Queen Elizabeth II and the Long 20th Century by Bryan Walsh
September 10, 2022
Introduction:
(Vox) On Thursday afternoon, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, Queen Elizabeth II died at 96. She occupied the British throne for 70 years, making her the UK’s longest-reigning monarch.
“Occupied” is perhaps the key word here. While the queen’s official powers were greater than many might think in a constitutional monarchy — according to the letter of the English law, the monarch can choose to appoint or dismiss the prime minister, for instance — in practice they were never exercised to their fullest extent, nor would they have ever been.
The queen’s position, if not the continued existence of the British monarchy, was dependent on remaining outside the actual political sphere. The British government of the day ruled in her name from Westminster, but it is considered unconstitutional for the monarch to even vote.
As a result, Elizabeth spent seven decades in one of the world’s most high-profile positions… without taking direct political action. She met everyone worth meeting, traveled over a million miles and visited over 115 countries, welcomed 15 British prime ministers to office — all without doing anything other than being her often silent royal self. That made her, in a sense, history’s greatest spectator.
And the history she witnessed was more than just the cumulative weight of 70 years. During those decades the world changed as it never has before — sometimes for the worse, often for the better — and Queen Elizabeth II observed it all from a singular perch.
Barbara Ehrenreich, Author Who Resisted Injustice, Dies at Aged 81 by Ed Pilkington
September 3, 2022
Introduction:
(The Guardian) Barbara Ehrenreich, the author of more than 20 books on social justice themes ranging from women’s rights to inequality and the inequities of the American healthcare system, has died at the age of 81.
The news that Ehrenreich had died on 1 September was released by her son, Ben Ehrenreich, on Friday. He accompanied the announcement with a comment redolent of his mother’s spirit: “She was never much for thoughts and prayers, but you can honor her memory by loving one another, and by fighting like hell.”
Ehrenreich battled over a half a century as a writer committed to resisting injustice and giving a voice to those who were typically unheard.
Her first book, published in 1969, Long March, Short Spring, was an account of the student uprising against the Vietnam war.
In Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, her 2001 bestseller, she wrote an immersive experience of living as a low-waged worker in Key West, Florida.
caltrek’s comment: She also wrote a book entitled Natural Causes that I enjoyed. I have two books with that title in my collection, the second having been written by James O’Connor. Both are excellent reads.
Barbara Ehrenreich Helped Make Inequality Visible – Her Legacy Lives on in a Reinvigorated Labor Movement by Adia Harvey Wingfield
September 12, 2022
Introduction:
(The Conversation ) Have you heard of Jaz Brisack, Liz Fong-Jones and Chris Smalls?
Those names might not be familiar to all Americans, but their recent accomplishments amount to a potential sea change in labor rights.
As union organizers or advocates for better work conditions at some of the biggest and most powerful companies in the world – Starbucks, Google and Amazon, respectively – these three young people have highlighted just how far out of whack the balance between workers and organizations has grown.
I believe that their work, part of a surge in labor organizing and other kinds of community-building efforts, has its roots in the scholarship and journalism of Barbara Ehrenreich, who died on Sept. 1, 2022.
Opening a window on inequality
Ehrenreich is best known for her 2001 book “Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.”
Sacheen Littlefeather, Who Delivered Marlon Brando’s Oscar Rejection Speech, Dies at 75
October 2, 2022 7:17pm
Sacheen Littlefeather (Apache/Yaqui/Ariz.), the Native American actress and activist who took to the stage at the 1973 Academy Awards to reveal that Marlon Brando would not accept his Oscar for The Godfather, has died. She was 75.
Littlefeather died at noon Sunday at her home in the Northern California city of Novato surrounded by her loved ones, according to a statement sent out by her caretaker. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which reconciled with Littlefeather in June and hosted a celebration in her honor just two weeks ago, revealed the news on social media Sunday night.
Littlefeather disclosed in March 2018 that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, and it had metastasized in recent years.
Loretta Lynn, coal miner's daughter and country queen, dies
Source: AP
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Loretta Lynn, the Kentucky coal miner's daughter whose frank songs about life and love as a woman in Appalachia pulled her out of poverty and made her a pillar of country music, has died. She was 90. In a statement provided to The Associated Press, Lynn's family said she died Tuesday at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.
"Our precious mom, Loretta Lynn, passed away peacefully this morning, October 4th, in her sleep at home in her beloved ranch in Hurricane Mills," the family said in a statement. They asked for privacy as they grieve and said a memorial will be announced later. Lynn already had four children before launching her career in the early 1960s, and her songs reflected her pride in her rural Kentucky background.
As a songwriter, she crafted a persona of a defiantly tough woman, a contrast to the stereotypical image of most female country singers. The Country Music Hall of Famer wrote fearlessly about sex and love, cheating husbands, divorce and birth control and sometimes got in trouble with radio programmers for material from which even rock performers once shied away.
Her biggest hits came in the 1960s and '70s, including "Coal Miner's Daughter," "You Ain't Woman Enough," "The Pill," "Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)," "Rated X" and "You're Looking at Country." She was known for appearing in floor-length, wide gowns with elaborate embroidery or rhinestones, many created by her longtime personal assistant and designer Tim Cobb.
Ash Carter, former defense secretary under Obama, dies at 68
Source: CNN Politics
Washington CNN -- Ashton Carter, who served as President Barack Obama's final defense secretary, has died, his family said. He was 68. Carter, who led the Defense Department from February 2015 to January 2017, suffered a "sudden cardiac event" on Monday night in Boston, his family said in a statement. He is survived by his wife, Stephanie, and his children, Ava and Will. In leading the Pentagon, Carter oversaw the final years of US involvement in Afghanistan under Obama's presidency and US efforts to combat the rise of ISIS in the Middle East, which included the deployment of US troops.
His tenure also saw efforts to expand the available roles of women in combat as well as lifting a ban on transgender people being able to serve openly. Taking over from Chuck Hagel, who was forced out as defense secretary in November 2014, Carter was immediately tasked with addressing the rise of ISIS, which by then had taken significant territory in Iraq. Although Obama had made withdrawing US military forces from Iraq a key priority of his foreign policy, he ultimately recommitted US troops to the country to deal with the terrorist group.
"It's necessary but not sufficient to destroy ISIL in Iraq and Syria because this is where it began and is what I have called the parent tumor of the cancer," Carter, using another term for the group, told reporters during a visit to Baghdad in 2016. "Like cancer, ISIL has spread to ... other places and it also threatens our homelands," he said then. Under Carter's leadership, all US military combat positions were opened up to women, and in 2016, the Pentagon lifted a ban on out transgender people being able to serve.
Having studied the issue for almost a year, he said at the time that the decision was "a matter of principle." "We don't want barriers unrelated to a person's qualification to serve preventing us from recruiting or retaining the soldier, sailor, airman or Marine who can best accomplish the mission. We have to have access to 100% of America's population," he said. "Although relatively few in number, we're talking about talented and trained Americans who are serving their country with honor and distinction," he said. "We want to take the opportunity to retain people whose talent we've invested in and who've proven themselves."
Jerry Lee Lewis: Rock n’ roll star and Great Balls of Fire singer dies aged 87
Rock n’ roll star Jerry Lee Lewis, best known for 1957 hit Great Balls of Fire, has died at the age of 87.
Lewis died at home in Memphis, Tennessee, his representative Zach Farnum confirmed.
The rock n' roll pioneer - who called himself The Killer - was also known for the song Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On and was the last survivor of a generation of groundbreaking performers that included Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard.
He was once described as "a one-man stampede". During a 1957 performance of Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On for a TV show, chairs were thrown at him.
"There was rockabilly. There was Elvis. But there was no pure rock 'n 'roll before Jerry Lee Lewis kicked in the door," he famously said about himself after the show.
John Aniston, 'Days of Our Lives' Legend and Jennifer Aniston's Father, Dead at 89
Source: People Magazine
Days of Our Lives star John Aniston has died. He was 89.
The veteran actor, who was also Jennifer Aniston's father, was best known for portraying Days' Victor Kiriakis starting in 1985. On Monday, the Friends alum announced that her father passed on Nov. 11.
"Sweet papa… John Anthony Aniston," she captioned a set of photos of the pair. "You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew. I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace — and without pain. And on 11/11 no less! You always had perfect timing. That number will forever hold an even greater meaning for me now I'll love you till the end of time"
Jennifer concluded the post, "Don't forget to visit "
Jason David Frank Dies: ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ Star Was 49
20 November 2022
Jason David Frank, an actor and mixed martial arts star, has died at 49 years old. The cause of death has not been revealed, but reports indicated it was by suicide.
Frank was born in Covina, Calif., and was originally the Green Ranger, Tommy Oliver, in the early 1990s. He then became the White Ranger. He portrayed the character in both television and film adaptations of the popular franchise.
Virginia Rep. Donald McEachin dies at 61
Source: Politico
Rep. Donald McEachin has died, his office announced on Monday.
The Virginia Democrat had been battling cancer since 2013, his chief of staff, Tara Rountree, said in a statement. He was 61.
“Valiantly for years now, we have watched him fight and triumph over the secondary effects of his colorectal cancer from 2013,” Rountree said. “Tonight, he lost that battle.”
McEachin, whose district was based in Richmond, the state capital, was reelected earlier this month with 64 percent of the vote against Republican challenger Leon Benjamin. He had been first elected to Congress in 2016 after serving in both the Virginia Senate and House of Delegates.
Clarence Gilyard Jr, Die Hard and Top Gun star, dies at 66
Die Hard star Clarence Gilyard Jr has died.
The actor – also known for his role in the TV series Walker, Texas Ranger – was 66 years old.
No further details surrounding his death have been made public.
Gilyard’s death was confirmed by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he had been working as a film and theatre professor at the UNLV College of Fine Arts, according to Variety.
The university issued a statement breaking the news of his death.
Bob McGrath, 'Sesame Street' Star, Dies at 90
Source: Variety
Bob McGrath, an actor and recording artist who became a generational icon as one of the original human stars of “Sesame Street,” died Sunday. He was 90.
McGrath’s death was confirmed by his family members through a post on his Facebook page: “The McGrath family has some sad news to share. Our father Bob McGrath, passed away today. He died peacefully at home, surrounded by his family.” Sesame Workshop shared a statement mourning the “beloved member of the Sesame Street family for over 50 years.”
“Bob embodied the melodies of Sesame Street like no one else, and his performances brought joy and wonder to generations of children around the world, whether teaching them the ABCs, the people in their neighborhood, or the simple joy of feeling music in their hearts,” reads Sesame Workshop’s statement. “A revered performer worldwide, Bob’s rich tenor filled airwaves and concert halls from Las Vegas to Saskatchewan to Tokyo many times over. We will be forever grateful for his many years of passionate creative contributions to Sesame Street and honored that he shared so much of his life with us.”
First appearing in the series pilot in 1969, McGrath played the friendly neighbor Bob Johnson, serving as a “Sesame Street” mainstay across five decades and 47 seasons of broadcast television. His final series appearance came in 2017, but McGrath did not step away from his association with the series after that, continuing to make public appearances at various events tied to “Sesame Street.”
Actress Kirstie Alley dies at 71 following battle with cancer
Source: CBS News Philadelphia
Actress Kirstie Alley, known for her breakout role in the sitcom "Cheers," has died after battling cancer. She was 71.
"We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered," her children True and Lillie Parker said on Alley's Twitter. "She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead."
weatheriscool wrote: ↑Tue Dec 06, 2022 1:51 am
Actress Kirstie Alley dies at 71 following battle with cancer
Source: CBS News Philadelphia
Actress Kirstie Alley, known for her breakout role in the sitcom "Cheers," has died after battling cancer. She was 71.
"We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered," her children True and Lillie Parker said on Alley's Twitter. "She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead."
Steelers Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris dies at 72
Source: AP News
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Franco Harris, the Hall of Fame running back whose heads-up thinking authored “The Immaculate Reception,” considered the most iconic play in NFL history, has died. He was 72.
Harris’ son Dok told The Associated Press his father passed away overnight. No cause of death was given.
I'll love you till the end of time
"
"