First Blog of 09

Hello. I said in the last blog that I would try to find a list of well-known people who had died in '8. Wikipedia has a huge list of late people, a lot of whom I did not know because they were involved in sports or science or politics in various countries, and there were listings of animals, such as the world's oldest polar bear or gorilla et al. A lot of people were famous at one time, but when they died this year the media was so into politics, and then the economic crash, that no one's life and death was of any meaning (it happens I guess). Solzhenitsyn died, and whatever he meant 30 or so years ago meant not much to the modern news business, and besides, he had shit on the West when he lived here in exile, so there may have been some sourness about him. He was one strange Russian. I suppose the lesson is--do not totally depend on the network newssources for your information. Here is my list of people I found that it was of interest that they had passed away. There are lots more I have not included. Betty Page, Sunny Von Bulow, Odetta, Paul Benedict, Nina Foch, Miriam Makeba, Michael Crichton, Yma Sumac, Studs Terkel. Tony Hillerman, Mr. Blackwell, Edie Adams, Jack Narz, Neal Hefti, Barefoot Sanders(Texas judge with links to LBJ), Bill Melendez, Don LaFontaine, Margaret Truman, Sir Edmund Hillary, Earl Butz, Maila Murin(was Vampira in Plan 9 from Outer Space), Robert Fagles(translated the Iliad and Odessey), Sir Arthur Clarke, Paul Scofield, Ivan Dixon, Joe Feeney, Harvey Korman, Sydney Pollack, Dick Martin, Robert Rauschenberg, Leyla Gencer, Eddie Arnold, Ted Key(drew Hazel), Will Elder(drew Little Annie Fannie), Leonard Pennario, Beverlee McKinsey, Dody Goodman, George Carlin, Cyd Charisse, Jim McKay, Bo Diddley, Mel Ferrerr, Yves Saint Laurent, Eula Beale, Norman Dello Joio, Estelle Getty, Tony Snow, Evelyn Keyes, Killer Kowalski, Jerry Reed, Larry Harmon(Bozo the Clown), and Jo Stafford. Terrible shame that Couric, Norville, and the other mainstream newsers never noted the passing of most of these folks. Yes, I know that many of these people were old and had finished with their talents, but here they are in my list. You all take care. Di di mau!