The Winning Way

Good Morning!
I Have Been Thinking

What happened in 2009?  What a year it has been. Many have looked at 2009 as a bad year, even Time Magazine called it the year from hell.  Was it a good year or a bad year for you?  Personally, I didn’t notice a whole lot of difference this year I am just a little older and hopefully a little bit wiser for all of the experiences. This is a really long post for me and you will see that there is a good lot of medical information. There has been a lot of good reported this year too.  I have also included a list of the notibles who have expired in 2009. We would do well to take a look at what they did in  their lifetime.

Did you know 2009 marked the 400th anniversary for the invention of the telescope? Exactly 400 years ago on August 25, 1609 the Italian astronomer and philosopher
Galilei Galileo showed Venetian merchants his new creation, a telescope. It brought about to a series of groundbreaking conclusions like the Moon’s surface was not completely smooth and Jupiter had moons. Besides, Venus showed a range of moon-like phases, something which could not happen if both it and the sun orbited the Earth.  Galileo spent the final decade of his life under house arrest as his discoveries were not best welcomed by the Catholic Church. However, in the 1990s, Pope John Paul II had apologized to the scientist on behalf of the Catholic Church for condemning him when he was alive. The Roman Catholic Church has since exonerated
him. In the context of history this is Galileo’s redemption. 400 years from now what will people be apologizing for?

We celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Internet. This media has changed the way we communicate making the world smaller than ever.

Top News Headlines
 
Just in this week December 29, 2009

WHO Chief Says Too Early To Say if Swine Flu Pandemic Has Peaked Everywhere -

GENEVA (Canadian Press) — It is too early to declare that the swine flu pandemic has peaked worldwide and many more people could become sick with the virus this
winter, the head of the World Health Organization said in an interview published Tuesday.

New Form of Malaria Threatens Thai-Cambodia Border – December 28, 2009 PAILIN, Cambodia (AP) – O’treng village doesn’t look like the epicenter of anything.

First Case of Highly Drug-Resistant TB Found in US – December 28, 2009 LANTANA, Fla. (AP) — It started with a cough, an autumn hack that refused to go away.

This year we sent a mission to space to fix the Hubble telescope. This was the longest space walk ever.

Bernard L Madoff was jailed for putting together the biggest Ponzi scheme in history. 

The state of the economy  seems to be the most discussed and least understood

AP Enterprise: Feds Mull Regulating Drugs in Water – December 22, 2009 (Associated Press) — Federal regulators under President Barack Obama have sharply shifted course on long-standing policy toward pharmaceutical residues in the nation’s drinking water, taking a critical first step toward regulating some of the contaminants while acknowledging they could threaten human health.

Procter & Gamble Recalls Vicks DayQuil Capsules – December 21, 2009 CINCINNATI (AP) — Procter & Gamble Co. is recalling 700,000 packs of Vicks DayQuil capsules because they are not childproof.

What’s in Health Care Proposals for 5 Americans – December 21, 2009 (Associated Press) — As Congress gets closer to a final health care bill, many Americans want to know: What’s in it for me?

Swine Flu Vaccine Now Plentiful in Half the States – December 17, 2009 ATLANTA (AP) — After weeks of shortages, swine flu vaccine is plentiful enough that nearly half the states now say everyone can get it, not just people in high-risk groups.

Kids’ Swine Flu Shots Recalled; Not Strong Enough – December 15, 2009 ATLANTA (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of swine flu shots for children have been recalled because tests indicate the vaccine doses lost some strength, government health officials said Tuesday.

26 Operations, 13 Kidneys: Hope To Few With Little – December 14, 2009 WASHINGTON (AP) — Twenty-six operations put healthy kidneys into 13 desperately ill people: Doctors in the nation’s capital just performed a record-setting kidney swap, part of a pioneering effort to expand transplants to patients who too often never qualify.

Studies: Bone Drugs May Help Prevent Breast Cancer – December 11, 2009 SAN ANTONIO (AP) — New results from a landmark women’s health study raise the exciting possibility that bone-building drugs such as Fosamax and Actonel may help prevent breast cancer.

CDC: About 1 in 6 Americans Have Had Swine Flu – December 11, 2009 ATLANTA (AP) — Swine flu has sickened about 50 million Americans, and killed about 10,000, according to new estimates released by federal health officials 

Sens. Move To Block Drugmakers From Mining Rx Data – December 11, 2009 WASHINGTON (AP) — Drug companies would no longer be able to mine pharmacy records to track which doctors are prescribing their medications, under a proposal unveiled by two Senate Democrats.

Novel Drug Combo Extends Breast Cancer Survival – December 11, 2009 SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Women with very advanced breast cancer may have a new treatment option. A combination of two drugs that more precisely target tumors significantly extended the lives of women who had stopped responding to other treatments, doctors
reported.  There has been much controversy concerning Breast Cancer screenings when and how it should be done.

Obama Directs $600M to Health Centers, Med Records – December 09, 2009 WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama announced on Wednesday the government is spending almost $600 million for community health centers and for a push to transfer medical records to electronic formats.

Groups Try Simple Steps To Avoid Hospital Rebound – December 08, 2009 WASHINGTON (AP) – Talk about unnecessary misery: One in five Medicare patients winds up back in the hospital within a month – even worse, one in four patients with heart failure.

South Africa to Treat All HIV-Positive Babies – December 08, 2009
PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — South Africa announced ambitious new plans Tuesday for earlier and expanded treatment for HIV-positive babies and pregnant women, a change that could save hundreds of thousands of lives in the nation hardest hit by the virus that causes AIDS.

US Tops World in Health Care Spending, Results Lag – December 08, 2009 PARIS (AP) – The United States ranks near the bottom in life expectancy among wealthy nations despite spending more than double per person on health care than the industrialized world’s average, an economic group said Tuesday.

New Stem Cell Lines Approved for Tax-Paid Research – December 03, 2009 WASHINGTON (AP) — Scientists can start using taxpayer dollars to do research with 13 batches of embryonic stem cells and the government says dozens more cell lines should be available soon, opening a new era for the potentially life-saving field.

Study Finds Hospitals Speeding Heart Attack Care – December 03, 2009 WASHINGTON (AP) — Hospitals are giving faster care to lots more heart attack patients, a speed-up sure to be saving lives.

Experts: Man Controlled Robotic Hand With Thoughts – December 02, 2009 ROME (AP) — A group of European scientists say they have successfully connected a robotic hand to a man who had lost an arm, allowing him to feel sensations in the artificial hand and control it with his thoughts.

Autism Treatment Works in Kids as Young as 18 Mos. – November 30, 2009 CHICAGO (AP) — The first rigorous study of behavior treatment in autistic children as young as 18 months found two years of therapy can vastly improve symptoms, often resulting in a milder diagnosis.

Belgian Man: End of Coma Misdiagnosis Like Rebirth – November 24, 2009 BRUSSELS (AP) — With a caretaker holding his hand, a Belgian man who was diagnosed as comatose for 23 years typed out a message Tuesday that he felt reborn after decades of loneliness and frustration. Mom: Son in Coma Heard Everything for 23 Years – November 23, 2009 BRUSSELS (AP) — A man who emerged from what doctors thought was a vegetative state says he was fully conscious for 23 years but could not respond because he was paralyzed, his mother said Monday.

Study: Kids Watching Hours of TV at Home Daycare – November 23, 2009 SEATTLE (AP) — Parents who thought their preschoolers were spending time in home-based day cares, taking naps, eating healthy snacks and learning to play nicely with others may be surprised to discover they are sitting as many as two hours a day in front of a TV, according to a study published Monday.

Study: CT Scans Rule Out Heart Attacks Faster – November 18, 2009 ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A CT scan — a kind of super X-ray — provides a faster, cheaper way to diagnose a heart attack when someone goes to the emergency room with chest pains, a new study suggests.

Sebelius: Mammograms Still Vital in Saving Lives – November 18, 2009 WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal policy on who should get breast cancer screening has not  changed, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said Wednesday.

Study: Injured Uninsured More Likely To Die in ER – November 17, 2009 CHICAGO (AP) — Uninsured patients with traumatic injuries, such as car crashes, falls and gunshot wounds, were almost twice as likely to die in the hospital as similarly injured patients with health insurance, according to a troubling new study.

New Advice: Skip Mammograms in 40s, Start at 50 – November 17, 2009 NEW YORK (AP) — Most women don’t need a mammogram in their 40s and should get one every two years starting at 50, a government task force said Monday. It’s a major  reversal that conflicts with the American Cancer Society’s long-standing position.

Sexually Spread Diseases Up, Better Testing Cited – November 16, 2009 ATLANTA (AP) – Sexually spread diseases continue to rise, with reported chlamydia cases setting yet another record in 2008, government health officials said Monday.

CDC’s Swine Flu Toll: 4,000 Dead, 22 Million Ill – November 13, 2009 WASHINGTON (AP) — Estimates of deaths caused by the swine flu have grown to nearly 4,000 since April, roughly quadrupling previous estimates. But that doesn’t mean swine flu suddenly has worsened.

Senator Wants Employers To Provide More Sick Pay – November 12, 2009 (The New York Times News Service) — The idea of mandatory paid sick leave has been kicking around Congress for years. But as more people get sick with H1N1 flu virus, it could become a reality.

AIDS Is Leading Cause of Death, Disease for Women – November 09, 2009 GENEVA (AP) — In its first study of women’s health around the globe, the World Health Organization said Monday that the AIDS virus is the leading cause of death and disease among women between the ages of 15 and 44.

FDA: Beware Swine Flu Ads: Agency Cracks Down on Companies Selling Flu-Fighting Products – November 06, 2009
(McClatchy-Tribune Information Services) — The Food and Drug Administration is investigating companies nationwide that are advertising and selling unauthorized H1N1 products.

New Gene Therapy Halts 2 Boys’ Rare Brain Disease – November 06, 2009 WASHINGTON (AP) — French scientists mixed gene therapy and bone marrow transplants in two boys to seemingly halt a brain disease that can kill by adolescence.

Old Method of Heart Bypass Better Than ‘Off-Pump’ – November 05, 2009 NEW YORK (AP) — It seemed like a great idea — doing bypass surgery while the heart is still beating, sparing patients the complications that can come from going on a heart-lung machine. Now the first big test of this method has produced a surprise: Bypass has fewer problems and is more successful done the old way.

Researchers Find Insulin Link to Brain Shrinkage and Dementia – November 05, 2009 FORT COLLINS, Colo. (The New York Times News Service) — Colorado State University  researchers think insulin levels in the brain may be the key to understanding how some types of dementia progress.

Flu Spreads a New Etiquette – November 03, 2009
(USA Today) — John Stevenson hasn’t stopped patronizing the local gym, but after his workout, he is wiping down his machines with spray disinfectant and paper towels. Sales associate Janet Lininger is having customers swipe their own credit cards (she’s relieved to have recently shifted from the intimate-apparel section to the far-less-cozy handbag department).

Studies Find Pregnant Mothers’ Flu Shots Help Babies – October 30, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Information Services) — Newborns whose mothers got seasonal flu shots during pregnancy were less likely to be born premature, underweight, and in need of hospital care for respiratory illnesses, three new studies found.

Survey Finds Mental-Health Troubles Rise in Jobless – October 07, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Information Services) — Unemployed people are four times more likely to experience severe mental-health issues, including depression, than people with jobs, according to a survey released yesterday by the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Mental Health America.

Doctors’ Fears Drive Costs – October 05, 2009 (The New York Times News Service) — Ed Homan, an orthopedic surgeon in Tampa, often sees patients complaining of knee pain. Based on a $40 X-ray and his 40 years of experience, he can usually tell if it is only a sprain.
Most Babies Born This Century Will Live to 100 – October 02, 2009
LONDON (AP)– Most babies born in rich countries this century will eventually make it to their 100th birthday, new research says. Danish experts say that since the 20th century, people in developed countries are living about three decades longer than in the past. Surprisingly, the trend shows little sign of slowing down.
AIDS Vaccine Trial Praised — But Caution, Patience Urged – September 25, 2009 (The New York Times News Service) — As Bay Area scientists celebrated the first  promising results from the largest-ever AIDS vaccine trial, they cautioned that much more research is needed before a vaccine could be available to the public.

Doubling Chemo Dose Helped Leukemia Patients – September 24, 2009 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Adults with a common form of leukemia had a better chance of remission if they got a double dose of a long-used cancer drug, two new studies found.

A World First: Vaccine Helps Prevent HIV Infection – September 24, 2009 BANGKOK (AP) — For the first time, an experimental vaccine has prevented infection with the AIDS virus, a watershed event in the deadly epidemic and a surprising result. Recent failures led many scientists to think such a vaccine might never be possible.

Researchers: Aspirin Cuts Colon Cancer Risk – September 21, 2009
LONDON (AP) — People with a genetic susceptibility to colon cancer could cut their chances of developing the disease in half by taking a daily dose of aspirin, researchers said Monday.

Birth Control Could Help Combat Climate Change – September 18, 2009 LONDON (AP)– Giving contraceptives to people in developing countries could help fight climate change by slowing population growth, experts said Friday.

1.Zenn and EEStor – Our coverage of stealthy EEStor continually snags your attention, but you were especially interested when Zenn Motor CEO Ian Clifford spoke to us about plans to incorporate ultracapacitors from EEStor into full-speed electric vehicles in 2010. Following third-party verification that EEStor passed its final technology milestone, Clifford shared details of the new timeline for
technology deployment with the Cleantech Group in this exclusive piece (see Zenn CEO reveals details of EEStor’s progress).

2.Global Cleantech 100 – The Cleantech Group partnered with The Guardian newspaper on the Global Cleantech 100—the first list of this scale highlighting the most promising private cleantech companies around the world. The list recognizes companies at the forefront of cleantech innovation offering solutions to some of the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges (see 2009 Global Cleantech 100).

3.Solar power from space – Year-round power from space solar may have a science fiction ring to it, but readers seemed to like the idea of it, as it was the No. 3 story of 2009. In contracting with Southern California’s Solaren to get solar energy from space, PG&E said it was looking to get renewable solar-based electricity to ratepayers without going into NASA’s business. Solaren would deploy a solar array into space to beam an average of 850 gigawatt hours for the first year of the term, and 1,700 GWh per year over the remaining term (see Solaren’s plan from outer space).

4.Top 10 cleantech countries – Which countries are the leaders in cleantech?  Contributor Shawn Lesser of Sustainable World Capital stirred the pot with his ranking of the top 10 countries for cleantech, based on criteria such as government initiatives and programs, large investment mandates, and entrepreneurial innovation (see The top 10 cleantech countries of 2009). But as the ensuing comments
indicated, you didn’t all agree with him, suggesting other countries that should have made his list.

5.Peter Schwartz – This author and futurist took the stage at the Cleantech Forum XVIII in Washington, D.C. with his frank concerns of the current generation of energy investors (see video Peter Schwartz on energy VCs not knowing what they’re doing). Another widely read story came from his provocative closing session at the forum on peak oil (see Peak oil “wrong,” says Schwartz).

6.Gearless wind turbines – Coming to a hardware store near you? Readers couldn’t get enough of a new wind turbine from EarthTronics that opened new potential markets in low-wind areas. The Honeywell Wind Turbine starts generating power at wind speeds as low as 2 miles per hour, and EarthTronics got the added benefit of the Honeywell brand for the product (see EarthTronics snags Honeywell name on its new gearless wind turbine).

7.A gas-electric plug-in hybrid – Startup Bright Automotive was cagey about details of its gas-electric plug-in hybrid, but Cleantech Group readers wanted whatever the company would divulge. The 1-year-old company created buzz because of its origins in the consulting organization Rocky Mountain Institute and the track record of CEO
John Waters, who invented the battery pack system for General Motors’ EV1 electric vehicle (see Stealthy Bright Automotive gives hints about electric car launch).

8.A smarter grid – Industry leaders noted that the smart grid sector was starting to get traction for widespread adoption from global utilities as Democrats unveiled a $825 billion plan to stimulate the American economy, with $54 billion earmarked for renewable energy, energy efficiency, and smart grid projects. Cleantech Group
readers wanted to know who some of the early recipients might be in the smart grid space (see Smart grid could be early winner in U.S. stimulus package).

9.E-readers – In a first-of-its-kind report, the Cleantech Group took an n-depth look at the environmental impact of electronic book readers including the market leader, Amazon’s Kindle, in a lifecycle analysis (see Cleantech Group report: E-readers a win for carbon emissions). The report—titled The environmental impact of Amazon’s Kindle—also attracted attention from the New York Times and members of the Cleantech Network. It can be downloaded for free by members

10.EVs at Costco? – After stocking up on toilet paper and laundry detergent, could U.S. consumers turn to big-box discount stores to buy our Chinese electric cars too? That was the talk from the CEO of Mexico-based GS Motors Kathleen Ligocki, who thought the United States could follow in the footsteps on Mexico, where GS Motors
sold 4,000 Chinese-made vehicles in 2008 through retailers such as Costco and Wal-Mart (see Chinese electric cars at Costco?). 
ttp://cleantech.com/news/5446/top-10-most-widely-read-stories-200

BURST BUBBLES
Youngstown is an extreme but by no means unique case in America. On a basic level, it represents some of the challenges facing the country today in the wake of the longest and deepest downturn since the 1930s.

After two economic expansions based not on sustainable growth but on asset bubbles

– the dotcom boom of the 1990s then the far more damaging housing mania this decade — longstanding problems have been brought into sharper focus.

Even during the recent good times, the U.S. manufacturing sector, the muscle behind U.S. post-war economic might, was buffeted as corporations shipped low-cost production overseas.

“The easy, blue-collar shot to the middle class is gone,” said Mike Rollins, president of the Austin Chamber of Commerce. ”It’s going to take a lot more work to get there now.”

In short, the world’s largest economy is at a crossroads.

With a smaller manufacturing sector and a consumer base less able to keep leveraging future earnings, where will sustainable, long-term prosperity come from?

And more immediately, where will jobs come from?

This is a debate that is taking place at the local level around the country, from Youngstown to El Centro, California, and many places in between. But it is also a discussion that few see taking place at the national political level.”Washington just doesn’t get it,” said Shane Savage, a real estate agent in Pensacola, Florida, smoking a cigarette outside the home of a client who needs to sell fast in a down market. ”It’s going to take a long time to fix the mess that we’re in and our politicians don’t have a clue how bad it really is out here.”

You are more the future than you think, we will take a look at economy in a micro-cosm tomorrow.

Opportunity is never lost
It goes To Those Ready to Accept It!

Carolyn

   Ice Breakers
 Which One?

When Brenda’s grandson Logan Christian was 5 (he is currently 7) was spending the evening at his grandparents, home he asked if he could watch the “Brer Rabbit” video and then made a second request to watercolor.

Brenda asked him which one of the two he wanted to do.

He looked up at Brenda and replied, “Grandma I have two eyes. I can do two things at once.” 

Thought for Today: 

 ”We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us really happy is something to be enthusiastic about.”
                –Charles Kingsley
 

 Tips and Techniques

Affiliate marketing programs have several advantages over other ways to make money online.  Unlike the expense required to open your own online store, it’s inexpensive to get started.  You won’t need to be able to accept credit card payments, you don’t have to process orders, store items or ship them.  The merchants who offer the affiliate programs take care of these details.  All you do is promote their website and/or their products.  Once someone clicks your link and goes the merchant’s site, you’ve done your job and it’s out of your hands.

A Farewell: 2009′s notable deaths

Scientist Norman Borlaug, who died Sept. 12 at age 95, developed crops that enabled Third World farmers to wrest more food from their land. His “green revolution” was credited with averting global famine — and won him a Nobel Peace Prize.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy and his sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver were born into America’s pre-eminent political family and spent decades living up to its tradition of service.

Michael Jackson helped create his own family dynasty, this one rooted in show business, as the lead singer for The Jackson 5 when he was just a child. He grew up to become one of entertainment’s most influential and controversial figures as the King of Pop, and his death at age 50 was as mystifying as his life.

January

Claiborne Pell, 90. Six-term Rhode Island senator, force behind Pell college grants. Jan. 1.

Adolf Merckle, 74. German billionaire; business ran into trouble in financial meltdown. Jan. 5. Suicide.

Griffin Bell, 90. His friend Jimmy Carter’s attorney general. Jan. 5.

Cornelia Wallace, 69. Gov. George Wallace’s wife, who threw herself over him when he was shot in 1972. Jan. 8.

Ricardo Montalban, 88. Actor in splashy MGM musicals; Mr. Roarke in Fantasy Island.
Jan. 14.

Andrew Wyeth, 91. Artist whose portraits and landscapes combined realism, modern
melancholy. Jan. 16.

Edmund de Rothschild, 93. Oversaw modernization of family’s Rothschild merchant
bank. Jan. 17.

John Updike, 76. Pulitzer-winning novelist, essayist. Jan. 27.

Ingemar Johansson, 76. Swede who knocked out Floyd Patterson

February

Millard Fuller, 74. Founded Habitat for Humanity. Feb. 3.

James Whitmore, 87. Many-faceted actor; did one-man shows on Harry Truman, Will
Rogers. Feb. 6.

Paul Harvey, 90. Radio news, talk pioneer; one of nation’s most familiar voices. Feb. 28.

March

Sydney Chaplin, 82. Tony-winning actor; son of Charlie Chaplin. March 3.

Horton Foote, 92. Playwright (The Trip to Bountiful), screenwriter (To Kill a Mockingbird). March 4.

Ron Silver, 62. Won Tony as tough Hollywood producer in David Mamet’s
Speed-the-Plow. March 15.

Natasha Richardson, 45. Heiress to British acting royalty (Patty Hearst). March 18.
Skiing accident.

George Kell, 86.

Walter Cronkite  Tigers broadcaster. March 24

John Hope Franklin, 94. Towering scholar of African-American studies. March 25.

Jack Dreyfus, 95. Mutual fund pioneer. March 27.

April

Dave Arneson, 61. Co-created Dungeons & Dragons fantasy game. April 7.

Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, 54. Colorful Detroit Tigers pitcher; captivated fans in ’70s. April 13. Accident.

Jack Cardiff, 94. Oscar-winning cinematographer famed for innovative use of
Technicolor (The Red Shoes). April 22.

Bea Arthur, 86. Her sharp delivery propelled Maude, The Golden Girls; won Tony for Mame. April 25.

Venetia Phair, 90. As schoolgirl interested in mythology, she suggested name for the planet Pluto. April 30.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver

Jack Kemp, 73. Quarterback turned politician who crusaded for lower taxes, was Bob
Dole’s running-mate. May 2.

Martha Mason, 71. Polio victim who spent 61 years in iron lung yet graduated from college, wrote memoir. May 4.

Dom DeLuise, 75. Portly actor with offbeat style (The Cannonball Run). May 4.

Dom DiMaggio, 92. Bespectacled Boston Red Sox center fielder; Joe’s brother. May 8.

Chuck Daly, 78. Hall of Fame basketball coach; led Dream Team to 1992 Olympic gold. May 9.

Millvina Dean, 97. Last survivor of Titanic sinking; was 9 weeks old. May 31.

June

Koko Taylor, 80. Regal, powerful singer known as “Queen of the Blues.” June 3.

David Carradine, 72. Actor (Kung Fu, Kill Bill). June 4.

John Houghtaling, 92. Invented “Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed” for hotels. June 17.

Dr. Jerri Nielsen FitzGerald, 57. She treated her breast cancer before dramatic rescue from South Pole in 1999. June 23. Recurrence of cancer.

Ed McMahon, 86. Ebullient Tonight show sidekick who bolstered Johnny Carson. June
23.

Farrah Fawcett, 62. 1970s sex symbol, star of Charlie’s Angels. June 25.

Michael Jackson, 50. The King of Pop. June 25.

Billy Mays, 50. Burly, bearded television pitchman. June 28. Heart disease.

July

Karl Malden, 97. Oscar-winning actor; a star despite his plain looks (A Streetcar Named Desire). July 1.

Steve McNair, 36. Popular Tennessee Titans quarterback. July 4. Shot to death.

Robert S. McNamara, 93. Pentagon chief who directed escalation of Vietnam War despite private doubts. July 6.

Walter Cronkite, 92. Premier TV anchorman of networks’ golden age. July 17.

Frank McCourt, 78. He gained post-retirement fame, and a Pulitzer, for Angela’s Ashes. July 19.

Harry Patch, 111. Britain’s last survivor of the World War I trenches. July 25.

Merce Cunningham, 90. Avant-garde dancer, choreographer; revolutionized modern
dance. July 26.

August

Corazon Aquino, 76. Former Philippines president who swept away a dictator with
1986 “people power” revolt. Aug. 1.

Naomi Sims, 61. Pioneering black model of the 1960s. Aug. 1.

Budd Schulberg, 95. Novelist (What Makes Sammy Run?) and Oscar-winning screenwriter
(On the Waterfront). Aug. 5.

John Hughes, 59. Writer-director of youth-oriented comedies (Ferris Bueller’s Day
Off, Home Alone). Aug. 6. Heart attack.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, 88. Founded Special Olympics to bring new opportunities to
mentally disabled. Aug. 11.

Les Paul, 94. Guitar virtuoso; invented solid-body electric guitar and multitrack
recording. Aug. 13.

Kim Dae-jung, 85. Dissident who became South Korean president; won Nobel Peace
Prize for efforts to reconcile with North Korea. Aug. 18.

Robert Novak, 78. Combative conservative pundit who loved “making life miserable
for hypocritical, posturing politicians.” Aug. 18.

Don Hewitt, 86. TV news pioneer who created 60 Minutes, produced it for 36 years.
Aug. 19.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, 77. Senate’s liberal lion and haunted bearer of the Camelot torch. Aug. 25.

Adam “DJ AM” Goldstein, 36. Celebrity disc jockey; also a reality TV figure who attempted to help fellow drug addicts. Aug. 28. Overdose.

Nancy Talbot, 89. Co-founded Talbots women’s clothing company. Aug. 30.

September

Army Archerd, 87. His Daily Variety column kept tabs on Hollywood doings for more
than a half-century. Sept. 8.

Jim Carroll, 60. Poet, punk rocker; wrote The Basketball Diaries. Sept. 11. Heart attack.

Larry Gelbart, 81. Slyly witty writer for stage and screen (Tootsie, M-A-S-H). Sept. 11.

Gertrude Baines, 115. World’s oldest person. Sept. 11.

Norman Borlaug 95. Iowa farmboy who became acclaimed scientist, developed a type of  wheat that helped feed the world. Sept. 12.

Patrick Swayze, 57. Dancer turned movie superstar in Dirty Dancing, Ghost. Sept.
14. Pancreatic cancer.

Jody Powell, 65. President Jimmy Carter’s press secretary, top adviser. Sept. 14.

Melvin Simon, 82. Billionaire mall developer; owned Indiana Pacers. Sept. 16.

Mary Travers, 72. One-third of 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary (“If I Had a Hammer”). Sept. 16.

Irving Kristol, 89. Writer, editor known as godfather of neoconservatism. Sept. 18.

Susan Atkins, 61. Member of Charles Manson “family”; killed actress Sharon Tate. Sept. 24.

William Safire, 79. Pulitzer-winning New York Times columnist. Sept. 27.

October

Elizabeth Clare Prophet, 70. Spiritual leader of Church Universal and Triumphant, predicted nuclear Armageddon. Oct. 15.

Soupy Sales, 83. Rubber-faced comedian whose career was built on thousands of pies
to the face. Oct. 22.

John O’Quinn, Flamboyant Texas lawyer; won billions in verdicts. Oct. 29.

Claude Levi-Strauss, 100. French intellectual who was considered father of modern
anthropology Oct. 30.

Michelle Triola Marvin, 76. Fought a landmark “palimony” case against ex-lover Lee Marvin. Oct. 30.

November

Francisco Ayala, 103. Spanish novelist, sociologist; in exile during Franco dictatorship. Nov. 3.

Vitaly Ginzburg, 93. Nobel-winning Russian physicist, helped develop Soviet hydrogen bomb. Nov. 8.

Abe Pollin, 85. Washington Wizards owner who brought an NBA championship to nation’s capital. Nov. 24.

December

Jack Pitchford, 82. Air Force fighter pilot; survived seven years in North Vietnam’s notorious “Hanoi Hilton.” Dec. 2.

Richard Todd, 90. Acclaimed British actor (The Longest Day). Dec. 3.

Oral Roberts, 91. TV evangelist who built a multimillion-dollar ministry and a university that bears his name. Dec. 15.

Jennifer Jones, 90. Oscar-winning actress (The Song of Bernadette). Dec. 17.

Brittany Murphy, 32. Actress (Clueless), voice of Luanne Platter on King of the Hill. Dec. 20. Apparently natural causes.

 

Happy designing!