Marty Dolin
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/marty-dolin-obituary-1.4536489
That is such a huge loss. Selfless, tireless activist, where he was needed the most, admired by everyone. Long may his contributions be remembered, and most importantly, emulated.
I never heard of the guy, but just seeing that photograph at the link showed me what a tough, righteous fighter he must have been. If I'd met him, I'd have shaken his hand and hoped I never got on his bad side. May he rest in power...if he actually rests...
I never heard of the guy, but just seeing that photograph at the link showed me what a tough, righteous fighter he must have been. If I'd met him, I'd have shaken his hand and hoped I never got on his bad side. May he rest in power...if he actually rests...
You probably don't know about his wife - Mary Beth Dolin - born in the U.S., came to Manitoba in the early 70s with him and the kids, and ... too much to tell. Became a cabinet minister in the provincial NDP government, and died tragically before her 50th birthday, if memory serves. Marty, overcome by grief, but not overcome, ran and won in her riding, and the rest is history. The whole story must be somewhere on the internet.
Which makes the man that much more remarkable. I truly wish I'd known him. Thanks for posting that.
I forgot how long ago that all was (then again, I haven't lived there in almost 20 years) . And I did not know he was American.
James Laxer, iconic figure of the Canadian left for many decades, died suddenly of natural causes yesterdy in Paris. RIP, and condolences to his son Michael and their family.
oldgoat, very sad to hear that! Thanks.
Sorry to hear of it. Vive Le Waffle!
Oh this is sad news. A friend recently sent me a copy of his book, "Red Diaper Baby". Reading it will be tinged with sadness.
David Ogden Stiers, surely best known for his portrayal of Maj. Dr. Charles Emerson Winchester III, on M*A*S*H.
Dr. Stephen Hawking died peacefully at his home in Cambridge last night. Kind of hard to imagine a universe without him.
I was WONDERING why all of those planets have been falling out of the sky this morning. Ruined the neighbors' lawn.
Thank you, Dr. Hawking-you showed us where we live.
Fittingly Hawking passed away on Pi day (3.14). Pi day is also the birthday of Albert Einstein.
Karl Marx also passed away on Pi day which makes sense since he supported the philosophy of "scientific socialism."
"I believe the simplist explanation is that there is no god. No one created the universe and no one directs our fate. We have this one life to appreciate the design of the universe, and for that I am extremely grateful."
"We are just an advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet of a very average star. But we can understand the universe. That makes us something very special."
Both these wonderful quotes are from Stephen Hawking. I'm glad he outlived his dire prognosis for an astounding 53 years - he taught us so much.
Lol! That’s fucking funny and ironic. The tweet of god is actually written by a person. Just like the rest of religion. The only difference is that it was probably an atheist that wrote it.
Fittingly Hawking passed away on Pi day (3.14). Pi day is also the birthday of Albert Einstein. Karl Marx also passed away on Pi day which makes sense since he supported the philosophy of "scientific socialism."
ya actually to try to find symbolic meaning in a random anomaly is pretty much on par with religion. Humans today are no smarter than 200 years ago. Take all the time you want to think about that
Dr. Stephen Hawking died peacefully at his home in Cambridge last night. Kind of hard to imagine a universe without him.
He’s over rated. Not to say I don’t believe he’s a great intellect! Or that it would have been mind blowing amazing if he was a poster here on Babble!!!!!
Its just that I believe that the pursuit of expanding our awareness of the intelligence of other life forms on planet Earth and learning to effectively communicate with other sentient beings such as Whales and Elephants and others is a way more greater goal!!!
Fittingly Hawking passed away on Pi day (3.14). Pi day is also the birthday of Albert Einstein. Karl Marx also passed away on Pi day which makes sense since he supported the philosophy of "scientific socialism."ya actually to try to find symbolic meaning in a random anomaly is pretty much on par with religion. Humans today are no smarter than 200 years ago. Take all the time you want to think about that
I'll take the next year to think about that until pi day 2019. Celebrating anniversaries of births and deaths may be superstitious but I find it rewarding nonetheless. While I’m eating a slice of pie next March 14 and thinking about Hawking, Einstein, and, Marx, I'll try not to feel too embarrassed about being so simple-minded!
Other passages of note this week include Ottawa born comedian Michael MacDonald and former NDP (Churchill) MP Bev Desjarlais.
Other passages of note this week include Ottawa born comedian Michael MacDonald and former NDP (Churchill) MP Bev Desjarlais.
Bev's claim to fame was to be the only NDP MP to vote against same-sex marriage, resulting in her losing the subsequent NDP nomination to Niki Ashton. Desjarlais then went on to work in the office of some Conservative MP for a time. I remember the discussion on that issue was very active on babble at the time.
Her son Kris, who is one of the left-wing city council members in Brandon, had this to say about his mother:
"Mom lived the way she wanted to live right to the very end," Brandon Coun. Kris Desjarlais said about his late mother....
Kris Desjarlais said his mom will be remembered for having a ton of energy, a strong spirit and staying true to her convictions — she voted in 2005 against same-sex marriage, which put her at odds with her own party and led to her being stripped of her duties as critic for the NDP.
"We went toe to toe from time to time on that, but I loved her and I know that my mom was not … homophobic; it was this religious conviction that I couldn't quite get her to come around to," he said.
"She could be so stubborn and determined."
...
There was one thing she stayed true till up till her death, her son said.
"I can assure you that she was still an NDPer. She would still be voting NDP till the end."
I had an aunt like that. Staunch Catholic, anti-choice. Otherwise thoroughly on the left.
I had an aunt like that. Staunch Catholic, anti-choice. Otherwise thoroughly on the left.
Back in my days as a phone jockey for a polling company, I interviewed a guy like that on the phone, right before the '88 election. When I asked him at the beginning of the survey what he thought the most important issue facing Canada was, he said abortion, and then went into an extended anti-choice rant, which it was almost possible to pull him out of.
Later in the survey, he declared himself a socialist, and when the questions made a passing reference to senate reform, he accused me of working for "those guys who just wanna get richer than they already are", an obvious reference to the then upstart Reform Party. After that, it was all I could do to get him to stay on the phone.
Saul Cherniak. Age 101
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/saul-cherniack-1.4600662
Former provincial cabinet minister, Winnipeg city councillor and life-long socialist. A social justice advocate, including fighting for the rights of Japanese Canadians who had their land taken in the way. He was also instrumental in amalgamating the City of Winnipeg.
Roland Penner
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/roland-penner-obituary-1.4689207
Glad he lived a long life, but this is still a heavy passing.
Roland Penner
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/roland-penner-obituary-1.4689207
Glad he lived a long life, but this is still a heavy passing.
One of my heroes. Anyone who doesn't know his life, do yourself a favour and read about him. He was on the U.S. McCarthyite anti-communist blacklist until 1981 - when he was named to the cabinet of the Manitoba NDP government as Attorney General (among other positions he later held). He authored the Manitoba Human Rights Code in 1987, before many other provinces and with more progressive content. He won many honours and deserved every one. My sympathies to his family and all who benefited from knowing him or of him.
From the famous Penner clan? Norm Penner, Steve Penner? If I recall, Joyce Penner?
Jake Penner, for sure. His dad.
http://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/people/penner_j.shtml
I moved to town from rural Manitoba a few years before Pawley's government came in, so Penner's stint as Manitoba's Attourney General is part of my early engagement in things political.
As for the family name, it is a very common Mennonite one, at least in Manitoba, and there is a small grocery chain by that name further west. Like a number of old world family names, its origin is actually derogatory. In German it is a nasty word for beggar. A couple of friends of mine burst out laughing the first time they saw it on a sign here in Canada.
Danny Kirwan (Fleetwood Mac). Here's an earlier article with his story:http://observer.com/2015/11/for-your-reconsideration-danny-kirwan-the-sa...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqksJGGoHSw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_ZHnD3boIQ
Koko, the gorilla.
She took a selfie that graced the cover of National Geographic, two years before Kim Kardashian was even born. She evidently understood about 2000 spoken words and could "speak" ASL. Owned a pet and mourned its death. Met Mr. Rogers once, and Robin Williams, and others. Coined the term "finger bracelet" when she didn't know "ring", and "eye hat" when she didn't know "mask". Lived in a trailer, liked tickles, disliked alligators. Made it to 46 and went in her sleep.
Very sad about Koko...
I have had beaux (or laids) but never wanted children, and have become as catladyish as she was.
However, I'm still annoyed by some people using "animal" as an antonym for human, especially in the case of such close cousins as the other great apes.
I will always miss Koko. She taught us all so much.
Grieving mother highlights crisis for Southern Resident killer whales
For more than a week, the West Coast — and the world — have watched as a Southern Resident killer whale mother carries her dead calf in what experts describe as a display of grief.
The calf was born on July 24 and lived for only half an hour — not long enough to be named under the system researchers use to identify each individual member of this endangered population.
Since then, its mother, J35, has carried it — usually on her head, sometimes carefully in her mouth and with a deep dive to recover it every time she takes a moment’s break. She has been doing this without interruption for so long that researchers are concerned about the consequences for her own health.
Scientists say orcas aren’t the only animals that mourn their dead. Other whales and dolphins have also been known to “keep vigils” for deceased podmates.
But the depth of J35’s display of grief has been particularly striking.
“What is beyond grief?” Deborah Giles, a research scientist for the University of Washington Center for Conservation Biologist is quoted as saying in the Seattle Times. “I don’t know what the word for that is, but that is where (the mother) is.”....
update:
After 17 days and 1,000 miles, mother orca Tahlequah drops her dead calf
quote:
Another member of the population, a 4 ½ year-old known as J50, also is ailing. Biologists were working over the weekend to monitor her condition.
The Lummi Nation also is standing by to feed J50 live salmon, possibly as soon as Sunday.
A veterinary review of J50 on Thursday night encouraged veterinarians and biologists who said her condition is better than they expected. But she remains terribly thin and severely malnourished.
Lack of food also has been linked to the southern residents’ failure for three years now to produce offspring.
“The reason J35 lost her baby and the others are losing their babies is there is not enough salmon,” Balcomb said of the whales’ primary food source. “Hopefully we will do something about that.”
I made the mistake of reading that story at CBC news and glancing at the hateful, wilfully stupid comments. Anthropomorphism? No, I didn't think mamma and baby were humans, or any variety of great apes. They are another form of intelligent mammalian life.
Egyptian French Marxist thinker Samir Amin, was one of the most prominent economists in the world
He impressed and influenced me in my youth. May his work be remembered and pursued.
Yes, I met him several times at Alternatives meetings here. Sad day.
Aretha! Unapologetically Black, Unapologetically Woman
Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, passed at 76. She leaves a legacy of music, commitment to Black and human liberation and defined America’s DNA
Uri Avnery 1923 - 2018
RIP
His last:
Who the Hell Are We?
https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/08/06/who-the-hell-are-we/
"No democracy. No equality. A state of the Jews, for the Jews, by the Jews."
Oh dear, I loved Uri's columns and wrote to him more than once. He always responded. He seemed eternal. He always wrote his own column both in Hebrew and English, and revised the German version.
Yes, RIP Uri! And very sad to see Aretha go as well.
..i missed this earlier but better late than never. democracy now did an entire show on areatha. includes angela davis.
Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane, age 76.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/music/news/jefferson-airplane-e2-80-99s-jorma-...
Here's the link to Jorma's Kaukonen's blog: http://jormakaukonen.com/cracksinthefinish/
