Thursday, May 8, 2014

Jackie Lynn Taylor Fries

Actress, TV host, producer, and director; best known for her short-lived stint as one of Our Gang -- via the Sacramento Bee.


Gary Becker

Jack Agueros

George H. Heilmeier

Billy Frank Jr.

Civil rights activist and environmentalist -- via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Stories for the day: Death cafes cont., phantom pain, grief vs. mourning, and mortality in 1770

As a lot of stories related to the subject at hand came over the transom today, I will give you the links to them below:

On Death Cafes: New stories from the Boston Globe and the Pomerado News -- this topic seems to be sweeping through the mainstream media right now.

Abigail Carter discusses The Phantom Pain of Widowhood --

From the Education Portal: "Mourning and Grief: A Cross-Cultural Perspective" --

And from The Public Domain Review: "Life and Death Contrasted (ca. 1770" -- 

Tatiana Samoilova

Actress -- via the New York Times. Best known for her stellar work in films such as "The Cranes Are Flying," "Letter Never Sent," andthe 1967 "Anna Karenina.









Lynn R. Williams

Labor leader -- via the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Zarko Petan

Chino Montero

Guitarist and vocalist -- via the Honolulu Pulse.



Francisco Icaza

Artist -- via Procesor.

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Farley Mowat

Writer and environmentalist -- via CTV News. One of my absolute favorite writers! His compelling style, marvellously frank and conversational, has been a model for my work. Favorites: "The Boat Who Wouldn't Float," "The Siberians," "And No Birds Sang," his flawless memoir of WWII combat, and of course "Never Cry Wolf." No one was ever better able to cry "Bullshit!"



Gerard Benson

Poet -- via the Telegrpah & Argus.

'Lonesome' Lester Armistead

Erdo Vatan

Actor -- via westernboothill.blogspot.com.

Mel Clark

Former MLB player -- via the Charleston Gazette.

Ventura Banuelos

Bassist for Black Lodge -- via the L.A. Weekly.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Eli Woods aka Jack Casey

Comedian -- via Gazette Live.

Marvin D. Einhorn

Actor and director -- via legacy.com.

Jessica Cleaves

Singer; best known for her work with The Friends of Distinction and Earth, Wind &Fire -- via soultracks.com.



Gerald Guralnik

Physicist -- via the New York Times.

Michael Travis

Costume designer -- via the Hollywood Reporter.

From the Chicago Tribune: Death cafes are catching on

Dick Ayers

Comics artist -- via Comic Book Resources. One of my faves -- long-time creator of "Sgt. Fury and Howling Commandos"!


Hilario "Larry" Ramos

Guitarist and singer; known for his work first with the New Christy Minstrels and later with the Association -- via the L.A. Times.








Marsha Mehran

Novelist -- via the L.A. Times.

Joe Young

Guitarist for Antiseen -- via Creative Loafing.



Theo Constante

Artist and writer -- via El Universal.

Roz Chast's rueful comedy of death

From the New York Times: The brilliantly funny New Yorker cartoonist on the end of her parents' lives, and how it made her CRAZY! A new book -- "Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?"



Monday, May 5, 2014

Jerry Manning

Artistic director of the Seattle Rep -- via the Seattle Times.

Nicholas Martin aka Joel Martin Levinson

Stage director -- via the New York Times. 

Dave Walker

Filmmaker -- via the CBC.


Howard Smith

Oscar-winning filmmaker, and journalist -- via the New York Times.


Juan Formell

From the New York Times: Death as art project?

An interesting, in-depth look by Bob Morris at artist Sophie Calle's installation piece on the subject of her mother's death, currently in place at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest

Tim Carpenter

Progressive activist -- via the Huffington Post.

Mohammadreza Lotfi

Musician -- via the Tehran Times.

Isabelle 'Barbara' Fiske Calhoun

Angel Inigo Blanco

Artist; creator of the Stone Zoo -- via cubadebate.cu.


Sarmad Tariq

Storyteller and athlete -- via dawn.com.

Sunday, May 4, 2014

From the Washington Post: Death cafes

An excellent survey of the many new actions being taken to demystify and humanize the dying process, by Tara Bahrampour.

From the Guardian: Death doulas are coming

From Ghost Hunting Theories: The Victorian Way of Death

An interesting survey of death and mourning practices in the 19th century. Finally, a reference to the unnerving practice of the time of photographing the dead -- a tradition carried on in my family through 1967!

Friday, May 2, 2014

Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

Emblematic actor of the 1960s -- via the Hollywood Reporter. The son of famed musicians -- violinist Erfrem Sr. and soprano Alma Gluck -- Zimbalist worked his way through stage, on the way producing three of Menoti's most significant operas -- "The Telephone," "The Medium," and "The Consul." He first made a splash in the guest role of Dandy Jim Buckley on the short-lived but significant Western comedy "Maverick." He then starred in the lighthearted detective series "77 Sunset Strip."

Most significantly, he portrayed the central figure of straight-arrow Inspector Lewis Erskine on the series "The F.B.I." for 15 years. He embodied Hoover's ideal of how an agent should look and act. However, once free to act again, he proved his droll charm on his daughter Stephanie's "Remington Steele" show as a suave con man Daniel Chalmers. Later still, he became the voice of Alfred on various animated "Batman" series. A fine talent!











Chou Meng-tieh

Poet and writer -- via the Taipei Times.

Chris Harris

Actor and director -- via the Western Daily Press.

Khaled Choudhury

Director and designer for the theater -- via the Telegraph of India.