Obituaries

[pbrower2a]

Actress Carrie Fisher, best known for playing Princess Leia Organa in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, has died at age 60.

Fisher was taken to UCLA Medical Center after reportedly suffering a heart attack on Friday. She leaves behind a daughter, 24-year-old actress Billie Lourd, who released this statement through the family’s spokesman, Simon Halls:

“It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning,” reads the statement.

“She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”

Fisher was born in 1956 in Beverly Hills, California, to singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds. She attended Beverly Hills High School until she left to act alongside her mother in a Broadway revival of “Irene.” Later, she studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and was accepted into Sarah Lawrence College to study the arts, but did not graduate.

Fisher starred in the original “Star Wars” film, “A New Hope,” at age 20 in 1977. She continued to play a lead role in the iconic sci-fi series alongside co-stars Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, starring in “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980 and “Return of the Jedi” in 1983. She most recently returned to the franchise in 2015, where she reprised her role as Leia Organa — now a general — in “The Force Awakens.”

While finding success with “Star Wars,” Fisher continued her illustrious career on the silver screen in films such as “The Blues Brothers” (1980), “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986) and “When Harry Met Sally ...” (1989), among others.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/carr...w6jxhnz5mi

[Odin]

(12-27-2016, 03:08 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: Actress Carrie Fisher, best known for playing Princess Leia Organa in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, has died at age 60.

Fisher was taken to UCLA Medical Center after reportedly suffering a heart attack on Friday. She leaves behind a daughter, 24-year-old actress Billie Lourd, who released this statement through the family’s spokesman, Simon Halls:

“It is with a very deep sadness that Billie Lourd confirms that her beloved mother Carrie Fisher passed away at 8:55 this morning,” reads the statement.

“She was loved by the world and she will be missed profoundly. Our entire family thanks you for your thoughts and prayers.”

Fisher was born in 1956 in Beverly Hills, California, to singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds. She attended Beverly Hills High School until she left to act alongside her mother in a Broadway revival of “Irene.” Later, she studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, and was accepted into Sarah Lawrence College to study the arts, but did not graduate.

Fisher starred in the original “Star Wars” film, “A New Hope,” at age 20 in 1977. She continued to play a lead role in the iconic sci-fi series alongside co-stars Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford, starring in “The Empire Strikes Back” in 1980 and “Return of the Jedi” in 1983. She most recently returned to the franchise in 2015, where she reprised her role as Leia Organa — now a general — in “The Force Awakens.”

While finding success with “Star Wars,” Fisher continued her illustrious career on the silver screen in films such as “The Blues Brothers” (1980), “Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986) and “When Harry Met Sally ...” (1989), among others.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/carr...w6jxhnz5mi

Jesus Christ, can this year just end, already, without taking any more beloved people?

[pbrower2a]

Something even more precious may be dying this year. American democracy.

[Eric the Green]

I hope reincarnation and life after death exists. Death comes too soon for so many precious people. That would also apply to a reincarnation of American democracy. It may have died, but perhaps it will be reborn.

[pbrower2a]

Like daughter (Caerrie Fisher), so her mother (Debbie Reynolds).

Just one day after the death of her daughter, actress Carrie Fisher, beloved Hollywood icon Debbie Reynolds died Wednesday. She was 84.

Todd Fisher, her son, confirmed his mother’s death to Variety.

TMZ reported that Reynolds was hospitalized Wednesday for a medical emergency. She reportedly suffered a stroke at Todd’s Los Angeles home.

“She wanted to be with Carrie,” Todd told Variety.

She was born Mary Frances Reynolds on April 1, 1932, in El Paso, Texas. In 1939, her family ― mother Maxine, father Raymond and brother Bill ― moved to Burbank, California, where, as a teenager, Debbie’s career began. She first gained attention and a Golden Globe nomination for her role as Helen Kane in 1950’s “Three Little Words.” But it was “Singin’ in the Rain” in 1952 that ensured her Hollywood fame. She was only 19 when the movie premiered.

Her other notable films include “Bundle of Joy,” “The Catered Affair,” “Tammy and the Bachelor,” “How the West Was Won” and “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” which earned her a lead actress Academy Award nomination. In the last 20 years, she’s starred in movies including 1996’s “Mother,” 1997’s “In & Out” and 2013’s “Behind the Candelabra,” and has been a part of TV shows such as “Will & Grace,” “Rugrats” and “Kim Possible.”

Reynolds was a noted dancer, singer and cabaret performer. She was a bestselling vocalist in the 1950s with “Aba Daba Honeymoon” (from “Two Weeks With Love”) and “Tammy” (from “Tammy and the Bachelor”), “A Very Special Love” and “Am I That Easy to Forget.” She’s graced the stage in Broadway such productions as “Debbie,” “Woman of the Year” and “Irene,” which earned her a Tony nomination.

Reynolds was a successful businesswoman, as well. She operated her own hotel in Las Vegas in 1992, collected film memorabilia and founded the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio in North Hollywood in 1979, which is still open.

The actress’ footprints and handprints are preserved at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and she has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2014, she was honored with the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award and received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 2016 Academy Awards.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/debb...a5945a0516

[pbrower2a]

Just think of it -- in two days the top female stars of two of the greatest movies of their type -- Star Wars IV: A New Hope and Singin' in the Rain die. The two movies could hardly be more different.

[pbrower2a]

William Christopher (October 20, 1932 – December 31, 2016) was an American actor, best known for playing Father Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H and Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

Christopher appeared in a variety of regional productions, and eventually a number of Off-Broadway productions, such as The Hostage at One Sheridan Square. His Broadway debut came in Beyond the Fringe, a British revue.[1]


Christopher as the army doctor on an episode of Good Times

Christopher left the New York City stage for Hollywood to attempt to gain work in television, where he guest-starred in several well-known series, including The Andy Griffith Show, Death Valley Days, The Patty Duke Show, The Men from Shiloh and Good Times (he portrayed the military doctor examining J. J. Evans). Christopher had recurring roles on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., That Girl and Hogan's Heroes. He made several guest appearances on The Love Boat. In 1972, Christopher landed the role of Father Mulcahy in the television series M*A*S*H, when the actor who originated the role, George Morgan, was replaced after just one appearance in the pilot episode.[2][3]
Immediately following M*A*S*H, Christopher continued the role for the two seasons of the short-lived spin-off, AfterMASH. In feature films, Christopher performed in The Fortune Cookie, The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell, The Shakiest Gun in the West, With Six You Get Eggroll, and Hearts of the West.[2] He won parts in such telefilms as The Movie Maker, The Perils of Pauline, and For the Love of It. With Six You Get Eggroll is notable for fans of M*A*S*H as Jamie Farr appears along with Christopher five years before the show, both playing hippies. The film also features Herb Voland, who played General Clayton in seven episodes of M*A*S*H.

Christopher appeared on various series, including Murder, She Wrote and Hogan's Heroes (Season 3 Episode 21). In 1998, Christopher guest-starred in an episode of Mad About You. Christopher also remained active in the theater, including a tour of the U.S. in the mid-1990s with Jamie Farr doing Neil Simon's The Odd Couple on stage.[2] In 2008-09, he toured with Church Basement Ladies.[4]


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Christopher

[Odin]

2016 could no go out without taking one last beloved actor from us...

[Bad Dog]

(12-28-2016, 02:11 PM)pbrower2a Wrote: Something even more precious may be dying this year. American democracy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/05/health...pe=article

Here's why; We've lost hope. Hence, Trump.

This is my demo: Educated, intelligent, experienced, and past 26.

[Bad Dog]

(01-01-2017, 06:32 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: William Christopher (October 20, 1932 – December 31, 2016) was an American actor, best known for playing Father Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H and Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

Christopher appeared in a variety of regional productions, and eventually a number of Off-Broadway productions, such as The Hostage at One Sheridan Square. His Broadway debut came in Beyond the Fringe, a British revue.[1]


Christopher as the army doctor on an episode of Good Times

Christopher left the New York City stage for Hollywood to attempt to gain work in television, where he guest-starred in several well-known series, including The Andy Griffith Show, Death Valley Days, The Patty Duke Show, The Men from Shiloh and Good Times (he portrayed the military doctor examining J. J. Evans). Christopher had recurring roles on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C., That Girl and Hogan's Heroes. He made several guest appearances on The Love Boat. In 1972, Christopher landed the role of Father Mulcahy in the television series M*A*S*H, when the actor who originated the role, George Morgan, was replaced after just one appearance in the pilot episode.[2][3]
Immediately following M*A*S*H, Christopher continued the role for the two seasons of the short-lived spin-off, AfterMASH. In feature films, Christopher performed in The Fortune Cookie, The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell, The Shakiest Gun in the West, With Six You Get Eggroll, and Hearts of the West.[2] He won parts in such telefilms as The Movie Maker, The Perils of Pauline, and For the Love of It. With Six You Get Eggroll is notable for fans of M*A*S*H as Jamie Farr appears along with Christopher five years before the show, both playing hippies. The film also features Herb Voland, who played General Clayton in seven episodes of M*A*S*H.

Christopher appeared on various series, including Murder, She Wrote and Hogan's Heroes (Season 3 Episode 21). In 1998, Christopher guest-starred in an episode of Mad About You. Christopher also remained active in the theater, including a tour of the U.S. in the mid-1990s with Jamie Farr doing Neil Simon's The Odd Couple on stage.[2] In 2008-09, he toured with Church Basement Ladies.[4]


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Christopher

Frak!!!

2016. No one will remember it well.

[Bad Dog]

The article about rising death rates among middle-age whites may be yet another 4T marker.

[pbrower2a]

I suppose that if one is a right-wing Cuban-American Cubs fan who wishes that Fulgencio Batista could come back to life and set everything straight in Cuba, then it was a good year.

[Earl and Mooch]

In that episode of Mad About You, Christopher played (what else?) a hospital chaplain. At the end of the episode, he did a soliloquy that started with, "Why must I always play a chaplain?"

[pbrower2a]

Sir Anthony Barnes Atkinson,[1] CBE, FBA (4 September 1944 – 1 January 2017) was a British economist, Senior Research Fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford and Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics.[2]

A student of James Meade, Atkinson virtually single-handedly established the modern British field of inequality and poverty studies. He worked on inequality and poverty for over four decades.[3][4]

Atkinson's work was predominantly on income distributions. There is an inequality measure named after him: the Atkinson index.[10] In a joint article with Joseph Stiglitz, he laid one of the cornerstones for the theory of optimal taxation.[11]
In his 2015 publication Inequality: What Can Be Done?, he "called for robust taxation of the rich whom he reckons have got off easily over the last generation."[3][12][13]

He recommended government intervention in markets such as employment guarantees and wage controls to influence the redistribution of economic rewards.[3] He traced the history of inequality, coining the phrase the "inequality turn" to describe the period when household inequality began to rise around 1980. From the 1980s onwards, men and women "tended to marry those who earned like themselves", with rich women marrying rich men. As more women joined the workforce inequality increased.[3]

Atkinson examined how the wealthy disproportionately influence public policy and influence governments to implement policies that protect wealth.[3] He presented a set of policies regarding technology, employment, social security, the sharing of capital, and taxation that could shift the inequality in income distribution in developed countries.[14] He also advocated the introduction of a basic income.[15]

Atkinson, who worked on inequality and poverty for more than four decades, was a mentor to Thomas Piketty (author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century); they worked together on building an historical database on top incomes.[3] Piketty described him as "the godfather of historical studies of income and wealth."[16]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Atkinson

[pbrower2a]

Rolf Noskwith (19 June 1919 – 3 January 2017) was a British businessman who during the Second World War worked under Alan Turing as a cryptographer at the Bletchley Park British military base.[1]


Noskwith was recruited to Bletchley Park and arrived in June 1941.[4] He worked in Hut 8, focusing on the German navy's Enigma machine, decrypting the Kriegsmarine's coded wireless traffic from 1941 to 1945,[5] and subsequently on other ciphers. He joined the crib subsection, headed by Shaun Wylie.[4] One of Noskwith's noted talents was lining up cribs with cipher text strips, to see if they matched.[3]

His biggest accomplishment was breaking the Naval Enigma Offizier settings. He created a crib based on the letters 'EEESSSPATRONE' and had placed into cue to be crunched by Bletchley's bombe analogue computers. The letter pairings referred to colour-coding used by German ships' flares as "friend or foe" detection. When the crib worked, it allowed the Allied forces to read German messages sent to and from Kriegsmarine officers.[6]

He recalled that most people were addressed by their first name there:[7] the two exceptions were Alan Turing, known as "Prof"; and F.A. Kendrick, whom he was surprised to see listed in the index of Hinsley and Stripp's book Codebreakers as Kendrick, Tony.[8]

[/url]Beginning in 1946, Noskwith worked for Charnos, the textile company founded by his father, and became its chairman in 1952.[url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolf_Noskwith#cite_note-Sugarman_2012-1][1] Around the year 2000, he was made non-executive chairman of Charnos plc.Around the year 2000, he was made non-executive chairman of Charnos plc.

Noskwith died on 3 January 2017, aged 97.[9][10] He is thought to have been the last surviving cryptographer of Bletchley Park at the time of his death.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolf_Noskwith

[pbrower2a]

(01-05-2017, 01:26 PM)X_4AD_84 Wrote:

(01-05-2017, 08:00 AM)pbrower2a Wrote: I always considered it a terrible waste that Noskwith didn't go into tech. He could have done so much. Oh well, I suppose it didn't float his boat.

It wasn't the family business.

Did you realize that the British were on the brink of a high-tech revolution at the end of the Second World War, only to give up on it abruptly? They could have had a five-year lead on the USA based upon the knowledge of computing technology that they got from code-breaking at Bletchley Park. Other priorities?

Americans didn't have war damage to replace. The British had much wreckage thanks to the Luftwaffe.

[pbrower2a]

Mario Soares, President of Portugal as the result of the Carnation Revolution. --

In 1958, Soares was very active in the presidential election supporting General Humberto Delgado. Later, he would become Delgado's family lawyer, when Humberto Delgado was murdered in 1965, in Spain, by agents of the dictatorship's secret police (PIDE). As a lawyer, he defended some of Portuguese political prisoners and participated in numerous trials conducted in the Plenary Court and in the Special Military Court. Represented, particularly, Álvaro Cunhal when he was accused of several political crimes, and along with Adelino da Palma Carlos he also defended the dynastic cause of Maria Pia of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Braganza.

In April 1964, in Geneva, Switzerland, Soares together with Francisco Ramos da Costa and Manuel Tito de Morais created the Acção Socialista Portuguesa (Portuguese Socialist Action). At this point he was already quite distant from his former Communist friends (having quit the Communist Party in 1951); his views were now clearly inclined towards economic liberalism.

In March 1968, Soares was arrested again by PIDE, and a military tribunal sentenced him to banishment in the colony of São Tomé and Principe in the Gulf of Guinea.[1] His wife and two children, Isabel and João, accompanied him. However, they returned to Lisbon eight months later for in the meantime dictator Salazar had been replaced by Marcello Caetano. The new dictator wanted to present a more democratic face to the world, so many political prisoners, Soares among them, were released and allowed exile in France.[2]

In the October 1969 general election, which was rigged, the democratic opposition (whose political rights were severely restricted) entered with two different lists. Soares participated actively in the campaign supporting the Coligação Eleitoral de Unidade Democrática or CEUD (Electoral Coalition for Democratic Unity). CEUD was clearly anti-fascist, but they also reaffirmed their opposition to Communism.

In 1970, Soares was exiled to Rome, Italy, but eventually settled in France where he taught at the Universities of Vincennes, Paris and Rennes. In 1973, the 'Portuguese Socialist Action' became the Socialist Party, and Soares was elected Secretary-General. The Socialist party was created under the umbrella of Willy Brandt's SPD in Bad Münstereifel, Germany, on 19 April 1973.

On 25 April 1974, elements of the Portuguese Army seized power in Lisbon, overthrowing Salazar's successor, Marcelo Caetano. Soares and other political exiles returned home to celebrate what was called the "Carnation Revolution."

In the provisional government which was formed after the revolution, led by the Movement of the Armed Forces (MFA), Soares became minister for overseas negotiations, charged with organising the independence of Portugal's overseas colonies. Among other encounters, he met with Samora Machel, the leader of Frelimo, to negotiate the independence of Mozambique.



Mário Soares, 1978

Within months of the revolution however (and in spite of the April 1975 Constituent Assembly election results which gave victory to the Socialist Party and clearly favored the pro-democracy political parties), it became apparent that the Portuguese Communist Party, allied with a radical group of officers in the MFA, was attempting to extend its control over the government. The Prime Minister, Vasco dos Santos Gonçalves, was accused of being an agent of the Communists and a bitter confrontation developed between the Socialists and Communists over control of the newspaper República.

President Francisco da Costa Gomes dismissed Vasco Gonçalves in September 1975 and a failed far-left coup in late November ended the far-left influence in Portuguese government and politics. After the approval of the 1976 Constitution, a democratic government was finally established when national elections were held on 25 April 1976.

The 1976 legislative election gave the Socialists a plurality of seats in the newly created Assembly of the Republic and Soares became Prime Minister. Deep hostility between the Socialists and the Communists made a left-wing majority government impossible, and Soares formed a weak minority government. Vast fiscal and currency account deficits generated by previous governments forced Soares to adopt a strict austerity policy, which made him deeply unpopular. Soares had to resign from office after only two years, in 1978.

The wave of left-wing sentiment which followed the 1974 revolution had now dissipated, and a succession of conservative governments held office until 1983, with Soares' Socialist Party unsuccessful in the 1979 special elections and 1980 elections. Soares again became Prime Minister following the 1983 elections, holding office until late 1985. His main achievement in office was negotiating Portugal's entry into the European Economic Community. Portugal at the time was very wary of integrating itself into the EEC, and Soares almost single-handedly turned public opinion around.

More here.

[pbrower2a]

Nathan Irving "Nat" Hentoff (June 10, 1925 – January 7, 2017) was an American historian, novelist, jazz and country music critic, and syndicated columnist for United Media. Hentoff was the jazz critic for The Village Voice from 1958 to 2009.[2] Following his departure from The Village Voice, Hentoff moved his music column to The Wall Street Journal, who published his work until his death.

Hentoff was formerly a columnist for Down Beat, JazzTimes, Legal Times, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, The Progressive, Editor & Publisher and Free Inquiry. He was a staff writer for The New Yorker, and his writing was also published in The New York Times, Jewish World Review, The Atlantic, The New Republic, Commonweal and in the Italian Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo.


Hentoff began a career in broadcast journalism in the closing days of World War II on WMEX, a Boston radio station. Among his early assignments were live broadcasts of professional wrestling from the old Boston Arena. In the late 1940s, he hosted two radio shows on WMEX: JazzAlbum and From Bach To Bartók. Hentoff continued to do a jazz program on WMEX into the early 1950s, and during that period was an announcer on WGBH-FM on a program called Evolution of Jazz. By the late 1950s, Hentoff was co-hosting a program called The Scope of Jazz on WBAI-FM in New York City.[7]

He joined Down Beat magazine as a columnist in 1952.[8] From 1953 through 1957, he was an associate editor of Down Beat. In 1958 he co-founded The Jazz Review, a magazine that he co-edited with Martin Williams until 1961. In June 1955, Hentoff co-authored with Nat Shapiro Hear Me Talkin' to Ya: The Story of Jazz by the Men Who Made It. The book features interviews with jazz musicians such as Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and Paul Whiteman. Hentoff went on to author numerous other books on jazz and politics.
In 1960, Hentoff served as the A&R director of the short-lived jazz label Candid Records, which released albums by Charles Mingus, Cecil Taylor and Max Roach, among others.

In 2002, Hentoff became a member of the Board of Directors of The Jazz Foundation of America.[9] He has worked with the foundation to help save homes and lives of America's elderly jazz and blues musicians, including musicians who survived Hurricane Katrina. Hentoff has written multiple articles to draw attention to the plight of America's pioneering musicians of jazz and blues. These articles were published in the Wall Street Journal[10] and the Village Voice.[11]

Hentoff was known as a civil libertarian, free speech activist, anti-death penalty advocate and anti-abortion advocate. He supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq; he supported Israel's right to exist, but opposed Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.
In June 1970, he criticized Ted Sorensen, who was running in the primary election for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senator from New York, because Sorensen had lived for a time at the "restricted" New York Athletic Club, writing: "what kind of man would choose to live in one of this city's redoubts of bigotry?"[17]

Hentoff espoused generally liberal views on domestic policy and civil liberties, but in the 1980s, he began articulating more socially conservative positions—opposition to abortion, voluntary euthanasia, and the selective medical treatment of severely disabled infants. Hentoff argued that a consistent life ethic should be the viewpoint of a genuine civil libertarian, arguing that all human rights are at risk when the rights of any one group of people are diminished, that human rights are interconnected, and people deny others' human rights at their own peril.[18]

While at one time a longtime supporter of the American Civil Liberties Union, Hentoff became a vocal critic of the organization for its advocacy of government-enforced university and workplace speech codes.[19] He served on the board of advisors for the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, another civil liberties group. Hentoff's book Free Speech for Me—But Not for Thee outlines his views on free speech and excoriates those whom he feels favor censorship in any form.

Hentoff was critical of Bush Administration policies such as the Patriot Act and other civil liberties implications of the recent push for homeland security. He was also strongly critical of Clinton Administration policies such as the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.

Starting in March and April 2003, Saddam Hussein was deposed in a U.S.-led invasion and Iraq war. In summer 2003, Hentoff wrote a column for the Washington Times in which he supported Tony Blair's claimed justifications for the war.[citation needed] He also criticized the Democratic Party for casting doubt on President Bush's pre-war assertions about Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction in an election year.

An ardent critic of the Bush administration's expansion of presidential power, Hentoff in 2008 called for the new president to deal with the "noxious residue of the Bush-Cheney war against terrorism". Among the national security casualties have been, according to Hentoff, "survivors, if they can be found, of CIA secret prisons ("black sites"); victims of CIA kidnapping renditions; and American citizens locked up indefinitely as "unlawful enemy combatants".[20] He advocated prosecuting members of the Bush administration, including lawyer John Yoo, for war crimes.[21]

Hentoff vigorously criticized the judicial gag order involved in the "Fistgate" controversy.[22]
In an April 2008 column, Hentoff stated that while he had been prepared to enthusiastically support Barack Obama in the 2008 U.S. presidential election, his view changed after looking into Obama's voting record on abortion. During President Obama's first year, Hentoff praised him for ending policies of CIA renditions, but has criticized him for failing to fully end George W. Bush's practice of state torture of prisoners.[23]

In a May 2014, column titled My Pro-Constitution Choice for President, Hentoff voiced his support for Kentucky Senator Rand Paul's potential 2016 run for president. Hentoff cited Paul's support for civil liberties, particularly his stand against the indefinite detention clauses in the National Defense Authorization Act as well as Paul's opposition to the Obama administration's use of drones against American citizens.[24]

On December 31, 2008, the Village Voice, which had regularly published Hentoff's commentary and criticism for fifty years, announced that he had been laid off.[12] In February 2009, Hentoff joined the libertarian Cato Institute as a senior fellow.[13] In January 2010, however, Hentoff returned and wrote one article for the Voice. Beginning in February 2008, Hentoff was a weekly contributing columnist at WorldNetDaily.com.[14]

In 2013, a biographical film about Hentoff, entitled The Pleasures of Being Out of Step explored his career in jazz and as a first amendment advocate. The independent documentary, directed by journalist David L. Lewis,[4][15] won the grand jury prize in the Metropolis competition at the DOC NYC festival[16] and played in theaters across the country.[citation needed]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_Hentoff

[pbrower2a]

The Pioneer Cabin Tree, also known as The Tunnel Tree, was a giant sequoia in Calaveras Big Trees State Park, California, United States. It was considered one of the US's most famous trees,[4] and drew thousands of visitors annually.[5] It was estimated to have been over 1,000 years old,[4] and measured 33 feet (10 m) in diameter; its exact age and height are not known.[A][7][8] It fell during a storm on January 8, 2017.[2][4]




In the 1880s, a tunnel in the trunk of the Pioneer Cabin Tree was hollowed out by a private land owner at the request of James Sperry, founder of the Murphys Hotel, so that tourists could pass through it.[9][10][11][8][12] The tree was chosen in part because it bore a large forest fire scar. The Pioneer Cabin Tree emulated the tunnel carved into Yosemite's Wawona Tree, and was intended to compete with it for tourists.[13][14][15]

Since the 1880s, visitors were encouraged to etch their names into the tree.[2] At first only pedestrians were allowed to pass through the tree.[6] Later, for many years, automobiles drove through it as part of the "Big Trees Trail".[6] It was one of several drive-through trees on the California coast.[B] Subsequently, only hikers were allowed to pass through the tree's tunnel as part of the North Grove Loop hiking trail.[2][17]

The Pioneer Cabin Tree fell during a rain storm and flooding on January 8, 2017.[2][6] The storm was the strongest to hit the area in over a decade.[4] The flooding, combined with the shallow root system of giant sequoias, likely caused it to fall.[2] A park volunteer reported that the tree had been weakening, becoming brittle and leaning to one side for several years, with only a single branch remaining alive.[2] It had been weakened by the severe damage caused by the tunnel carved through its trunk.[13][14] The tree shattered on impact with the ground.[2][6]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Cabin_Tree

(I have had Presidential pets, last animals of their species, and "Big Tex", a giant anthropomorphic statue greeting people to the Texas State Fair on the Obituaries column... so why not an iconic tree)?

[pbrower2a]

Clare Hollingworth (10 October 1911 – 10 January 2017) was an English journalist and author. She was the first war correspondent to report the outbreak of World War II, described as "the scoop of the century".[1]

A rookie reporter for The Daily Telegraph in 1939, she spotted German forces massed on the Polish border, while travelling from Poland to Germany. She later helped rescue thousands of people from Hitler's forces by arranging British visas.[1]

On 31 August 1939, Hollingworth had been working as a journalist for less than a week for The Daily Telegraph when she was sent to Poland to report on worsening tensions in Europe. Hollingworth persuaded the British Consul-General in Katowice, John Anthony Thwaites, to lend her his chauffeured car for a fact-finding mission into Germany.[3] While driving along the German-Polish border, Hollingworth chanced upon a massive build-up of German troops, tanks and armoured cars facing Poland. The following morning Hollingworth called the British embassy in Warsaw to report the German invasion of Poland. To convince doubtful embassy officials, Hollingworth held a telephone out of her room window to capture the sounds of German forces.[3] Hollingworth's eyewitness account was the first report the British Foreign Office had about the invasion of Poland.[4]

During the following decades, Hollingworth reported on conflicts in Palestine, Algeria, China, Aden and Vietnam.[4] In 1946 she was among the survivors of the King David Hotel bombing in Jerusalem that killed 91 people.[5]

John Simpson described her as the reporter who first interviewed the Shah of Iran, and, decades later, who last interviewed him too: "she was the only person he wanted to speak to".[6]

She was the author of five books: The Three Weeks' War in Poland (1940), There's a German Right Behind Me (1945), The Arabs and the West (1950), Mao (1985), and her memoirs, Front Line (1990, updated with Neri Tenorio in 2005).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clare_Hollingworth