believe itr or not

Who really snubbed Jesse Owens?

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 05:37:26 GMT

From: Tarun Malkani <tmalkani@gmail.com>
Subject: [UDCT81] Who really snubbed Jesse Owens?

FULL Story at
http://www.rediff.com/sports/2008/aug/19flip.htm

Who really snubbed Jesse Owens?
T V R Shenoy

August 19, 2008

Every four years, when the Summer Olympics [Images] hit the headlines,
some media outlet or the other mentions the great Jesse Owens and his
victories at the 1936 Berlin Games. Inevitably, the story of his
famous snubbing by Adolf Hitler, when the murderous Nazi dictator
refused to shake Owens by the hand, is brought up.

There is just one thing about the story -- it is pure hogwash from
beginning to end. And digging up the truth reveals some interesting
facts about the United States.

So, what exactly happened in Berlin in 1936? Hitler and his goons were
bent on leaving a good impression by crafting the most magnificent
spectacle seen till then. (How many people realise that the relay of
the Olympic torch from Olympia in Greece to the host country was
dreamt up by the Nazis? There was no such 'tradition' before 1936.)

Hitler was at the stadium on the first day of the track and field
competition on August 2, 1936. When the German athlete Hans Woellke
won the shotput gold medal, the delighted dictator called him into the
presidential box to congratulate him in person.

Henri de Baillet-Latour, then president of the International Olympic
Committee, politely informed the German dictator that he could either
receive all the athletes or none at all; congratulating only German
athletes, he said, violated the Olympic spirit. Hitler, who was at his
charming best, actually apologised for breaking tradition, and said he
would refrain from singling out athletes of any nation.

This was the origin of the famous 'snub'. Did Adolf Hitler actually
insult the famed American athlete? The answer comes from the man best
qualified to answer that, Jesse Owens himself.

'When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I
waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad taste in criticising
the man of the hour in Germany.'

Interestingly, Owens did not say that in 1936, he wrote that in 1970,
in the book The Jesse Owens Story, at a time when Hitler's
monstrosities had been public knowledge for a quarter of a century.

Yet his concern for the truth was great enough that he acknowledged
that it was Hitler who arose first to acknowledge the athlete.

So who did 'snub' Jesse Owens? Once again, Owens speaks for himself:

'Hitler didn't snub me -- it was FDR who snubbed me. The president
didn't even send me a telegram.'

The 'FDR' mentioned in the quote is Franklin Delano Roosevelt, then
president of the United States. 1936 was an election year, and
Roosevelt, who was running for re-election, simply did not want to be
seen shaking a black man's hand. That might have cost him valuable
votes in the southern states.

I am sure American journalists knew the truth. But they did not
acknowledge that President Roosevelt, an icon of the liberal media,
was such a racist that he could not spend a few minutes in the company
of a black man. It made a better story to pin the story on Hitler,
who, ironically, had publicly acknowledged Owens.

Owens also said that he was treated far better in Germany than in his
own country. At a dinner held for all the victorious American athletes
in New York, Owens and the other black athletes were ordered to ride
in the freight elevator, used for transporting luggage, because the
elevator for guests could not be used by blacks! He was denied all
recognition by the American system, and reduced to stunts like running
against horses; when he got too old for that, the great athlete worked
as a janitor. In 1966 he had to endure the pain of filing for
bankruptcy.

The story of Jesse Owens is hardly unique in American sport. A young
Muhammad Ali ( then named Cassius Clay) was reputedly refused service
in a whites-only restaurant; humiliated, he threw away the gold medal
he had won at the Rome Olympics. Later, he refused to be drafted
during the Vietnam War, famously declaring, 'I ain't got no quarrel
with the Vietcong, they never called me a nigger.'

The United States has travelled some way since the days of Roosevelt
and Owens. In those days, there was a white man in the White House and
a black man doing the hard yards out in the stadium. Today, there is a
serious chance of a black man sitting in Roosevelt's chair, while a
white man is winning accolades for his octet of gold medals.

Sadly, some things never change. In 1936, the press allowed itself to
be seduced by Nazi propaganda; sift through the archives, and there is
no shortage of admiring reports about the economic and social
development of Germany under the Hitler regime. In 2008, there seems
to be the same unquestioning admiration for Communist China as for
Nazi Germany.

I cannot help reflecting that his athletes achieved one of the aims
that Hitler set for them. Germany won 33 gold medals and 89 in all,
handily beating the 24 gold medals that fell to the United States (56
in all). When you see the determination with which the Chinese are
setting out to beat the United States in the gold count, you cannot
help wondering if this dictatorship too will follow the Nazis in other
areas too.

Tailpiece: I have long since despaired of Doordarshan's commentators
-- why can't we simply get the foreign feed? -- but the national
broadcaster hit a new low with the Beijing [Images] Games. Even its
technical standards have slipped, with comments from the harassed
engineers clearly audible over the air, not once but just about every
day. And then there was the time that we saw the men's badminton
championship match while the audio feed related the tale of the
women's diving finals. Simply horrible!

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Nailed on time

Sun, 17 Aug 2008 21:30:17 GMT

(The Timex Nail Watch:)

Get the Time on Your nails

We have seen many different types of futuristic watches with strange shapes and design but none so unique as this. Now lets welcome the Nail watch, that can be worn on the thumb. You may have never seen a watch that can be worn on the thumb but times are going to change thanks to Timex. Timex, in collaboration with Core77, held a global design competition called 2154: the future of time design. So what we are seeing here is the TX54 concept which was a runner up there.

Thanks to a translucent body, the design blends seamlessly with the nail while a selection of text color options and a glow feature activating on command make it supremely functional as well. Press the end of your thumbnail, and the watch will light up for you. A perfect blend of appearance, user interface, and technology, the nail watch passes most standards of modern design with flying colors thanks to its functional and minimalist appeal. The watch looks stylish and chic and has a touch of Geeky style as well. The downside of this watch is that it is disposable. So with so many stylish watches being available now, it will be hard for it to survive in the market. Though it is quite innovative with a minimalist design, but it won't last long on your finger.

No details about the availability or the price of this watch has been released by Timex but some news reports suggest that Chinese copiers are already on it and the product went on sale during the Olympics...Anyway when the original appears ..since it is tiny and disposable, I don't expect the price to be high.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE WORLD YOU LIVE IN.....

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:09:52 GMT

TOP 10


COUNTRIES






VACATIONS


AUTOMOBILES


BUSINESS & CONSUMERISM




MISCELLANEOUS



SPECIFIC TO THE U.S.

Worlds Largest Swimming Pool . . .

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:20:27 GMT

Worlds largest swimming pool, AMAZING!

If you like doing laps in the swimming pool, you might want to stock up on the energy drinks before diving in to this one.

It is more than 1,000 yards long, covers 20 acres, had a 115ft deep end and holds 66 million gallons of water.

Yesterday the Guinness Book of Records named the vast pool beside the sea in Chile as the biggest in the world.

But if you fancy splashing out on one of your own - and you have the space to accommodate it - then beware: This one took five years to build, cost nearly 1billion and the annual maintenance bill will be 2million.

The man-made saltwater lagoon has been attracting huge crowds to the San Alfonso del Mar resort at Algarrobo, on Chile 's southern coast, since it opened last month.

Its turquoise waters are so crystal clear that you can see the bottom even in the deep end.

It dwarfs the world's second biggest pool, the Orthlieb - nicknamed the Big Splash - in Morocco , which is a mere 150 yards long and 100 yards wide. An Olympic size pool measures some 50 yards by 25 yards.

Chile's monster pool uses a computer- controlled suction and filtration system to keep fresh seawater in permanent circulation, drawing it in from the ocean at one end and pumping it out at the other.

The sun warms the water to 26c, nine degrees warmer than the adjoining sea.

Chilean biochemist Fernando Fischmann, whose Crystal Lagoons Corporation designed the pool, said advanced engineering meant his company could build 'an impressive artificial paradise' even in inhospitable areas.

'As long as we have access to unlimited seawater, we can make it work, and it causes no damage to the ocean.'

All I can say is WOW!

THE EASIEST QUIZ

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:06:13 GMT

1) How long did the Hundred Years' War last?

2) Which country makes Panama hats?

3) From which animal do we get cat gut?

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of?

6) The Canary Islands in the Atlantic are named after what animal?

7) What was King George VI's first name?

8) What color is a purple finch?

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from?

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane?

Remember, you need 4 correct answers to pass.

Check your answers below .

ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ

1) How long did the Hundred Years War last? 116 years

2) Which country makes Panama hats? Ecuador

3) >From which animal do we get cat gut? Sheep and Horses

4) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? November

5) What is a camel's hair brush made of? Squirrel fur

6) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal? Dogs

7) What was King George VI's first name? Albert

8) What color is a purple finch? Crimson

9) Where are Chinese gooseberries from? New Zealand

10) What is the color of the black box in a commercial airplane? Orange (of course)

Imponderables

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 04:04:56 GMT

1.    If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times,does he become disoriented?
2.    If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?
3.    Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
4.    If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?
5.    If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?
6.    Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?
7.    When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?
8.    Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a racing car not called a racist?
9.    Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?
10.  Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things?
11.  Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?
12.  "I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do" is the longest sentence?
13.  If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted,
       cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?
14.  What hair colour do they put on the driver's licences of bald men?
15.  I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use? Toothpicks?
16.  Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them?
       Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the postmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?
17.  You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.
18.  No one ever says, "It's only a game" when their team is winning.
19.  Ever wonder about those people who spend $2.00 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE
20.  Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool?
22.  OK ... so if the Jacksonville Jaguars are known as the "Jags" and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are known as the "Bucs,"
       what does that make the Tennessee Titans?
23.  If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhoea, does that mean that one enjoys it?
24.  Why if you send something by road it is called a shipment, but when you send it by sea itis called cargo?
25.  If a convenience store is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the door?

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HOW COMPANIES GOT THEIR NAMES

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:04:03 GMT

[Xaviers1975] Not an incentive!

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 05:20:36 GMT

From: Rajeev Patel <rajeevtherunner@yahoo.com>
Subject: [Xaviers1975] Not an incentive!

If you were around in 1919 (just before prohibition started) and came
upon the following poster.........

I mean, seriously, would you quit drinking?

Rare THE PARROT FLOWER FROM THAILAND...

Wed, 28 May 2008 01:29:41 GMT

VERY RARE...THE PARROT FLOWER FROM THAILAND ...

This is a flower from Thailand . It is also a protected species and is not allowed to be exported.

This will be the only way we will be able to view this flower.

A FLOWER ALL THE WAY FROM THAILAND .
THE VERY RAREPARROT FLOWER

Wow, Who but God could make this?

Ain't it the truth

Tue, 20 May 2008 04:29:08 GMT

My father-in-law had prostate surgery.
We brought him to the hospital at 6:30 A.M.,
And he was operated on at 8 A.M.
We were amazed when the hospital called
At noon to tell us he could go home.

Two months later our bloodhound, Bo,
Also had prostate surgery.

When I brought him in,
I asked the veterinarian what time
I should pick him up.
The vet told me Bo would
Remain overnight.

"Overnight?" I said
"My father-in-law came home
The same day."

The vet looked at me and said,

"Bo's not on Medicare!"

Tags: medicare