Ad astra: another passing.

John Hughes, definitive 80s Brat Pack director

One of the sad thoughts that occurred to me when we made the journey to Oregon was that someone famous would be the first to be noted in this forum. It is ironic that he was the director of some memorable comedies.

Cameron Frye from Ferris Bueller is still one of my all-time favorite movie heroes.

Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar and great musician. Caught one of his weekly Iridium shows a few years ago.

Originally Posted By: donikatz

Cameron Frye from Ferris Bueller is still one of my all-time favorite movie heroes.

Next time you watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off, give it a spin with the Fight Club theory in mind.

According to the Fight Club theory, Ferris Bueller doesn't actually exist; he's Cameron's Tyler Durden, a figment of Cameron's imagination through which Cameron acts out and does all the things he'd secretly like to do, including stealing his father's car.

Whoah... Hey, that totally makes sense. I'll never see Ferris the same way again. Which is probably a good thing, because he was kinda a douche...

Originally Posted By: donikatz

Les Paul, inventor of the electric guitar and great musician.

And still playing into his 90s, right up until he took sick.

Rashied Ali, free-jazz Coltrane drummer.

Bob Novak, conservative blowhard... err... pundit. Wish I could say I'll miss him...

I won't miss him either but he was a fellow human being so I salute his passing. Ultimately, all of us live and die in vain.

Nobel Prize winner Kim Dae Jung

Jack McGeorge, former Marine, weapons inspector for the United Nations in Iraq, former chairman of the National Coalition for Sexual Freedom, BDSM educator and activist, chemical warfare ordnance disposal expert and consultant for the Army Special Forces, and counterterrorism expert for the US Customs Service.

Ted Kennedy

Richard

Wow, you beat me to it. I sure hope you're in a diff time zone and not here @ 2am like I am...

Obituary of Ted Kennedy in the New York Times

Bob Spinrad, computing pioneer

James Krenov, 1920-2009, cabinetmaker, author, and teacher

Larry Gelbart, scriptwriter for M*A*S*H and other Hollywood, TV, and Broadway comedies.

I am in California.
Richard

Norman Borlaug, arguably the greatest human being who has ever lived. By the time he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1970, he was credited with personally and directly saving the lives of over one billion people, or nearly one-fifth of the world's population.

Here is the obituary in the New York Times:

Norman Borlaug, 95, Dies; Led Green Revolution

Vera Lynn http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090914/ap_en_ot/eu_britain_forces__sweetheart_4

the Dirty Dancer himself, Film star Patrick Swayze dead at 57: reports | U.S. | Reuters

much too young.

Your link takes me to the Reply page to MMT3's post. I think that you pasted the wrong URL so you might want to fix it.

Weird coincidence, I just finished watching season one (and only, I guess) of Swayze's The Beast last night...

That comes as a surprise, I thought she was well gone

We already have one thread specifically devoted to death.
Must we endure another?

Ahhh as I recently discovered, she ain't dead yet!

sorry thought that is where it was going.... since it is a wrong post I never should have posted it...do not know how to cancel it

If you are timely (within 24 hours of posting), there will be an Edit button at the bottom of your original post. Click it and then select the option to delete the post.

You could request that your post be added to the other thread, and this thread removed by a moderator or administrator.

tks jon its hell to get old

tks to you also Gregg

Henry Gibson of Laugh-In fame.

He also played the gay Nazi in the first Blues Brothers movie.

Mary of Peter, Paul, and

The great pianist Alicia de Larrocha.

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

The great pianist Alicia de Larrocha.

I had the privilege of meeting her when I was a student around 1971 (Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville). My piano teacher at the time, Ruth Slenczynska, was a good friend of hers. Both women are very tiny, less than five feet tall. But boy could they whip that Steinway D into submission. Miss Slenczynska, now living in New York, is now around 84 and is suffering from macular degeneration I hear. Laroccha was 86

Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and language maven William Safire (79) died in Rockville, MD of pancreatic cancer.

You beat me to it.
The Times never let on that he was even ailing; he was just "on hiatus".
Given his diagnosis, I am impressed that he carried on with his Sunday Magazine column until just a couple weeks ago.
He will certainly be missed.

Fighter for tolerance and freedom, and last surviving leader of the '43 and '44 Warsaw uprisings, cardiologist and atheist Marek Edelman (90) died of 'old age' in Warsaw, Poland.

Has Death taken another Holiday?

Hardly, (s)he's only paying selective attention...

Late on this one, but:

Irving Penn, icon of fashion & celeb photography

Al Martino

Captain Lou Albano, wrestling icon

Bruce Wasserstein, dealmaker and my boss's boss's boss's boss's boss. Best wishes to the Wasserstein family.

Soupy Sales, Slapstick Comedian, Dies at 83

From today's NY Times

It seems that every day brings another "end of an era". Are we feeling old yet?

And, unreported in the obit, there was of course the equally infamous episode, albeit unknown/unseen to the TV viewing world at the time, with the totally naked woman behind the door, as a prank on Soupy, who was sincerely taken aback but never truly speechless. That bit, with a couple of different camera angles, has been broadcast in at least one retrospective of the Soupy Sales Show.

Vitaly Ginsburg , 93, famous Russian physicist, Nobel prize winner (2003).
Beside being a great scientist, he was a well-known and vocal atheist, and a fighter against clericalization of Russian society.

Originally Posted By: macnerd10

Vitaly Ginsburg , 93, famous Russian physicist, Nobel prize winner (2003).
Beside being a great scientist, he was a well-known and vocal atheist, and a fighter against clericalization of Russian society.

Okay. The wiki also says:

Quote:

Ginzburg identified himself as a secular Jew, and following the collapse of communism in the former USSR, he was very active in Jewish life, especially in Russia, where he served on the board of directors of the Russian Jewish Congress. He is also well known for fighting anti-Semitism and supporting the state of Israel.

So, color me confused.

I'm not sure why these obituaries are getting more and more obscure, and why the word "atheist" seems to matter so much (at this point). The dude is dead, so -- as far as that goes -- he's finally finding out what's what right now. Anyway, the word atheist seems to be overloaded somewhat. Was he anti-God or was he anti-establishment-who-claim-to-be-God's-representatives-on-Earth? [i.e., sounds more like a social/political/religious matter than one of philosophical/spiritual/metaphysical concern.] AÂ nÂ yÂ wÂ aÂ y.

So what's next... do we start declaring whether these dead folks were straight or gay? How many partners they had? Hmm, haven't any "famous" Devil worshipers died around here yet?

This is really ridiculous this time. Ginsburg's Jewish interests were not that public but his fight against clerics who wanted to introduce the Church's beliefs and rituals to schools and every avenue of society's life really was. Not so many people so openly declared war on Church establishment. He also was a fighter against charlatans in science and self-proclaimed gurus who kind of became more numerous lately in certain countries including Russia.
To answer your question, he was a non-believer as well.

Originally Posted By: Hal Itosis

So what's next... do we start declaring whether these dead folks were straight or gay? How many partners they had? Hmm, haven't any "famous" Devil worshipers died around here yet?

While I agree with your basic premise that certain personal details are not necessarily relevant here, there are decedents whose faith or outspoken lack of it defined them in crucial ways. Based on Alexâ€™s information, it seems to me that Ginsburg's main beef was with the 'faith establishment' and its increasing intrusion into daily life in his society. In contrast, Marek Edelman's horrific war experiences made him abjure God, and determined his outspoken stance on the responsibilities of Man, both individually and in the aggregate.

Malcolm Wells, 83, pioneer in earth-sheltered architecture.

I guess folks are living longer these days.
Oh well, here are some reminders for Dec. 8:

Jim Morrison is born in Melbourne, Florida, 1943
John Lennon is shot and killed in New York City, 1980

EDIT -- I had meant to post these a few days ago, but never got around to it:

Dec. 4
Tommy Bolin dies of a heroin overdose in Miami, 1976
Frank Zappa dies in his Laurel Canyon home shortly before 18:00, 1993

(interestingly perhaps, on Dec. 4th the Montreux [Switzerland] Casino burned down during a Frank Zappa concert in 1971 -- as immortalized by Deep Purple's song "Smoke On The Water").

Dec. 5
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart dies in Vienna, Austria, 1791

Retired High School teacher, College professor and B-minus designer of the current US flag Robert_G._Heft (67), died yesterday in Saginaw, Michigan.

First US winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, economist and columnist Paul Samuelson (94), died at home in Belmont, MA.

Televangelist and University founder Oral Roberts

Son Nephew of Walt, Roy Disney

(Thanks, Artie!)

Actor Gene Barry

Yegor Gaidar (53) the mastermind behind Russia's controversial "shock therapy" and the leader of free-market reform of Russian economy.

Roy was Walt's nephew...son of his brother Roy.

Kim Peek Megasavant

Last surviving protector of Anne Frank, preserver of her diary and keeper of the Achterhuis Miep Gies (100), died after a brief illness in Hoorn, north of Amsterdam.

Now Miep was a real hero. Jon Blair's 1995 documentary on Anne Frank points this out, as does Francine Prose's recent book about Anne.

Kate McGarrigle, Canadian Singer and Songwriter, Dies at 63

Ouch! I heard some talk about her on NPR yesterday, but completely missed the fact that she'd died. When I read your post it hit me like the cannonball from the Swimming Song, a Loudon Wainwright III tune from the McGarrigle sisters' debut album.

The McGarrigles' music (lyrics and harmonies) go right to the heart, often in the most bittersweet ways, equally to be savored and enjoyed by the soul.
Matapedia (in the album of the same name) is one such. (The older we get, the more encounters we have like that.)
For more on the family and the music, check out mcgarrigles.com .

I'm tempted to post the passing of the Senate health care reform bill, but I won't.

Brussels School Ligne clair cartoonist and creator of comics series Alix and Lefranc Jacques Martin (88) died yesterday in upper Pully, near Lausanne, Switzerland.

If anyone listens to NPR, Donald Bordelon of New Orleans::

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122863517

I'm amazed at the lack of **detail** from the news media concerning efforts to rescue 6 Americans buried under the Hotel Montana in Haiti. I mean, it's a little late now... but i can't help but remember all those car chases that CNN would lock on to for 3 or 4 uninterrupted hours at a time. One idiot in a car is granted the nation's undivided attention. Those 4 students and 2 faculty got maybe 2 minutes coverage here-and-there, in the days immediately following the earthquake. I bet if one of Tiger's girlfriends was trapped under there we'd have had hourly updates... at least.

The official death toll is now over 100,000 btw.

EDIT: also worth mentioning (for those who might not know) is that those students weren't visiting the islands to party and get wasted, etc. They were down there providing some sort of assistance to the poorest of the poor. What should be a deeply moving human-interest story doesn't seem to have mattered much to the various network news "producer$" out there.

Oh well... what's this i hear about Bradgelina then?

Originally Posted By: alternaut

Brussels School Ligne clair cartoonist and creator of comics series Alix and Lefranc Jacques Martin (88) died yesterday in upper Pully, near Lausanne, Switzerland.

88 ?Â Â Well... what did you expect?

Originally Posted By: Hal Itosis

88 ?Â Â Well... what did you expect?

89?

Last Saturday erstwhile wunderkind, virtuoso and and first in many things piano Earl Wild (94) died at home in Palm Springs, CA, of congestive heart failure.

J.D. Salanger

Holden Caufield & Pencey Prep.

Ah, my impressional youth...

From The New York Times:
J.D. Salinger, Enigmatic Author, Dies at 91

Dick McGuire

Jazz saxophone and clarinet player, band leader and writer of film and TV scores (including the theme tune of 60s British TV series The Avengers) Sir John Dankworth (82) died yesterday in London, England.

A skeptic's skeptic:

Geoffrey Burbidge, Who Traced Life to Stardust, Is Dead at 84

Looks like we skipped Pernell Roberts the other day.
He's riding 'round that big Ponderosa in the sky now.

Yes, I was thinking about Adam, but got distracted...

Alexander M. Haig Jr., Commanding White House Aide, Dies at 85.

"He knew, the Reagan aide Lyn Nofziger once said, that 'the third paragraph of his obit' would detail his conduct in the hours after Mr. Reagan was shot and wounded on March 30, 1981."

And sure enough, it does!

Peter Graves

Fess Parker

That brings back memories! I loved watching Davy Crockett when I was a kid. My grandfather, a furrier by trade, made coonskin caps for all the grandchildren. I don't know if they were really made from raccoons but at that tender age, I didn't even think about it.

Fess Parker, rest in peace.

kids today just wouldn't get it. so long, Davy.

RE kids today just wouldn't get it

Yeah, they'd get it. The king of the wild frontier is timeless, as are/were Hoppy (Hopalong Cassidy), Roy Rogers, et alii.
Now, Swamp Fox might be a different story, but Leslie could pull it off.

Robert Culp

Chet Simmons

Farewell Charlie

Eugene Allen (90), butler for 8 US presidents, died of renal failure in a Takoma Park (MD) hospital.

Carl Macek

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2010/04/carl_macek_1938-2010.php

Macek helped bring anime to the US mainstream, mostly in the form of Robotech.

Lena Horne

Frank Frazetta.

Martin Gardner, 1914-2010 R.I.P.

Art Linkletter, 97

Gary Coleman, died Friday after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was 42.

Dennis Hopper

Last Saturday French-American feminist artist Louise Bourgeois (98) died of a heart attack at Beth Israel Medical Center, NYC.

John Wooden
99 years young

The story mentions the name of the court at UCLA. And now, the rest of the story...

When UCLA first approached Wooden to ask if he would like having the court named the John Wooden Court, he said no. Only if his departed and beloved wife's name were included would the Wizard of Westwood give his blessing. So the response was that UCLA would be happy to name it the John and Nell Wooden Court. The former coach again said no. As the story indicates, the court is named the Nell and John Wooden Court, as he insisted.

Jimmy Dean

George Steinbrenner who, ironically, is purported to have said: "I will never have a heart attack. I give them."

Perhaps he gave himself dispensation to be on the receiving end...

Daniel Schorr, 93.

Mitch Miller

Nouvelle Vague filmmaker, movie nut and (as director of the 1959 movie Les Bonnes Femmes) major influence on the AMC TV series Mad Men Claude Chabrol (80) died today of heart failure in Paris, France.

For those of us old enough to remember "The Invasion of the Body Snatchers", Kevin McCarthy died at age 96.

Eddie Fisher

Tony Curtis, 85.

Tony Curtis (aka Bernie Schwartz) obituary

Joan Sutherland, soprano extraordinaire.

Barbara Billingsley, aka June Cleaver

Benoit Mandelbrot

someday it will be understood.

Philippa Foot, philosopher and ethicist, author of several books on morality and rationality, and creator of a number of thought experiments on morality, the most common of which is the so-called Trolley Problem.

She was one of the first people to propose that morality was not a subjective or outside force, and that it was in fact rooted in rational decision-making.

Belva Plain

â€¦became a best-selling author at age 59 and whose multigenerational family sagas of Jewish American life won a loyal readership in the millions, died on Tuesday at her home in Short Hills, N.J. She was 95.

Tom Bosley
Tom Bosley Tom Bosley

Bob Guccione

Alex Anderson, Creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle

[free registration required]

Funny, funny cartoons...and, could there be anything more hilarious than Fractured Fairy Tales?

Danno

John Gavin, Who Helped Put First Man on Moon

â€œIf a project is truly innovative, you cannot possibly know its exact cost and exact schedule at the beginning,â€ Mr. Gavin told Technology Review. â€œAnd if you do know the exact cost and the exact schedule, chances are that the technology is obsolete.â€

Sparky Anderson

even non-baseball fans will likely know his name.

Jill Clayburgh, 66.

Italian/American producer and Oscar winning movie mogul Dino De Laurentiis (91) died in Los Angeles per cause naturali.

Leslie Nielsen. Surely he will be remembered (don't call him Shirley).

Don Meredith

Bob Feller

Richard Holbrooke

What an unfortunate time to lose this man.

Blake Edwards

Gary Chapman

Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart)

Originally Posted By: Dermot Trellis

Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart)

What a character... more "out there" than Zappa himself.
[though not nearly as musically sophisticated]

Originally Posted By: Hal Itosis

What a character... more "out there" than Zappa himself.
[though not nearly as musically sophisticated]

Yes, a certain rawness. I still have a mint vinyl of Ice Cream For Crow.

ryck

Teena Marie

Dangers of Text Messaging and Driving

It's bad enough that people kill themselves with irresponsible behavior like texting while driving. What bothers me even more are the people killed or maimed for life by those engaging in such irresponsible behavior. I lost count of the drivers I see using laptops, shaving, reading or doing who knows what else behind the wheel other than paying attention to their driving. Just unbelievable.

Billy Taylor

Grant McCune , maker of R2-D2 and Jaws, among other things

Denis Dutton

Geraldine Doyle, the inspiration for the WWII-era "We Can Do It" poster and often mistaken for "Rosie the Riveter". (The actual Rosie the Riveter, Rosalind P. Walter, died some time ago.)

Singer/songwriter Gerry Rafferty (63) died today in Bournemouth, UK, of kidney and liver failure.

Anne Francis -- aka "Honey West".

Originally Posted By: alternaut

Singer/songwriter Gerry Rafferty (63) died today in Bournemouth, UK, of kidney and liver failure.

so sad. City to City is a desert island disc for me.

Originally Posted By: roger

so sad. City to City is a desert island disc for me.

Though "Baker Street" got played to death in the late 80's, i think the song "The Ark" should have been more popular. (i dig that one anyway).

Originally Posted By: Hal Itosis

Originally Posted By: roger

so sad. City to City is a desert island disc for me.

Though "Baker Street" got played to death in the late 80's, i think the song "The Ark" should have been more popular. (i dig that one anyway).

indeed. and I love Mattie's Rag, and of course, Right Down the Line.

his last album, Life Goes On, is very good, and underscores the loss.

Cyrril M. Harris

David Nelson

Reynolds Price, one of the best of the Southern writers.

Originally Posted By: MicroMatTech3

Cyrril M. Harris

requires subscription after the first attempt

Subscription (paid) or Registration (free)? The latter works fine for me.

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

Originally Posted By: MicroMatTech3

Cyrril M. Harris

requires subscription after the first attempt

Clear your NY Times cookies to regain access to the article.

Jack LaLanne

Daniel Bell

Milton Babbitt
The inventor of electronic synthesizer

Oscar winning (Bond movie score) composer John Barry (77) died last night from a heart attack in Glen Cove, NY.

Thin Lizzy singer/guitarist Gary Moore (58) was found dead in his hotel room in Estepona, Spain earlier today.

so many young musicians lately.

Ken Olsen

George Shearing

Kenneth Mars

Duke Snider, center fielder extraordinaire of the Brooklyn Dodgers. I saw him play many times at Ebbets Field and used to get into hot debates with a cousin who was a Yankee fan and favored Mickey Mantle as the best center fielder in baseball. Being a Yankee fan was anathema to Brooklynites in those days. Ah, the memories!

Looking back objectively (hah!), I have concluded that of the New York center field trilogy of Snider, Mantle and Willie Mays, Mays was actually the best. I hope that Duke doesn't find out about this in the Great Cooperstown in the Sky.

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

Being a Yankee fan was anathema to Brooklynites in those days. Ah, the memories!

Likewise with many Canadians (certainly on the prairies). I still recall my Mother, whose ear was always 'glued to the radio' during the World Series, cheering on her "Brooklyn Bums".

ryck

I to was a loyal bum fan.Growing up in upper Manhattan where there weren't too many Bum fansâ€¦I still remember smashing my globe radio when Bobby Thompson hit the homerâ€¦.Ah memories

> [...] of the New York center field trilogy of Snider, Mantle and Willie Mays, Mays was actually the best..

Being a born Brooklyn Dodger fan, and having lived up Bedford Avenue from Ebbets Field and seen Dem Bums play many times, it still doesn't bother me to acknowledge that Willie Mays was not just the best, but far and away the best, of the three centerfielders and, arguably, the best player ever to play the game... period!!!

Agreed, Artie. Hard evidence exists; just watch The Catch. Here's another film of The Catch.

It was criminal when MLB banned him for being a casino greeter. :BOO: :HISS:

Jane Russell

When Players Like Duke Snider Were Also Neigbours (New York Times, March 1)

That's a great article. It brings back memories of Gil Hodges, the first baseman for the Dodgers. His house was on my way when I walked to junior high school. I never had the pleasure of meeting him but all of us kids knew where he lived. I had heard that Roy Campanella (the catcher) used to sit on his front stoop and talk baseball with the neighborhood kids.

It certainly was a different world. Baseball (and other games) were actual sports instead of cash cows for rich owners. Televised baseball involved announcers who actually said relevant things. I remember watching Dodger games on TV when Red Barber was the announcer (before he went to the hated Yankees). He wasn't afraid of dead air time and didn't fill up the spaces between plays with meaningless stuff. He would say things like, "Here comes the pitch; strike two." and then remain silent until the next pitch. Today, it's completely different and the only way that I can watch a ball game is to turn off the volume. The announcers say things just for the sake of filling air time and trying to make themselves look knowledgeable. (The same can be said of so-called "newscasters".)

I had the pleasure of meeting Gil Hodges when he was manager of the Washington Senators.One of the finest men I ever metâ€¦.FYI
His hands were huge

> It brings back memories of Gil Hodges, the first baseman for the Dodgers. His house was on my way when I walked to junior high school.

You must have lived pretty close to me, Jon, because I lived right around the corner from Hodges (26th - N/O).

> His hands were huge

My friends and I occasionally bowled at Gil Hodges Lanes, and one night we were on the lane adjoining the one Gil was bowling on...shared the ball return.

You wouldn't believe the size of the finger holes in his ball; they, not his thumb-hole, were at least 1 1/2" in diameter...astonishingly huge!

I've heard it said that he could wrap his hand completely around a baseball.

> The announcers say things just for the sake of filling air time and trying to make themselves look knowledgeable.

And, in the case of the New York announcer with the sterling reputation, for the sake of hearing his own voice.

:bronxcheer:

Trivial afterthought... In case you were unaware of this, Rocky Graziano lived across Bedford Avenue from Gil Hodges (on the same block); I think it was the uncharacteristic white house close to Ave M.

Originally Posted By: artie505

> It brings back memories of Gil Hodges, the first baseman for the Dodgers. His house was on my way when I walked to junior high school.

You must have lived pretty close to me, Jon, because I lived right around the corner from Hodges (26th - N/O).

I lived on E. 42 St. (J & K) and went to JHS 240. Later, I attended Midwood HS and Brooklyn College.

Originally Posted By: artie505

Trivial afterthought... In case you were unaware of this, Rocky Graziano lived across Bedford Avenue from Gil Hodges (on the same block); I think it was the uncharacteristic white house close to Ave M.

I know what those houses were like (definitely middle-class). Quite a contrast to Derek Jeter's house.

this
Jon.. thought you and artie may be interested in this

I guess you walked past Gil's house on (was it) Ave K; I lived around the corner from where he ultimately lived on Bedford, between M & N (where Rocky also lived), a considerably less modest section of Brooklyn.

But were you going to Hudde? That was on Nostrand, and you wouldn't have walked as far as the house on K.

(Edit: I went to Tech, and I think we've already established that we were classmates at Brooklyn...June '65.)

Thanks for the link, Jay-bird; I wasn't aware that Reiser was that talented.

He pre-dated my interest in baseball and fit right in with my hatred of history...of any sort.

Originally Posted By: artie505

But were you going to Hudde? That was on Nostrand, and you wouldn't have walked as far as the house on K.

Yep, I went to Hudde (JHS 240). Maybe I was wrong about the location of Gil's house? I used to walk up K to Nostrand and was told that Gil lived on a side street (I don't remember the number) just before Nostrand. But then, kids said all kinds of things and I believed too many of them. Oh: You're right about being classmates at BC, class of '65. I was a biology major but spent my free time hanging around the music department.

Great article, Jay-bird. Like Artie, most of it predates me (I was born in 1945). The name "Reiser" rang a bell but I don't remember anything about him.

and I in 1935â€¦..Did you ever read THE BOY"S OF SUMMER?I read it years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it

I tried Google, but I couldn't find any of Gil's addresses.

The Bedford Ave house I remember is unquestionably the correct one, because I've got "inside" info on it; the common knowledge in my neck of the woods was that pre-BA he lived on the north side of Ave K between 27 & 28 (but maybe a third address predated that one).

I was born in '43 and majored in Eco/Accounting at BC, with, thanks to unlimited cuts, a dual major in cafeteria.

Owsley Stanley

Joe Morello

Warren M. Christopher, a key figure in peace efforts in Bosnia and the Mideast as secretary of state in the Clinton administration, has died, a spokeswoman for his law firm said Saturday. He was 85.

Hollywood Golden Age actress Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (79) died today in Los Angeles.

Originally Posted By: alternaut

Hollywood Golden Age actress Dame Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor (79) died today in Los Angeles.

a true legend.

First female Vice Presidential candidate representing a major American political party Geraldine Anne Ferraro (75) died today from multiple myeloma at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston.

Baruch Blumberg, Nobel Prize-winning physician who first discovered and identified the Hepatitis-B virus and created the vaccination against it.

Jean Jennings Bartik, one of the first computer programmers.

Sidney Lumet

James Edward Little known Canadian hero who put his life on the line for American Diplomats.

Sidney Harman (of Harman/Kardon).

Phoebe Snow

Osama bin Laden.

"Hot d@*n!"

(Comment of Keith Urbahn, chief of staff for the former defense secretary Donald Rumsfeld, upon hearing rumors of the news.)

The seven-page obituary in the Paper of Record.

Obama poker face (2:28), reacting to a comment of Seth Meyers (2:16), the day after issuing the hit order.

Jackie Cooper, 88

The last British Royal Navy combat veteran from World War I, Claude Choules (110), died in his sleep at Gracewood Hostel, Perth, Australia.

Arthur Laurents, 93, West Side Story playwright.

Baseball great Harmon Killebrew.

Pathologist, painter, composer, and proponent of the right to die for terminal patients Jack Kevorkian (83) died in a hospital in Royal Oak, Michigan of kidney related problems.

James Arness of Gunsmoke fame.

The Coasters lead singer Carl Gardner.

Clarence Clemons

"Lonesome Day"

Peter Falk, Columbo, 83

Peter Falk

Betty Ford

Gifted but controversial singer Amy Winehouse was found dead at her home in Camden (UK) earlier today, joining a long list of musicians who died at age 27.

Very sad. Time to pull out that Neil Young song again. Every junkie's like a setting sun.

WWII resistance heroine 'The White Mouse' Nancy Wake (98) died yesterday in a London, UK nursing home for retired veterans.

Honourable Jack Layton, leader of Canada's Official Opposition. Although this death is most meaningful to Canadians, the personal qualities that any politician should aspire to are evident in this letter written only two days ago.

From the looks of it, it won't be long

oh, that makes me very sad.

He's a trooper; many, if not most, people would have given up long ago.

It'll be a sad end to a glorious life!

The photo of Steve Jobs is almost certainly a fake:

http://i.imgur.com/WV5Y0.jpg

Originally Posted By: MicroMatTech3

The photo of Steve Jobs is almost certainly a fake:

http://i.imgur.com/WV5Y0.jpg

I'm afraid, though, that that's the only good news.

Jerry Leiber

This only came to my attention today, almost a week late.

For me his best lyric was:

Quote:

I can make a dress out of a feedbag, and a man out of you.

Originally Posted By: MicroMatTech3

The photo of Steve Jobs is almost certainly a fake:

http://i.imgur.com/WV5Y0.jpg

ah, thanks.

Cliff Robertson, 88

...JER

Dolores Hope, wife of Bob Hope, 102

St. Louis sculptor, entrepreneur and founder/creator of the City Museum Bob Cassily (61) died in an accident while working on his current brainchild Cementland.

Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 â€“ October 5, 2011)

http://www.apple.com/stevejobs/

very sad. what a legacy. he will be missed.

Definitely... RIP.

Shocking, even though not exactly unexpected. He remained in the saddle pretty much until the end, adding one more remarkable feat to a remarkable life.

I think it was a good thing that he got the chance to "hand over power". That will help people stay confident in the future of Apple. They don't have to deal with an "oh no Steve is dead, what are we going to do?" type reaction from everyone.

That pancreatic cancer is insane, how swiftly it moves. And this just goes to show you, money can't necessarily buy you a long and healthy life. I'm sure he had the best care money could buy.

From AC360 on Twitter:

Quote:

AC360 Anderson Cooper 360Â°
From #SteveJobs family: "In his public life, Steve was known as a visionary; in his private life, he cherished his family." More on @AC360
1 minute ago

Steve Jobs

CNN just had shots of flowers people left at the Apple Stores.

Excellent!

The loss can hardly be put into words; it is unlikely that the void created by Steve's death will be filled any time soon...if ever.

Edit: Paraphrasing Abraham Lincoln, the world has noted and will long remember.

The front page at wired.com (no permalink; it's the actual home page) currently features a collection of tributes from various luminaries, including this poignant observation from President Obama:

"...there may be no greater tribute to Steve's success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented."

We need to introduce the "like" button here!

While I think I know what you mean, I prefer the slightly more involved personal effort of a post over the racking up of Like-button clicks. That's what FB etc. is for.

A Cup of Tea, a Light, and Your Stereo

Originally Posted By: dkmarsh

... including this poignant observation from President Obama

Poignant indeed. I noticed this particular quote in several overseas newspaper obits.

Originally Posted By: alternaut

While I think I know what you mean, I prefer the slightly more involved personal effort of a post over the racking up of Like-button clicks. That's what FB etc. is for.

<Like>

[actually, i kinda agree with Alex]

Edgar M. Villchur

I had the pleasure of meeting him once or twice at the annual Trustee's Meeting of the Maverick Concerts, Woodstock's summer festival of world-class chamber music. While AR speakers were not to my taste (they sounded good to me but not like real music), I admired the engineering that went into them and respected their quality. Back in the 1960s, I was shopping for stereo equipment and I auditioned the AR3 as well as lesser models but I settled on the Altec Lansing 604E, which I still have and enjoy.

Former dictator of Libya Muammar Qadhafi (69), died from gunshot wounds while fleeing from his birth place and final stronghold Sirte, Libya.

Originally Posted By: alternaut

Former dictator of Libya Muammar Qadhafi (69), died from gunshot wounds while fleeing from his birth place and final stronghold Sirte, Libya.

I'm amazed he was there, I thought he'd fled to Saudi Arabia or something like that? Owell, he never caledl any elections, but the people have voted anyway.

Originally Posted By: alternaut

Former dictator of Libya Muammar Qadhafi..........

Oh, so that's how you spell it. And here I thought it was Qadaffy.

Not to worry (or to rejoice for that matter): Arabic-roman transliterations are notoriously variable because of the fact that several Arabic sounds don't have exact equivalents in English. So, pretty much anything goes, with that 'anything' running into millions of Google hits. And whatever we might decide to settle on, it would be different yet for languages other than English...

I suppose the official version would be the way the person(s) in question would spell it, which I'm told was something like Gathafi, as in Muammar's (passport version: Moammar!) eldest son Mohammed Gathafi's passport. But apparently different versions of the family name have been reported for other members of you-know-who.

That said, and given the fact that the newsworthiness of the name is now bound to fall on harder times, I' suspect we'll have to transition to another multiply-spellable name.

Any suggestions?

Originally Posted By: alternaut

Any suggestions?

Yes, but it's a suggestion to myself to leave the punny stuff to Jon

(my attempts just come out sounding daffy), although I do appreciate learning something new about languages.

John McCarthy, pioneering computer scientist, inventor of LISP, and AI researcher.

Andy Rooney Television commentator, writer and producer, WW II reporter.

Joe Frazier

He once came into "The Riv" when I was tending bar, and I was shocked by how short (5' 11 1/2") he was; his stockiness was quite amazing, though, and I think it made him appear to be even shorter than he actually was.

I'll never forget Melissa, his waitress, asking me "He wants Tanqueray and Courvoisier; which glass should I use?"

In the same glass??? I poured it into a highball...it was as two-fisted a drink as I've ever heard of and would have been insulted to have found itself in a brandy snifter.

5' 11 1/2" is short!!? Not by my standards (I'm 5' 6").

Tributes paid to former boxing champion Joe Frazier

Quote:

He once came into "The Riv" when I was tending bar, and I was shocked by how short (5' 11 1/2") he was; his stockiness was quite amazing, though, and I think it made him appear to be even shorter than he actually was.

I was about 6 feet away from an overall-wearing-but-shirtless Mike Tyson in Vegas in 1990. He too was shorter than I'd thought and also very stocky. No less intimidating, though.

Harry Morgan.
("Col. Potter")

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0604702/

[not to be confused with harry potter]

> Harry Morgan.
(Col. Potter)

...as well as Sgt. Joe Friday's sidekick on Dragnet.

The Dragon Lady......Anne McCaffrey.

Originally Posted By: MacManiac

The Dragon Lady......Anne McCaffrey.

I read perhaps the first handful of the "Dragonriders" books in my mid-late 20s, and I found them wearing thin pretty quickly, but I can see why they were so successful as young adult novels. (I've never read Harry Potter, but it sounds like I'd find it to be vastly preferable reading.)

"The White Dragon" was the last of the series that I bought, and I gave up on it after about 40 pages; pretty damn near every noun in the book was preceded by an adjective, and it...well, it left me at a loss for adjectives. (The book read like she wrote it for a penny a word.)

On the other hand, though, I just picked up a hardcover copy of the compilation of "Dragonflight," "Dragonquest," and "The White Dragon" for my sister (Edit: She's 66.), whose original hardcover disintegrated from having been read repeatedly.

As a young (about 11 year old) child, the Dragonriders of Pern was hands-down my favorite series.

About a decade or so ago, I went back and re-read the series with adult eyes. Or rather, I tried to. I couldn't make it all the way through. Both from a technical perspective and from a storytelling perspective, they simply aren't good books.

Technically, the writing has a lot of flaws. Continuity errors, weird writing style (as you observed), plot holes, poor characterization, you name it. From a storytelling perspective, I found the plots contrived, and I didn't like the subtle undercurrents of misogyny. I also found it interesting that the society described in the book is a slave society, but she glosses over that point to such an extent that the 11-year-old me didn't even notice.

British-American critic and "aggressive humanist" Christopher Hitchens (62) died yesterday of pneumonia in the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

Hitchens' book God Is Not Great has been on my Amazon wish list for a while. Perhaps it mightmake an appropriate gift to myself for Newtonmas.

Writer, dissident and last president of Czechoslovakia VÃ¡clav Havel (75) died earlier today at his home in HrÃ¡deÄek north-east of Prague, Czech Republic.

Supreme Leader / President for Life / Dictator of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), the beloved Kim Jong II. So I wonder who they'll have to "look forward to" next...

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

So I wonder who they'll have to "look forward to" next...

Third son Kim Jong-un?

I was doing some reading on Kim and he's quite the character. (aren't all the dictators? every one of them seems to have several extremely eccentric behaviors) The most interesting nugget I read is he apparently has 3-4 billion of his country's cash stashed in foreign banks "in case he has to flee the country". Wow, talk about "golden parachute". I think that alone should make anyone lose all respect for him. And I am getting sick of seeing videos of people breaking down in tears and sobbing at the announcements... that simply can't be authentic.

Regardless of who he gets replaced with, I think it will be an improvement. The other interesting factoid about him is he basically realized that with his total control of the country and personal cash he'd taken, he was untouchable by sanctions. He really didn't care if the entire world was punishing his country, as long as he wasn't being hurt then it was fine. A ruler that cares only for himself and not the least bit for his people is very hard to deal with on an international level. Hopefully whoever replaces him won't be that way. Even if the military takes over, at least they'll be a group that can be negotiated with. I think Kim was about as bad as it gets as far as a selfish leader can go.

Y'know what would be really amazing? is if whoever takes over finds that foreign cash and pulls it back home and uses it for something constructive, like feeding their starving people.

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

I think Kim was about as bad as it gets as far as a selfish leader can go.

Muammar Gaddafi had 200 billion stashed away. Imagine...he could spend 11 million every day for fifty years, never earning a penny of interest, before getting to the bottom of that pile.

> Y'know what would be really amazing? is if whoever takes over finds that foreign cash and pulls it back home and uses it for something constructive, like feeding their starving people.

This is heartening, although not necessarily hopeful:

Originally Posted By: Wikipedia

When Jong-un was 18, Fujimoto (My insert: Kim Jong-il's former personal chef) described an episode where Jong-un questioned his lavish lifestyle and asked, "We are here, playing basketball, riding horses, riding Jet Skis, having fun together. But what of the lives of the average people?"

Edit: I doubt that finding that cash will be much of a problem. (I wonder how much will be found here?)

Norman Krim, Who Championed The Transisor

For years this thread has been remembering both well and lesser known individuals who passed away. Of course, FineTunedMac and its predecessor MacFixIt forums weren't the only ones doing this. Equally obviously, these threads were hardly exhaustive, or even meant to be.

Somewhat belatedlyâ€”although both Life and Death are proceeding as usualâ€”I'm linking here to the Wikipedia list of a small selection of those who passed away in 2011, most of which didn't make it to 'our' list. Given a few free moments at the end beginning of the year, it seems appropriate to pass our eyes over these names and give tribute to those we may have missed.

Sarah Burke an elite athlete and a role model for young people throughout the world, gone too soon.

Indeed.
But what's hard to fathom is that her hospital stay in Utah runs over the half-million-dollar mark and isn't apparently covered by insurance. I would have thought that anyone in that profession would (have to) be covered by at least $1 million in accident/life insurance. Even back-country skiers are now required to carry rescue insurance, especially in BC after a spate of expensive rescues, at least to my understanding.

EDIT: Apparently the money concerns have been dealt with:
Sarah Burke's family receives enough donations to offset medical costs .

At Last... Etta James

"Born Under A Bad Sign" (1998)

When mentioning Etta, we shouldn't forget her discoverer, the 'Godfather of Rhythm and Blues' Johnny Otis (90), who died last Tuesday at his home in Altadena, CA.

Originally Posted By: alternaut

When mentioning Etta, we shouldn't forget her discoverer, the 'Godfather of Rhythm and Blues' Johnny Otis (90), who died last Tuesday at his home in Altadena, CA.

wow... interesting. i knew about Shuggie, but not his dad.
[and weird too... what with that 3-day difference and all.]

Joe Paterno, 85 Lung Cancer

James Farentino, actor, 73

Robert Hegyes "Welcome Back Kotter" actor who played Epstein.

Controversial sculptor, musician, artist and 'voracious art consumer' Mike Kelley (57) died in his home in LA.

Angelo Dundee, trainer of Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard.

Ben Gazzara

The New England Patriots!!!

Roger Boisjoly, rocket engineer for Morton Thiokol who tried to stop NASA managers from launching the Challenger on the day of the disaster.

Originally Posted By: artie505

The New England Patriots!!!

Hmm... so making it to the final game and them coming in 2nd for the entire season (over all other teams except one) means they're "dead"?

I guess i just don't get sports (or maybe it's only the fans who bemuse me).

PS- true story: i fell asleep dozed off with 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter... that's how involved i was.

Originally Posted By: tacit

....rocket engineer for Morton Thiokol who tried to stop NASA managers from launching the Challenger on the day of the disaster.

I never knew that. Thanks. My most vivid memory is seeing my six year old daughter so moved that she cried. I'll pass the link along.

My wife had applied for the privilege of being on that flight in the Teacher In Space contest. She submitted a long essay and really wanted to go. This is one time that I was glad that she didn't get her heart's desire.

Originally Posted By: Hal Itosis

Originally Posted By: artie505

The New England Patriots!!!

Hmm... so making it to the final game and them coming in 2nd for the entire season (over all other teams except one) means they're "dead"?

I guess i just don't get sports (or maybe it's only the fans who bemuse me).

PS- true story: i fell asleep dozed off with 9 minutes left in the 4th quarter... that's how involved i was.

Death in sports is real only at the moment; it's evanescent! (I assume the current rallying cry in New England is "The Pats are dead! Long live the Pats!")

(Out-uninvolving you, though, I didn't even watch the game...neither TV nor inclination...just picked up on an occasional score update; my "rooting" for the Giants was limited to an expression of extreme faith in Eli's credentials as the best "MONEY" QB in the game.)

Dick Tufeld, voice actor for Robbie the Robot on Lost in Space.

On the even of the Grammy Awards, singer, actress, producer, and model Whitney Houston (48) died yesterday in her room at the Beverly Hilton, Beverly Hills, CA.

Houston: "The Star Spangled Banner"
January 27, 1991: Super Bowl XXV
(10 days into the Persian Gulf War)

Davy Jones:

French comics and movie design artist Jean (MÅ“bius) Giraud (73) died of cancer in Paris, France earlier today.

117th Coptic Pope "Baba" Shenouda III (88) died of cancer in Cairo, Egypt.

Thai creator of Krathing Daeng (Red Bull) energy drink Chaleo Yoovidhya (79) died today of natural causes at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.

Another star dies from cocaine... this just continues to baffle me.

If I found myself wealthy, my health would become a very high priority. Why do they do it? Just because they can? Stuuuuupid! what else can I say?

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

Why do they do it? Just because they can?

I wonder if some of it is brought on by the fact of being a rock star and whether it starts with the heavy touring that is needed to get to the top.

You're flying to new dates every day, back and forth through time zones, performing in front of 120dB SPL PA systems. Someone drags you off to meet city VIPs right after the concert where booze is plentiful, you're dragged back to the hotel and shot up with something to make you sleep, in the morning you need something to wake up....and on it goes.

My guess is that the weaker succumb to a need for something to push it all back, and then they're into a whole other problem.

Earl Scruggs, 88

I just changed some post titles above back to the original. When posting to this thread (and most others) it's best not to change the post title. Replies automatically and quite possibly inappropriately copy the new title, which then wreaks havoc on subsequent searches. Thanks!

Originally Posted By: ryck

I wonder if some of it is brought on by the fact of being a rock star and whether it starts with the heavy touring that is needed to get to the top.

You might be on the right track, but not because of heavy touring schedules. Managers and record label executives have quite a track record of being drug users, and might be less inclined to sign a person who doesn't party with them.

Quote:

Why do they do it?

Wealth doesn't alleviate misery, it just makes the numbing agents more affordable. Comfortably numb, as Pink Floyd sangâ€¦

Ferdinand Porsche

mike wallace

Thomas Kincade. A news report said that his works are so popular that it's estimated a Kincade picture hangs on the wall of every twentieth American home.

Mike Wallace, CBS Pioneer of â€˜60 Minutes,â€™ Dies at 93

Looks like Jay-bird beat you to the punch, just around the corner of the previous page. Regardless, I lift my hat to the Master-interviewer one last time.

Originally Posted By: Jay-bird

mike wallace

93? wow. I had no idea he was that old. And we lost Andy Rooney just last November too.

Jim Marshall, creator of Marshall amplifiers.

Panafricanist, longtime prisoner, early fighter against French colonialism and first president of post-independence Algeria Ahmed Ben Bella (93) died today at his home in Algiers, Algeria.

Dick Clark (82), of a heart attack (following a stroke in '04)

Levon Helm

Chuck Colson

Levon's gone ...

.. up on Cripple Creek (which I'm listening to as I write this). Rock on!

Expats are especially sad, and not just those who drove Old Dixie down.

The tributes to him are legion, just as he was legend.

And to top it off: Now would be a good time to relive "The Last Waltz" (The Band's farewell concert at the Winterland Auditorium in San Francisco in November 1976 â€“ movie released in 1978, out on DVD).

Beastie Boys singer Adam Yauch

George Lindsey

Much sadness.

Maurice Sendak, Author of Splendid Nightmares, Dies at 83

â€œDear Mr Sendak,
How much does it cost to get to where the wild things are? If it is not expensive, my sister and I would like to spend the summer there.â€
(What higher praise ...?)

Originally Posted By: grelber

Maurice Sendak

better known for Where the Wild Things Are . I know that book was on my shelf as a kid,

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

better known for Where the Wild Things Are .

That's one of the "splendid nightmares" the headline is referring to ("splendid nightmares" being a description rather than a title).

Vidal Sassoon

Legendary Pulitzer Prize-winning combat photographer and image editor Horst Faas (79), who covered the Vietnam war for Associated Press, died yesterday in Munich, Germany.

Carroll Shelby, 89

Queen of Disco Donna Summer (63) died of cancer at her home in Key West, FL.

Dietrich_Fischer-Dieskau

He was one of the truly great artists. I have his recording of Schubert's "Die Winterreise" (with Gerald Moore accompanying) and only listened to it a few times because the performance was so emotionally devastating that I couldn't bear it. That combo's recording of Schumann's "Dichterliebe" was equally intense. My then-fiancÃ©e (now my wife of 44 years) had studied that piece for a listening exam (she was a music major) and met me after the exam, completely in tears.

He was one of a kind and will be sorely missed.

Robin Gibb

Former Zenith engineer and inventor of the first wireless TV remote control Eugene Polley (96) died in Downers Grove, IL.

The CBC National News did quite a nice a piece on him this evening....even had an image of the "Flash-Matic". It looked like a green hand-held hair dryer.

Originally Posted By: ryck

... the "Flash-Matic". It looked like a green hand-held hair dryer.

Indeed!

ooh, almost steampunk!

Originally Posted By: alternaut

Former Zenith engineer and inventor of the first wireless TV remote control Eugene Polley (96) died in Downers Grove, IL.

My first TV remote was a subaudible one, that would turn either the volume or power knob one click to the right depending on which of the two buttons you pressed. Is that the sort of thing he invented? I assume they're not talking about IR being the first?

The Flash-Matic wasâ€”literallyâ€”a flashlight to be aimed at light sensors at the 4 front corners of a TV set. Each corner sensor had a different function, and users often forgot which one did what. On top of that the sun or other light sources could activate the sensors rather haphazardly. Despite these problems (or before people realized those) Zenith apparently sold 30,000 of them.

There's an "invention service" that mentions "remote control" as "one of the simplest products," and I never understood how they could say that until reading your post.

I recall seeing an even simpler remote control once. It was a coat hanger bent on the end and duct taped to the channel knob, and a bend in the other end, to be twisted by hand while reclining in a recliner in the living room. (the tv of course was just at the end of the extended leg rest)

When I was very young, my parents moved from Idaho to Wyoming. I must have been...oh, probably about 5 years old at the time.

I remember only two things from the move. The first was that the moving van ran out of gas on the trip. My father walked to a gas station to get a can of gas, and then, lacking a funnel or spout or any other way to pour it into the truck's gas tank, he tried to make a funnel out of a styrofoam cup. Gasoline and styrofoam do...interesting things.

The second was staying in a horrible motel with green carpet and a stuffed fish on the wall. The TV set had a remote control that was wired into the television by a long cord, which is one way to make a TV remote, although a particularly inelegant one.

Doc Watson IMHO, maybe the best flat pick player ever.

I don't think it gets much better than this , from 1963:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUQmNGLvL3U

Thanks for the link. Very enjoyable....it's now another in my list of musical events where I think: "It sure would have been great to have been there."

Richard Dawson, most remembered for Family Feud

Prolific writer and Sci-Fi legend Ray Bradbury (91) died last night in Los Angeles, CA.

Herb Reed , the last of The Platters...for those who remember doo-wop.

Cab driver Rodney (Why canâ€™t we get all along?) King (47), whose violent arrest in March 1991 led to one of the worst race riots in US history, was found dead earlier today in his swimming pool in Rialto, CA.

Former Commander of the Egyptian Air Force and President Hosni Mubarak (84) was declared clinically dead at the Maadi military hospital in Cairo, Egypt, after suffering repeated heart failures and a stroke.

But:
- Egypt's Mubarak unconscious and on respirator, not clinically dead - two security sources tell Reuters
- washingtonpost - Mubarak's lawyer says ousted leader is not dead.

Perhaps this is a bit premature. We'll see as the day goes on.

Originally Posted By: alternaut

But:
- Egypt's Mubarak unconscious and on respirator, not clinically dead - two security sources tell Reuters
- washingtonpost - Mubarak's lawyer says ousted leader is not dead.

The last few deposed dictators were quite publicly found to have stashed large chunks of their country's cash in private foreign accounts as a "golden parachute" of sorts. And to no one's surprise, the country tends to want that money back after the dictator escapes. I'd bet something like this is the primary reason behind them squabbling over the legally-dead status of Mubarak.

Possibly, but see Mubarak: wealth and allegations of personal corruption.

Lonesome George, the last of his kind.

US author, journalist, playwright and movie maker Nora Ephron (71) died yesterday in New York City from complications of leukemia.

Eight days ago: Film Critic Andrew Sarris, age 83.

Doris Singleton, who appeared in the 1950s US sitcom I Love Lucy, (she played the neighbor wife) has died at the age of 92.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, 96, of unspecified causes, probably complications from Alzheimers

Andy Griffith

Doris Sams the inspiration for the movie "A League Of Their Own" about women's professional baseball during WWII.

Ernest Borgnine, 95

Originally Posted By: ...JER

Ernest Borgnine, 95

I just saw that elsewhere. He was still acting at age 94... amazing!

Keyboard player and co-founder of the British hard-rock band Deep Purple Jon Lord (71) died today in the London Clinic, London, UK of a lung embolism while suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Leadership advisor and author of the bestselling '7 Habits of Highly Effective People' Stephen Covey (79) died today in a hospital in Idaho Falls, ID, of complications following a bicycle accident in April.

The Queen of country music Kitty Wells.

Encyclopedia Brown author Donald J. Sobol

Sherman Hemsley (George Jefferson), 74, natural causes.

Physicist and first female NASA astronaut Sally Ride (61) died yesterday of pancreatic cancer in La Jolla, CA.

Sally Ride was not only the first American woman into space, but the first openly lesbian astronaut as well.

I was personally quite annoyed to see Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney gushing about Sally Ride being one of America's "greatest pioneers," considering that he supports policies that prevent her partner of 27 years from receiving any of Ms. Ride's pension benefits that a heterosexual partner of an astronaut would be entitled to.

The way I heard it was that she was a very private person and was only "outed" in her obituary (somewhat obliquely).

And although it doesn't really matter, you'll also note (at least from the New York Times obit) that she didn't divorce fellow astronaut, Steven Hawley, until 1987 â€” indicating that they were at least estranged since 1985.

Originally Posted By: tacit

...policies that prevent her partner of 27 years from receiving any of Ms. Ride's pension benefits that a heterosexual partner of an astronaut would be entitled to.

You mean a male heterosexual partner.

But I agree that this discriminatory policy is disgusting.

Originally Posted By: grelber

And although it doesn't really matter, you'll also note (at least from the New York Times obit) that she didn't divorce fellow astronaut, Steven Hawley, until 1987 â€” indicating that they were at least estranged since 1985.

Well, that doesn't necessarily follow. Not all married people with other lovers are estranged from their spouses.

Originally Posted By: tacit

Not all married people with other lovers are estranged from their spouses.

I might add: even after they divorce.

The estrangement was meant in a relative sense (pun definitely intended): O'Shaughnessy would have been a lot closer than Hawley.

Gore Vidal, writer and world-class curmudgeon. How many of us who are old enough to remember his verbal sparring with William Buckley on television?

I do. I also remember his run-ins with Norman Mailer. I didn't see it but apparently head butts were involved.

Gore Vidal: In Quotes

Great link! He certainly nailed Truman Capote.

Stage and film composer Marvin Hamlisch

An early influence on women's emancipation, Helen Gurley Brown

Phyllis Diller, 95

Film director Tony Scott, who reportedly committed suicide after battling with terminal brain cancer.

Songwriter and singer of the 60s generational anthem 'San Francisco' (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair) Scott McKenzie (73) died last Saturday in Los Angeles, CA.

Last night long-time Ethiopian Prime Minister Legesse 'Meles' Zenawi (57) died in Brussels, Belgium of an infection while being treated for an undisclosed disease.

The first man to set foot on the moon ("Thatâ€™s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind") Neil Armstrong (82) died earlier today from complications following coronary bypass surgery at a hospital in Columbus, OH.

Armstrong belonged to the relatively small group of people whose work was both dangerous and in the public eye, necessitating contingency plans in case something went wrong. Here is a copy of the speech William Safire prepared for Nixon to read 'in event of moon disaster'. This scan lacks the final two paragraphs of the speech, which is reproduced here in its entirety. Once safely back from the Moon, Armstrong commented: "Itâ€™s an interesting place to be. I recommend it.â€

Edit: today The Atlantic's InFocus blog added this picture gallery on Neil Armstrong. I figured a link to it would be appropriate here.

Sun Myung Moon, a messiah to some but a charlatan to many (myself included).

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

....but a charlatan to many...

Not much doubt about that.

One of the great lyricists Hal David.

Bill Moggridge, industrial designer who designed the first laptop, the Grid Compass, in 1979.

Chairman emeritus of the World Wildlife Fund and main champion and former Administrator of the EPA Russell Train (92) died yesterday at his farm in Bozman, MD.

Singer and TV show host "Mr. Christmas" Andy 'Moon River' Williams (84) died of bladder cancer at his home in Branson, MO.

Herbert Lom

Barry Commoner

Former Senator and Democratic Presidential candidate George McGovern (90), whose campaign was the target of the 1972 Watergate break-in, died earlier today at a hospice in Sioux Falls, SD.

A great man and a true patriot. and I never use those words lightly.

how different the world might be...

Dr. Edward Donnall Thomas, winner of the Nobel Prize for developing bone marrow transplants to treat leukemia, sickle cell disease, and other blood diseases.

Larry Hagman

I didn't shoot him!

Originally Posted By: alternaut

I didn't shoot him!

Tell it to the Judge!

strange, we had quite a spate of droppers recently, and now appear to have fallen into a lull in the action

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

strange, we had quite a spate of droppers recently, and now appear to have fallen into a lull in the action

After many years as a hospital chaplain my wife has learned there is a definite tendency for dying people to live to some significant event such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, and anniversaries before giving up the ghost. Sometimes they don't make it to the desired date but still and all it results in a clustering of natural deaths around major holidays.

While I wholeheartedly agree with the holiday theory, that should produce many more clusters than we actually see, depending on the national and cultural backgrounds of both posters and decedents. The 'lull' here most certainly is a lack of effort on our behalf...

XKCD has a good panel showing occurrence of dates in historical documents, it'd be interesting to see such a thing that quantifies the amount of people that die on a given day of the 365.

https://xkcd.com/1140/

Jazz pianist Dave Brubeck (one day shy of 92) died today of heart failure in Norwalk, CT.

(Dave Brubeck, piano; Paul Desmond, saxophone; Joe Morello, drums, and Eugene Wright, bass)

Yet another massacre by a gunman, this time at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, CT. Current death toll 28, including at least 20 children. As if this weren't bad enough, such horrors will keep on happening regularly as the inevitable price of the (current interpretation of the) Second Amendment.

And the NRA will never understand why I consider their endorsement to be the kiss of death for any candidate (figuratively speaking, of course).

It's an interesting day when the best news coverage I have seen on the massacre comes from news parody site The Onion (note: harsh language):

The onion

It's just too too horrifying, too incomprehensible. Children..... the epitome of innocence, who never did anything to anybody.

Originally Posted By: ryck

It's just too too horrifying, too incomprehensible. Childrenâ€¦.. the epitome of innocence, who never did anything to anybody.

It is impossible to assign rational motives to a person with a disturbed and totally irrational mind. In the killer's distorted thinking those children may have been seen as the cause of his own anger and self hate.

Senator Daniel Inouye

One of the best character actors ever, Charles Durning.

A great character actor like Durning, surviving 12 Angry Men Juror # 5 Jack Klugman (90) died earlier today at his home in Woodland Hills, CA.

Norman Schwarzkopf

Discoverer of Nerve Growth Factor, oldest Nobel Prize winner and still active scientist/Italian senator Rita Levi-Montalcini (103) died at home in Rome, Italy.

As noted by Wikipedia: Deaths in 2012.

Harry Carey Jr., Sidekick to John Wayne, Dies at 91

Stan Musial, Gentlemanly Slugger and Cardinalsâ€™ Stan the Man, Dies at 92. I saw Musial play at Ebbets Field against my beloved Brooklyn Dodgers. He was a feared and respected opponent.

Another one of the greats is gone...

Lawyer, Congressman and three term "How'm I doing?" Mayor of New York City Ed Koch (88) died earlier today at a hospital in NYC of congestive heart failure.

AndrÃ© Cassagnes, Etch A Sketch Inventor, Is Dead at 86

John E. Karlin, Who Led the Way to All-Digit Dialing, Dies at 94

C. Everett Koop, outspoken and apolitical as Surgeon General.

Cold war overnight piano sensation 'Van' Cliburn (78), died today at home in Ft. Worth, TX, of bone cancer.

Originally Posted By: alternaut

Cold war overnight piano sensation 'Van' Cliburn (78), died today at home in Ft. Worth, TX, of bone cancer.

He had hoped to be present for today's announcement of the finalists for this year's Van Cliburn piano competition. Sadly he didn't quite make it.

Dale Robertson

The Boston Phoenix, 47 years old.

Harry Reems, co-star (with the late Linda Lovelace) of Deep Throat.

Musician, legendary record producer, duet specialist and 'Pope of Pop' Phil Ramone (72) died in a Manhattan, NY hospital prior to surgery of an aortic aneurysm.

Roger Ebert long time Chicago Sun-Times movie critic.

Margaret Thatcher, 87.

Ref: Elvis Costello, Tramp The Dirt Down.

The 'Iron Lady', Britain's first female PM, the Right Honourable Margaret, Baroness Thatcher (87) died this morning after a stroke.

You beat me to it, Jerry!

Originally Posted By: alternaut

You beat me to it, Jerry!

I get up earlier than you.

I'm looking forward to the evening news to see if it's fawning or more critical. She called herself "The Iron Lady". I called her The Marmite Minister, because you either loved her or hated her.

She said there is no such thing as society and championed the individual and the free market. You could make a case that she caused the bank collapse. (If you were facile, like me...)

Although not quite in the same league as Ms. Thatcher, Annette Funicello died of multiple sclerosis. I used to watch her when she was a mouseketeer but I never saw any of the beach party movies (nor do I regret that lapse in my otherwise exemplary youth).

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

Although not quite in the same league as Ms. Thatcher, Annette Funicello died of multiple sclerosis.

Although they do have one thing in common....dreadful, lingering deaths. MS for Annette Funicello and dementia for Margaret Thatcher....reminders of how much more important good health is over anything else.

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

Although not quite in the same league as Ms. Thatcher...

Oh, I don't know about that! Unlike Thatcher, I had a huge crush on Annette. I used to sit in front of the telly with my Mouseketeer ears on watching her and Bobby. I mean, Britney who?

British IVF pioneer and 2010 Nobel Prize winner Robert G. Edwards (87) died today in his sleep.

Comedian Jonathan Winters dead at 87. Winters died Thursday evening of natural causes at his home in Montecito, California

Originally Posted By: freelance

[quote=jchuzi]Oh, I don't know about that! Unlike Thatcher, I had a huge crush on Annette. I used to sit in front of the telly with my Mouseketeer ears on watching her and Bobby. I mean, Britney who?

Watching her and Bobby, or watching her Bobby?

Winters was a brilliant comedian. I remember watching him on television decades ago with his "falling down funny" improvisations. And never once did he rely on foul language, references to body parts, or sexual double entendre. He just understood funny.

He was a great one. One of the first improvisers, an inspiration to Robin Williams etc, According to Jack Paar, "If you were to ask me the funniest 25 people I've ever known, I'd say, 'Here they are â€” Jonathan Winters'."

Janos Starker, Master of the Cello, Dies at 88.

See Bach: Suites for Solo Cello

The article mentions "He adored Scotch and by his own account consumed it with abandon. For much of his life he smoked 60 cigarettes a day, though in old age he reduced the number to 25."

Remind me again why I quit smoking and am watching my diet.

Originally Posted By: ryck

Remind me again why I quit smoking and am watching my diet.

Because you understand biology and odds, and until you know your detailed 'specs' with regard to the former, you prefer to heed a conservative version of the latter...

Pre-CGI visual effects wiz Ray Harryhausen (92) died today in Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.

Still one of my favorite movies, especially the bit with Poseidon holding back the Clashing Rocks.

I've met that skeleton personally....and the little 12 inch box he lived in.

About five years ago, Ray Harryhausen and his wife were in San Diego for a significant period while he provided technical consulting to Legend Films as they were digitally remastering and reproducing a classic film originally shot in black and white, "She" from 1935....the color and character of the film were what Ray was there to provide continuity and realistic inputs on so that the original impact of the film was preserved as it was provided with digital colorization. Although this Film Review is critical of colorizing a film originally shot in black and white, the background details are right on target.

I had the very real privilege of meeting and getting to spend time with an icon of the "Golden Age" of fantasy and science fiction....his insights on that time were most interesting. He talked at length of some of the late-night gatherings with such other icons as Ray Bradbury and Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov.....

very cool.

Pop psychologist Joyce Brothers.

Sci-Fi, fantasy and mystery grandmaster writer and pulp veteran Jack Vance (96) died last Sunday in his sleep at home in Oakland, CA.

Memorable actress Jean Stapleton, who played Edith Bunker in All In The Family.

Scottish mainstream and SciFi novelist Iain (M.) Banks (59) died today of gall bladder cancer.

Banks is hands-down one of the greats of science fiction; his literary ambition and his intelligence stand alongside other giants of the field. His book Use of Weapons is one of the best works of fiction I've ever read. He will be sorely missed.

I couldn't agree more. Banks had an uncanny knack of exploring issues that turn out to hit much closer to home than it seems initially. That includes his own demise: when he was diagnosed a few months ago with the disease that killed him today, he was about to finish his latest and now final novel The Quarry (review 1, review 2) about the final weeks in the life of a man in his 40s who has terminal cancer.
His comment at the time when hearing the news about his own condition was that he was "officially very poorly"'. With typical dark humor he then asked his girlfriend to do him the honour of "becoming his widow", which she accepted. Remarkable.

Niels Diffrient, Industrial Designer Who Blended Form and Function, Dies at 84.

Journalist Michael Hastings at 33.

Former Hongarian Foreign Minister and Premier Gyula Horn (80), who cut the Iron Curtain between Hungary and Austria on June 27 1989, died today in a Budapest hospital of brain-related ailments.

James Gandolfini, played Tony Soprano in The Sopranos.

Only 51...too bad!

I knew him casually; he was a gentleman...a nice, unpretentious guy.

Science fiction and fantasy writer Richard Matheson.

Granite Mountain Hotshots who lost their lives battling the Yarnell FireÂ in Arizona.

Andrew Ashcraft, 29
Robert Caldwell, 23
Travis Carter, 31
Dustin Deford, 24
Christopher MacKenzie, 30
Eric Marsh, 43
Grant McKee, 21
Sean Misner, 26
Scott Norris, 28
Wade Parker, 22
John Percin, 24
Anthony Rose, 23
Jesse Steed, 36
Joe Thurston, 32
Travis Turbyfill, 27
William Warneke, 25
Clayton Whitted, 28
Kevin Woyjeck, 21
GarretÂ Zuppiger, 27

Such a tragedy.

Douglas C. Engelbart, Inventor of the Computer Mouse, Dies at 88

In addition to the mouse and a variety of other computer-related items, Engelbart is also known for presenting what came to be called the Mother of All Demos, an effort still worth watching 45 years later:

Toshi Seeger, wife of Pete Seeger.

bose

Singer, songwriter, guitar player and Tulsa Sound architect J.J. Cale (74) died last night of heart failure at Scripps Hospital in La Jolla, CA.

Documentary To Tulsa and Back (2005)

'Europe's first lady of jazz', still active Dutch singer Rita Reys (88) died earlier today of a stroke in Breukelen, The Netherlands.

David Frost, respected TV personality and interviewer, who became famous for his interview of Richard M. Nixon.

Famed science fiction writer Frederik Pohl. I read his story Starburst about 25 years ago and it has stuck with me since.

Tom Clancy

Lou Reed

Bill Lowe, IBM lab manager responsible for designing the IBM Model 5350 Personal Comuter, the first IBM PC.

Nelson Mandela, one of the (few) truly great politicians and a truly great man.

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

Nelson Mandela, one of the (few) truly great politicians and a truly great man.

And let all the world say AMEN.

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

And let all the world say AMEN.

AMEN.

Peter O'Toole

Phil Everly

Bye, bye, love!

Indeed.

Those close harmonies were wonderful.

Pete Seeger, a giant of folk music and a man with a conscience.

Amen.

"I woke up this mornin' and you were on my mind ..." (Sylvia Tyson, not Pete Seeger â€” but nonetheless ...)

Not an auspicious start to the day.

The New York Times obit nicely portrays the political swamp of the 1950s and 1960s, especially HUAC. The only bright lights were wonderful folk groups like the Weavers and for a short time 'Camelot'.

I marched with Pete Seeger on the UN â€“ effete organization that it was and still is â€“ in the fall of 1960. Ugly (cold, rainy) weather.

Time to go listen to my old Weavers LPs in tribute.

[By the bye, Jon, isn't Beacon in your bailiwick? How'd you like to buy 17 acres on the Hudson for $100/acre these days?]

You're right; Beacon isn't too far away. The price for land these days is probably closer to $100 per square foot.

Quote:

Poster: alternaut
Subject: Re: Ad astra: another passing.

In addition to the mouse and a variety of other computer-related items, Engelbart is also known for presenting what came to be called the Mother of All Demos, an effort still worth watching 45 years later:

This is stunning. I am truly speechless and grateful to alternaut for posting.

Shirley Temple. My late cousin George had a crush on her when he was a child. My father, an inveterate prankster, phoned nephew George when he was about 5 and, without disguising his voice, claimed to be Shirley Temple. "Shirley" then admonished George to drink his milk.

Years later, when George was grown and had a family, my dad finally 'fessed up about this and George claimed that he had always wondered if the phone call was for real. Ah, memories...

Maybe I'll have a Shirley Temple tonight in her honor.

Hmmm... nah.

The "Stair Dance" is always worth a watch.

Another giant gone: Sid Caesar. My parents used to watch his television show (Your Show Of Shows) when I was very young but they didn't let me stay up past my bedtime, so I never saw it.

His life story supports the idea that comedians are the saddest people.

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

Another giant gone: Sid Caesar. My parents used to watch his television show (Your Show Of Shows) when I was very young but they didn't let me stay up past my bedtime, so I never saw it.

His life story supports the idea that comedians are the saddest people.

An interesting footnote to Sid Caesar's passing: his son Rick and I were in the same class in high school. Rick was just about the tallest person in the school at that time, at about 6'8" (although different heights have appeared in different sources) and played on the varsity basketball team. The year we were both seniors was the only time in school history that we went to and won the State finals and championship. I have no recollection of his father ever being around, at school events, etc.; although Rick and I traveled in different social circles at that time (agh, remember those joys of high school?

) .

A very funny guy, David Brenner.

Mickey Rooney

Gabriel GarcÃa MÃ¡rquez, Conjurer of Literary Magic, Dies at 87

Rubin "Hurricane" Carter

The soul of Mad Magazine Al Feldstein.

Together with William Gaines, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Davis (artist) et al â€“ my childhood heroes.
I still proudly display my E.C Fan-Addict Club Life Membership certificate.
And I still despise the Comics Code Authority for having torn away all the comics I held dear. But don't get me started ....

I was devastated when they made Don Martin clean his act up.

(Did you know that his license plate "number" was "SHTOINK"?)

Years ago, there was a guy at Boy Scout camp who was reputed to have a complete collection of Tales Of Crypt comics.

I'd have given anything just gain access!

I guess you're going to get me started ...

I had subscriptions to all of the EC genres:
Frontline Combat, Two-Fisted Tales; Crime SuspenStories, Shock SuspenStories; Weird Science, Weird Fantasy; Mad, Panic; Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror, The Haunt of Fear, The Crypt of Terror (aborted before it was published, prepaid subscription fee of $1.00 returned).

I regularly ironed my mind to keep it from becoming warped as the legions of decency swore would happen from exposure to those wicked, wicked comics.

Originally Posted By: artie505

I was devastated when they made Don Martin clean his act up.

(Did you know that his license plate "number" was "SHTOINK"?)

â€¦.and who could forget "National Gorilla Suit Day, the way people's feet folded over curbs, or all the "One fineâ€¦â€¦"? I have a two volume set of Don Martin works from very early to the end. Kwonk!!

Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Star of â€˜77 Sunset Stripâ€™ and â€˜The F.B.I.â€™, Is Dead at 95

This is the 60th anniversary of EC's peak and nadir.

Those were simpler times ... when TV was in its infancy and one's entertainment came via the radio waves, comic books and the movies.

Even the EC FAC Bulletin, a single-page two-sided newsletter, was (type)written and sent out quarterly by the editors, with the sign-off: E-C-ing you! â€“ Your Grateful Editors.
Included were around-the-office gossip items such as: "The Harvey Kurtzman's new arrival arrived...a furshlugginer boy...Peter John (pronounced Potrzebie)." [September 1954]
Everything was run out of their office at 225 Lafayette Street in NYC.

Originally Posted By: grelber

Those were simpler times ... when TV was in its infancy and one's entertainment came via the radio waves, comic books and the movies.

"Simpler" is always relative. A generation prior to the one you are referencing might say "Those were simpler timesâ€¦when stage shows were in their prime and entertainment came from live performances and music was played on instruments at home."

But then again: What, me worry?

Originally Posted By: Ira L

"Simpler" is always relative. A generation prior to the one you are referencing might say "Those were simpler timesâ€¦when stage shows were in their prime and entertainment came from live performances and music was played on instruments at home."

But then again: What, me worry?

Exactly. More accurately: Kilroy was here. Nicht wahr?

Farley Mowat dead at 92

Swiss biomechanical surrealist artist and ('Alien') Oscar winner Hans Rudolf Giger (74) died yesterday at a hospital in ZÃ¼rich, Switzerland from injuries sustained in a fall.

Morning Glory Zell-Ravenheart, early activist for women's rights and alternative relationships, co-credited with inventing the word "polyamory" to describe multiple committed romantic relationships.

Versatile character actor Eli Wallach.

John Harney. I mentioned him when I started My Cup Of Tea. John was a true gentlemen in every sense of the word. When his business began, it was only wholesale. My wife and I had heard of him and we phoned him at his warehouse in Salisbury, CT. He invited us to visit and try some teas (he did sell to local people on a limited basis). We followed the evolution of his tea company through the years and we visit the retail location in Millerton, NY fairly regularly.

One of the most striking things that John told us was that, in order to remain successful, you have to constantly reinvent yourself. You can never rest on your laurels and assume that you are so established that nothing bad can happen.

His son Michael and daughter-in-law Brigitte run the retail end, although Brigitte is more involved with that than Mike. Mike and brother Paul travel the world acquiring teas.

I shall miss John.

Soul singer Bobby Womack.

Paul Mazursky, Director Who Captured a Changing America, Dies at 84

Who can forget "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" (1969), "An Unmarried Woman" (1978), â€œEnemies, a Love Story,â€ (1989) and, my favorite, "Harry and Tonto" (1974)?

Innovative and inspiring flautist Paul Horn.

Jazz bassist Charlie Haden

Blues guitarist Johnny Winters.

The 298 passengers and crew of downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, courtesy of 'peace maker' Putin.

Bret Maverick aka Jim Rockford aka James Garner, Witty, Handsome Leading Man, Dies at 86

Â Â Maverick was practically a religion back in the day. I knew guys who stood at attention during the theme song (which I still remember), and others who danced, and Brother Bret was everybody's favorite. (He was always well-cast, and where would Harrison Ford be without him?)

Navigator and Captain, Theodore Van Kirk, last surviving crew member of the Enola Gay.

Great comedian and actor Robin Williams. He was one of the best and funniest.

Lauren Bacall

One of the great comedians, Joan Rivers.

Thought provoking cartoonist Tony Auth.

Founder of Manhattan Transfer, Tim Hauser .

The as-yet-unnamed Virgin Galactic test pilot killed in today's loss of the SpaceShipTwo. Opta ardua pennis astra sequi.

Edit: The test pilot has been identified as Michael Alsbury, 39.

Jack Bruce, founder, bassist and vocalist of Cream.

Tom Magliozzi, one of the Tappet Brothers of Car Talk. He and Ray were unique. I was saddened when they retired and Tom's loss is a heavy one.

An incredibly brave young lady, Brittany Maynard.

Joe Cocker, with a little help from his friends.

Originally Posted By: Ira L

Joe Cocker, with a little help from his friends.

It is and it was and I mourn. If anyone ever tripped the light fantastic, he did.

Mae Keane, last of the Radium Girls.

Former NY Governor Mario Cuomo.

Many a youths' idle fantasy: Elly May Clampett, Donna Douglas in real life.

Nobel Prize winner, inventor of the laser, Charles Townes.

Leonard Nimoy. May all of us live long and prosper.

"Bugrit!!!"

My neighbor for many years and renowned comic book artist, Herb Trimpe. He drew The Incredible Hulk and Wolverine, among others. He died suddenly Monday, April 13 after his daily jog, of an apparent heart attack. I extend my condolences to Patricia (his loving wife), Anna (his mother) and his children and grandchildren. May he rest in peace.

Unlike most of the other posts in this thread, this one is highly personal because I knew the man. May he rest in peace.

B. B. King, Defining Bluesman for Generations, Is Dead at 89

Charles Manson Prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi .

Nicholas Winton, a British citizen who saved 650 Jewish children during the Holocaust by smuggling them out of Prague. He was 106 when he died.

Frank Gifford, a great player from my youth. At that time, football was actually a sport, not a vehicle for commercials and big money. (I now refuse to watch football because of the hype, violence, and commercialism.)

I never saw him play in person, but I used to watch NY Giants games on television, rooting for Gifford, Tittle, Shofner, and the whole crew.

You'd think that there'd be footage of Gifford's legendary one-handed catch, but I can't find any.

(You forgot to mention "Big Red".)

Originally Posted By: artie505

You'd think that there'd be footage of Gifford's legendary one-handed catch, but I can't find any.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/new-york-giants/0ap3000000433606/Beckham-catches-worldwide-attention

close 'nuff

Thanks for the link; I had actually found it before I posted, but the commercial with which the vid opened was so incredibly obnoxious that I closed the window immediately, particularly knowing that it wasn't Gifford.

I watched it this time - semi-tolerable commercial - and that was a great catch (I had already found a different vid of Beckham making a similar catch.), but don't forget that Gifford did it without "magnetic" gloves.

As I recall, he was coming across the middle, and he just plain bare-handed the ball...a diving catch! In my memory, it was a truly spectacular, not merely great, reception.(He probably had some stickum assistance, but that stuff didn't help all that much.)

I wonder about their comparative hand sizes.

Civil rights leader Julian Bond .

Oliver Sacks Dies at 82; Neurologist and Author Explored the Brainâ€™s Quirks

Plus an appraisal by Michiko Kakutani, Oliver Sacks, Casting Light on the Interconnectedness of Life

May we all go into that good night as gracefully as he.

Kept many of us from getting good night's rest by starting the Nightmare on Elm Street, among other things

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/wes-craven-horror-maestro-dies-818806

Great stuff. Not a mere slasher, so many interesting levels to the Freddy movies (except Nightmare 2, which is just a slasher). Playing around in the sleep/wake worlds, the sequels playing on the characters' weaknesses instead of their fears, a boogie-man with good backstory. A self-funded, low budget thriller that became a big franchise.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2uKjYMgUHIQ

Yogi Berra I saw him play at Yankee Stadium several times. He was one of the greats. RIP, Yogi.

"It ain't over 'till it's over..." Not just one of baseball's greats, IMHO made baseball great.

Anybody remember "Me he for Yoo Hoo"?

Some of the more widely quoted philosophy of Yogi Berra

Yup! He said that stuff, too.

He did have a way with words, didn't he?

Many times, his seemingly nonsensical pronouncements made a lot of sense (like "It ain't over till it's over.").

To me, he was baseball. It was him, Billy Martin kicking dirt, the guys who made it fun and funny.

Canadian diplomat Ken Taylor who sheltered six Americans and helped them escape from Tehran in 1979.

Fifteen year-old hero, Zaevion Dobson, who gave his life to save his friends.

Not only a great basketball player, but a terrific entertainer too.. Meadowlark Lemon.

David Bowie 1947-2016

Yes, and rock music is quite a bit poorer today. Here's the New York Times piece.

David Bowie Allowed His Art to Deliver a Final [sic?] Message

Best passing ever! Totally within the man's ethos. Small wonder many thought it was a hoax. If anybody could return from beyond, it would be David Bowie. Ziggy and Major Tom got legs!

His whole life was a work of art.

Eagles co-founder, Glenn Frey.

For all who haven't been paying attention, this thread has now had more than 500,000 - that's one half of one million - views.

Maybe we're pushing the wrong product?

Grelberâ€™s post (previously at this location) about the flame icon associated with this thread was moved to â€˜FineTuned Mac Feedbackâ€™ as a new thread, and renamed What's with the little flame icon?

That is impressive, but don't forget it could be the same 12 people go back repeatedly!

Another of the great character actors, Abe Vigoda.

Justice Antonin Scalia. Politics will be getting even more interesting...

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

Justice Antonin Scalia. Politics will be getting even more interesting...

Word has it that the republicans on the hill are swearing on their mothers' graves that they won't confirm anyone that Obama sends them. Can't get more partisan than that...

Of course the irony is that they were lambasting the Dems a decade ago for "obstructing the democratic process" to them when the shoe was on the other foot.

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

Justice Antonin Scalia. Politics will be getting even more interesting...

Word has it that the republicans on the hill are swearing on their mothers' graves that they won't confirm anyone that Obama sends them. Can't get more partisan than that...

Or more in contempt of the Constitution, not that that hasn't been their attitude for a while.

This would be in a bright spotlight, though, and the potential effect on the election of the open politicization of the Supreme Court is even more frightening than the thought of its being in limbo for more, possibly way more, than a year.

But on the other hand, it would put them at risk of Hillary's winning and possibly carrying the Senate along with her, particularly with the possibility of Trump going indy and splitting their vote not out of the question. Wouldn't that be a kick in the head, not to mention the grand-daddy of all failed gambles?

But if that's truly where they stand, I'll pay for Clarence Thomas's seat next to Scalia on Charon's ferry.

Originally Posted By: artie505

But on the other hand, it would put them at risk of Hillary's winning and possibly carrying the Senate along with her, particularly with the possibility of Trump going indy and splitting their vote not out of the question. Wouldn't that be a kick in the head, not to mention the grand-daddy of all failed gambles?

I think Trump splitting the vote is a given. As much as they currently despise Trump, the only real chance they have is if he wins the nom, because otherwise he's got no problem with splitting the reps, which will almost certainly cost them the election. I think at this point his "nuclear" threat is simply "either nominate me, or I guarantee the dems will win the election, regardless of who you nominate."

This puts them in the unpalatable situation of needing to support someone they don't like, to have a chance at stopping someone they like even LESS.

Honestly I don't think Trump cares if he loses. He's a bit of a diva, he loves the spotlight and he's getting all the airtime he could ever want. It's possible his NOT getting the nom may end up providing even more attention than if he got it. He simply has nothing to lose, he's in a win, win, WIN situation. (really, we're the only ones that might lose!)

Yup!

Quote:

Honestly I don't think Trump cares if he loses.

Wouldn't even surprise me if he's in it to lose; he has, after all, latched on to the same lucky charm that McCain did.

Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Former UN Secretary-General, Dies at 93

While it is underplayed in the obit, Boutros-Ghali was more than just saddened by the failure of the UN to act properly in the Rwandan genocide.

The real villain in that tragedy was Kofi Annan, Boutros-Ghali's successor as Secretary-General, then head of UN peacekeeping. One might add that the Clinton administration was complicit, if not active, in the resulting inaction.

If one takes the time to go through the myriad cables sent between Major General RomÃ©o Dallaire, UN force commander in Rwanda, and the security council via the office of Kofi Annan, the picture painted is obscene.

According to exegetical notes to the cables at the time (January 11, 1994):
"Dallaire urgently requested protection for an informant who outlined to him Hutu plans being made to exterminate Tutsis, to provoke and kill Belgian troops so as to guarantee Belgium's withdraw from Rwanda, and the location of Interhamwe arms caches. Everything Dallaire's informant told him came true 3 months later."
"Dallaire was told the UN didn't agree with his plan to raid the arm caches and furthermore, he must inform the president of Rwanda what he had learned from the informant, even though it was the president's own inner circle that was planning the slaughter of Tutsis."

A very readable exposÃ© is RomÃ©o Dallaire's Shake hands with the devil : the failure of humanity in Rwanda (Toronto: Random House Canada, 2003).

One of my favorite quotes of all time (and perhaps words to live by) is Boutros-Ghali's comment in 1993:
"The only way to deal with bureaucrats is with stealth and sudden violence."

Harper Lee, Author of â€˜To Kill a Mockingbird,â€™ Dies at 89

Let's just park it in the usual place so no one misses it ...

Originally Posted By: honestone

An excellent actor has passed away:

RIP: George Kennedy

I always enjoyed seeing George Kennedy in the numerous roles that he played. It would be difficult to say which was his best role.
Going to miss him.

Originally Posted By: grelber

Let's just park it in the usual place so no one misses it ...

Originally Posted By: honestone

An excellent actor has passed away:

RIP: George Kennedy

I always enjoyed seeing George Kennedy in the numerous roles that he played. It would be difficult to say which was his best role.
Going to miss him.

Good lord, that man got around!
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001421/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1

Nancy Reagan, Influential and Protective First Lady, Is Dead at 94

The inventor of email, Ray Tomlinson.

Here's a photo of Ray Tomlinson's workstation:

http://openmap.bbn.com/~tomlinso/ray/ka10.html

Edit: I just noticed something, ryck. Your dog and my parrot seem to have the same 'expression.'

one of those tall cabinets was probably where the 64kb (core ram) was stored.

Rev. Robert Palladino, Scribe Who Shaped Appleâ€™s Fonts, Dies at 83

Likely the most successful music producer ever, and the man who earned the name, the Fifth Beatle, George Martin.

Keyboardist with Emerson, Lake and Palmer... Keith Emerson.

And here, playing with another late, great.

It's not funny... Garry Shandling. 66.

Patty Duke, Actress and Mental Health Pioneer.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/...0329-story.html

Ronnie Corbett, best known for The Two Ronnies, dies aged 85

Shorter half of British TV's The Two Ronnies (with Ronnie Barker) whose standard sign-off â€” singularly apropos here â€” was ...
Ronnie C: It's good night from me.
Ronnie B: And it's good night from him.

Country music legend, Merle Haggard.

Charles Hirch, NYC Chief Medical Officer on 9/11

http://nytimes.com/2016/04/11/nyregion/c...dies-at-79.html

Prince died today, apparently of the flu? Considering all his unreleased recordings he'd amassed, I'd imagine we'll continue to get new works from him for some time to come.

http://www.tmz.com/2016/04/21/prince-dead-at-57/

I've got a greatest hits album I haven't listened to in ages. I'll have to dust it off and party like it's 1999. RIP.

K-Tel Founder And Infomercial Icon Philip Kives Dies At 87

Philip Kives was a Winnipeg business executive and innovative marketing genius. He is a rags to riches story, about a Jewish farm boy from Saskatchewan, who emerged as a promotional wizard and dominated markets around the world. (Wikipedia)

But wait. There's more ...

K-tel Pitchman Who Perfected â€˜As Seen on TVâ€™ Dies at 87

Philip Kivesâ€™s company, K-tel, saturated airwaves for decades with ads for gadgets like the Veg-O-Matic and compilation albums like â€œHit Machine.â€

Daniel Berrigan. Whether or not you agreed with him, you had to respect his standing up for his principles. He may have been a radical, but in my view, he was usually right. To paraphrase Bertrand Russell: The reasonable man changes himself to adapt to the world. The unreasonable man tries to change the world to adapt to himself. Therefore, progress is always made by unreasonable men.

Only three days after retiring from an impressive career, newsman Morley Safer.

Originally Posted By: ryck

Only three days after retiring from an impressive career, newsman Morley Safer.

Another one of ours (from Hogtown) into the blue beyond. RIP.
His reportage from Vietnam had significant effect on bringing the war "home" and bringing it to an end.

Muhammad Ali, self-styled "The Greatest". That epithet was totally accurate. RIP Muhammad.

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

RIP Muhammad.

May he forever float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

"I float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. His hands can't hit what his eyes can't see."

Great Netflix documentary, "I Am Ali"

Whether in the ring, or standing up for those things in which he believed, Muhammad Ali was a magnificent human being.

Hockey legend Gordie Howe passed away this morning at 88

Gordie Howe, Mr Hockey for the Red Wings, Dies at 88

A Gordie Howe hat trick: a goal, an assist and a fight.

Mr Elbows' career actually spanned 6 decades â€” he played a shift in 1997 (with the IHL's Detroit Vipers, now defunct), just to be able to say that he did:
"The Vipers made headlines in 1997-98 by signing Hockey Hall of Fame winger Gordie Howe to a 1-day contract. Howe, 69 years old at the time of the game, suited up for the Vipers and played one shift. The publicity stunt was intended to drum up interest in the club as well as afford Howe the opportunity to play a professional hockey game in six consecutive decades." (Wikipedia)

In addition to his well-earned epithet, Mr Hockey, he's also known as "The Greatest" â€” not to take anything away from Muhammad Ali â€” even though Wayne Gretzky, "The Great One", edged him out in lifetime goals.

Gretzky reminisced that Howe said he should have been a center (rather than a winger) â€” which would have curtailed the amount of ice he would have had to cover â€” and that way could have played for another 20 years.

RE Gordie Howe:

If you didn't have the good fortune to hear/see the 27-minute eulogy presented by his son Murray, check out:

Touching Gordie Howe eulogy chock full of anecdotes

and/or the video of the entire eulogy courtesy of Sportsnet

Murray Howe Delivers Gordie Howe's Eulogy.

On Sunday morning 27-year-old actor Anton Yelchin, who plays Chekov in the new Star Trek movies, was killed in a freak accident with his own car in the driveway of his home in Studio City. "It appears he momentarily exited his car and it rolled backward, causing trauma that led to his death"

Stephen King called him a "crazily talented actor gone too soon," remembering Yelchin from one of his last roles in a 10-episode adaptation of King's "Mr. Mercedes". Yelchin will play a mentally deranged ice cream truck driver who's also an IT worker for a Geek Squad-like company named "Cyber Patrol".

"played a mentally deranged ice cream truck driver"... wow.

Restoring thread title.

Not a person but an institution in the Macintosh world MacNN just announced they are closing the end of this month.

Bill Cunningham, Fashion Photographer for New York Times
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/06/26/sty...dies-at-87.html

The man who so often accurately predicted future events, Alvin Toffler.

Survivor and chronicler of the holocaust, and Nobel Prize winner, Elie Wiesel.

Extraordinary illustrator Jack Davis.

While his work appeared in many publications, including movie posters, he may be best known as one of Mad Magazine's "usual gang of idiots".

Originally Posted By: Ira L

Extraordinary illustrator Jack Davis.

Indeed. IMHO his most impressive artwork appeared in EC's horror comics (such as The Vault of Horror, Tales From the Crypt, The Haunt of Fear, Crime SuspenStories, Shock SupenStories) and EC's war comics (eg, Two-Fisted Tales, Frontline Combat) â€” all of which became "banned" in the mid-1950s.
RIP, Jack.

Toots Thielemans, legendary jazz musician and harmonica player.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-37153355

I've got no idea how many albums I have with Toots Thielemans sitting in. Good band and orchestra leaders knew, as they did with other incomparable musicians, "If I want this done right, I have to get Toots."

Too bad he didn't get one more month, and be able to attend the hometown festival in his honour.

One of the great comedians, Gene Wilder. I will always appreciate his portrayal of the title role in Young Frankenstein.

Despite the accolades for his other endeavors, my favorite memories of Wilder center on his role in The Producers which I saw first run in December 1968. When I left the theater, I had to sit in my car for a half hour because I couldn't stop laughing hysterically*, replaying certain scenes in my head â€” in particular, the one where Max Bialystock (Zero Mostel) and Leo Bloom (Wilder) find themselves in Brooklyn looking for the playwright of "Springtime for Hitler":

Stopped before a brownstone, they ask a stereotypic Jewish bubbe (grandmother) sticking her head out a window if she knows of him, to which she replies (in stereotypic Yiddish accent), "Oh, you mean the Nazi. He's up on the roof with his pigeons." They climb the stairs to the roof where they encounter an extremely paranoid Franz Liebkind (Kenneth Mars), wearing a WWII-vintage SA helmet with a big blob of pigeon dropping on it, guarding his pigeons which he has been using to send messages back to the home front (Nazi Germany).

Not to be outdone are the numerous vignettes of Bialystock's dalliances with the elderly ladies qua marks.

As film critic Leonard Maltin points out, the film gets better with every viewing ... and I must be up to number 20 by now.

"If you got it, baby, flaunt it!"

FYI: The movie review in The New York Times back in the day did not exactly go into raptures about the movie; they seem to have changed their tune over the past 5 decades.

* EDIT: I left out the bit that due to my tears of laughter and paroxysmal breathing, all the windows in the car misted up; even though it was Xmas time, the mist didn't freeze. And the theater was located in a mall in Hartsdale, NY.

I am laughing just reading this. Thanks.

The media have been hyping Young Frankenstein, but as far as I'm concerned it's merely second rate compared to The Producers!!!

(I don't know about Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner, but can you imagine what it might have been to have been Anne Bancroft living with Mel Brooks?)

"This is bedlam! Will the dancing Hitlers please wait in the wings? We are only seeing singing Hitlers."

"Work?"

???

"Oh!!!"

Frau Blucher and her big bazooms had absolutely nothing on Ulla!

Hugh Oâ€™Brian, dashing TV star of â€˜Wyatt Earpâ€™, dies at 91

Blazing Saddles would win my vote for best Wilder film

One of the greatest golfers, Arnold Palmer

How'd this thread's title get changed to "Our next president"?

Originally Posted By: artie505

How'd this thread's title get changed to "Our next president"?

It didn't. Perhaps you mis-clicked.

You overlooked the two posts that precede mine. (I meant on the right side of the Forums page; it never changes on the left side of the Lounge page once the initial edit period has ended.)

Somehow Virtual1's post (#41652) attracted the wrong title. From that point, as is usual with "Ad astra", everyone just "replies" to the previous post, thus perseverating the thread's title.

But how Virtual1 was able to pull that off â€” since it's not likely he did it on purpose â€” is a wonderment.

A while back I reverted the title of this same thread to its correct one, and if I remember correctly it was V1 who had somehow accomplished the change that time, too.

He once described how he "tabs" through posts (I was completely unable to fathom what he said.), and I wonder if it's something he does during that procedure that somehow results in the changes being made?

What say you, V1?

Originally Posted By: artie505

A while back I reverted the title of this same thread to its correct one, and if I remember correctly it was V1 who had somehow accomplished the change that time, too.

He once described how he "tabs" through posts (I was completely unable to fathom what he said.), and I wonder if it's something he does during that procedure that somehow results in the changes being made?

What say you, V1?

A bit OT, but here's my usual run. I have Safari set to open new windows in tabs, and to select newly opened tabs automagically.

I go to the main forum list, and shift-cmd-click all of the yellow forums. (forums with new posts). This opens each forum in a new tab, leaving the forum list tab up.

Then I switch to the first forum tab, and shift-cmd-click each of the yellow thread. (threads with new posts) The last one I simply click, so it moves the forum tab to the last post. I then read threads, cmd-w closing each one as I finish it, sometimes replying.

When I get through all the posts in a forum, the next forum tab comes up, and I repeat the previous step of opening the new threads.

When I close the last thread from the last forum, I'm back at the forums list tab. I refresh that, and usually all the forums change from yellow. If I missed something, I go to it.

I can only guess that safari or a cookie's state got messed up during that process when I hit Reply on a message.

Got it! Thanks.

I wonder if this mystery will ever be solved.

Bob Hoover

I had the very special privilege to dine with him at an event in Hollywood a few years ago....we exchanged some interesting flying tales and I learned the reason why he used a back-handed pouring technique when he did the "pour a glass of tea" video while performing a barrel roll maneuver. Seems that when he poured it normally, his hand blocked the shot from the camera....up until that point, I just thought he was showing off!!!!

Canadian author, poet, singer, songwriter Leonard Cohen.

Leonard Cohen, Epic and Enigmatic Songwriter, Is Dead at 82

Of his life and oeuvre: Hallelujah!

He and the other creative geniuses who sprouted in the 1960s composed the musical background in many of our lives and made those lives sing, as they do even today.

Robert Vaughn, Star of â€˜Man From U.N.C.L.E.,â€™ Dies at 83

Gwen Ifill: Award-Winning Political Reporter and Author, Dies at 61

Blues and jazz pianist who defied categorization, Mose Allison.

Remembered for one thing (unfortunately): Ralph Branca. Stealing bases is legal in baseball, but not stealing signs. Oh well...

And in a related article, Pitches Pitchers Would Like to Take Back

Florence Henderson, â€˜Brady Bunchâ€™ Mom and TV Icon, Dies at 82

http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/florence-henderson-brady-bunch-dead-at-82-1201926558/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Henderson

Love him or hate him, he had a big influence on US policy. Fidel Castro

Ron Glass from the TV comedy detective series Barney Miller, the cult Sci-Fi series Firefly and its movie follow-on Serenity fame.

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

Love him or hate him, he had a big influence on US policy.

Interesting dichotomy, widespread mourning in cuba while cubans in florida were mostly partying and celebrating. Not sure if perspective or government coordinated or what. I suppose it all depends on if you were on the receiving end of his bad tendencies.

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

Interesting dichotomy, widespread mourning in cuba while cubans in florida were mostly partying and celebrating. Not sure if perspective or government coordinated or what. I suppose it all depends on if you were on the receiving end of his bad tendencies.

There are two classes of Cubans in Florida.

The first wave is exiled Batistas, members of the upper class under President Batista when Castro came to power. Fulgencio Batista was a fantastically corrupt (think Donald Trump meets Vladimir Putin) kleptocrat and totalitarian dictator, and the Cubans who fled Castro were the wealthy oligarchs who (pre-Castro) controlled most of Cuba's resources and almost all of its wealth. They and their descendants looted whatever they could when they fled. When they settled in Miami, many of them were still extremely wealthy, though not as wealthy as they had been before Castro deposed Batista.

These Cubans are still wealthy and politically connected. They still nurse lifelong grudges against Castro, and feel that he took what was rightfully theirs. So they are, unsurprisingly, cheering his death.

The second class is the post-Castro refuges. Most of them are impoverished and few have political connections; they have very little power, and may be anti-Castro, pro-Castro, or ambivalent. (Some of the refugees were prisoners when Castro came to power, freed by Castro under the condition that they leave the country.)

Originally Posted By: tacit

The second class is the post-Castro refuges. Most of them are impoverished and few have political connections; they have very little power, and may be anti-Castro, pro-Castro, or ambivalent. (Some of the refugees were prisoners when Castro came to power, freed by Castro under the condition that they leave the country.)

I seem to recall hearing that Castro "opened his jails" on Florida. A rather bizarre thing to do, but makes sense in a certain context. What, you're accepting any refugees from Cuba? Here, we don't want these, take them!" Cuba wins big, US gets a political win with a social loss. Castro was probably greatly entertained by the whole affair.

Originally Posted By: Virtual1

I seem to recall hearing that Castro "opened his jails" on Florida. A rather bizarre thing to do, but makes sense in a certain context. What, you're accepting any refugees from Cuba? Here, we don't want these, take them!" Cuba wins big, US gets a political win with a social loss. Castro was probably greatly entertained by the whole affair.

As I recall the great majority of the "prisoners" Castro released to the United States were political not criminal prisoners. So Castro got rid of most of the Cuban troublemakers and turned what was becoming a nasty embarrassment into a magnanimous gesture. Had the U.S. failed to accept the released prisoners it would have made us appear as the villains in the eyes of the international community and our own people. So no matter what your opinion of him, Fidel Castro, once again, proved himself to be a brilliant political strategist. By-the-way the vast majority of those prisoners released to the United States are now hard working tax payers making substantial contributions to the culture and economy of this country. So don't sell them short either.

Castro very successfully played the role of an international political buffoon to lull the U.S. and the U.N. into consistently underestimating him. He was demonstrably an economic and social failure but his political buffoonery kept the U.S. and other world powers off his back and enabled him to retain power in Cuba long after his time had passed. The U.S. trade sanctions were successful in impoverishing the Cuban people but they also set up a "them and us", "big bully and little victim" situation that enabled Castro and his cohorts in remain in power.

To me, Castro and his political strategies are terrifyingly similar to those of our apparent president elect, Donald Trump. ðŸ‘º

Originally Posted By: tacit

These Cubans are still wealthy and politically connected. They still nurse lifelong grudges against Castro, and feel that he took what was rightfully theirs. So they are, unsurprisingly, cheering his death.

During and after World War II many Jews fleeing Europe were not allowed to enter the United States. Cuba accepted them. When Castro came into power, the Jewish community feared that a Communist government would not allow freedom of religion (or worse; cf. Soviet Union with whom Castro had strong ties), so they left for the United States, which by that time allowed them entrance.

Originally Posted By: Ira L

During and after World War II many Jews fleeing Europe were not allowed to enter the United States.

The same dismal behavior was exhibited by the Dominion of Canada.

A true hero has passed: John Glenn

Bob Washington, the Voice of K-Tel.
http://ajournalofmusicalthings.com/bob-washington-voice-k-tel-tv-commercials-died/

Alan Thicke, classic TV dad ("Growing Pains"), songwriter (themes for "Wheel of Fortune", "Diff'rent Strokes" and more) and late-night TV host ("Thicke of the Night").

Zsa Zsa Gabor, who proved that you don't need talent to succeed. Still, she had some great quips, including "How many husbands have I had? Do you mean apart from my own?"

Lou Harris, pollster extraordinaire, dead at 95.

Where was he in this last election?

Carrie Fisher, who had a successful career and an unhappy life. May she rest in peace.

Richard Adams, author of Watership Down, at the age of 96.

I read Watership Down as an adult and loved it. It may be classified as a children's story, but it has so much more that it should appeal to adults. Many things in that book will go over a young person's head.

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

I read Watership Down as an adult and loved it. It may be classified as a children's story, but it has so much more that it should appeal to adults. Many things in that book will go over a young person's head.

One mustn't forget Shardik and The Plague Dogs.

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

Carrie Fisher, who had a successful career and an unhappy life. May she rest in peace.

And now, tragically, her mother. Debbie Reynolds

This year can easily be characterized as a "dumpster fire" of a year. (Read into that anything that you will.)
To say more than that would be overkill.
{Hey, I'm a poet and don't know it.

]

Still in last year, William Christopher, better known as Father Mulcahy on the TV series of M*A*S*H.

One of the most beloved trees in America, Pioneer Cabin Tree in California felled by storms

Comic and dramatic actress, Mary Tyler Moore, Some of the best belly laughs I've had were while watching exchanges between Mary and Lou in the newsroom.

"Mannix" TV star Mike Connors, at nearly 92 years.

John Hurt, British Actor Who Vanished Into His Roles, Dies at 77

Barbara Hale, â€˜Perry Masonâ€™ Actress [Della Street], Dies at 94

Stuart McLean, creator of and famed for "The Vinyl CafÃ©" in its many incarnations, as well as a national treasure qua storyteller extraordinaire

CBC radio personality and Vinyl Cafe host Stuart McLean has died

Addendum: "Canada's Storyteller: A Tribute to Stuart McLean" will be aired today (Feb 16) on CBC Radio One at 1300 local time. Following the airing it should be available as a podcast (cbc.ca/podcasts).

Diversely talented musician Al Jarreau.

Rock and roll great Chuck Berry. I remember his songs from my misspent youth.

I often find myself singing Chuck Berry songs to myself...know many of the lyrics by heart; in my mind he and early Elvis WERE Rock 'n' Roll!!!

Jimmy Breslin From the obituary: "Love or loathe him, none could deny Mr. Breslinâ€™s enduring impact on the craft of narrative nonfiction."

The equal opportunity offender, comedian Don Rickles.

Robert Taylor, Innovator Who Shaped Modern Computing, Dies at 85

The second James Bond, who replaced Sean Connery: Sir Roger Moore

Co-founder, with his brother Duane, of the Allman Brothers Band Gregg Allman.

Adam West, who played Batman in the 1966 TV series. His straight-faced, straight-laced portrayal was hysterically funny.

One thing that I remember: Bruce Wayne (aka Batman) was escorting a date to her apartment. She said, "Want to come in for some milk and cookies?" Wayne replied, "Did you say milk and cookies?" And then, in an aside to the audience, he said, "Man does not live by crime-fighting alone."

Holy mortality, Batman.....

Great character actor Martin Landau. I first saw him in Mission Impossible in the 60s. He was fantastic as Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood.

Great voice actress, June Foray. The world is a sadder place without Rocky and Natasha. Imagine what the producers would have done with the current political mess.

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

Great voice actress, June Foray. The world is a sadder place without Rocky and Natasha. Imagine what the producers would have done with the current political mess.

She certainly was talented, and the fact that she did Rocky and Natasha's vastly different voices underscores it!

Jeanne Moreau, Femme Fatale of French New Wave, Is Dead at 89

For those of us who were adolescents when she appeared on the scene in the nouvelle vague, enough said.

This article is a nice little trip down Memory Lane.

Acclaimed actor (Oscar-nominated) and playwright (Pulitzer Prize-winning) Sam Shepard.

Haruo Nakajima, the First Actor to Play Godzilla, Dies at 88 I remember the original movie from 1954 (I was 9 years old and loved it). Raymond Burr was in the movie as well. As I recall, the dubbed English dialogue was rather hilarious. One line (if memory serves): "Tokyo has been totarry obriterated."

The most famous singer/songwriter/guitarist ever to come from Delight, Arkansas, Glen Campbell.

The comedian who also raised $1.5 billion to help defeat muscular dystrophy, Jerry Lewis.

Originally Posted By: ryck

The comedian who also raised $1.5 billion to help defeat muscular dystrophy, Jerry Lewis.

Correction: $4.5 billion

Originally Posted By: grelber

Originally Posted By: ryck

The comedian who also raised $1.5 billion to help defeat muscular dystrophy, Jerry Lewis.

Correction: $4.5 billion

Originally Posted By: The New York Times

...the telethon raised about $2 billion during the more than 40 years he was host.

Shelley Berman, Stand-Up Comic Who Skewered Modern Life, Dies at 92

I certainly remember this bit (and many other bits) from his stand-up (sit-down) shtick:
"If youâ€™ve never met a student from the University of Chicago, Iâ€™ll describe him to you. If you give him a glass of water, he says: 'This is a glass of water. But is it a glass of water? And if it is a glass of water, why is it a glass of water?' And eventually he dies of thirst."

Steely Dan co-founder, and guitarist... Walter Becker.

Hugh Hefner, Who Built Playboy Empire and Embodied It, Dies at 91 Paul Anka may have written "My Way" for Frank Sinatra, but it just as easily could have been written for Hef. Hef truly did his way. RIP, Hef.

Long-time host of "Let's Make a Deal" Monty Hall.

Tom Petty, a Mainstay of Rock With the Heartbreakers, Dies at 66

One of the greats!

Y.A. Tittle I never saw him in person, but I watched him on television when he played QB for the New York Giants. He and Del Shofner made a great pass-catching combination. RIP, YA.

Dad took me to a 49ers/Colts game when I was 12. It wasn't much fun, as the Colts kicked our butts. But I did get to see Y.A and Johnny Unitas. (I had to look all this up, as I don't remember the game making all that much of an impression on me â€“ I liked the horseshoe on the side of Baltimore's helmets. I have always preferred watching sports on television.)

Canadian music icon, Gord Downie, lead singer, songwriter for The Tragically Hip.

Originally Posted By: ryck

Canadian music icon, Gord Downie, lead singer, songwriter for The Tragically Hip.

And he was still performing â€” in all his many personas â€” right down to the wire.

http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-41753839

The American rock and roll artist was best known for his songs Ain't That A Shame and Blueberry Hill.

The New Orleans singer sold more than 65 million records, outselling every 1950s rock and roll act except Elvis Presley.

His million-selling debut single, The Fat Man, is credited by some as the first ever rock and roll record.

Regardless of your politics, Native American activist Russell Means, always kept his principles in the forefront.

It's been almost 2 years since Stuart McLean died, but finally the following announcement from Vinyl Cafe Producer Jess Milton:

CBC HOLIDAY SPECIAL

As Iâ€™ve mentioned before, we recorded our final Vinyl Cafe show in Thunder Bay, Ontario on November 22nd, 2015.

Iâ€™m delighted to announce that this December, CBC Radio will be airing that show â€“ our final Vinyl Cafe Christmas Concert. The very last show that Stuart performed before he died.

The show will air three times on CBC Radio 1:

Sunday, December 17th @ 12 noon
Tuesday, December 19th @ 11 pm
Thursday, December 21st @ 1 pm
(local time, half an hour later in NFLD)

You will also be able to listen via podcast and on some public radio stations in the USA (check with your local station to see if they are carrying the special).

The special features holiday music by The Once and the Vinyl Cafe Orchestra. It also includes â€œThe Christmas Cardâ€, a new Dave and Morley Christmas story.

Charles Manson, Wild-Eyed Leader of a Murderous Crew, Dies

Finally.

Originally Posted By: grelber

Charles Manson, Wild-Eyed Leader of a Murderous Crew, Dies

Finally.

Late and unlamented. To paraphrase Mark Twain, I could not attend the funeral but I sent a note saying that I approved.

All 'round nice guy, country music star, Mel Tillis.

In the 70's, a friend and I had a small radio production company which prepared a series of short shows with country music performers. When we interviewed Mel Tillis (who was a peach of a guy) we asked him about his stutter and why it was that he stuttered in speech but not while singing.

He thought it was because the music had a beat to follow, and further conjectured that, if he walked around with a bass drum strapped to his back, he'd be fine. However, he said, "People would think I was crazy as hell."

He then told one of the funniest stories in our series.

Another country star of the time, Faron Young, was a good friend of Tillis who always teased him about his stutter. Then Young was in a dreadful car accident that cut away most of his tongue.

Tillis told us: "I raced over to the hospital and up to Faron's room, and said: "I g, g,... I g, g,... I g, g, got you now!"

Very brave young Afghan police officer, Basam Pacha.

America' favourite gas jockey and later, favourite Marine, Jim Nabors.

The creator of Beetle Bailey â€” [url=comicskingdom.com/blog/2018/02/02/a-tribute-to-mort-walker-1923-2018]Mort Walker[/url].

Your attempted link came a cropper, so here's another try.....

Mort Walker

Billy Graham, 99, Dies; Pastor Filled Stadiums and Counseled Presidents

TV and Stage Comedienne, Nanette Fabray.

Stephen Hawking, Who Examined the Universe and Explained Black Holes, Dies at 76

Originally Posted By: grelber

Stephen Hawking, Who Examined the Universe and Explained Black Holes, Dies at 76

That one hits especially hard...

https://i.imgur.com/QPz832X.jpg

Overlooked: Ada Lovelace, Computer Pioneer

Lovelace thought of math and logic as imaginative, and her writings in the mid-1800s earned her recognition as the first computer programmer.

Linda Brown, Symbol of Landmark Desegregation Case, Dies at 75

Originally Posted By: grelber

Overlooked: Ada Lovelace, Computer Pioneer[/url]

Lovelace thought of math and logic as imaginative, and her writings in the mid-1800s earned her recognition as the first computer programmer.

Ada's skills as a mathematician and computer programmer have not been overlooked in the computing world. She has been remembered by giving her name to a Programming Language, a computer virus, and a crypto currency.

Harry Anderson of TV show "Night Court" fame.

The matriarch and the most likable/lovable member of the Bush clan ...

Barbara Bush, First Lady and First Mother, Dies at 92

Mrs Bush avoided controversial issues while in the White House and became known for her straight talk, lack of pretension and self-deprecating humor.

Philip Roth, Towering Novelist Who Explored Lust, Jewish Life and America, Dies at 85

RE: Mrs Bush avoided controversial issues while in the White House and became known for her straight talk, lack of pretension and self-deprecating humor.

--------------

Ahem. Except for that "little" matter of telling New Orleans in 2005 they would be better off now because of Hurricane Katrina.

Star of TV series "Cheyenne" and one of the Dirty Dozen, Clint Walker died at the age of 90.

Alan Bean, fourth man on the Moon, dies at 86.

Adrian Cronauer, the original "Good Morning, Viet Nam!", and the inspiration for Robin William's character in the movie of the same name.

The Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin, at 76.

Check the first tune in this compilation 14 year old Aretha singing in church ...both amazing and predictive.

Senator John McCain

Playwright Neil Simon

A man of many talents, or at least many roles, Burt Reynolds.

Another man of many talents, Gene Wilder.

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

Gene Wilder

Whoa. Deja vu. Wasnâ€™t that like two years ago?

Originally Posted By: Urquhart

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

Gene Wilder

Whoa. Deja vu. Wasnâ€™t that like two years ago?

Oops! You're right. I saw that on the BBC website and didn't look at the date. I wondered why the NY Times didn't have anything about this.

I can't help but admire this wonderful rogue: Alan Abel, Hoaxer Extraordinaire, Is (on Good Authority) Dead at 94

Montserrat CaballÃ©, Revered Spanish Prima Donna

She ranks very close to the top of the list of sopranos to whom I love to listen; I've got her right behind Maria Callas and Leontyne Price.

Paul Allen co-founder of Microsoft

The other Microsoft founder, and the man who came up with the company's name, Paul Allen.

Stan Lee Is Dead at 95; Superhero of Marvel Comics

"S" for the wisdom of Solomon!

I hate his characters after Captain Marvel, but I've got to give him credit for having created them.

George H.W. Bush He had integrity and intelligence. Unfortunately, even is son is looking good compared to #45.

The great jazz singer, Nancy Wilson. Do yourself a favour and check out her version of Can't Take My Eyes Off of You.

Our longtime contributor Pendragon, aka Harvey Rubinstein.

I'm sorry to hear that.

I've always enjoyed Harv's posts, and I'll miss them, but I'll particularly miss his sig - "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire" - which was posted years before the election of #45 but has taken on new significance since that unhappy day, so in his memory, I've taken the liberty of appending my sig with his...preceded by "In Memory Of Harv".

If there's a consensus that it's presumptuous - I hope that's not the case, because I think that having posted it, Harv would appreciate its being perpetuated. - or if the bosses object, I'll delete it forthwith.

Regardless of other opinions, I thoroughly approve of the amendment to your signature and am moved by it. RIP, Harv.

Originally Posted By: jchuzi

... I thoroughly approve of the amendment to your signature and am moved by it. RIP, Harv.

Ditto.

Was Harv's passing an expected transition?

I don't know any details beyond what was posted in my link. We can only hope that his passing was peaceful and painless.

Originally Posted By: artie505

...... I've taken the liberty of appending my sig with his...preceded by "In Memory Of Harv".

Nice thought and quite fitting.

Julie Adams, Seized by Creature in â€˜Black Lagoon,â€™ Dies at 92

Ah yes {sigh} ... the dream of adolescent boys (and beyond).

Originally Posted By: grelber

Julie Adams, Seized by Creature in â€˜Black Lagoon,â€™ Dies at 92

Ah yes {sigh} ... the dream of adolescent boys (and beyond).

Wasn't that Fay Wray's niche?

More: Later filled by Diana Rigg.

Originally Posted By: artie505

Ah yes {sigh} ... the dream of adolescent boys (and beyond).

Wasn't that Fay Wray's niche?

More: Later filled by Diana Rigg. [/quote]

Fay Wray was long before my time, but I was well past adolescence when I fell in love with Diana Rigg (a.k.a. Emma Peel). I mourned the day she left the show and Linda Thorsten (a.k.a. Tara King) was a thoroughly inadequate substitute for Emma Peel. My wife tolerated my infatuation with Emma/Diana on a look but too far away to touch basis.

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

... but I was well past adolescence when I fell in love with Diana Rigg (a.k.a. Emma Peel). I mourned the day she left the show and Linda Thorsten (a.k.a. Tara King) was a thoroughly inadequate substitute for Emma Peel. My wife tolerated my infatuation with Emma/Diana on a look but too far away to touch basis.

Exactement. Amen, brother.

Originally Posted By: joemikeb

Fay Wray was long before my time, but I was well past adolescence when I fell in love with Diana Rigg (a.k.a. Emma Peel). I mourned the day she left the show and Linda Thorsten (a.k.a. Tara King) was a thoroughly inadequate substitute for Emma Peel.

I thought the Million Dollar Movie, which played it practically incessantly, made King Kong (and Fay Wray) part of the "time" of many generations that followed the one that first saw it in theaters. (More: Or was the Million Dollar Movie I'm thinking of strictly a New York thing?)

Right on about Linda Thorson; She was a disaster as Tara King, but Joanna Lumley as Purdey, in The New Avengers, did an excellent job of resurrecting the franchise; I don't remember ever having seen Honor Blackman.

I never heard of "Million Dollar Movie" so I searched DuckDuckGo and found several references to it as a production of WOR channel 9 NY/NJ but no references outside of that area.

Certainly it never made it out to the rustic regions of Texas where I lived. We didn't get a tv station until the mid '50s and Million Dollar Movie ran from 1955 until 1965. The most exciting show we had was live wrestling from the local Sportatorium.

I belatedly remembered that Million Dollar Movie aired on Channel 9, which was a local station that probably couldn't push its signal much farther than PA/CT, if that far.

King Kong was a staple on the Million Dollar Movie, seemingly running for weeks on end.

In connection with my dad's learning how to repair TVs to supplement his teacher's salary we had one in '46 or so, in the reeeally early days of TV, so I remember shows and characters most people my age have never heard of.

(If you can locate it, there's a fascinating documentary about â€ŽMerian C. Cooper, who was responsible for King Kong, and whose 1925 movie Grass is also marvelous watching.)

WOR Channel 9 made it at least into Westchester County (and probably out into Long Island and New Jersey, maybe even Pennsylvania and Connecticut).
It ran Million Dollar Movies â€” eg, Mighty Joe Young, King Kong, etc â€” one right after the other, day and night. Good stuff.
Frankly, I preferred The Late Show and The Late Late Show, which often ran lesser known but outstanding films night after night in the late '50s.

Channel 9 broadcast out of Secaucus, NJ, so the Million Dollar Movie definitely reached NY, NJ, and eastern PA, but CT might be a stretch. I watched it in Brooklyn, Westchester makes sense, and Long Island probably depended on how far east you lived,

Did it really run all day? I remember its having started out as a pre-dinnertime show and later extending to a second feature, but I didn't pay all that much attention to it after seeing King Kong for the 50th or 60th time. Mighty Joe Young...yeah...kinda, but Joe just plain wasn't Kong!

You forgot the Late Late Late show.

I did the 3 movie overnight many times during my Brooklyn College years...when I should have been doing homework or studying, and you're correct about its offerings having been better, much better, in fact, than those of the Million Dollar Movie.

The Late Show was yesteryear's TCM.

One of the all-time great actors, Albert Finney. HIs portrayal of Tom Jones was incomparable.

The only baseball player to win the Most Valuable Player in both the American and National Leagues, and the first African-American MLB manager, Frank Robinson, dies at 83.

Albert Finney played lesser roles in his last films, but one that stands out for me (because I'm a sentimental fool) is Ridley Scott's A Good Year, wherein he plays Russell Crowe's uncle. Lovely film, excellent actor.

Mars Rover

Twelve years into a mission that was scheduled to last for ninety days. Rover traveled 25 miles on the Martian surface, took thousands of pictures, and changed the scientific view of Mars. Well Done Rover!

"Fight Back!" star and consumer advocate David Horowitz.

Renowned Island poet Patrick Lane dies at 79

His and wife Lorna Crozier's poetry is exquisitely sensual.

A man who was on more hit records than most rock stars, great session drummer Hal Blaine.

What?! Nobody here liked Luke Perry?

Kendrick Castillo, heroic student who put his friends' lives ahead of his own.

Another passing: Doris Day I grew up knowing her as a movie star and singer. RIP, Doris.

Tim Conway, Beloved TV Bumbler, Is Dead at 85

Funny funny man.

His bit about the Siamese elephants attached at their trunks trumpeting on The Carol Burnett Show which 'wasted' the cast on screen does the same to me every time I recall it ... even 40-some years later. Laughter is the best medicine.

Bill Buckner.
Unfortunately he will be most remembered for his 1986 World Series error, but he was a National League batting champ, and will always be remembered fondly by Los Angeles Dodger fans for his years of play with that team.

One of my favourite singers, Leon Redbone.

And, yet another, Dr John.

RE Leon Redbone & Dr John
Sad to lose them, but their talent and music live on ... if you're lucky enough, you've got them on vinyl.

Extraordinary automobile executive, Lee Iacocca, whose book "Where have all the leaders gone?" is particularly poignant these days.

Very Inter-est-ing. Laugh-in alumnus and comic actor Arte Johnson died at age 90.

What! Me worry? Mad Magazine passes on at the age of 67.

4

Originally Posted By: Ira L

What! Me worry? Mad Magazine passes on at the age of 67.

Reminiscence:
I remember the first issue vividly. The first story was Hoo Hah!
I also remember vividly that my mother confiscated the issue and tossed it out. I immediately went out, bought a replacement and hid it.
All that started my "love affair" with EC Comics (as long-time participants in FTM will remember). My collection financed the purchase of a Volvo 142E in 1973.

The World According to Mad Magazine; Gro...ercent correct.

Although it was TV that helped kill Mad (Saturday Night Live, et cetera), it was TV that also paid homage.

Important American author, Toni Morrison at 88.

A television announcement of Toni Morrison's death included a snippet from a 1993 interview and, although it didn't include the question, it seems she was asked about dealing with racism and white supremacy.

â€œThereâ€™s a certain kind of moral leadership that could help.

I mean the contempt for poor people, the contempt for difference that is everywhere - in education, in politics, everywhere - is not just a school responsibility. Imagine raising your children to despise other people. Imagine living in a world in which youâ€™re perfectly willing to trash all of your big cities, to flush all of the big cities down the toilet because of the word inner-city, which means those people who live there. Or to trash your whole public school system, to sink it in other words, because of the contempt for those people.

But, if the racist white person - I donâ€™t mean the person who is examining his consciousness and so on - doesnâ€™t understand that he or she is also a raceâ€¦.itâ€™s also constructed, itâ€™s all also made and also has some kind of serviceability. But, when you take it away - I take your race away and there you are, all strung out, and all you got is your little self, and what is that? What are you without racism? Are you any good? Are you still strong? Are you still smart? Do you still like yourself?

These are the questionsâ€¦.I mean, if you can only be tall because someone is on their knees, then you have a serious problem.â€

Originally Posted By: ryck

...if you can only be tall because someone is on their knees, then you have a serious problem.â€

As eloquent as it is accurate!

In this day where legitimate journalism in a variety of media is under fire, let's remember two pioneers in the broadcast field: Cokie Roberts and Sander Vanocur.

Cokie (and her friend Nancy Pelosi) grew up in the halls of congress and learned her political chops at the knee of Sam Rayburn ones of the wisest and most effective politicians in congress. One of the first lessons she learned from "Mister" Sam was, "Always tell the truth, then you don't have to remember what lie you told." Her knowledge of politics, politicians, and the halls of congress is irreplaceable.

MacUpdate seems to have gone the way of MacFixIt. A once very useful site has changed out of recognition so as to maximize its earning power, is my guess. They used to have a list of daily updates, but now just list selected apps along with its own Desktop.app.

Shame. I wonder if it will go the same way as MacFixIt?

I was TRULY APPALLED and HORRIFIED when I visited MacUpdate last night and saw that it had morphed into an ill-conceived, horribly designed piece of skata!

The list of daily updates, however, which appears to have disappeared, isn't really gone: it's now the "Fresh Apps" list, with the kicker being that since the dates have been removed, you've got to remember at which point "yesterday" ended in order to know where "today" begins. Select "See all" and Updated > All (or only those you want to track).

The site isn't remembering my prefs yet, nor does it respond well to my clicking on the page advance buttons.

All considered, I'll call it a ZERO STAR DISASTER!

Does anyone know of an alternative website?

PS: There's no longer a way to contact MU by email; I guess they realized the grief it would now bring them.

MacUpdate was always clunky as an app and a website. But they do have one feature that I continue to use and find quite helpful. You can create a "Watchlist" (only with a subscription?) of software of your choosing, and when an update for the software is available, they will e-mail you a notice. I choose to then go to the developer's site and update from there. I have found that MacUpdate is about 85% timely and accurate with their notifications.

I've always looked at all daily updates; almost invariably, the list isn't too long, so the time it takes me to look is generally negligible, and although it's been quite a while since a new, interesting app has turned up, just knowing what's out there can be helpful/useful.

Although it's not wonderful, CNET is an alternative site to MacUpdate. I greatly preferred MU and I, too, am appalled at how it has changed.

Thanks, Jon.

Talk about "a rock and a hard place!"

I took a look at CNET, and it's painfully obvious that it hasn't got anywhere near the volume of listings that MU has got, although I did see some apps on CNET's "today" list that I don't see on MU's.

It looks as if I'm stuck with MU.

Apparently, we aren't the only ones upset by the changes to MacUpdate: the "trendy" Fresh Apps head has been changed to "Updated and new apps". I don't think it's a daily list, but it has more of a feel of what it used to be like. Still useful...

I'm 72. I hate changes that make my life harder.

As I said earlier, and as far as I can still tell, "Fresh Apps" and, I assume, the new "Updated & new apps" ARE the old daily list, but without the date breaks.

I've been taking screenshots of where I've left off each day, and scrolling down the list eventually gets me back to familiar territory.

I've got no idea why they felt the need to remove the date breaks.

Originally Posted By: artie505

I've got no idea why they felt the need to remove the date breaks.

Maybe they are making their lives easier?

Originally Posted By: freelance

Originally Posted By: artie505

I've got no idea why they felt the need to remove the date breaks.

Maybe they are making their lives easier?

More like making ours more difficult.

Now the updated dates have made a reappearance. They must be reading your posts...

Originally Posted By: freelance

Now the updated dates have made a reappearance. They must be reading your posts...

More likely yours...

MU appears to be a work in process.

If they could get prefs to stick and maybe keep me logged in overnight I'd be happier.

An email link would also be nice.

Back to business...

Ginger Baker, Superstar Rock Drummer With Cream

I saw Cream in The Fillmore, San Francisco in 1967. There was rioting in the Fillmore District that night and only about 100 of the sell-out crowd turned up. We all got stoned and sat on the floor, I had my head in my girlfriend's lap. The band was mindblowing, as they say. 10-minute drum solo. Good days...

One of my favorite cartoonists, Gahan Wilson

Renee Auberjonois, the original Father Mulcahy in the movie M*A*S*H, and a regular in one of the later Star Trek series.

Chuck Peddle Dies at 82; His $25 Chip Helped Start the PC Age

A once exceptionally helpful site has changed out of acknowledgment to expand its procuring power, is my estimate. They used to have a rundown of day by day refreshes, yet now simply list chose applications alongside its very own Desktop.

Which site are you referring to?

Legendary drummer and lyricist for Rush, Neil Peart.

Monty Python co-founder, writer, performer, very funny guy, Terry Jones.

First Graham, now Terry. The Python is getting slimmer.

Here's The NYT's take: Terry Jones, Monty Python Founder and Scholar, Is Dead at 77

Check out John Cleese's and Eric Idle's various books over the past decade.

When I think about John Cleese's "Two down, four to go" comment, the next thing that pops into my head is "Wink, wink, nudge, nudge."

Now, how perverse is that?

Jim Lehrer, a real reporter and newsman. He was dedicated to accurately portraying events without resorting to hype and irrelevant video clips.

I have watched and admired Jim literally since his first appearance on KERA's Newsroom. He had a rare talent for asking hard questions in a way that elicited good answers without creating rancor.

He was as far from being a paragon of virtue as is possible, but he was one hell of a basketball player.

Kobe Bryant, Transformational Star of the N.B.A., Dies in Helicopter Crash

Kirk Douglas, a Star of Hollywoodâ€™s Golden Age, Dies at 103

Katherine Johnson, who was one of the brilliant team of "computers" (the name for people who were brilliant at math) that helped put men on the moon.

Jazz pianist great McCoy Tyner.

Fay, Julie, Diana . . .

More again: Farrah Fawcett in the '70s. THAT poster! Sold millions.

Huh?

RE:

Grelber's post #51066. Your post (Artie) #51067.

Oh, wow! 13 months ago. No wonder I couldn't place the reference.

Thanks.

Kenny Rogers, Who Brought Country Music to a Pop Audience, Dies at 81

Neurosurgeon James. T. Goodrich who performed many historic operations, including the separation of conjoined twins.

"Ain't no sunshineâ€¦" since he's gone: Bill Withers

An automobile racing legend and, when I was young, the guy every boy wanted to be - Sir Stirling Moss.

Two notables: Little Richard, a grandfather of Rock 'n' Roll.

And half of Siegfried & Roy, Roy Horn. Who knew he had a last name?!

Ken Osmond, better known for his classic role as Eddie Haskell in "Leave It to Beaver".....

The artist Christo. His art included wrapping entire islands and other large geographic features.

One of the great comedians: Carl Reiner

Olivia de Havilland at 104, the last actress from the so-called Golden Age of movies.

Hall of Fame right-handed pitcher for the New York Mets Tom Seaver. He help lead them to their first World Series (and victory) in 1969.

Diana Rigg, best known for playing Emma Peel in The Avengers, but a fine actress as attested by her other films. I never had the pleasure of seeing her in the theater but I always enjoyed her movies. As a young man in the '60s, I had a crush on her as Mrs. Peel.

Originally Posted by jchuzi

Diana Rigg, best known for playing Emma Peel in The Avengers, but a fine actress as attested by her other films. I never had the pleasure of seeing her in the theater but I always enjoyed her movies. As a young man in the '60s, I had a crush on her as Mrs. Peel.

My wife was tolerant of my crush on Mrs. Peel. Forty and fifty years later when I saw Diana Rigg in contemporary performances on Public Television, she was still one of the most attractive women it has ever been my pleasure to watch perform. She always struck me as someone I would have genuinely enjoyed knowing.

Originally Posted by jchuzi

Diana Rigg, ......... As a young man in the '60s, I had a crush on her as Mrs. Peel.

You and others in a definitely long, long line.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Supreme Courtâ€™s Feminist Icon

Quote

As Justice Ginsburg passed her 80th birthday and 20th anniversary on the Supreme Court bench during President Barack Obamaâ€™s second term, she shrugged off a chorus of calls for her to retire in order to give a Democratic president the chance to name her replacement. She planned to stay â€œas long as I can do the job full steam,â€ she would say, sometimes adding, â€œThere will be a president after this one, and Iâ€™m hopeful that that president will be a fine president.â€

OUCH!
How sadly naive and self-serving.

Originally Posted by artie505

How sadly naive and self-serving.

But, on the other hand, in keeping with the non-politicality of the Court.

Rehnquist didn't retire to guarantee that Bush would select his successor, nor have any justices retired in response to Graham's recent call for them to do so to enable Trump to pick their replacements.

I've got to give her credit for upholding the integrity of the Court and hope that same integrity governs should the election wind up on its doorstep.

My apologies, RBG.

Jazz critic and advocate, a man who definitely "had a way with words", Stanley Crouch.

RIP Eddie Van Halen, 65.

One of the great pitchers and a New York Yankee legend: Whitey Ford

James Randi, aka The Amazing Randi. We need more like him to debunk the charlatans, not to mention the other names that he called them. Unfortunately, people are too willing to believe the hucksters.

The original James Bond and, IMHO, the best of them: Sean Connery. To my taste, all the subsequent actors who portrayed "Bond, James Bond", never came up to the charisma, menace, and sophistication that Connery embodied. He looked nothing like Ian Fleming's description (sort of like Hoagy Carmichael) but Fleming came to admire his performance. RIP, Sean.

Originally Posted by jchuzi

The original James Bond and, IMHO, the best of them: Sean Connery. To my taste, all the subsequent actors who portrayed "Bond, James Bond", never came up to the charisma, menace, and sophistication that Connery embodied. He looked nothing like Ian Fleming's description (sort of like Hoagy Carmichael) but Fleming came to admire his performance. RIP, Sean.

Yeah, RIP, Sean Connery. Definitely an excellent, excellent actor! He always made each part he played that much more enjoyable! Of course he is primarily remembered for this role as James Bond, and for me, the two best James Bond movies featuring him are:

From Russia With Love:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqAOf66o1Wg

Goldfinger:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MA65V-oLKa8

His interactions with "Q" were always funny!

But there are at least 3 non-Bond roles that I feel he really shined in:

The Untouchables:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPZ6eaL3S2E

The Hunt For Red October:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWjJlErBPX4

The Rock:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGVJx5mOtL8

And yes, there is of course Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade.

Chuck Yeager

Not just an American hero but the kind of person anyone, anywhere, can up look look up to.

Originally Posted by ryck

Not just an American hero but the kind of person anyone, anywhere, can up look.

Literally look up to!

I'll have to watch "The Right Stuff" again. The portrayal of him by Sam Shepard was spot on! Certainly watching that movie gets me inspired.

Originally Posted by joemikeb

Originally Posted by ryck

Not just an American hero but the kind of person anyone, anywhere, can up look.

Literally look up to!

Fixed. Thanks....getting dyslexic in my old age.

Originally Posted by ryck

Originally Posted by joemikeb

Originally Posted by ryck

Not just an American hero but the kind of person anyone, anywhere, can up look.

Literally look up to!

Fixed. Thanks....getting dyslexic in my old age.

Well, George Bernard Shaw said "That is impudence up with which I will not put" when he was corrected for ending a sentence with a preposition. I thought you were just following his comment.

Ground-breaking country music star Charley Pride who was not only a talented act, he was also a class act.

The finest author of spy novels, IMO, John LeCarrÃ©, real name David Cornwell. His protagonists were nothing like James Bond and undoubtedly portrayed the world of espionage much more realistically.

Phil Spector who rose to the top as a record producer but died in jail, a convicted murderer.

One of the all-time great baseball players: Henry Aaron. I read a comment, a long time ago, by a pitcher who had the unfortunate experience of pitching to Aaron (I don't remember his name, but he was one of the great pitchers). He said, "Trying to sneak a fastball past Henry Aaron is like trying to sneak a sunrise past a rooster."

RIP, Henry.

Two famous folks recently:

1. Tommy Lasorda - Fiery, but very successful, manager of the LA Dodgers.

2. Larry King - one of the best talk show hosts ever!

Cloris Leachman, whom I will forever remember as Frau BlÃ¼cher in Young Frankenstein. Her comedic timing was impeccable, especially in the line "ovaltine?"

....and for those that didn't get the gag, "BlÃ¼cher" means GLUE in German.

"O-vuel-teen."

Stage and screen star, Hal Holbrook. His portrayal of Mark Twain will always stand out.

Originally Posted by Ira L

Stage and screen star, Hal Holbrook. His portrayal of Mark Twain will always stand out.

Definitely a fine, fine actor! To me, his most memorable performance was as Deep Throat in the excellent movie All The President's Men. Will never forget the one garage seen when he tells Robert Redford to "follow the money".

Christopher Plummer, a truly fine actor, passed away today:

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment...-of-music-star-dies-at-91-191156195.html

While his initial role in Sound Of Music was fantastic, I remember him from 3 other excellent performances:

1. Played in infamous 60 minutes guru Mike Wallace in The Insider:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qRyTDbEskM

(And here's a more definitive video about Mike Wallace and that story:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_-Vu8LrUDk)

2. Dr. Rosen in another gem (and also with Russell Crowe), A Beautiful Mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvF4-C1EuJU

3. Arthur Case in Inside Man:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xM83Ebi3NQ

A true professional!

Might not be as well known as others here, but Pedro Gomez was an excellent reporter on ESPN. He passed away today at age 58:

https://www.aol.com/espn-announces-pedro-gomez-died-031153688.htmlI

I always enjoyed listening to him. A true professional.

Well, Larry Flynt passed away today:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...c-6bf0-11eb-ba56-d7e2c8defa31_story.html

He sure challenged society!

Originally Posted by MartyByrde

Well, Larry Flynt passed away today:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...c-6bf0-11eb-ba56-d7e2c8defa31_story.html

He sure challenged society!

Recall that he said if you want to live in a free society you may have to accept things you personally don't like.

Inventor of recording studio boards generally acclaimed to be the best, Rupert Neve.

Rush Limbaugh, the "ultra" conservative radio host, passed away today:

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/rush-limbaugh-wing-radio-host-172203802.html

He was not the most agreeable person in the world, but was certainly entertaining and dynamic.

I found him to be neither entertaining nor dynamic . . . just a boor.

Originally Posted by MG2009

I found him to be neither entertaining nor dynamic . . . just a boor.

But he definitely was well known! I found him to be entertaining, although I did not listen to him very much.

Well known?

So were Hitler and Manson . . . Just saying.

Originally Posted by MG2009

Well known?

So were Hitler and Manson . . . Just saying.

As you say, "well known" is hardly a criteria that commands even the least bit of respect in and of itself, Trump being another example.

Originally Posted by MG2009

Well known?

So were Hitler and Manson . . . Just saying.

Yeah, and so were Jesus Christ, Moses, et all!

Originally Posted by artie505

Originally Posted by MG2009

Well known?

So were Hitler and Manson . . . Just saying.

As you say, "well known" is hardly a criteria that commands even the least bit of respect in and of itself, Trump being another example.

I sure did not imply that at all! But he was respected by some folks. Not everyone, but some.

I have yet to see someone who is respected by everyone. Disagreements are common and good.

Marty:

You did say that RL was ENTERTAINING. To me, "well known" and "entertaining" are not mutually inclusive (e.g Hitler, Manson).

If so, that is setting the bar very low as a standard for entertainment, IMHO.

P.S. FWIW, I would consider neither Jesus nor Moses to be "entertaining" in any way either (i.e. to use your examples).

Originally Posted by MG2009

Marty:

You did say that RL was ENTERTAINING. To me, "well known" and "entertaining" are not mutually inclusive (e.g Hitler, Manson).

If so, that is setting the bar very low as a standard for entertainment, IMHO.

P.S. FWIW, I would consider neither Jesus nor Moses to be "entertaining" in any way either (i.e. to use your examples).

While not mutually exclusive, WELL KNOWN and ENTERTAINING are not necessarily directly connected.

As for Jesus and Moses, you just said that "well known" and "entertaining" are not mutually inclusive, but then you say "I would consider neither Jesus nor Moses to be "entertaining" in any way either". Unless you have a different definition of WELL KNOWN, obviously Jesus and Moses are well known. According to you, they are also entertaining.

Originally Posted by MartyByrde

Originally Posted by artie505

Originally Posted by MG2009

Well known?

So were Hitler and Manson . . . Just saying.

As you say, "well known" is hardly a criteria that commands even the least bit of respect in and of itself, Trump being another example.

I sure did not imply that at all!

You'r quite right. Sorry for putting words in your mouth.

Re: . . . not necessarily directly connected.

Marty:

That is what "NOT mutually inclusive" means . . . which is what I said in my earlier post.

I thought my point was stated clearly the first time, so I will leave at that.

(P.S. I stand by my original remark about Jesus and Moses which was limited to their "entertainment" value, not about how well known they may or may not be.)

Be that as it may, I still stand by my original statement about Rush Limbaugh: He was not the most agreeable person in the world, but was certainly entertaining and dynamic. And by "agreeable", I mean that not everyone agreed with him. Fair enough. But there are others who found him to be entertaining and dynamic.

I never had occasion to listen to Rush Limbaugh until I went to look after my dad when he was near his end. Fox News was on non-stop and I finally heard Limbaugh, whom my dad worshiped.

He defined the word vitriol for me, even if he was well-spoken and persuasive. I had to sneak into the other room to listen to a bit of Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon Days to calm myself.

A literary person of many facets, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, dies at 101 years of age.

Originally Posted by freelance

Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Only 66. The man was robbed twice.

I moved the branch of posts starting with the above quote to a separate thread: Boxing

The late and (to me) unlamented Gordon Liddy

The first 13" MacBook Pro with Retina display officially declared "obsolete" ðŸ‘»

Prince Philip

Blanket coverage of HRH the Duke of Edinburgh on all the TV stations today and this evening. It got pretty tedious, so we watched the last two episodes of The Crown, instead.

Daniel Kaminsky, Internet Security Savior, Dies at 42

Michael Collins, â€˜Third Manâ€™ of the Moon Landing, Dies at 90

Clearly fewer people have chosen to die under the new president, but the architect of the Iraq war and political mastermind for other presidents, Donald Rumsfeld, did.

First a Rabbi, then a comedian, Jackie Mason

Don Everly, half of singing duo who influenced generations of musicians, dies at 84 I remember that, as a 12-year-old, I was really taken the first time that I heard Bye Bye Love. I had not heard of the Everly brothers and the song blew me away. During my adolescence, their songs spoke to my teenage angst (as did a lot of the popular songs that were current at that time). Now, I can still appreciate a lot of that music. Although my main interest still lies in Classical, I retain a fondness for doo-wop and jazz.

RIP, Everly brothers.

I also was a big Everly Brothers fan and, as well as their tight vocal harmonies, I loved the way they used rhythm guitars out front as a driving force - to my ear, sort of like drums with chords.

100% in agreement with every word/sentiment in your post ... to which I would add "Wake Up Little Suzy".

Check out "The Everly Brothers Essentials" playlist on Apple Music.

Charlie Watts, Bedrock Drummer for the Rolling Stones

I'm amazed that this wasn't posted sooner.

Legends never die, but sadly, they are mortal.

Originally Posted by artie505

Charlie Watts, Bedrock Drummer for the Rolling Stones

I'm amazed that this wasn't posted sooner.

Yeah, like 15 years ago! Hard to believe that he is outlived by Keith.

Ed Asner (a.k.a. Lou Grant)

He was the voice of the sleazy rich guy in "The Boondocks"...so creepily well done that listening to him was really disconcerting.

The character even looked just like him, which I found odd.

Colin Powell He was the only Republican that I respected.

Mort Sahl, credited with bringing standup comedy into the modern era, dies at 94. Possibly unknown to anyone under the age of 60, his biting style of comedy has been adopted and adapted by many contemporary comedians.

Sam Huff As a teenager, I watched NY Giants games on TV and followed all the players. Huff was the cornerstone of the defense and contributed greatly to their victories during their glory years. I remember his teammates very well also, including Y.A. Tittle, Frank Gifford, Del Shofner, Alex Webster, plus the others mentioned in the obituary. RIP, Sam!

The checkered flag has waved again, this time for Bob Bondurant. A driver for Carroll Shelby and owner of one of the best driving schools.

https://racer.com/2021/11/14/bob-bondurant-1933-2021/

Interview with the Vampire, and so many more, author Anne Rice.

Desmond Tutu, Whose Voice Helped Slay Apartheid, Dies at 90

The Texas lawyer who successfully argued Roe v. Wade, Sarah Weddington.

The comedic lady who had the longest career of any female in television, Betty White.

Sidney Poitier, Who Paved the Way for Black Actors in Film, Dies at 94

For all of you who might remember Dobie Gillis and Maynard G. Krebs, TV personality Dwayne Hickman has died at 87. It is interesting that this linked article, and others, describe him as a producer; not how most people are likely to remember him. But he did embody a lot of teenage angst for those times.

I will always thank Dobie Gillis for Tuesday Weld.

The U.S. has reached a dreadful milestone, 1,000,000 dead from Covid.

The full-of-personality guy who mentored The Band, Rompin' Ronnie Hawkins. I recall seeing a television interview when he reached his 75th birthday and he commented: "If I knew I was gonna live this long, I woulda taken better care of myself."

Maybe not everyone's favorite, but she had an amazing number of country & western, pop and rock 'n roll #1 hits. Plus, she was a pretty good dancer (she could keep up with John Travolta). Olivia Newton-John succumbs to cancer.

The coal miner's daughter who had 51 top ten hits, Loretta Lynn.

It may be nearly half a century since any of us heard anything from her, but it was a very big deal in 1973 when Sacheen Littlefeather refused an Academy Award on behalf of Marlon Brando.

Within 5 days of her 97th birthday, Dame Angela Lansbury.

Prolific and talented songwriter, Burt Bacharach.

Raquel Welch, who was much more talented than her sex goddess image allowed. Her comedic performance in "The Three Musketeers" was priceless. She was a classy woman.

Harry Belafonte, 96, Dies; Barrier-Breaking Singer, Actor and Activist The title of the obituary says it all.

The Queen of Rock and Roll, Tina Turner.

My wife and I saw her perform (front row seats) just over 50 years ago, when it was the Ike & Tina Revue, and she was explosive. For my money - Ike, the band, the backup singers were all just along for the ride. Nobody saw or heard anything except Tina.

She was, indeed, an unparalleled, never to be matched piece of work.

George Winston. An award winning new age pianist, a jazz pianist, a rock 'n' roll pianist (check out his piano interpretation of an album by The Doors).

Daniel Ellsberg, a true American hero, who blew the whistle on the lies that the government told about Vietnam. As someone old enough to remember this travesty, I am still appalled about the thousands who died for no logical reason. Ellsberg taught us that we should not blindly trust the powers-that-be.

Originally Posted by jchuzi

....a true American hero, who blew the whistle on the lies that the government told about Vietnam.

He may have been the single best example of why a democracy needs a free press.

I'm among the many people who, when asked who would you like to be able to sing like, unhesitatingly reply: "Tony Bennett"

Irish singer and activist, Sinead O'Connor.

Founding member and bassist of The Eagles, Randy Meisner.

Robbie Robertson, song-writer, co-founder and guitarist of the band, The Band.

Add to that:
Robbie Robertson, 80, Dies; Canadian Songwriter Captured American Spirit

And if you haven't seen Martin Scorsese's The Last Waltz (1978, available on DVD), now would be a good time.

The guy who espoused the life of a beach bum, Jimmy Buffett.

Fernando Botero. I've always loved his work, which truly stands out from the crowd. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2023/09/15/fernando-botero-artist-colombia-dead/>

The actor from 'Friends' who'd prefer to be remembered for helping people get through addictions, Matthew Perry.

If you weren't a fan of Friends and want to see a different Matthew Perry, try Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, written by Aaron Sorkin. The first three episodes are well worth a watch.

Robert Montgomery Knight, college basketball coach at Army, Indiana and Texas Tech.
He could be fatherly, charming, erudite, and a jerk. A complicated man, but undoubtedly a great BB coach.

A major influence in US and world politics and policies, Henry Kissinger lived to be 100 and presumably saw the successes and failures of his works. He should not be confused with Charles Munger, a business associate of Warren Buffett (both of Berkshire-Hathaway fame, which is currently trading at over $500,000 per one share) and a big fan of See's Candies, who only lived to be 99.

Sandra Day O'Connor, rest in peace.
https://www.wjcl.com/article/sandra-day-oconnor-supreme-court-women/46015444

Norman Lear at 101 years of age. Known for many of his TV sitcoms (e.g., All in the Family), he also was awarded the National Medal of Arts and two Peabody Awards.

Melanie, at 76. It never occurred to me that she actually got old.

I have several of her albums and can never hear "Look what they done to my song, Ma" too many times.

"Well, I've got a brand-new pair of roller skates, you've got a brand-new key"

Classic.

76 is not old, thank you. Well, in December it was, but today it isn't.

Originally Posted by freelance

76 is not old, thank you. Well, in December it was, but today it isn't.

Well, I recently turned 80, and it feels "stupid," rather than old, but there was a youthful exuberance to some of her music, e.g., the two songs herein mentioned, that preserved her youth forever in my mind.

Today, an extraordinarily brave Russian hero, Alexei Navalny was laid to rest. I doubt if there's anyone who doesn't believe he was murdered by Putin who, I'm sure, thinks he has solved a problem. Perhaps Putin should consider the words of Kierkegaard: “The tyrant dies and his rule is over, the martyr dies and his rule begins.”