Electra Naismith
👤 PersonPodcast Appearances
Horse racing is a national sport in Mongolia going back centuries, but it's different to racing in other countries. The routes are straight and need more speed and endurance. That means light jockeys, and the lightest are always young children, some aged just six or seven. The lack of saddles and helmets make it hazardous work, but it offers prestige and vital income to poor families.
The government says new rules will protect child jockeys who should now be at least 12. Public opinion is divided, but Mongolia's Bar Association says better laws are needed to ensure children's rights.
Roberta Flack, classy, sophisticated, refined. Killing Me Softly was her second number one and gave her her second Grammy, the first artist to win two Grammy Awards in a row for Record of the Year. It was the actor Clint Eastwood who'd given her her big break, choosing her cover of a 1950s folk song to feature in his first movie as director.
The daughter of a church organist, Roberta Flack, excelled as a child at classical piano, gaining a music scholarship to Howard University aged just 15. It was that classical precision that led some to dismiss her music as boring, but that was to misunderstand her great talent, versatility, from gritty soul to smooth ballads and gentle duets.
She was a spellbinding solstice with the classically trained technique.