/ Stars that died in 2023

Monday, April 4, 2011

Andrée Chedid, Egyptian-born French poet and novelist died she was , 90


Andrée Chedid  was a French poet and novelist of Lebanese descent died she was , 90.



(20 March 1920 – 6 February 2011)

Life

Chedid was born in Cairo on 20 March 1920. When she was ten, she was sent to a boarding school, where she learned English and French. At fourteen, she left for Europe. She then returned to Cairo to go to an American university. Her dream was to become a dancer. She got married to a physician when she was twenty-two, with whom she has two children: Louis Chedid, now a famous French singer, and Michèle. Her work questions human condition and what links the individual to the world. Her writing seeks to evoke the Orient, but she focuses more in denouncing the civil war that destroys Lebanon. She has lived in France since 1946. Because of this diverse background, her work is truly multicultural. Her first book was written in English: On the Trails of my Fancy. She has commented about her work that it is an eternal quest for humanity.
Andrée Chedid is the grandmother of the French rock star -M- (Louis Chedid's son) for whom she has contributed song lyrics including that of Bonoboo on the album Je dis aime.
She died on 6 February 2011 in Paris at the age of 90.[1]

Awards and Honours

Works

  • À la mort, à la vie: nouvelles. Paris: Flammarion, 1992.
  • L'Autre: roman. Paris: Flammarion, 1969.
  • Cavernes et soleils: poésie. Paris: Flammarion, 1979.
  • Cérémonial de la violence. Paris: Flammarion, 1976.
  • La Cité fertile: roman. Paris: Flammarion, 1972.
  • Le Dernier candidat. Paris: Éditions théâtrales Art et comédie, 1998
  • Le Message. Paris: Éditions Flammarion, 2000
  • L'Enfant multiple. Paris: Flammarion, 1989.
  • La Maison Sans Racine. Paris: Flammarion, 1985.
  • Le Sommeil délivré. Paris: Flammarion, 1952.
  • Le Grand Boulevard.Paris :Flammarion,1996

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Josefa Iloilo, Fijian politician, President (2000–2006; 2007–2009) died he was , 90.

Ratu Josefa Iloilovatu Uluivuda, CF, MBE, MSD, KStJ  was the President of Fiji from 2000 until 2009, excluding a brief period from 5 December 2006 until 4 January 2007 (see below) died he was , 90.. He held the traditional title of Tui Vuda, the paramount chief of the Vuda district in Ba Province on Fiji's northwest coast. Like many Fijian people, he rarely used his surname and was known simply as Josefa Iloilo. He announced on 28 July 2009 that he would be leaving office on 30 July.[2] At the age of 88, he was the world's oldest head of state.
On 5 December 2006, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, seized power in a coup d'état and assumed presidential powers. This followed failed attempts on Iloilo's part to mediate a solution to the long-running impasse between the military and the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. However, his powers were restored by Bainimarama on 4 January 2007. Iloilo also endorsed Bainimarama's coup on the same day, in his first public address since the coup.[3] He appointed Bainimarama as Prime Minister the following day.
After Fiji's Court of Appeal had ruled that the removal of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase and the appointment of Fiji's interim regime following the military coup in 2006 was unlawful, on April 10, 2009 Iloilo dismissed the judges and abrogated the country's constitution. Iloilo claimed to have the "full support" of the security forces and directed the military to take "all reasonable steps" to maintain law and order.[4]

(29 December 1920 – 6 February 2011)

Career

After working as a teacher and civil service administrator, Iloilo later became a member of the House of Representatives. He subsequently served as a Senator in the 1990s, and was President of the Senate prior to his becoming Vice-President of Fiji on 18 January 1999. He was in this position under President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara in 1999 and 2000, when Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry's government was overthrown by Fijian nationalists led by George Speight in the Fiji coup of 2000. He was sworn in as President on 13 July 2000, but legal experts consider that he was constitutionally the President as of 29 May, the date on which Ratu Mara had been removed from office by the military, and to which his resignation in December that year had been backdated. Iloilo refused to intervene directly in the disputes among politicians, but quietly reached out to disaffected factions, including the Indo-Fijian community. In 2001, he persuaded the military to allow a return to democracy.[citation needed]

[edit] Political controversies

On 20 June 2005, the Fiji Times reported that "a reliable source" close to the government had accused Iloilo of refusing to discipline Commodore Frank Bainimarama, the Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, for his public criticism of government policies. The source said that Iloilo had refused repeated requests from the Home Affairs Minister, Josefa Vosanibola, to take disciplinary measures against Bainimarama for publicly opposing the early release of prisoners convicted of coup-related offenses, as well as the proposed establishment of a Reconciliation and Unity Commission (called the "Reconciliation Bull" by Bainimarama) with the power (subject to presidential approval) to compensate victims and pardon convicted participants in the coup. The source said that the President's refusal to act was making the Home Affairs Minister look foolish and incompetent, and suggested that Iloilo was not following the Constitution. As President, Iloilo was the Commander-in-Chief of the Military, but, according to the source, was required by Section 96 of the Constitution to act on the advice of the appropriate Cabinet Minister, in this case the Home Affairs Minister.
According to an unconfirmed report in the Fiji Times on 25 June, Iloilo and his Vice-President, Ratu Joni Madraiwiwi, had asked Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to withdraw the government's controversial legislation to establish a Reconciliation and Unity Commission, with the power to compensate victims and pardon perpetrators of the 2000 coup. The Prime Minister reportedly replied that he would "consider" the matter. Spokesmen for the President and Prime Minister have declined to confirm or deny the report, which was written by freelance journalist Wainikiti Bogidrau, the wife of senior army officer, Major Setareki Bogidrau. On 27 June, the Fiji Labour Party claimed on its website to have known of the meeting before the article was published, and further alleged that the Prime Minister had intended to ask the President to use his position as Commander-in-chief of the Military to curb Bainimarama's public criticism of the bill, and that he was taken aback by the President's request to withdraw the legislation.
In his traditional speech opening Parliament on 1 August, Iloilo said that the government had introduced it for the purpose of fostering unity and stability. His speech welcomed the public debate, saying that reconciliation was "a difficult but necessary process", and it called on parliamentarians to uphold the law. He also said "As parliamentarians you must carefully examine your conscience on the deliberation of sensitive issues and not be swayed by divisive racial remarks which have been a common and unfortunate hallmark of debate in our Parliament."[citation needed]

[edit] Views on the chiefly system

In an opening address to the Great Council of Chiefs on 27 July 2005, Iloilo told his fellow-chiefs that they needed to adapt to the modern era, or else risk "simply becoming decorations."
Iloilo recalled warnings from Fiji's first modern statesman, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna (1888–1958), that the chiefs risked becoming an irrelevance if they did not take their leadership role seriously and prove that they had the qualifications and authority that their ancestors had possessed. "We should never forget Ratu Sukuna's warning about the dangers of chiefs simply becoming decorations. He said if that happened they were finished. He declared chiefs could only be sure of their people continuing to follow them as long as they appreciated that chiefly authority was better than anyone else's." He called on chiefs to be educated and trained for leadership. "Before we are in a position to advise our people on the right course we must also make sure that we have the knowledge and the awareness required to fulfill this duty properly. If we do not have this, we can not lead. When we are equipped with leadership skills that complement traditional rank, we are appropriately prepared to provide the inspiration, the motivation and guidance expected of us."[citation needed]

[edit] Personal life

Iloilo was a lay-preacher for many years, and was Vice-President of the Methodist Church of Fiji and Rotuma in 1997 and 1998. In September 2004, he hosted a state dinner for the Argentine-born American evangelist Luis Palau. He delivered the opening address at Fiji's National Day of Prayer on 15 May 2005, which was also observed in may other countries. He called on Fijians to seek God's wisdom to find the way forward for the nation, and said he considered prayer to be "as important to our nation as breath is to our lives". Reminding Christians of the Jewish Year of Jubilee, a year for cancelling all debts owed by one's fellow-man, Iloilo called on the people to pursue both personal and national reconciliation and forgiveness, saying that they would reap what they sowed. "Whatever you sow you shall reap. If you sow the seeds of harmony, peace and goodwill you will reap the fruits thereof. If you sow the seeds of discord, hatred and injustice you cannot expect to reap good results."[5][6]

[edit] Second term: 2006-Present

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a member of Iloilo's family told the Fiji Times on 29 November 2005 that he did not intend to seek another term when his present term ended on 13 March 2006. The family member said that Iloilo had already hinted of his plans during a speech at the 2005 Fiji Business Excellence Awards in Nadi, in which he said it might be his last official function. His plans to retire were motivated not by concerns about his health, but by his desire to spend more time with his family and tribe, of which he was the Paramount Chief, the source said at the time. On 2 February 2006, however, the office of the Great Council of Chiefs announced that Iloilo had indicated his willingness to serve for another term. He celebrated his 85th birthday at Lautoka's First Landing Resort] on 29 December 2005.
The Great Council of Chiefs met at the Tradewinds Convention Centre in Lami on 8 March and re-elected Iloilo to another five-year term. On 5 December 2006 Commodore Frank Bainimarama, Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, seized power in a coup d'état and assumed presidential powers. This followed failed attempts on Iloilo's part to mediate a solution to the long-running impasse between the military and the government of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase. However, his powers were restored by Bainimarama on 4 January 2007. Iloilo also endorsed Bainimarama's coup on the same day, in his first public address since the coup.[7] He appointed Bainimarama as Prime Minister on 5 January.

[edit] Suspension of Fijian Constitution

Main article: 2009 Fijian constitutional crisis
The Court of Appeals ruled on 9 April 2009 that Bainimarama's government was illegal; the court also ruled that Iloilo should appoint a new Prime Minister, while specifically excluding both Bainimarama and Qarase. Iloilo then announced on 10 April that he was abrogating the constitution and dismissing the judges; according to Iloilo, the court's decision left Fiji without a government, but "the machinery of government must continue". He said that he would soon appoint a new interim government and that a new election would be held by September 2014.[8] He subsequently re-appointed Prime Minister Bainimarama, with a mandate to pursue his reforms and bring about democratic elections no later than 2014.
Prominent Fiji academic Brij Lal, co-author of the abrogated Constitution, voiced strong criticism against the President's actions:
"This was all a total charade, just a hoax that spits in the face of democracy. The President is a senile old man, a puppet in the pocket of the military. It was planned all along that he would look after Bainimarama and strengthen the regime, and no justice would be done."[9]

[edit] Retirement and death

Interim Prime Minister Bainimarama announced on 28 July 2009, that President Iloilo had informed him that afternoon of his intention to retire from office on 30 July.[10] No reason was given, but media outlets pointed out that at the age of 88, he was the world's oldest Head of State. Vice-President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau would serve as Acting President until Cabinet announced, and the Chief Justice formally appointed a substantive President, as stated by Acting Prime Minister Bainimarama. Iloilo, was at the time of his retirement as the President of Fiji 88 years old and there had for a long time been speculation about the state of his health. He suffered from Parkinson's Disease and during his presidency required regular medical treatment in Australia. lloilo died on 6 February 2011 at the age of 90.[1]
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Gary Moore, Irish rock guitarist and singer (Thin Lizzy), died from a heart attack he was , 58.

Robert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a musician from Belfast, Northern Ireland, best recognized as a blues rock guitarist and singer  died from a heart attack he was , 58..
In a career dating back to the 1960s, Moore played with artists including Phil Lynott and Brian Downey during his teens, leading him to membership with the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy on three separate occasions. Moore shared the stage with such blues and rock luminaries as B.B. King, Albert King, Colosseum II, Greg Lake and Skid Row (not to be confused with the heavy metal band of the same name), as well as having a successful solo career. He guested on a number of albums recorded by high profile musicians, including a cameo appearance playing the lead guitar solo on "She's My Baby" from Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3.
Moore died of a suspected heart attack[2] in his hotel room while on holiday in Estepona, Spain, in February 2011.[3][4]

 (4 April 1952– 6 February 2011)

Early life and career

Moore started performing at a young age, having picked up a battered acoustic guitar (a Framus guitar]) at the age of eight. He got his first quality guitar at the age of 14, learning to play the right-handed instrument in the standard way despite being left-handed. He moved to Dublin in 1968 at the age of 16. His early musical influences were artists such as Albert King, Elvis Presley, The Shadows and The Beatles. Later, having seen Jimi Hendrix and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in his home town of Belfast, his own style was developing into a blues-rock sound that would be the dominant form of his career in music.

Moore's greatest influence in the early days was guitarist Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac who was a mentor to Moore when performing in Dublin. Green's continued influence on Moore was later repaid as a tribute to Green on his 1995 album Blues for Greeny, an album consisting entirely of Green compositions. On this tribute album Moore played Green's 1959 Les Paul Standard guitar which Green had lent to Moore after leaving Fleetwood Mac. Moore ultimately purchased the guitar, at Green's request, so that "it would have a good home".[5]




While less popular in the US, Moore's work "brought substantial acclaim and commercial success in most other parts of the world – especially in Europe".[6] Throughout his career, Moore was recognised as an influence by many notable guitarists including Vivian Campbell,[7] Patrick Rondat,[8] John Norum, Joe Bonamassa, Adrian Smith, Zakk Wylde,[9] Randy Rhoads, John Sykes and Kirk Hammett[10]
He collaborated with a broad range of artists including George Harrison, Trilok Gurtu, Dr. Strangely Strange, Colosseum II, Albert Collins, Jimmy Nail, Mo Foster, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Jim Capaldi, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Vicki Brown, Cozy Powell, Rod Argent, the Beach Boys, Ozzy Osbourne, Albert King and together with Colosseum II with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the composer's Variations album in 1978. He experimented with many musical genres, including rock, jazz, blues, country, electric blues, hard rock and heavy metal.[11]
In 1968, aged 16, Moore moved to Dublin to join the group Skid Row with Noel Bridgeman and Brendan "Brush" Shiels. It was with this group that he earned a reputation in the music industry, and his association with Phil Lynott began.[3]

Solo career

Moore released his first solo album in 1973, Grinding Stone (billed as "the Gary Moore Band"). In 1978 his solo career continued with help from Phil Lynott. The combination of Moore's blues-based guitar and Lynott's voice produced "Parisienne Walkways", which reached the Top Ten in the UK Singles Chart in April 1979 and the Thin Lizzy album Black Rose: A Rock Legend which reached number two in the UK album chart. Moore appears in the videos for Waiting for an Alibi and Do Anything You Want To.
In 1987, he collaborated on the UK charity record "Let It Be", a cover of the Beatles track. He performed a guitar solo for inclusion on the recording, which was released under the group-name of 'Ferry Aid'. The record raised substantial funds for the survivors of the MS Herald of Free Enterprise disaster.
In 1993, he was included on a cassette called Rock Classics Vol. 1 with "Run to Your Mama", and "Dark Side of the Moog".

After a series of rock records, Moore returned to blues music with Still Got the Blues, with contributions from Albert King, Albert Collins and George Harrison. The album was well received by fans. He stayed with the blues format until 1997, when he decided to experiment with modern dance beats on Dark Days in Paradise; this left many fans, as well as the music press, confused. He also contributed guitar sections to Richard Blackwood's 2000 album, You'll Love to Hate This.
With Back to the Blues, Moore return to his tried and tested blues format in 2001: he continued with this style on Power of the Blues (2004), Old New Ballads Blues (2006), Close As You Get (2007) and Bad For You Baby (2008).
In January 2005, Moore joined the One World Project, which recorded a song for the 2004 Asian Tsunami relief effort. The group featured Russell Watson, Boy George, Steve Winwood, Barry Gibb, Brian Wilson, Cliff Richard, Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley and Robin Gibb on vocals (in their order of appearance), and featured a guitar solo by Moore. The song, entitled "Grief Never Grows Old", was released in February 2005, reaching #4 on the UK Singles Chart.[12]
In what has been described as "a brave and principled stand", [13] Gary declared his support for the cultural boycott of Israel. At a press conference in Russia he announced that he would not visit the ‘criminal state’ of Israel ‘because of its racist policies against the Palestinian people’.[14]
He also took part in a comedy skit entitled "The Easy Guitar Book Sketch" with comedian Rowland Rivron and fellow British musicians Mark Knopfler, Lemmy from Motorhead, Mark King from Level 42, and David Gilmour.

Personal life

Moore grew up on Castleview Road opposite Stormont's Parliament Buildings, off the Upper Newtownards Road in east Belfast, as one of five children of a promoter named Bobby and housewife, Winnie, but he left the city as a teenager, because all was not well in their household. His parents parted a year later. He left just as The Troubles were starting in Northern Ireland.[15]
Aiming to become a musician he moved to Dublin at the age of 16 and joined Skid Row, a band that then included Phil Lynott. Moore would later join Lynott again in 1973 when he first joined Thin Lizzy, after the departure of founding member Eric Bell and again in 1977. He moved to England in 1970 and remained there, apart from two short periods in America. In 2002 he bought a five-bedroom detached Edwardian house in Hove, just west of Brighton, Sussex, to be near his locally-residing sons, Jack and Gus, from his former marriage which had lasted from 1985 to 1993. Since 1997 he was living with his partner, an artist named Jo, and their daughter Lily (b. 1999) and Saoirse.[15] His residence was reported to be on Vallance Gardens in Hove, East Sussex.[16]

Death

Gary Moore died of a suspected heart attack,[2][17] at the age of 58 during the early hours of 6 February 2011. At the time, he was on holiday at the Kempinski Hotel in Estepona, Spain, with his girlfriend, who raised the alarm at 4:00am. His death was confirmed by Thin Lizzy's manager Adam Parsons.[3][4][18]

Legacy

Since his death, many fellow musicians have commented on Gary Moore's talents including Ozzy Osbourne,[19] Tony Iommi,[20] Bob Geldof,[21] Roger Taylor,[22] Brian Downey,[23][24] Ricky Warwick,[25] Glenn Hughes, Bryan Adams, Henry Rollins, Scott Gorham[26], Ignacio Garay[27], Mikael Åkerfeldt[28] and many others.
Fans have called for popular magazines such as Classic Rock, Guitarist and Total Guitar to do tributes. Twitter was flooded with tributes from fans for several days after the news was revealed.[29]
In March 2011 Guitarist produced their tribute special with unreleased footage from 2009

Discography

Main article: Gary Moore discography

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Ken Olsen, American engineer, co-founder of Digital Equipment Corporation died he was , 84.

Kenneth Harry Olsen was an American engineer who co-founded Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1957 with colleague Harlan Anderson died he was , 84.

(February 20, 1926 – February 6, 2011)

 Background

Kenneth Harry Olsen was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and grew up in the neighboring town of Stratford, Connecticut. His father's parents came from Norway and his mother's parents from Sweden. Olsen began his career working summers in a machine shop. Fixing radios in his basement gave him the reputation of a neighborhood inventor.
After serving in the United States Navy between 1944 and 1946, Olsen attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned an B.S (1950) and an M.S. (1952) degrees in electrical engineering.[5]

Career

During his studies at MIT, the Office of Naval Research of the United States Department of the Navy recruited Olsen to help build a computerized flight simulator. Also while at MIT he directed the building of the first transistorized research computer. Olsen was an engineer who had been working at MIT Lincoln Laboratory on the TX-2 project.[6]
In 1957, Ken Olsen and an MIT colleague, Harlan Anderson, decided to start their own firm. They approached American Research and Development Corporation, an early venture capital firm, which had been founded by Georges Doriot. In the 1960s Olsen received patents for a saturable switch, a diode transformer gate circuit, magnetic core memory, and the line printer buffer.
Ken Olsen was known throughout his career for his paternalistic management style and his fostering of engineering innovation. Ken Olsen's valuing of innovation and technical excellence spawned and popularized techniques such as engineering matrix management that are broadly employed today throughout many industries.[7]
In 1986, Fortune Magazine named Olsen "America's most successful entrepreneur",[8] and the same year he received the IEEE Engineering Leadership Recognition Award.[9] Olsen was the subject of a 1988 biography, The Ultimate Entrepreneur: The Story of Ken Olsen and Digital Equipment Corporation written by Glenn Rifkin and George Harrar.

Later career history

In 1987 he gave the first of his infamous "snake oil speeches", taken by some to be referring indirectly to the "Unix Conspiracy".[10] While Olsen believed VMS was a better solution for DEC customers and often talked of the strengths of the system, he did approve and encourage an internal effort to produce a native BSD-based UNIX product on the VAX line of computers called Ultrix. However, this line never got enthusiastic comprehensive support at DEC.[citation needed]
He was awarded the Vermilye Medal in 1980. Olsen retired from DEC in 1992. He subsequently became the chairman of Advanced Modular Solutions. Olsen was also a major contributor to The Family, a religious and political organization.[11]
Olsen was a trustee of Gordon College in Wenham, Massachusetts.[12] The Ken Olsen Science Center was named after him in 2006.[13] and dedicated on 27 September 2008. Its lobby features a Digital Loggia of Technology, documenting Digital's technology and history, and an interactive kiosk to which former employees have submitted their stories.

Death

Olsen died while in hospice care in Indianapolis, Indiana on February 6, 2011, aged 84. Gordon College, where he was a trustee and board member, announced his death, but did not reveal the cause of death.[14][3] His family also did not comment on any details surrounding his death.[2]


Quotations

Two quotes of his are frequently taken out of context, and are indeed among the least understood in the industry.
  • from 1977: There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in his home.
    Referred to having the computer run the house, with automated doors, voice-activated faucets et cetera. He had a computer in his home for general use and promulgated the idea.[15]
  • from 1992: People will get tired of managing personal computers and will want instead terminals, maybe with windows.
    Anticipated thin clients and the general client-server model of the web. Indeed, most of the "thinking" now happens "out there," as with a mainframe and an office full of terminals way back when. Note that by "windows" he was not referring to Microsoft Windows, but rather to a windowing capability in a general sense: subdividing the screen so that more than one program can display its output at the same time.

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Omar Amiralay, Syrian filmmaker, died from a heart attack he was , 67.

Omar Amiralay was a Syrian documentary film director and prominent civil society activist  died from a heart attack he was , 67.. He is noted for the strong political criticism in his films and played a prominent role in the events of the Damascus Spring of 2000.

  (1944 — 5 February 2011)

 Life and work

Amiralay studied in Paris at La Fémis, before returning to Syria in 1970. He thus had a different artistic formation from the majority of Syrian film-makers, who studied in the Soviet Union or in Eastern Europe.
His films include a trilogy of documentaries concerning the Tabqa Dam on the Euphrates. The first, Film Essay on the Euphrates Dam (1970), is a tribute to Syria's greatest development project, but the second and third take a more critical approach. Everyday Life in a Syrian Village (1974) shows the dam's ambiguous impact on the lives of ordinary people in a nearby village, and portrays their relationship with the authorities, seen as distant and disconnected from them. Amiralay revisited the region in 2003 with A Flood in Baath Country, which contains trenchant political criticism (it had the working title Fifteen reasons why I hate the Baath Party). Due to the films strong indictment of the regime, the film was removed from the Carthage Film Festival. In act of solidarity with Amiralay, Arab filmmakers Yousry Nasrallah, Annemarie Jacir, Nizar Hassan, Joana and Khalil Joreige, and Danielle Arbid subsequently pulled their films out of Competition to protest the festival's actions. As a result, A Flood in Baath Country was re-programmed and screened to enthusiastic crowds.
Another notable film was There Are So Many Things Still to Say, based on interviews with the Syrian playwright Saadallah Wannous recorded while the latter was dying of cancer. The film juxtaposes Wannous' remarks with scenes from Syria's wars against Israel and the Palestinian First Intifada, as the playwright recounts, with some regret for the lost opportunities that resulted, how the Palestinian struggle became a central part of intellectual life for an entire generation.
His other films include a portrait of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri, The Man with the Golden Soles, and one of French academic and student of Middle Eastern society Michel Seurat, murdered in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War, On a Day of Ordinary Violence, My Friend Michel Seurat....

Activism

In 2000 Amiralay was a signatory to the "Declaration of the 99", a manifesto signed by 99 prominent Syrian intellectuals calling for an end to the state of emergency in force since 1963, the release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and the permitting of political parties and independent civil society organizations. This was seen as an expression of the general goals of the Syrian democratic opposition and of the movement known as the Damascus Spring in general. Amiralay was a prominent participant in the various debates and petitions that marked the Damascus Spring.
In 2005, in the aftermath of the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq al-Hariri, Amiralay signed a declaration by Syrian intellectuals calling for a Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon and an end to the attacks on Syrian workers in that country. Despite these activities, Amiralay does not consider himself to be involved in politics, but in "civil society".
Omar Amiralay died on February 5, 2011, either from cardiac arrest[1] or a cerebral thrombosis.[2]



Filmography


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Ruth H. Funk, American youth leader (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) died she was , 93.

Ruth Hardy Funk was the seventh general president of the Young Women organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1972 to 1978 died she was , 93..


(February 11, 1917 – February 5, 2011)

 Biography

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Ruth Hardy was raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was a talented musician and excelled at classical piano. She attended the University of Utah and earned a degree in music in 1938. On December 31, 1938, Ruth married Marcus C. Funk in the Salt Lake Temple. Shortly thereafter, the couple moved to Chicago so Marcus could attend the dental school at Northwestern University.
When Funk moved back to Salt Lake City, she became a member of the general board of the YWMIA. In 1972, LDS Church president Harold B. Lee asked Funk to succeed Florence S. Jacobsen as the president of the organization. During her administration, the Young Womanhood Recognition and the Personal Progress programs were initiated. In 1972, the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association and the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association were merged and renamed Aaronic Priesthood MIA Young Women. This merge was only temporary, however, and in 1974 the organizations were separated again and renamed the Young Men and the Young Women. In 1978, Funk was released and was succeeded by Elaine A. Cannon.
After her tenure as Young Women president, Funk served as the chair of the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women in Utah and has been a member of the board of directors of Bonneville International Corporation. For eight years she served was a member and chair of the Utah State Board of Education.
She passed away peacefully in her Salt Lake City home on February 5, 2011, surrounded by her children.
Funk is a descendant of prominent nineteenth century Mormon George Reynolds.

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John Paul Getty III, American heir and kidnapping victim, grandson of J. Paul Getty and father of Balthazar Getty, died after a long illness he was , 54.

Jean Paul Getty III also known as Paul Getty, was the eldest of the four children of Paul Getty, Jr. and Abigail (née Harris), and the grandson of oil tycoon Jean Paul Getty. His son is actor Balthazar Getty.

(4 November 1956 — 5 February 2011),
  

 Early life

Getty spent most of his childhood in Rome as his father was the head of the Italian section of the Getty family's oil business. His parents divorced in 1964; his father subsequently married Talitha Pol[1] and spent much time in England and Morocco during the 1960s.

Kidnapping


In early 1971, he was expelled from St. George's English School (later St. George's British International School), in Rome, Italy. His father moved back to England, and at 3am on 10 July 1973, Getty was kidnapped in the Piazza Farnese in Rome.[1] A ransom note was received, demanding $17 million in exchange for his safe return. When that ransom message arrived, some family members suspected the kidnapping was merely a ploy by the rebellious youngster as he had frequently joked about staging his own kidnapping to extract money from his frugal grandfather. He was blindfolded and imprisoned in a mountain hideout. A second demand was received, but had been delayed by an Italian postal strike.[3] Jean Paul Getty II asked his father for the money, but was refused. Getty Sr. argued that were he to pay the ransom, then his 14 other grandchildren could likely be kidnapped as well. In November 1973, an envelope containing a lock of hair and a human ear was delivered to a daily newspaper with a threat of further mutilation of Paul, unless $3.2 million was paid: "This is Paul's ear. If we don't get some money within 10 days, then the other ear will arrive. In other words, he will arrive in little bits."[4]
At this point Getty Sr. agreed to pay a ransom, although he would only pay $2.2 million because that was the maximum amount that was tax deductible. He loaned the remainder to his son who was responsible for repaying the sum at 4% interest.[3] The reluctant Getty Sr. negotiated a deal and got his grandson back for about $2.9 million. Getty III was found alive in southern Italy on 15 December 1973, shortly after the ransom was paid.[5]
Several of the kidnappers were apprehended: a carpenter, a hospital orderly, an ex-con and an olive-oil dealer from Calabria. Some were acquitted but later convicted on narcotic charges. Most of the ransom money was never recovered.[6]
In 1977, Getty had an operation to rebuild the ear that had been cut off by his kidnappers.[1]
A. J. Quinnell used Getty's kidnapping as one piece of inspiration for his book Man on Fire.[7]

Later life

In 1974, Getty married a German citizen, Gisela Zacher (née Schmidt), who was 5 months pregnant. He had known her and her twin sister Jutta before his kidnapping. Getty was 19 years old when his son, Balthazar, was born. The couple divorced in 1993.[1]
Getty was an alcoholic and drug addict. In 1981, taking a cocktail of valium, methadone and alcohol resulted in liver failure and a stroke which left Getty quadriplegic and nearly blind.[8]
In 1999, Getty, along with several other members of his family, became citizens of the Republic of Ireland in return for investments in Ireland of approximately £1 million each, under a law which has since been repealed.[citation needed]


Death

On 5 February 2011, aged 54, Getty died at Wormsley, Buckinghamshire following a long illness. He had been in poor health since his 1981 drug overdose.[1][2] He is survived by his son,[1] his daughter, his ex-wife, and his mother.

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Dickey Betts died he was 80

Early Career Forrest Richard Betts was also known as Dickey Betts Betts collaborated with  Duane Allman , introducing melodic twin guitar ha...