SwayBlog

The ObserverRaceThe local KKK leader thought he’d found an enthusiastic new recruit. In fact, he’d inadvertently signed up a black policeman. Ron Stallworth reveals the often hilarious saga that has now become a Spike Lee film Spike Lee: ‘This guy in the White House has given the green light for the Klan’ It is late October, 1978, in Colorado Springs when Ken O’Dell, a closet member of the newly resurgent Ku Klux Klan, receives an encouraging sign that his strategy of placing ads in the personal section of the local paper for new recruits has met with some success.

Book of the dayFictionReviewThis multigenerational saga, shortlisted for the Pulitzer and now the Baileys prize, explores Darwinism, horse racing and the legacies of slaveryThis novel is about horse racing the way Moby-Dick is about a whale; it has a similarly expansive scope, spiritual seriousness and density of grand themes. Shortlisted for the Pulitzer and now the Baileys prize, Morgan’s epic work builds to a climactic series of dramatic race scenes featuring a star filly named Hellsmouth.

Boston Red Sox This article is more than 3 months oldTim Wakefield, Red Sox’ beloved World Series winning pitcher, dies at 57This article is more than 3 months oldWakefield found success with old-fashioned knuckleball pitchPitcher was known for his kindness and generosityTim Wakefield, the knuckleball pitcher who helped the Boston Red Sox win their curse-busting World Series title in 2004 has died at the age of 57. The Red Sox announced his death in a statement on Sunday.

A woman entered court apparently not wearing pants.Kentucky This article is more than 7 years oldWoman enters court without pants after jail 'fails to provide hygiene products'This article is more than 7 years oldLouisville judge asks: ‘Is this for real? Am I in the Twilight Zone?’ Lawyer: woman not given hygiene products or pants for three daysA Kentucky corrections facility is under scrutiny after a woman was brought into a Louisville court apparently wearing no pants, having allegedly been offered no hygiene products for three days.

The SmithsIn a second feature marking 40 years of the Smiths, fans including Andy Burnham and Connie Constance consider how and why the band have endured ‘An astounding rush of real-time creativity’: 40 years of the Smiths’ Peel Sessions John Peel once described the Smiths as “just another band that arrived from nowhere with a very clear and strong identity”. Unlike other bands, he said, the Smiths weren’t trying to be T Rex or the Doors; they were simply the Smiths, a group whose aesthetic lineage was curiously hard to trace.

US newsAshes of man who designed Pringles packaging buried in crisp canThe man who designed the Pringles potato crisp packaging system was so proud of his accomplishment that a portion of his ashes has been buried in one of the tall, circular cans. Fredric J Baur, of Cincinnati, died May 4 at Vitas Hospice in Cincinnati, his family said. He was 89. Baur's children said they honoured his request to bury him in one of the cans by placing part of his cremated remains in a Pringles container in his grave in suburban Springfield Township.

TheatreObituaryDerek BenfieldDerek Benfield, who has died aged 82, successfully combined the career of a character actor with that of a prolific boulevard playwright. Most familiar from appearances on television in The Brothers (1972-76) and Hetty Wainthropp Investigates (1996-98), the diminutive, balding and often moustachioed Benfield frequently played fathers and members of what used to be called "the lower orders". Benfield was born in Bradford, where his father was a journalist. Many of his later roles brought out his northern background, as did his plays, such as Down to Brass Tacks (1962).

The ObserverDance musicReview(Classic Music Company) The Chicago DJ delves into new jack swing, disco and house across 15 jubilant, guest-studded tracks Witnessing the Chicago DJ Honey Dijon behind the decks can be as close to a spiritual experience as you can get on the dancefloor. Trading in the four-to-the-floor kick drum that provides the aortic pulse to house music, Dijon’s mid-tempo sets conduct her crowds perfectly from tantalising buildups to scattered breakdowns and communal euphoria as her soaring melodies kick in.

Burning sensation: Felicity Cloake's perfect Basque cheesecake. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Photo assistant and retouching: Sophie Bronze. Food styling assistant: Jessica Geddes.Burning sensation: Felicity Cloake's perfect Basque cheesecake. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Photo assistant and retouching: Sophie Bronze. Food styling assistant: Jessica Geddes.Christmas food recipesFoodIf you’re still looking for a high-impact sweet centrepiece for the Christmas table, this simple baked dessert is ideal