Robert Plant - Children's Street Entertainer

[Neil J]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2008/jun/27/3

Click on the link and scroll to bottom of article - from the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Edited June 27, 2008 by Neil J

[MHD]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2008/jun/27/3

Click on the link and scroll to bottom of article - from the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Is it just me, or is the link not working??

[Neil J]

Somebody help me here - I'm new and stupid.

[ninelives]

tephen Bates

The Guardian,

Friday June 27, 2008

Article history

Samir Shah, one of the most successful figures in modern British broadcasting, has hit out against the tokenism that sees a multiplicity of black and Asian actors on screen but precious few in the boardrooms of TV companies. Speaking at the Royal Television Society on Wednesday night, Shah, on the BBC board of directors and the corporation's former head of

current affairs who is now running his own production company, said equal opportunities policies over the past 30 years have not worked: "The fine

intentions of equal opportunities - and they are fine intentions - have produced a forest of initiatives, schemes and action plans, but they have not resulted in real change." Even EastEnders got it in the neck for casting a family from Goa, instead of from Bangladesh, in Albert Square. Shah said it has all helped to create "a world of deracinated coloured people flicking across our screens, to the irritation of many viewers and the embarrassment of the very people such actions are meant to appease".

Another person being castigated for being insufficiently ethnic, surprisingly enough, is Barack Obama, who is accused by Ralph Nader, the perennial bad fairy of Democratic politics, of trying to be too white. Nader, who many Democrats have never forgiven for costing Al Gore the 2000 election, plans to stand again this time and hopes - brave man - to attend the party convention in August. He bestowed his opinion to the Rocky Mountain News that Obama is only half African-American and that he should have sided more with poor black voters. Obama spokeswoman Shannon Gilson said they were disappointed by Nader's backward-looking remarks.

Cindy McCain, wife of Republican candidate John, swept into London on a fundraising mission and praised, as visiting Americans do, Princess Diana as "a great inspiration to me and the British people as well". McCain hoped to raise $500,000 from expatriates, a sum sorely needed by her spouse, whose spluttering campaign has started booking smaller halls for meetings because he cannot fill bigger ones, even in Arizona.

One small chap is happy, however, after he bumped - literally - into Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin's lead singer, in Fifth Avenue, New York. Marcus Archer-Maile, who is five and from Bristol, was picked up by Plant who sang to him. "I love children - he reminds me of my grandchildren in Bath," said the old softie.

[Roxie]

One small chap is happy, however, after he bumped - literally - into Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin's lead singer, in Fifth Avenue, New York. Marcus Archer-Maile, who is five and from Bristol, was picked up by Plant who sang to him. "I love children - he reminds me of my grandchildren in Bath," said the old softie.

So that's all it takes to meet him... just a bump. I may have to try that.

[lzfan715]

That is so sweet! Robert is a big softie.