2017 Obituaries of Note

[Crepitus]

the democrat party...........sorry, just couldn't resist

The Trumpkin administration.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

your hatred slip is showing and your wearing your big-ott blindfold

If that applies to me it applies to you as well Pot.

[stjames1_53]

If that applies to me it applies to you as well Pot.

your hatred grow with every post you put up. It will consume you and destroy you.................

[waltky]

He lived to a ripe old age...

Bambi artist Tyrus Wong dies aged 106
Sun, 01 Jan 2017 - The artist who created the distinct visual style of Disney's Bambi dies, aged 106.

A Chinese immigrant, Mr Wong's vibrant paintings captured Walt Disney's eye and became the basis of the film's distinct style. In a statement, the Walt Disney Family Museum said "his influence on the artistic composition of the animated feature Bambi cannot be overstated." He died at home surrounded by his family.

A still from the Walt Disney film Bambi, showing Thumper the rabbit, left, and Bambi, right. Flower the skunk is visible in the lower right of the frame

Mr Wong emigrated to the United States from China as a child, with his father - leaving behind his mother and a sister he would never see again. After studying as an artist, he began working with Disney in 1938 as an "inbetweener", drawing hundreds of pictures between poses to create the illusion of motion.

Looked and felt like a forest

When the film studio began pre-production on Bambi, "he went home and painted several pictures of a deer in a forest", the Disney museum said. "Walt Disney saw that Tyrus was able to produce exquisite artwork that did not necessarily look like the forest - but rather, felt like the forest. Walt's vision for Bambi and use of Tyrus' work still influences films today," it said. Tyrus Wong only worked at Disney for three years, moving to Warner Brothers as a concept artist, designing greeting cards for Hallmark on the side.

After retiring, he turned to creating hundreds of elaborate bamboo kites, received many awards in recognition of his work, and became the subject of a documentary about his life. Writing about his death, the documentary's director said "with his passing, we have lost a brilliant artist, motion picture and animation legend, Chinese American pioneer, and hero. "Tyrus always faced adversity with dignity, courage, and art... he awed us with his talent, charmed us with his boyish humour, and moved us with his humility, generosity, resilience, and big heart."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-38484729

[Crepitus]

your hatred grow with every post you put up. It will consume you and destroy you.................

You think I'm posting hatred? That's called projection my friend.

[waltky]

Granny remembers when he used to be on American Bandstand before he went posh...

Georges Pretre, conductor in NY, Vienna, Milan, dies at 92
January 5, 2017 — Georges Pretre, who conducted renowned orchestras from Vienna to Milan and New York and beyond and was instrumental in Maria Callas' singing career, has died. He was 92.

Still conducting until the final months of his life, "the Maestro Georges Pretre" died at his home in southern France on Wednesday, according to a statement from Milan's La Scala hailing his 50-year relationship with the theater. Pretre last conducted in October at a performance of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra at the Musikverein, where his rendition of Ravel's Bolero earned a standing ovation. The symphony posted a video of him waving his wand vigorously before blowing kisses to the crowd and smiling broadly.

French Maestro Georges Pretre conducts the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra accept applause from the audience during the traditional New Year's concert at Vienna, Austria. Pretre, who conducted renowned symphonies from Vienna to Milan's La Scala and New York's Metropolitan Opera and was instrumental in Maria Callas' opera career, has died. He was 92.

Born in France on Aug. 24, 1924, Pretre studied at the Paris Conservatory and was Callas' first conductor at the Paris Opera. He went on to conduct in New York's Metropolitan Opera, in Chicago, London and Tokyo. His musical dedication didn't fade as he entered his 10th decade — he last conducted at La Scala in February, in Paris in 2013 and at the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's 2010 new year concert.

France's culture minister praised Pretre as a "remarkable ambassador" appreciated around the world for his "art of letting musicians play." Austria's culture minister, Thomas Drozda, said that Pretre "was a master of musical intellectuality and also someone who understood to generate emotion through music." He continued, "At home in all the world's musical metropolises, he stood for a particular musical language in which European traditions were combined."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/georges-p...00.html?ref=gs

[Beevee]

your hatred grow with every post you put up. It will consume you and destroy you.................

Isn't there a religious section for that?

[waltky]

I remember him on the old Nightline program during the hostage situation...

Influential former Iranian leader Rafsanjani dead at age 82
January 8, 2017 — Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a wily political survivor and multimillionaire mogul who remained among the ruling elite despite moderate views, died Sunday, state TV reported. He was 82.

Iranian media reported he suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized north of Tehran, where doctors performed CPR in vain for nearly an hour and a half before declaring him dead. A female newscaster's voice quivered as she read the news. She said Rafsanjani, "after a life full of restless efforts in the path of Islam and revolution, had departed for lofty heaven." Rafsanjani's mix of sly wit and reputation for cunning moves — both in politics and business — earned him a host of nicknames such as Akbar Shah, or Great King, during a life that touched every major event in Iranian affairs since before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, registers his candidacy for the elections of the Experts Assembly in Tehran, Iran. Iranian state media said Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017 that influential former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has died at age 82 after having been hospitalized because of a heart condition. Rafsanjani, who served as president from 1989 to 1997, was a leading politician who often played kingmaker in the country's turbulent politics. He supported President Hassan Rouhani.

His presence — whether directly or through back channels — was felt in many forms. He was a steady leader in the turbulent years following the overthrow of the U.S.-backed shah, a veteran warrior in the country's internal political battles and a covert go-between in intrigue such as the Iran-Contra arms deals in the 1980s. He also was handed an unexpected political resurgence in his later years. The surprise presidential election in 2013 of Rafsanjani's political soul mate, Hassan Rouhani, gave the former president an insider role in reform-minded efforts that included Rouhani's push for direct nuclear talks with Washington. World powers and Iran ultimately struck a deal to limit the country's nuclear enrichment in exchange for the lifting of some economic sanctions.

Former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani casts his ballot for the parliamentary elections in front of a portrait of late Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini, at a polling station in Tehran, Iran. Iranian state media said Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017 that influential former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has died at age 82 after having been hospitalized because of a heart condition. Rafsanjani, who served as president from 1989 to 1997, was a leading politician who often played kingmaker in the country's turbulent politics. He supported President Hassan Rouhani.

While Rafsanjani was blocked from the 2013 ballot by Iran's election overseers — presumably worried about boosting his already wide-ranging influence — the former leader embraced Rouhani's success. "Now I can easily die since people are able to decide their fate by themselves," he reportedly said last March. However, Rouhani now faces a crucial presidential election in May which will serve as a referendum on the deal and thawing relations with the West. Rafsanjani was sharply critical of a move by Iran's constitutional watchdog to block moderates, including Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of the Islamic Republic's founder, from running for a top clerical body in elections last year.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, right, and former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, left, who are members of the Assembly of Experts, attend an assembly in Tehran, Iran. Iranian state media said Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017 that Rafsanjani has died at age 82 after having been hospitalized because of a heart condition. Rafsanjani, who served as president from 1989 to 1997, was a leading politician who often played kingmaker in the country's turbulent politics. He supported President Hassan Rouhani.

Rafsanjani was a close aide of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and served as president from 1989 to 1997 during a period of significant changes in Iran. At the time, the country was struggling to rebuild its economy after a devastating 1980-88 war with Iraq, while also cautiously allowing some wider freedoms, as seen in Iran's highly regarded film and media industry. He also oversaw key developments in Iran's nuclear program by negotiating deals with Russia to build an energy-producing reactor in Bushehr, which finally went into service in 2011 after long delays. Behind the scenes, he directed the secret purchase of technology and equipment from Pakistan and elsewhere.

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[Captain Obvious]

He was wanted in Argentina for the bombing of an airliner.

[waltky]

The woman who broke the news of World War Two dies at 105...

Obituary: Clare Hollingworth
Tue, 10 Jan 2017 - Celebrated war correspondent who broke the news of Germany's invasion of Poland.

Clare Hollingworth was the war correspondent who broke the news that German troops were poised to invade Poland at the start of World War Two. She went on to report on conflicts across the world but it was that moment that defined her career. She was by no means the first female war reporter, but her depth of technical, tactical and strategic insight set her apart. And, even as she approached her 11th decade, she still kept her passport by her bed in case she should be called to another assignment.

Clare Hollingworth was born in Leicester on 10 October 1911 and spent most of her childhood on a farm. What should have been idyllic years were overshadowed by World War One. "I remember the German bombers flying over the farm we lived in to bomb Loughborough," she reminisced. "And the next day we got Polly the pony and took the trap into Loughborough to see the damage they had done. " She had set her heart on a writing career early on, much to the exasperation of her mother. "She didn't believe anything journalists wrote and thought they were only fit for the tradesmen's entrance."

After school she attended a domestic science college in Leicester, which instilled in her a lifelong hatred of housework. More interesting to her by far were the battlefield tours that her father arranged to sites as diverse as Naseby, Poitiers and Agincourt. Eschewing the prospect of life as a country squire's wife, Hollingworth became a secretary at the League of Nations Union before studying at London University's School of Slavonic Studies and the University of Zagreb.

Tension

[waltky]

National leader of the Congress of Racial Equality passes away at 82...

Roy Innis, Black Activist With a Right-Wing Bent, Dies at 82
JAN. 10, 2017 - Roy Innis, the autocratic national leader of the Congress of Racial Equality since 1968, whose right-wing views on affirmative action, law enforcement, desegregation and other issues put him at odds with many black Americans and other civil rights leaders, died on Sunday in Manhattan. He was 82.

The cause was complications of Parkinson’s disease, a statement from CORE said. In a stormy career marked by radical rhetoric, shifting ideologies, legal and financial troubles and quixotic runs for office, Mr. Innis led CORE through changes that mirrored his own evolution from black-power militancy in the 1960s to staunch conservatism resembling a modern Republican political platform.

He came to prominence after the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young and James Farmer had taken command of the civil rights movement and did not share their commitment to nonviolent civil disobedience. Nor did he embrace CORE’s pioneering roles in desegregation — school boycotts, sit-ins, Freedom Rides through the South and voter registration drives that led to the murders of the activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner in Mississippi in 1964.

Though court decisions and new laws banned discrimination in education, employment and public accommodations, Mr. Innis was disillusioned by that progress, saying integration robbed black people of their heritage and dignity. He pronounced it “dead as a doornail,” proclaimed CORE “once and for all a black nationalist organization” and declared “all-out war” on desegregation.

Under his black-power banner, which Mr. Innis called “pragmatic nationalism,” he purged whites from CORE’s staff and allowed the organization’s white membership to wither. He espoused segregated schools to encourage black achievement, black self-help groups, black business enterprises and community control of the police, fire, hospital, sanitation and other services in poor black neighborhoods.

Black nationalism was hardly a new idea. The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee had already moved from integrationist to separatist aims. Malcolm X, the Nation of Islam and the poet Amiri Baraka followed in the footsteps of Marcus Garvey, who after World War I had attracted millions of American blacks to a “back to Africa” movement. But most black Americans regarded black power as too radical, and the creation of separate black institutions in America too remote.

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