Dropping Like Flies
Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:…sounds like a job for Marg
Pretty Gruesome this one…
Bryan Harvey (ex House of Freaks guitarist) found murdered in Richmond
<img src="http://www.ronjaffe.com/images/majors.jpg" alt=" - " />
From CNN:
Last of China's 'Gang of 4' dies
Friday, January 6, 2006; Posted: 5:48 a.m. EST (10:48 GMT)
BEIJING, China (AP) – Yao Wenyuan, the final surviving member of the Gang of Four that terrorized China during the violent 1966-76 Cultural Revolution by persecuting thousands of people, has died, the government said Friday. He was 74.
Yao's death on December 23 was blamed on diabetes, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It didn't say where he died or explain the delay in reporting his death.
The Gang of Four, reportedly given its name by then-Chinese leader Mao Zedong, directed the purge of moderate party officials and intellectuals during the Cultural Revolution. Yao was the group's propagandist, later dubbed the killer with a pen by state media.
Led by Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, the Gang of Four and its allies inflicted physical and emotional damage that still reverberates in Chinese society, despite loosened social controls and economic reforms that have raised living standards.
Nearly every Chinese city dweller who was alive at the time can tell of a relative or friend who was beaten, harassed or driven to suicide, often by tormenters who took advantage of the unrest to avenge grudges.
The violence pitted neighbor against neighbor, wrecked the economy and forced a generation of intellectuals to work in the countryside.
A month after Mao's death in 1976, the Gang of Four members were arrested, marking the end of the Cultural Revolution.
Yao, a Shanghai journalist, was convicted of trying to gain power by persecuting officials and members of the public and spent 20 years in prison before his release in 1996. It was not known what he did in the 10 years after his release.
Evidence at his televised trial included a diary entry in which he asked: "Why can't we shoot a few counterrevolutionary elements? After all, dictatorship is not like embroidering flowers."
On Jiang's orders, Yao fired the first salvo of the Cultural Revolution, writing a review condemning a popular Beijing play as an attack on Mao. He was rewarded with a seat on the party's ruling Politburo.
Yao later confessed to falsifying evidence against Deng Xiaoping, who was purged during the Cultural Revolution but emerged as China's supreme leader in 1978.
"His weapon to kill people was the pen," a government magazine said in 1981 after Yao's conviction.
Jiang died in 1991 in custody, reportedly by suicide. Another member, Wang Hongwen, died in 1992. The third member, Zhang Chunqiao, died last May.
The Gang of Four received most of the official blame for the political violence as the government tried to shift attention away from the role played by others, including thousands of officials.
Yao served his sentence in Qincheng jail outside of Beijing, where the Gang of Four once held victims in solitary confinement.
Last of China's 'Gang of 4' dies
Friday, January 6, 2006; Posted: 5:48 a.m. EST (10:48 GMT)
BEIJING, China (AP) – Yao Wenyuan, the final surviving member of the Gang of Four that terrorized China during the violent 1966-76 Cultural Revolution by persecuting thousands of people, has died, the government said Friday. He was 74.
Yao's death on December 23 was blamed on diabetes, the official Xinhua News Agency reported. It didn't say where he died or explain the delay in reporting his death.
The Gang of Four, reportedly given its name by then-Chinese leader Mao Zedong, directed the purge of moderate party officials and intellectuals during the Cultural Revolution. Yao was the group's propagandist, later dubbed the killer with a pen by state media.
Led by Mao's wife, Jiang Qing, the Gang of Four and its allies inflicted physical and emotional damage that still reverberates in Chinese society, despite loosened social controls and economic reforms that have raised living standards.
Nearly every Chinese city dweller who was alive at the time can tell of a relative or friend who was beaten, harassed or driven to suicide, often by tormenters who took advantage of the unrest to avenge grudges.
The violence pitted neighbor against neighbor, wrecked the economy and forced a generation of intellectuals to work in the countryside.
A month after Mao's death in 1976, the Gang of Four members were arrested, marking the end of the Cultural Revolution.
Yao, a Shanghai journalist, was convicted of trying to gain power by persecuting officials and members of the public and spent 20 years in prison before his release in 1996. It was not known what he did in the 10 years after his release.
Evidence at his televised trial included a diary entry in which he asked: "Why can't we shoot a few counterrevolutionary elements? After all, dictatorship is not like embroidering flowers."
On Jiang's orders, Yao fired the first salvo of the Cultural Revolution, writing a review condemning a popular Beijing play as an attack on Mao. He was rewarded with a seat on the party's ruling Politburo.
Yao later confessed to falsifying evidence against Deng Xiaoping, who was purged during the Cultural Revolution but emerged as China's supreme leader in 1978.
"His weapon to kill people was the pen," a government magazine said in 1981 after Yao's conviction.
Jiang died in 1991 in custody, reportedly by suicide. Another member, Wang Hongwen, died in 1992. The third member, Zhang Chunqiao, died last May.
The Gang of Four received most of the official blame for the political violence as the government tried to shift attention away from the role played by others, including thousands of officials.
Yao served his sentence in Qincheng jail outside of Beijing, where the Gang of Four once held victims in solitary confinement.
From CNN:
Cowsills member dead; missing since Katrina
Barry Cowsill was bassist for '60s singing family
Friday, January 6, 2006; Posted: 8:32 a.m. EST (13:32 GMT)
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) – Barry Cowsill, a member of the popular 1960s singing family The Cowsills, was found dead on a wharf nearly four months after he disappeared when Hurricane Katrina flooded the city. He was 51.
Cowsill's body, recovered December 28 from the Chartres Street Wharf, was identified with dental records Tuesday, said Dr. Louis Cataldie, head of the state hurricane morgue in Carville.
The coroner had not determined the cause of death but believed it was related to the devastating storm, which struck the city August 29.
Cowsill, who lived on and off in New Orleans, had not been heard from since he left phone messages for his sister September 1, his family's Web site said.
"They tell us he'd been dead for quite some time," Richard Cowsill, his brother, said in a telephone interview Thursday. "We love him and we're going to miss him, but he's in a much better place, in my mother's arms."
The Cowsills – the inspiration for the TV series "The Partridge Family" – recorded a series of top hits between 1967 and 1970, including "The Rain, The Park and Other Things," "Indian Lake" and "Hair." They also were spokespersons for the American Dairy Association, appearing in commercials and print ads for milk.
Four Cowsill brothers played in the band: Barry on bass, Bill on guitar, Bob on guitar and organ, and John on drums. Their mother, Barbara, and little sister, Susan, eventually joined the group.
The Cowsills got their start in Newport, Rhode Island, where by 1965 they had a regular gig at a club. They were spotted by a producer for NBC's "Today" show who booked them for an appearance that led to a record deal.
The band broke up in the 1970s, amid acrimony that left some members estranged from each other for several years.
"It wasn't just the end of a business, it was the end of a family," Bob Cowsill said in a 1990 interview.
Barbara Cowsill died in 1985.
In addition to his siblings, Cowsill is survived by two daughters and a son.
Richard Cowsill said no memorial service was planned and that his brother would be cremated. "He always said when I leave this place, you better party. And that's what we're planning to do," he said.
Cowsills member dead; missing since Katrina
Barry Cowsill was bassist for '60s singing family
Friday, January 6, 2006; Posted: 8:32 a.m. EST (13:32 GMT)
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) – Barry Cowsill, a member of the popular 1960s singing family The Cowsills, was found dead on a wharf nearly four months after he disappeared when Hurricane Katrina flooded the city. He was 51.
Cowsill's body, recovered December 28 from the Chartres Street Wharf, was identified with dental records Tuesday, said Dr. Louis Cataldie, head of the state hurricane morgue in Carville.
The coroner had not determined the cause of death but believed it was related to the devastating storm, which struck the city August 29.
Cowsill, who lived on and off in New Orleans, had not been heard from since he left phone messages for his sister September 1, his family's Web site said.
"They tell us he'd been dead for quite some time," Richard Cowsill, his brother, said in a telephone interview Thursday. "We love him and we're going to miss him, but he's in a much better place, in my mother's arms."
The Cowsills – the inspiration for the TV series "The Partridge Family" – recorded a series of top hits between 1967 and 1970, including "The Rain, The Park and Other Things," "Indian Lake" and "Hair." They also were spokespersons for the American Dairy Association, appearing in commercials and print ads for milk.
Four Cowsill brothers played in the band: Barry on bass, Bill on guitar, Bob on guitar and organ, and John on drums. Their mother, Barbara, and little sister, Susan, eventually joined the group.
The Cowsills got their start in Newport, Rhode Island, where by 1965 they had a regular gig at a club. They were spotted by a producer for NBC's "Today" show who booked them for an appearance that led to a record deal.
The band broke up in the 1970s, amid acrimony that left some members estranged from each other for several years.
"It wasn't just the end of a business, it was the end of a family," Bob Cowsill said in a 1990 interview.
Barbara Cowsill died in 1985.
In addition to his siblings, Cowsill is survived by two daughters and a son.
Richard Cowsill said no memorial service was planned and that his brother would be cremated. "He always said when I leave this place, you better party. And that's what we're planning to do," he said.
Lou Rawls…
Who's now going to inspire my annual donation to the United Negro College Fund?
Who's now going to inspire my annual donation to the United Negro College Fund?
Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:Two Charged in Slaughter of Va. Families
Pretty Gruesome this one…
Bryan Harvey (ex House of Freaks guitarist) found murdered in Richmond
By LARRY O'DELL, Associated Press Writer
40 minutes ago
Two men were captured Saturday and charged in the brutal killings over the past week of seven people from two Richmond families, slayings that police hadn't publicly tied together until now.
Police Chief Rodney Monroe said Ray Joseph Dandridge and Ricky Gavon Gray, both 28, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and auto theft.
He said the charges stem from the slaying Friday of Percyell Tucker, 55, Mary Baskerville, 47, and her daughter, Ashley Baskerville, 21; and from the New Year's Day killings of Bryan Harvey, 49, his wife, Kathryn, 39, and their two young daughters, Stella, 9, and Ruby, 4.
Monroe said both of the men have ties to the Philadelphia area, but he could not be more specific.
The investigation into Friday's triple homicide led police to Dandridge and Gray, Monroe said. He said investigators also found evidence linking them to the four killings in the Harveys' home, but he declined to give specifics.
Monroe said that Tucker and Baskerville's home was ransacked and that police believed robbery was the motive. He said investigators also believe robbery may have been the motive in the Harvey family killings.
_____________
Hope they string these fuckers up!!!
(Assuming they are truly the guilty ones.)
Will it be classified as one of those "Hate" crimes….that are oh, SO fashionable nowadays?
Originally posted by Jaguar:
Originally posted by kosmo vinyl:Two Charged in Slaughter of Va. Families
Pretty Gruesome this one…
Bryan Harvey (ex House of Freaks guitarist) found murdered in Richmond
By LARRY O'DELL, Associated Press Writer
40 minutes ago
Two men were captured Saturday and charged in the brutal killings over the past week of seven people from two Richmond families, slayings that police hadn't publicly tied together until now.
Police Chief Rodney Monroe said Ray Joseph Dandridge and Ricky Gavon Gray, both 28, were charged with conspiracy to commit murder and auto theft.
He said the charges stem from the slaying Friday of Percyell Tucker, 55, Mary Baskerville, 47, and her daughter, Ashley Baskerville, 21; and from the New Year's Day killings of Bryan Harvey, 49, his wife, Kathryn, 39, and their two young daughters, Stella, 9, and Ruby, 4.
Monroe said both of the men have ties to the Philadelphia area, but he could not be more specific.
The investigation into Friday's triple homicide led police to Dandridge and Gray, Monroe said. He said investigators also found evidence linking them to the four killings in the Harveys' home, but he declined to give specifics.
Monroe said that Tucker and Baskerville's home was ransacked and that police believed robbery was the motive. He said investigators also believe robbery may have been the motive in the Harvey family killings.
_____________
Hope they string these fuckers up!!!
(Assuming they are truly the guilty ones.)
I shall shed a tear…
Founder of Liverpool's Cavern Club, home of The Beatles, dies
Thu Jan 12, 12:34 PM ET
The man who founded The Cavern nightclub, the venue that launched The Beatles on the road to global superstardom, has died.
Alan Sytner, who opened the venue in Liverpool, northwest England, as a jazz bar in January 1957 died on Wednesday after falling ill on holiday in France, local newspapers in Liverpool reported. No age was given.
The Cavern, where the four-piece of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr gained a fanatic following in the 1960s, was inspired by an underground club in Paris called Le Caveau Francais.
Sytner sold the club in 1959 and went on to found a luxury car dealership.
The club's current owner, Bill Heckle, said: "This is very sad news for anyone connected to the Cavern.
"Alan had the vision to create the conditions which acted as a vehicle for all of the talent that was around in the Merseybeat era.
"You could even argue that without the Cavern The Beatles would never have gone on to achieve what they did."
The original Cavern, which was built in a basement in the city's Mathew Street, was knocked down and is now the site of a car park. A replica on the same street is a major tourist attraction.
Founder of Liverpool's Cavern Club, home of The Beatles, dies
Thu Jan 12, 12:34 PM ET
The man who founded The Cavern nightclub, the venue that launched The Beatles on the road to global superstardom, has died.
Alan Sytner, who opened the venue in Liverpool, northwest England, as a jazz bar in January 1957 died on Wednesday after falling ill on holiday in France, local newspapers in Liverpool reported. No age was given.
The Cavern, where the four-piece of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr gained a fanatic following in the 1960s, was inspired by an underground club in Paris called Le Caveau Francais.
Sytner sold the club in 1959 and went on to found a luxury car dealership.
The club's current owner, Bill Heckle, said: "This is very sad news for anyone connected to the Cavern.
"Alan had the vision to create the conditions which acted as a vehicle for all of the talent that was around in the Merseybeat era.
"You could even argue that without the Cavern The Beatles would never have gone on to achieve what they did."
The original Cavern, which was built in a basement in the city's Mathew Street, was knocked down and is now the site of a car park. A replica on the same street is a major tourist attraction.
Originally posted by RonniStar:"Has the distinction of currently being the highest ranked female performer on The Oracle of Bacon's list of the top 1000 performers based upon their "center of the film universe" average number. Winter's average link number is 2.696842, placing seventeenth on the list. The places her well above Kevin Bacon, who is currently ranked 1161st, despite being the original focus of the quirky game of linking actors through their co-stars."
Oscar Winner Shelley Winters dead at age 85
May the source be with you.
Soul Legend Wilson Pickett Dies At 64
Soul/R&B legend Wilson Pickett died of a heart attack today (Jan. 19) at a hospital near his Virginia home, according to a spokesperson. He was 64.
Soul/R&B legend Wilson Pickett died of a heart attack today (Jan. 19) at a hospital near his Virginia home, according to a spokesperson. He was 64.
Originally posted by Bombay Chutney:Excuse me, would you have any Rock Salmon?
Soul Legend Wilson Pickett Dies At 64
No, I'm sorry - we only have Soul!
Nah, I used to see him picking up fresh produce at the Springfield Whole Foods.
Originally posted by MTB-Markie:
It was midnight on the murder mile, Wilson Pickett's finest hour.
I thought he died years ago.
Umm, I am never sure when to take you seriously.
picture from 1999:
<img src="http://www.alamhof.org/picketw3.jpg" alt=" - " />
picture from 1999:
<img src="http://www.alamhof.org/picketw3.jpg" alt=" - " />
Though it says he did live in Northern Virginia, I never saw Wilson Pickett at Whole Foods in Springfield.
I did once see ggw and his woman at the Whole Foods in Springfield.
I did once see ggw and his woman at the Whole Foods in Springfield.
Actor Chris Penn Found Dead
SANTA MONICA - Actor Chris Penn died in Santa Monica. The brother of Sean Penn was 43.
Santa Monica police say there is no sign of foul play in the death of Actor Chris Penn. The actor and brother of Sean Penn was found dead in a Santa Monica residence.
Chris Penn was seen in many movies - including "Reservoir Dogs" "Footloose," "Corky Romano" and "Mulholland Falls." Santa Monica police are currently on the scene investigating the circumstances.
SANTA MONICA - Actor Chris Penn died in Santa Monica. The brother of Sean Penn was 43.
Santa Monica police say there is no sign of foul play in the death of Actor Chris Penn. The actor and brother of Sean Penn was found dead in a Santa Monica residence.
Chris Penn was seen in many movies - including "Reservoir Dogs" "Footloose," "Corky Romano" and "Mulholland Falls." Santa Monica police are currently on the scene investigating the circumstances.
Note to self: it's time to re-evaluate your life when you hear about a celebrity death and you think, "shit, this has to go on the Dropping Like Flies thread on the 9:30 board", only to go there to discover it's already been posted.
Sad. About my life, I mean. Kinda sad, I guess, about Chris Penn.
Sad. About my life, I mean. Kinda sad, I guess, about Chris Penn.
Originally posted by Random Citizen:He was supposed to be at Sundance this week to premier his new movie "Darwin Awards" - conspiracy theorists may begin…..
Actor Chris Penn Found Dead
Santa Monica police are currently on the scene investigating the circumstances.