Words in the News Wednesday 01 August 2001 Vocabulary from the news. Listen to and read the report then find explanations of difficult words below.
Original Music Charity Event Summary: Thirty years ago on Wednesday, the former Beatle George Harrison held the first of two benefit concerts to raise money for the refugees of East Pakistan later Bangladesh. This concert was to became a model for future rock charity events.
The Concert for Bangladesh has been described as George Harrison's finest hour. It was arranged at short notice following a call from the Indian sitar player, Ravi Shankar -- a friend of George Harrison's, Ravi Shankar asked him to help with a benefit concert to raise funds for refugees pouring into India from the newly created state of Bangladesh. The money raised for Bangladesh far exceeded all expectations. When the British and American governments insisted on taxing sales of the accompanying record, Harrison himself paid the 1.5 million dollar tax bill. Today the benefit gig is an established part of the musical calendar with organisations like Amnesty calling on bands and singers to help raise funds and awareness of important issues. Some though, remain suspicious of the record industry's involvement - arguing the publicity surrounding a benefit concert is often used as a means of reviving a musicians flagging career. But the fact remains that managed correctly it is one of the most powerful ways of getting a message across.
