Robert W. Mackenzie, Canadian labour organizer and politician, Ontario Minister of Labour (1990–1994) died he was , 82.

Robert Warren Mackenzie  was a politician in Ontario, Canada  died he was , 82.. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 1995, and a prominent cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
 

(June 26, 1928 - January 17, 2011)

Background

Mackenzie was a longtime member of Canada's union movement. He was raised in western Quebec, and quit school after grade seven to work at the E.B. Eddy Company paper mill in Hull. He later worked as a merchant seaman, and claims that he was introduced to social democracy in this period by a Scandinavian co-worker. He later moved to Windsor, Ontario, and worked in an auto plant. Finally settling in Hamilton, he was a member of the United Steelworkers of America Local 5328 and an executive member of the Hamilton and District Labour Council. His son Andrew Mackenzie ran for the Hamilton East seat, but was defeated by Liberal Dominic Agostino. His son David is a personal advisor to New Democratic Party leader, Jack Layton.

Politics

Mackenzie first ran for provincial office in the provincial election of 1955, as a candidate of the Ontario CCF in the riding of Windsor—Walkerville. He finished second, losing to Progressive Conservative Cooke Davies by about 3,000 votes.
He ran for the Canadian House of Commons for the federal New Democratic Party in the 1972 federal election, but finished third in the riding of Hamilton—Wentworth in a close three-way race. He ran again in the 1974 federal election, and lost by a wider margin. Progressive Conservative candidate Sean O'Sullivan won the riding on both occasions.
Mackenzie was first elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1975, winning the working class riding of Hamilton East by a wide margin. He was re-elected in the elections of 1977, 1981, 1985, 1987 and 1990. The only time he faced a serious challenge was in 1985, when Liberal Shirley Collins came within 1,600 votes of defeating him. On all other occasions, he won by significant margins. Mackenzie supported Bob Rae for the NDP leadership in 1982.
Following the inconclusive 1985 election, the NDP under Bob Rae allowed the Liberal Party under David Peterson to form a minority government, which lasted for two years. Mackenzie was part of a minority group in the NDP caucus that recommended supporting the Progressive Conservatives instead, on the grounds that urban-based "Red Tories" would be more likely to support labour issues than the Liberal Party (which was then dominated by rural members). Mackenzie served as his party's Labour Critic from 1985 to 1990.

Government

The NDP won a majority government in the 1990 provincial election, and Mackenzie was appointed as the province's Minister of Labour on October 1 of that year. In 1992, he helped navigate the passage of Bill 40, which introduced anti-scab provisions during strikes and other positions supported by the labour movement. The bill became law on January 1, 1993, and is generally regarded as one of the most labour-friendly bills in recent Ontario history (it may be noted that many of its provisions were later undone by the government of Mike Harris). Mackenzie also introduced legislation dealing with pay equity for nurses and child-care attendants, and extended unionization rights to farm workers. In 1993, he accepted the Rae government's Social Contract legislation as necessary for the province.
In office, Mackenzie was known as a passionate supporter of labour interests within cabinet. Journalist Thomas Walkom recounted the following story in his book, Rae Days:

"At one early cabinet meeting, for instance, Mackenzie had just finished delivering a passionate plea for aid to jobless Steelworkers in the hard-hit uranium-mining town of Elliot Lake. Suddenly Energy minister Jenny Carter spoke up. "Why bother?" said the Peterborough anti-nuclear activist. "They'll all be dead of cancer soon anyway." Mackenzie, according to one participant at the meeting, was so furious he literally lunged across the cabinet table at the hapless Carter. Luckily, it was a wide table."^[1]

There was some controversy in early 1994 when Mackenzie's son David was hired as a special advisor to the Premier's office  died he was , 82.. Mackenzie resigned as Labour Minister on October 20, 1994, and did not seek re-election in 1995.

After politics

In 2004, Mackenzie supported Andrea Horwath's successful campaign to replace Agostino in a by-election.
Mackenzie died on January 17, 2011 at the age of 82.^[2]

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John Ross, American activist, author and journalist, died from liver cancer he was , 72.

John Ross  was an American author, poet, freelance journalist, and activist who lived in Mexico and wrote extensively on its leftist political movements died from liver cancer he was , 72..

(March 11, 1938 – January 17, 2011)

Ross was the author of several books, including a gritty portrait of Mexico City, where he spent almost all of his time since 1985. He was part of the Beat movement, and first came to Mexico in the late 1950s. Born in New York City, Ross also lived in San Francisco, California prior to returning to Mexico.

He was one of the early draft resisters during the Vietnam War, and in early 2003 he travelled to Iraq, hoping to serve as a "human shield" to help protect Iraqi civilians prior to the U.S.-led invasion. The volunteers were forced out of the country because they were critical of the Iraqi government's choice of sites to protect.
A prolific journalist, Ross wrote countless articles for San Francisco newspapers, CounterPunch, Pacific News Service, and the Mexico City daily La Jornada. Since 1993, when Ross first broke the story in the Anderson Valley Advertiser, he regularly covered the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (also known as the EZLN or Zapatistas) rebellion in Chiapas with articles appearing in both English and Spanish language news publications. Ross covered political corruption in Mexico and the United States, the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on Mexico's subsistence agriculture, potential environmental threats from the introduction of genetically modified plants — in particular those utilizing genetic use restriction technology — and the Iraq War. ^[1][2][3][4] His articles have appeared in San Francisco Bay Guardian^[5]The Nation,^[6] CounterPunch,^[7] The Progressive,^[8] and La Jornada.^[9]
Ross's work reflected a deep and abiding interest in rebel movements like the Zapatistas in southern Chiapas state. John Ross wrote several books about the Zapatistas (1995 American Book Award winning^[10] Rebellion from the Roots,^[11][12] The War Against Oblivion, and ¡ZAPATISTAS! Making Another World Possible^[13]), as well as a somewhat autobiographical memoir (Murdered by Capitalism^[14]), and several chapbooks of poetry. Most recently, he had initiated the publication of ^[15] IraqiGirl: Diary of a Teenage Girl in Iraq.

Contents [hide] 1 Bibliography 1.1 Books 1.2 Poetry chapbooks 2 References 3 External links

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Books

• Rebellion from the Roots: Indian Uprising in Chiapas (Common Courage Press: 1995)
• Mexico in Focus (Latin America Bureau: 1996) ISBN 1-899365-05-2
• We Came to Play: An Anthology of Writings on Basketball (with Qentin R. Hand)(North Atlantic Books: 1996) ISBN 1-55643-162-7
• The Annexation of Mexico: From the Aztecs to the IMF (Common Courage Press: 1998) ISBN 1-56751-131-7
• Tonatiuh's People: A Novel of the Mexican Cataclysm (Cinco Puntos Press: 1998) ISBN 0-938317-41-5
• Mexico in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture (Interlink Publishing Group: 2002) ISBN 1-56656-421-2
• The War Against Oblivion: The Zapatista Chronicles (Common Courage Press: 2002) ISBN 1-56751-175-9
• Murdered by Capitalism: A Memoir of 150 Years of Life & Death on the American Left (Nation Books: 2004) ISBN 1-56025-578-1
• ¡ZAPATISTAS! Making Another World Possible: Chronicles of Resistance 2000–2006 (Nation Books: 2007) ISBN 1-56025-874-8
• El Monstruo: Dread and Redemption in Mexico City (Nation Books: 2009) ISBN 1-56858-424-5

[edit] Poetry chapbooks

• Jam (Mercury Litho-Bug Press: 1976)
• 12 Songs of Love and Ecocide (1977)
• The Psoriacis of Heartbreak (1979)
• The Daily Planet (1981)
• Running Out of Coastlines (1983)
• Heading South (1986)
• Whose Bones (1990)
• Jazzmexico (Calaca de Pelón: 1996)
• Against Amnesia (Calaca de Pelón: 2002)
• Bomba (Calaca de Pelón: 2007)

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Miguel Ángel Álvarez, Puerto Rican comedian and actor, died from respiratory failure he was , 88.

Miguel Ángel Álvarez, also known as "El Men," was a Puerto Rican comedian and actor.

(August 25, 1928 - January 16, 2011)

Early years

Álvarez was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico and when he was a child his family moved to Bayamón where he was raised and received his primary and secondary education.

Artistic career

Álvarez began his artistic career as a radio announcer, working for radio station WENA. On October 30, 1950, Álvarez was among a group of reporters who covered the Gunfight at "Salón Boricua" between Vidal Santiago, a nationalist who was the personal barber of Albizu Campos, 40 police and National Guardsmen during the Nationalist attack of San Juan. This event made Puerto Rican radio history because it was the first time that an event of this nature was transmitted "live" via the radio airwaves to the public in general.^[2] He later participated in the radio show El Tremendo Hotel (The Tremendous Hotel) starring Ramón "Diplo" Rivero and later Álvarez was contracted to do radionovelas (radio soap opera).

The Puerto Rican playwright, Francisco Arriví invited Álvarez to appear in three of his plays. The three plays in which Álvarez made his theatrical debut were Club de Solteros (Bachelors Club), El Caso del Muerto en Vida (The Case of the Living Dead), and María Soledad (Lonely Maria). On one occasion Álvarez was asked to stand in for Jacobo Morales in the theater production of El Cielo se rinde al Amanecer (The Sky Surrenders at Dawn) because Morales was feeling ill and he had to learn the script that very night. He acted alongside Juano Hernandez in the play "Widows walk" which was presented at the University of Puerto Rico Theater.^[3]

Álvarez's popularity grew and soon he was filming movies in various countries. Among the countries in which he filmed besides Puerto Rico were Spain, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and the United States. In 1965, he was given one of the leading roles in the Mexican film, "El Señor Doctor" (Mr. Doctor), with Cantinflas, and Marta Romero. After he returned to Puerto Rico he participated in a comedy entitled Johnny "El Men" (Johnny the Man), which was about the struggles of a Puerto Rican in New York City. It was from this comedy that Álvarez's was given the nickname "El Men", a name which would accompany him for the rest of his life.^[3]

Later years

Álvarez directed four movies for Columbia Pictures. These were: Arocho y Clemente, Dos Contra el Destino (Two Against Destiny), Natas es Satán and El Alcalde Machuchal.
In 1981, he starred, along with Leopoldo "Pucho" Fernandez, in a local TV comedy series called "Barrio 4 Calles" in which he played the owner of a bakery shop who was in competition, and constant conflict, with the owner of the bakery shop across the street. He also appeared in El Kiosko Budweiser. Álvarez had married various times, among his former wives were actress Gladys Rodríguez and singer Evelyn Souffront.^[3]

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Julian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith, British aristocrat and diplomat, Administrator of Saint Lucia (1958–1962), Governor of the Seychelles (1962–1967) died he was , 94.

Julian Edward George Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith KCMG, was a British colonial administrator died he was , 94..

(22 April 1916 – 16 January 2011)

Background and education

Asquith was the only son of Raymond Asquith, a barrister, by his wife the former Katherine Horner. He was the grandson of H. H. Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, British Prime Minister from 1908 until 1916. Lord Oxford's two older sisters both predeceased him; the younger of these was Lady Perdita Rose Mary Asquith, later Lady Hylton (1910—1996),^[1] who was married to William Jolliffe, 4th Baron Hylton.
He inherited the earldom in 1928 on the death of his grandfather, as his father (the eldest son) had been killed in the First World War. He was raised as a Roman Catholic (his mother had converted to Roman Catholicism in 1923) and was educated first at St Ronan's School, followed by the premier Roman Catholic school in Great Britain, the Benedictine Abbey at Ampleforth. He then became a scholar at Balliol College, Oxford, where he received an M.A. In 1941 Asquith served as a Lieutenant in the Royal Engineers and Assistant DC Palestine (1942–48).

Career

Lord Oxford was Deputy Chairman Secretary of the British Administration Tripolitania from 1949 to 1950, Director of Interior Tripolitania in 1951 and Advisor to the Prime Minister of Libya in 1952. In 1955 he was Administrative Secretary of Zanzibar and from 1958—62 was the Administrator of Saint Lucia. He became a Companion of Order of St. Michael and St. George in 1961. Oxford was the Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the Seychelles from 1962 to 1967 and the Commander of the British Indian Ocean Territory from 1965 to 1967. In 1964, he was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George. He also held the posts of Constitutional Commander of the Cayman Islands in 1971, and Turks and Caicos Islands from 1973-74.

Family

Lord Oxford married Anne Mary Celestine Palairet (14 November 1916 Paris — 19 August 1998^[2] at Frome, Somerset), daughter of Sir (Charles) Michael Palairet KCMG (1882—1956)^[3] by his wife Mary de Vere Studd,^[4] on 28 August 1947 at the Brompton Oratory. Anne Oxford was also a Roman Catholic via her parents' conversions. The Countess of Oxford and Asquith died in 1998, leaving five children: two sons, both diplomats, and three daughters (the middle married to another diplomat).
Lord Oxford inherited the Mells Estate from his mother Katherine Asquith, younger daughter of Sir John Horner of Mells and his wife Frances Graham.
Lord Oxford died, aged 94, on 16 January 2011.^[5] The peerage passed to his elder son, Raymond (b. 1952), a former British diplomat. His younger son the Honourable Dominic Asquith is British Ambassador to Egypt as of 2007, and a former British Ambassador to Iraq.

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Milton Levine, American entrepreneur, inventor of Uncle Milton's Ant Farm died he was , 97..

Milton Martin Levine was an American entrepreneur who was the co-founder of Uncle Milton Toys died he was  , 97..


(November 3, 1913 – January 16, 2011) 

Biography

He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on November 3, 1913, to Harry and Mary Levine. As a young boy, Milton collected ants in a jar at his uncle's farm in Pennsylvania. During World War II, he served in the European Theatre where his engineer unit built bridges in France and Germany.^[1] While in France, he met his future wife Mauricette Schneider, a citizen of the country, and they married in 1945. With his wife, he fathered one son and two daughters, which he eventually put through college with the proceeds from his business.^[2][3]
After the war he formed a partnership with his brother-in-law E. Joseph Cossman and decided to enter the then new world of plastic and the toy industry that was predicted as a growth industry. The duo made arrangements with the National Organ Supply Company, or NOSCO who manufactured the plastic prizes in Cracker Jack to make flat toy soldiers for mail order that they advertised originally as "100 Toy Soldiers for $1" (later $1.25) that was advertised in nearly every American comic book of the time.^[4]
Levine and Cossman also successfully mass marketed the potato gun,^[5] toy shrunken heads^[6] to hang from car rear view mirrors and balloon animals.^[7]
In 1956 while at a Fourth of July picnic at his sister's pool, he spotted a mound of ants. This inspired him to eventually found a company, Uncle Milton's Toys, which is best known for its division, Uncle Milton's Ant Farm. After recalling his collection of ants as a kid, he said, "We should make an antarium." The original ant farms were sold for $1.29 and were contained in a six by nine-inch ant farm. Business boomed after advertisements on after school programs prompted thousands of shipments a week. After the child bought the ant farm, they had to send out a request for a shipment of 25 ants, which would arrive in a vial a few weeks later. The ants contained in the farm are the species Pogonomyrmex californicus, an ant native to the southwestern United States. At the time of his death, over 20 million units were sold, with a growth rate of 30,000 a month. He once said about the success of his business in 1991: "Most novelties, if they last one season, it’s a lot. If they last two seasons, it’s a phenomenon. To last 35 years is unheard of."^[2][3]
Levine died of natural causes on January 16, 2011, in Thousand Oaks, California, at the age of 97.^[2]

Books

• Uncle Milton's Ant Facts and Fantasies (1970)

• How I Made $1,000,000 in Mail Order-and You Can Too! (1993)

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Steve Prestwich, British-born Australian drummer (Cold Chisel, Little River Band) and songwriter, died from a brain tumour he was , 56.

 Steven Prestwich was an English-born Australian drummer, guitarist, singer and songwriter died from a brain tumor he was , 56.. After relocating from Liverpool, Prestwich was the founding and long-term drummer for pub rockers Cold Chisel which formed in Adelaide, South Australia in 1973. He wrote the Cold Chisel's songs, "When the War Is Over" and "Forever Now", from the 1982 album Circus Animals. Prestwich also had a short spell with the Little River Band. Prestwich released two solo albums. Prestwich died on 16 January 2011 from a brain tumour two months before his 57th birthday.^[1]

(5 March 1954 – 16 January 2011)

Biography

Steven William Prestwich was born in Liverpool, England in 1954. He was a member of the folk/rock band, Sandy, in 1970 in the United Kingdom.^[2] His family relocated to Adelaide, South Australia in 1971 when he was aged 17. He was a member of Elizabeth band Ice with bassist Michael Smith and guitarist John Pryer from 1971 to 1973. In 1973, he was the founding drummer for heavy metal group Orange with the line-up of Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss, Don Walker and Leszek Kaczmarek.^[3] Orange evolved into pub rockers, Cold Chisel in 1974 and Prestwich remained a member until early 1983. During his time in Cold Chisel, Prestwich wrote "When the War Is Over" and "Forever Now".^[4] Both songs appeared on their 1982 album, Circus Animals.^[5] He co-wrote with Walker the song Flame Trees from the 1984 album Twentieth Century. He briefly rejoined Cold Chisel for their Last Stand Tour from October until the group's final show on 12 December 1983.^[5] Prestwich joined the Australian group, Little River Band (1984–1986) toured the United States and released two albums with them. Little River Band recorded "When the War is Over" with John Farnham on vocals.^[3] Prestwich rejoined Cold Chisel in later reformations.^[2]

Prestwich released his first solo album, Since You've Been Gone in August 2000, which he also produced. His second album, Every Highway was released in October 2009.
Prestwich was the father of a daughter, Melody, and a son, Vaughan.^[6]
On the 16th of January, Prestwich died after never regaining consciousness following brain surgery.
Cold Chisel released this update on their website:
"Cold Chisel's drummer, Steve Prestwich, passed away Sunday afternoon. He was diagnosed with a brain tumour less than two weeks ago, underwent an operation last Friday, and never regained consciousness.
Jimmy Barnes, Ian Moss, Phil Small and Don Walker are shattered by the loss. All our thoughts are with Steve's loved ones at this difficult time."
On 14 March 2011, Barnes planted a flame tree in Prestwich's memory at the National Arboretum Canberra.^[7]

Discography

Main articles: Cold Chisel#Discography and Little River Band discography

Albums

• Since You've Been Gone (August 2000)
• Every Highway (October 2009)

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Kenneth Grant, British occultist and writer, head of the Typhonian Order died he was , 86.

Kenneth Grant  was a British occultist, novelist, and poet, who with his partner, the artist Steffi Grant, headed the magical order previously known as the Typhonian Ordo Templi Orientis but which is now referred to as the Typhonian Order died he was , 86..

(23 May 1924 - 15 January 2011)

 Occult background

Grant's occult experiences began in 1939 during World War II, when he claims to have received the first transmission of the "outerhuman being" S'lba. This was followed in 1943 with the reception of The Chronicles of Kralnia.^[1] He met and began personal tutelage in magick under Aleister Crowley in 1944, at the age of twenty when Crowley was sixty-nine. Grant was also strongly influenced in his occult work by Austin Osman Spare.^[2]

A∴A∴ and Ordo Templi Orientis

Main article: Ordo Templi Orientis (Typhonian)

Grant met Aleister Crowley in 1944 and was initiated into the A.'.A.'. in 1946. According to occult historian P.R. Koenig, Crowley called Grant "a definite gift from the Gods", but a careful reading of this citation shows Crowley was praising Grant's work as a secretary. In March 1946, Crowley wrote in his diary: "Value of Grant: if I die or go to U.S.A., there must be a trained man to take care of the English O.T.O."
After Crowley's death, Grant's was issued a IX° charter in O.T.O by Crowley's successor, Karl Germer, in 1948; and received authorisation to form an O.T.O. Camp in England in 1951.^[1] In 1952, he wrote a new manifesto for his group and had 5000 copies printed.
In 1954, Grant began the work of founding the New Isis Lodge. The lodge became operational in April 1955 when Grant issued a manifesto announcing his discovery of a "Sirius/Set current" upon which the lodge was to be based. Karl Germer was so displeased with this manifesto that on July 20, 1955, he issued a "Note of Expulsion" expelling Grant from O.T.O.,^[1] and naming Noel Fitzgerald as the leader of the British section of the Order^[3]
Grant later claimed for himself the title O.H.O. (Outer Head of the Order) of Ordo Templi Orientis, although the sole alleged documentary evidence of his appointment has since been admitted to be fake.^[4]. His competing organisation was commonly called the "Typhonian" Ordo Templi Orientis, but is now officially renamed the Typhonian Order. The New Isis Lodge was absorbed into Grant's Order in 1962.^[1]
Grant died on 15 Jan 2011 after a period of illness.

Biographer of Austin Osman Spare

Grant was a great admirer and close friend of Austin Osman Spare. Together they founded the Zos Kia Cultus in 1952.^[1] Over the years, Grant did much to bring his friend Spare's name into western occult society, including the publication of Images and Oracles of Austin Osman Spare and Zos Speaks!, as well as numerous references and mentions in the Typhonian Trilogies.

Partial bibliography

The Typhonian Trilogies

• The Magical Revival ISBN 0-87728-217-X
• Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God ISBN 0-87728-250-1
• Cults of the Shadow
• Nightside of Eden ISBN 1-871438-72-1
• Outside the Circles of Time
• Hecate's Fountain ISBN 1-871438-96-9
• Outer Gateways ISBN 1-871438-12-8
• Beyond the Mauve Zone ISBN 0-9527824-5-6
• The Ninth Arch ISBN 0-9543887-0-4

Other works on the occult

• Remembering Aleister Crowley Skoob Books, 1992. ISBN 1-871438-12-8
• Dearest Vera Holograph letters from Austin Osman Spare to Vera Wainwright, edited by Kenneth & Steffi Grant, Fulgur Limited, 2010.
• Hidden Lore: The Carfax Monographs by Kenneth & Steffi Grant, Fulgur Limited, 2006.
• Borough Satyr, The Life and Art of Austin Osman Spare, (includes a contribution from Steffi Grant), Fulgur Limited, 2005.
• Images and Oracles of Austin Osman Spare, Fulgur Limited, 2003.
• Zos Speaks! Encounters with Austin Osman Spare, Fulgur Limited, 1998.
• At the feet of the Guru ISBN 0954388763

Poetry

• The Gulls Beak
• Black to Black
• Convolvulus

Novellas and short stories

• The Stellar Lode
• Against the Light ISBN 0952782413
• Snakewand and the Darker Strain ISBN 0952782472
• The Other Child and other tales
• Gamaliel Diary of a Vampire and Dance, Doll, Dance ISBN 0954388720

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