RIP

[Orema]

[theoddz]

On July 6, 2020, the world lost another of "the greats" in the world of music...Maestro Ennio Morricone. He was one of my absolute favorite composers and gained his years of fame from the plethora of movie soundtracks that he wrote. The world is, indeed, a lesser place without the presence of such a composer and artist. RIP, Mr. Morricone.

More about Mr. Morricone: https://www.npr.org/2020/07/06/51684...est-dies-at-91

~Theo~

[C0LLETTE]

I absolutely agree about the great loss of Ennio Morricone.
Not only did he write the score for those wonderful, memorable Westerns but much much more.
My own favourite is the score of The Mission...hauntingly beautiful ... often soothing and threatening within one scene...I think that was his specialty...lol

[GeorgiaMa'am]

Originally Posted by Orema

Congressman John Lewis will be greatly missed, especially in the Atlanta area. He was an active ally of gay people. He rode in our Pride Parades for as long as I can remember. He also helped a couple of my gay friends with their long distance relationship - one lived here, one in Mexico - and got their visa situation sorted out. This was in the 80s, when almost no one in the political arena was willing to have their name associated with gay relationships. (The boys are still happily together.) John Lewis was a good man.

[Gemme]

Regis Francis Xavier Philbin passed away on July 24th. He was 88. Regis was a Renaissance Man. He was on TV doing talk shows and game shows since the mid-60s as well as being a signed singing artist plus writing two autobiographies.

He had hip replacement surgery on December 1, 2009 and returned to his regular hosting duties for Live with Regis and Kelly on January 4, 2010 and in December 2010, he had surgery to remove a blood clot in his leg and returned to work the next day. This guy was a trooper for sure. I always loved how sarcastic and dead pan he could be.

[Gemme]

Wilford Brimley, who worked his way up from movie stunt rider to an indelible character actor who brought gruff charm, and sometimes menace, to a range of films that included “Cocoon,” “The Natural” and “The Firm,” has died. He was 85.

Brimley’s manager Lynda Bensky said the actor died Saturday morning in a Utah hospital. He was on dialysis and had several medical ailments, she said.

The mustached Brimley was a familiar face for a number of roles, often playing characters like his grizzled baseball manager in “The Natural” opposite Robert Redford's bad-luck phenomenon. He also worked with Redford in “Brubaker” and “The Electric Horseman.”

Brimley's best-known work was in “Cocoon,” in which he was part of a group of seniors who discover an alien pod that rejuvenates them. The 1985 Ron Howard film won two Oscars, including a supporting actor honor for Don Ameche.

Brimley also starred in “Cocoon: The Return,” a 1988 sequel.

For years he was pitchman for Quaker Oats and in recent years appeared in a series of diabetes spots that turned him at one point into a social media sensation.

“Wilford Brimley was a man you could trust,” Bensky said in a statement. “He said what he meant and he meant what he said. He had a tough exterior and a tender heart. I’m sad that I will no longer get to hear my friend’s wonderful stories. He was one of a kind.”

Barbara Hershey, who met Brimley on 1995′s “Last of the Dogmen,” called him “a wonderful man and actor. ... He always made me laugh.”

Though never nominated for an Oscar or Emmy Award, Brimley amassed an impressive list of credits. In 1993’s John Grisham adaptation “The Firm,” Brimley starred opposite Tom Cruise as a tough-nosed investigator who deployed ruthless tactics to keep his law firm’s secrets safe.

John Woo, who directed Brimley as Uncle Douvee in 1993′s “Hard Target,” told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018 that the part was “the main great thing from the film. I was overjoyed making those scenes and especially working with Wilford Brimley.”

A Utah native who grew up around horses, Brimley spent two decades traveling around the West and working at ranches and race tracks. He drifted into movie work during the 1960s, riding in such films as “True Grit,” and appearing in TV series such as “Gunsmoke."

He forged a friendship with Robert Duvall, who encouraged him to seek more prominent acting roles, according to a biography prepared by Turner Classic Movies.

Brimley, who never trained as an actor, saw his career take off after he won an important role as a nuclear power plant engineer in “The China Syndrome.”

“Training? I’ve never been to acting classes, but I’ve had 50 years of training,” he said in a 1984 Associated Press interview. “My years as an extra were good background for learning about camera techniques and so forth. I was lucky to have had that experience; a lot of newcomers don’t."

“Basically my method is to be honest,” Brimley said told AP. “The camera photographs the truth — not what I want it to see, but what it sees. The truth.”

Brimley had a recurring role as a blacksmith on “The Waltons” and the 1980s prime-time series “Our House.”

Another side of the actor was his love of jazz. As a vocalist, he made albums including “This Time the Dream’s On Me” and “Wilford Brimley with the Jeff Hamilton Trio.”

In 1998, he opposed an Arizona referendum to ban cockfighting, saying that he was "trying to protect a lifestyle of freedom and choice for my grandchildren.”

In recent years, Brimley’s pitchwork for Liberty Mutual had turned him into an internet sensation for his drawn out pronunciation of diabetes as “diabeetus.” He owned the pronunciation in a tweet that drew hundreds of thousands of likes earlier this year.

Brimley is survived by his wife Beverly and three sons.

I really liked a lot of his characters. With the exception of the cockfighting thing, he seemed like a guy I'd get along with well.

[Cin]

https://www.blackagendareport.com/ke...ce-and-justice

Kevin Zeese, the Passing of a Warrior for Peace and Justice

The human rights community mourns veteran activist Kevin Zeese, my friend and comrade.

“He stood his ground and left an indelible mark in our memory and the landscape of the fight for human decency and liberation of the human spirit.”

“For the Anniversary of My Death”

by W.S. Merwin

Every year without knowing it I have passed the day
When the last fires will wave to me
And the silence will set out
Tireless traveler
Like the beam of a lightless star

Then I will no longer
Find myself in life as in a strange garment
Surprised at the earth
And the love of one woman
And the shamelessness of men
As today writing after three days of rain
Hearing the wren sing and the falling cease
And bowing not knowing to what

Having met Kevin Zeese during the Occupy movement in September of 2011, by Merwin’s metric we passed unknowing the day that had finally come for Kevin nine times. Nine times we, (Kevin, Margaret Flowers -his loving partner, and I) were engaged in the struggle in one way or another. Occupy DC, Occupy the EPA, Hands Up Don’t Shoot, Justice Mondays at the Department of Justice to name a few and lastly only hours before his transition -- the fight to stop the desecration of Moses African Cemetery in Bethesda, Maryland.

And there, always present, always willing, always gentle in his manner and generous with his wisdom, his strength, his courage—was Kevin. Passionate. Articulate. Good-natured.

I remember the first time I saw his T-shirt, emblazoned with his campaign slogan during his run for the US Senate: Zeese and Resist! That was Kevin. And the courtroom artist’s rendering of him when he argued before the Supreme Court, displayed among the many mementos that one with his penchant for advocacy acquires in the years, in the decades, in the long pull of history.

“Always willing, always gentle in his manner and generous with his wisdom.”

After this shock and all of the pain, what I will remember is Kevin’s voice last Friday, his patience, and the calm demeanor he carried with him in the heat of our struggle to save Moses African Cemetery, in the heat of the road in Bethesda on a hot September day when he stood and reasoned with the police who had arrayed themselves again against our non-violent protests as though we were the ones threatening violence, as though we were the ones hurling invective, curses, and threats. There, at the side of River Road, stood Kevin Zeese, nodding, listening, offering alternatives, presenting our case that resulted in no-arrests.

The Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition (BACC) “Save Moses African Cemetery” protests last Thursday and Friday would be his last stand as an activist, a warrior for liberation of the human family, while securing a promise from the police that they would not be arresting any of the hundred-plus activists that had come to stand with us on what we would all learn with sadness was Kevin’s last day as an activist.

The youth of BACC, in particular worked closely with Kevin, as he provided instruction on Thursday Night in techniques of non-violent resistance that they might need during the Friday action.

Over the years, I've worked with Kevin and Margaret on a number of political actions. We worked closely together on a project called: "Justice Monday" in the aftermath of the murder of Trayvon Martin. We organized demonstrations in front of the Department of Justice (DOJ) every Monday afternoon. The goal of "Justice Monday" was to force DOJ to release the Report of Investigation (ROI) that we were certain would exonerate George Zimmerman for violating the civil rights of Trayvon Martin. We instinctively knew that the Obama Administration's Attorney General Eric Holder was going to exonerate Zimmerman but wanted to soft pedal their decision. Through protests and demonstrations, Justice Monday succeeded in forcing the DOJ to release the ROI, that in fact, exonerated Zimmerman.

Our Friend, a Fighter for the People

Years later, Kevin and Margaret were among the first to answer the call to battle against developers and their enablers in the Montgomery County Maryland Planning Board and our local government. Their experience and moral support enabled the fledgling organization to grow and make “good trouble.” Kevin and Margaret gifted BACC with its very first banner. Kevin and Margaret have not spared time and energy in driving more than two hours time after time to support and help with our struggle. His inner strength is reflected in humility and gentleness, ever so kind and patient.

On a personal level, I came to deeply trust Kevin's advice and keen ability to deconstruct the pitfalls of fighting injustice.

Kevin was a devoted supporter of Black Agenda Report. Kevin and Margaret would attend the yearly fundraiser and provide articles to BAR. In addition, they both supported the Left Forum, a yearly gathering of progressives from around the world that meet in New York.

Kevin died the way he lived, in the midst of struggle for racial justice and the dismantling of the architecture of white supremacy. The Friday before his transition, he stood his ground and left an indelible mark in our memory and the landscape of the fight for human decency and liberation of the human spirit. He is missed and he left a light to guide us through the challenges that lay ahead. Valiant warrior Rest in Power- our Ancestor!

There will be an online tribute to Kevin on Saturday, September 19 at 3:00 pm Eastern/12:00 pm Pacific on Zoom. Click here to register . This event will also be livestreamed atFacebook.com/PopularResistanceOrg andYouTube.com/PopularResistanceOrg .

Tributes to Kevin are already being posted. Here are a few:
https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/...0906-0005.html

https://howiehawkins.us/hawkins-pres...s-passed-away/

https://www.coha.org/coha-expresses-...t-kevin-zeese/

https://davidswanson.org/kevin-zeese-irreplaceable/

https://taskforceamericas.org/tfa-statement-on-the-passing-of-kevin-zeese/>

https://www.wpc-in.org/statements/ke...-and-treasured

https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2020/09...vin-zeese-rip/

Please see below a link to the BACC demonstration discussed above.

https://popularresistance.org/flower...ican-cemetery/

[C0LLETTE]

RIP Diana Rigg...sexiest woman on any planet...even at 82

[C0LLETTE]

RIP
Ruth Bader Ginsberg