVEL COMICSAPR220922(W) Steve Orlando (A) Eleonora Carlini (CA) Kael NguTHE FIRST GENERATION OF MUTANTKIND?The Marauders have gotten some jailbreak mixed into their heist! Pryde and her crew might've convinced Xandra to confront the Shi'ar's crimes against mutantkind together, but the fanatical Kin Crimson are ready to defend those secrets to the death. What hidden truths and horrors does the Shi'ar Chronicle hold? Deep in a pandimensional prison lies the answer but will it unite two societies in progress, or destroy them both?RATED T+In Shops: Jul 13, 2022SRP: $3.99

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Blowing Up Krakoa & Other Ways To Deal With Immortality (X-Spoilers) - Bleeding Cool News