Justinas Marcinkevičius, Lithuanian poet and playwright died he was , 80.

Justinas Marcinkevičius  was a prominent Lithuanian poet and playwright died he was , 80..


(March 10, 1930 – February 16, 2011)

Life and career

Marcinkevičius was born in 1930 in Važatkiemis, Prienai district. In 1954 he graduated from Vilnius University History and Philology faculty with a degree in Lithuanian language and Literature. He worked for a number of years as vice-chairman of the board of the official Union of Lithuanian Writers. He died in Vilnius.

Literary style and themes

Having grown up during the post-war period, Marcinkevičius evokes in his poetry a romanticized version of childhood spent in the Lithuanian countryside, of first love, of man's relationship with nature. In his poetry specific and solid peasant thinking is combined with a mind seeking to draw broad general conclusions, and the tradition of Lithuanian poetry singing the Earth's praises with contemporary modes of poetic thought. As a poet, he has sought to grasp the essence of national experience and give it fresh artistic expression. In his lyrical verse Marcinkevičius strives to comprehend the real meaning of what is going on inside man and society and moves the reader with his ardent lyrical confessions.
For most his life Justinas Marcinkevičius lived and wrote during the complex times of Soviet totalitarianism. He defended the cultural self-awareness of his nation. The poet brought back humanistic idea in describing a man, continued on the romantic and lyric poetry tradition, valued the aesthetic side of literature, as opposed to the heroic and propagandistic style of socialist realism. Marcinkevičius wrote poems in a romantic and modern style. Justinas Marcinkevičius is regarded as one of the most prominent members of Sąjūdis.

Awards and Acknowledgements

• Lithuanian National Prize
• National Advancement Prize in Culture (May 18, 2008)

Works of note

After the emergence of Marcinkevičius' first book I Plead for a Word in 1955, he has published fourteen collections of poetry, three historical plays, two collections of essays, a novella and various translations into Lithuanian.

Poetry and compilations

• “Liepsnojantis krūmas” (The Burning Bush) (1968 m.),
• “Gyvenimo švelnus prisiglaudimas” (The Gentle Cuddle of Life) (1978 m.)

• Rhymed trilogy of dramas:
  • „Mindaugas“ (1968 m.),
  • „Mažvydas“ (1977 m.),
  • „Katedra“ (The Cathedral) (1971 m.).

Novels

• „Dienoraštis be datų“ (A Diary Without Dates) (1981 m.),
• „Tekančios upės vienybė“ (Unity of a Flowing River) (1994 m.)

He has also translated into Lithuanian works of Adam Mickiewicz, Alexandr Pushkin, Sergei Yesenin, Mikhail Lermontov, and the Finnish Kalevala legend.

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David Shapiro, American jazz musician died he was , 58.

David "Dave" Shapiro was an American jazz musician. He played double bass died he was , 58..

(April 24, 1952 – February 16, 2011)


Born and raised in Brooklyn, David Shapiro graduated from Brooklyn College in 1973 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music. He became a busy New York freelancer, playing regularly with such jazz legends as Woody Herman, Chet Baker, Lee Konitz, Howard McGhee, Mel Lewis and singers Ray Charles, Anita O'Day, and Chris Connor. He performed with Jackie Cain and Roy Kral in the Newport Jazz Festival in Carnegie Hall. He proved his versatility as a member of the house band at Eddie Condon's and the Metropolitan Bopera House.^[2]
In 1987 Shapiro moved to Townshend, Vermont, where he taught and played with various musicians of the jazz scene in Vermont and Western Massachusetts, as Attila Zoller, Howard Brofsky, Scott Mullett, Paul Arslanian, Bob Weiner, Jay Messer, Eugene Uman, Draa Hobbs, Claire Arenius, and Tom McClung. With trumpet player Steve Sonntag he led a trio, which became later a sextet. In 1997 they recorded the live album Monk, Duke & Mingus^[3] Shapiro also played in recording sessions with Woody Herman (World Class, 1982), Danny D'Imperio (Blues For Philly Joe, 1991), Joshua Breakstone (Evening Star, 1992), Howard Brofsky (73 Down, 2000), and Michael Musillami (Perception, 2000).^[4]
Shapiro taught math and jazz history at Westfield State College and at Holyoke Community College in Massachusetts. He instituted his own educational programs and conducted jazz ensembles. He also taught Jazz History at the Vermont Jazz Center and conducted the "piano trio" ensembles at the VJC's Summer Jazz Workshop.^[1]

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Dame Judith Binney, New Zealand historian and author died he was , 70.

Dame Judith Binney, DNZM, FRSNZ  was a New Zealand historian, writer and Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Auckland. Her work focussed primarily on religion in New Zealand, especially the Māori Ringatū religion founded by Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki and continued by Rua Kenana died he was , 70. She also wrote extensively on the history of Ngāi Tūhoe.


(1 July 1940 – 15 February 2011)

 Biography

Judith Mary Caroline Binney was born in Australia in 1940. She graduated with a first-class honours degree in history from the University of Auckland in 1965, and started work at the university as a lecturer in the History Department the next year. She retired as Professor of History in 2004. She wrote biographies of both Te Kooti and Kenana, as well as a book on Kenana's followers, and another on Pākehā missionary Thomas Kendall. With Judith Bassett and Erik Olssen she wrote People and the Land, a history of New Zealand aimed at high school–level readers.
In 1997, she was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, and in 2006 a Distinguished Companion (equivalent to a damehood). In 1998 she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand. She was awarded $60,000 at the Prime Minister's Awards for Literary Achievement in 2006. Prime Minister of New Zealand Helen Clark stated: "Judith Binney’s work plays a vital role in recording our history, with a focus on Maori communities. Her writing draws on oral histories and communal memories, and uses photographic sources as an integral part of the written historical discourse."^[2]
In 2007, Binney was named an inaugural fellow of the New Zealand Academy of Humanities, and she was a historical consultant for Vincent Ward's film, Rain of Children (2008).
In 2010, she won the New Zealand Post Book of the Year and General Non-fiction Award for Encircled Lands: Te Urewera, 1820-1921 (Bridget Williams Books). The book documents Tūhoe's quest for self-government of their lands, granted to them in law more than a century ago.

Death

On 4 December 2009, Binney received serious head injuries after being struck by a truck while crossing Princes St in Auckland City.^[3]
On 15 February 2011, she died in her Auckland home, aged 70.^[4] She was survived by her husband, Sebastian Black.

Books

Author

• The legacy of guilt: a life of Thomas Kendall (Oxford University Press, 1968).
• Mihaia : the prophet Rua Kenana and his community at Maungapohatu (with Gillian Chaplin and Craig Wallace. Oxford University Press, 1979).
• Ngā Mōrehu: The survivors (with Gillian Chaplin. Oxford University Press, 1986).
• The people and the land: Te tangata me te whenua: an illustrated history of New Zealand, 1820-1920 (with Judith Bassett and Erik Olssen. Allen & Unwin, 1990).
• Redemption songs: a life of Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki (Bridget Williams Books, 1995).
• Encircled lands: Te Urewera, 1820-1921 (Bridget Williams Books, 2009).

Editor

• The shaping of history: essays from the New Zealand Journal of History, 1967-1999 (Bridget Williams Books, 2001).

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Joe Frazier, American baseball player (St. Louis Cardinals) and manager (New York Mets) died he was , 88.

Joseph Filmore Frazier  was a former outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball. He was signed as an amateur free agent in 1941, but did not play in the major leagues until 1947 died he was , 88.. After 1947, he spent parts of three seasons in the 1950s, primarily with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1956, at the age of 33, he finished his playing career after having played in 217 games.

(October 6, 1922 – February 15, 2011)

He then had a successful career as a minor league manager, first in the Houston Astros organization, and then, beginning in 1968, in the New York Mets farm system. He managed in Mankato of the Northern League, then Pompano Beach in the Florida State League. He would win the pennant in 1971 with Visalia of the California League. He then went on to win league championships with Memphis and Victoria in the Texas League.
Frazier, managing the Tidewater Tides in 1975, won the International League championship. The Tides had to win 22 of their last 33 games to finish the regular season in a first-place tie with the Rochester Red Wings. The Tides then won a one-game playoff behind the four-hit pitching of Nino Espinosa. The Tides advanced to win the Governors' Cup by defeating Charleston three games to none, and then Syracuse, three games to one. They then went on to the Junior World Series, losing to Evansville of the American Association four games to one.^[1]
Following that successful 1975 season, Frazier was promoted to manager of the parent Mets on October 3, replacing interim manager Roy McMillan. At his introductory press conference, Mets General Manager Joe McDonald said, "Joe Frazier has consistently proved to us his ability to handle players. Winning is what it's all about, and Joe Frazier is a winner." Frazier himself added, "I'm the type of manager who stresses fundamentals. I think a man should go from first to third on a hit and second to home. I demand hustle. If I have my way, you're going to see a Mets' club next year that will hustle."^[2]
Frazier managed the Mets to an 86-76 record in 1976, good for a third place finish. The club got off to a 15-30 in 1977, however, and Frazier was replaced as Mets manager by Joe Torre, who was an active player on the Mets roster at the time.
In 1982 he was the manager of the Louisville Redbirds, the AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. The team finished in second place with a record of 73-62. He was succeeded as manager of the Redbirds by Jim Fregosi.

Preceded by Roy McMillan	New York Mets Manager 1976-1977	Succeeded by Joe Torre
Preceded by John Antonelli	Tidewater Tides manager 1975–1975	Succeeded by Tom Burgess
Preceded by Tommy Thompson	Louisville Redbirds manager 1982–1982	Succeeded by Jim Fregosi

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Sidney Harth, American violinist and conductor, died from respiratory complications he was , 85.

Sidney Harth  was an American violinist and conductor died from respiratory complications he was , 85..

(October 5, 1925 – February 15, 2011^[1])

In 1957 Harth became the first American to receive the Laureate Prize in the Wieniawski Violin Competition held in Poland. He had made his European debut previously, touring France with pianist Theodore Lettvin in 1951-1952 in a concert series organized by the National Music League and the Jeunesses Musicales International.^[2] Harth performed with major orchestras across the world, and made numerous recordings with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Krakow Radio and Television Orchestra.^[3]
Harth was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music and studied with Joseph Knitzer, Michel Piastro and Georges Enesco. Since then, he has held faculty positions at University of Louisville, the University of Houston, the University of Texas, Yale University, and the Mannes College of Music.
He was Concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Principal Concertmaster and Associate Conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, and Concertmaster and Assistant Conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. He was initiated as an honorary member of the Zeta Kappa chapter of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, the national fraternity for men in music, in 1958 and was selected as a National Honorary member of the Fraternity in 1966.^{[citation needed]}
An acclaimed conductor, Harth was during his career Principal Conductor of the Natal Philharmonic Orchestra in South Africa, and Musical Director of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Northwest Chamber Orchestra of Seattle and the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra.
Harth was at onetime a faculty member of the Yale School of Music. He also was Head of the School of Music at Carnegie Mellon University, where he also taught violin and chamber music. Until the time of his death on the 15 February 2011, Harth was the Director of Orchestral Activities at Duquesne University Mary Pappert School of Music.^[4]

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Sean Boru, Irish actor and author died he was , 57.

Sean Boru (born Desmond Patrick Bruen) was an Irish actor and author died he was , 57..

(March 20, 1953 – February 14, 2011)


Boru was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer (Hodgkins Lymphoma) in 1998, 2000 and 2002. He received radiotherapy the first 2 times, then chemotherapy. He filmed the second and third treatments with the intention to help other patients and their relatives to understand the procedures.
During his 3rd treatment Boru wrote his autobiography as a private project for his children and grandchildren. His book No Sense of Tumour (ISBN 978-141-202405-1) was published in June 2004 by Trafford Publishing.^[2] This led to him writing the biography of Michael Carroll (lottery winner), who won £9.7m in 2002, titled Careful what you wish For (ISBN 1-844-54313-7). The book was launched by John Blake Publishing in October 2006^[3] unusually for an autobiography of this type, it features many references to its ghost writer.
In 2006 he was signed by literary agent, Diane Banks, and went on to ghost write the latest edition of the Alex Higgins story, published in May 2007 by Headline. Sean Boru has also written a history book about London. The book is called 'A Unique Historie of London: Featuring the American Connections' (ISBN 1-424-11869-7), and was published by Publish America on January 9, 2006.^[4]
In 2005 Boru wrote a stage show called And over here on the left^[5] which is a one man show in which he plays the character of a tour guide. Turning the theatre into the bus, he uses a mix of film, still pictures, and 3D images, projected onto the stage and a screen, for the audience to focus on.
Sean Boru went to Hollywood in 2006 to film a contribution, as a biographer, to a documentary made by the E!Entertainment channel, about Michael Carroll, as part of the E! True Hollywood Story series on lottery winners. Boru has since got Carroll parts in films playing thugs, the press say he is `Type-Cast` for this kind of role. In the film Jack Said Carroll gets to beat up Danny Dyer, but Dyer gets his own back when he pummels Carroll unconscious during a robbery. The film also starring Boru goes on general release in October/November 2009. Pete Doherty asked Sean to write his autobiography in early 2009, after months of negotiations Sean declined the offer on the grounds that Kate Moss was concerned about her private life being told. After many emails from Kate's lawyers, and talks with mutual friends of Kate, Sean made the decision to not proceed.
In 2009 Sean Boru launched a book entitled `A historie of London and Londoners` ISBN No. 978-0-7524-4861-9 which is published by the History Press http://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/Default.aspx?tabid=7613&ProductID=7266 he has also written a book on Snooker Miscellany which is being launched in March 2010. In 2008 after 3 years of applications Boru was invited to audition for the Dragons Den, he wanted to raise £250,000 to put on a unique theatre show based on his former bus tour of London, when he was a tour guide. After 2 auditions he was shortlisted for the next series in 2010. also in 2008 he met actor/producer Simon Phillips, and won the part of Detective Edwards in the second of the `Jack` films series, Jack Said. Boru stars in a leading role alongside actors Danny Dyer, David O`Hara, Terry Stone and Simon Phillips. The role is being carried over into the next `Jack` film, Jack Falls which is due to shoot in 2010 again with Boru playing Edwards. He has appeared on Irish and English TV shows talking about his relationship with former alleged Irish bank-robber Gerard Hutch. Boru has regular meets with Hutch when he is in Dublin, and it is believed that a book on the life of Hutch is in the planning. In 2009 he was asked by film director Liam Galvin to play a part in the film Killer Bitch.<sup>[6]</sup> Boru plays a porn film maker who gets murdered by former football bad boy Jason Marriner. Dave Courtney, Howard Marx, Roy Shaw and many more ex-gangsters are also featured in the film. The film raised issues when Cage Fighter Alex Reid shot a violent sex scene in a woods, with former Byker Grove actress Yvette Rowland. Reid was dating Katie Price (Jordan) and the press made an issue of the scene, it was alleged to be a rape scene and women's groups raised issues about such scenes in films.
Sean Boru is a regular visitor to his native Dublin and he is currently working on a factual book about the city. He is a full member of the prestigious Lillies Bordello, which is a known haunt of celebrities. He is a regular visitor to the Cannes Film Festival in France. Sean Boru lives in Halstead Essex and is separated from his second wife Lesley; he has 5 children. He writes a regular 2 page column in all of the 45 magazines issued monthly by the Fish Publishing Group, the magazines are at the high end of Life Style magazines covering 5 counties, Herts, Bucks, London, Essex and Kent. The readership is an estimated 2m. a full account of the magazines are at www.life-mags.com
His latest book is `The Little Book of Snooker`, which is a book about Snooker history, evolution, player biographies and fun stats, his friend Jimmy White MBE wrote the foreword. All the royalties are being used to provide free copies of his 2005 film `Sleeping With the Light On`, which is an information film for cancer patients that has been endorsed by celebs and doctors worldwide. The book was written with the help of Jimmy White M.B.E. who also launched the book with Sean in April 2010 at Waterstones in Epsom. He is currently working with another Irish writer on a novel about the legendary Fianna Warriors, and has subsequently been cast as an Irish gangster in an upcoming New York heist film, the film will also have Irish actor and former boxer Joe Egan in it who is a friend of Boru.
Sean Boru sadly died on the 14th February 2011.

Filmography

• Daddy Fox as Charming Barrister (2000)
• Cradle of Fear as The Coroner (2001)
• Another Life as Courtroom photographer (2001)
• The Hound of the Baskervilles as Lord Edward (2002)
• Conspiracy of Silence as Father Murphy (2003)
• Dreamteam as Frank (2003)
• Lost Dogs as Izzy (2005)
• Jack Said as Detective Edwards (2009)
• Killer Bitch as Sean (2009)

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David F. Friedman, American film producer (Blood Feast), died from heart failure he was , 87

David Frank Friedman  was an American filmmaker and film producer died from heart failure he was , 87.

(December 24, 1923 - February 14, 2011)

 

Life and career

Friedman first became interested in entertainment after spending parts of his childhood in Birmingham and Anniston, Alabama. traveling carnival sites. He met exploitation film pioneer Kroger Babb during his stay in the Army. This encounter got him interested in films. Working as a regional marketing man for Paramount he sensed the money in independent distributing and started his own company in the 1950s. His company mainly produced so-called Nudie Cuties, films such as Goldilocks and The Three Bares shot in nudist colonies being the closest thing to pornography legally available back then. This trend was followed by the sexploitation and "Roughie" genres, depicting simulated sex with a more violent edge, often horror- or crime-related. Examples of Friedman's roughies are The Defilers (1965),^[2] The Lustful Turk (1968), The Head Mistress (1968) and The Adult Version Of Jekyll and Hide (1971, directed by Byron Mabe).^[3] Helming one of those movies Friedman started his working relationship with Chicago based teacher and film maker Herschell Gordon Lewis.
Friedman went on to produce the latter's 1963 film Blood Feast, an American exploitation film often considered the first "gore" or splatter film. He was also the producer of two of the first Nazi exploitation films, Love Camp 7 (1969)^[4] and Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS (1974), for which he refused to use his real name and was credited as Herman Traeger.^[5][6]
With the advent of hard core porn as a commercial factor in the mid 1970s, Friedman began to slow down his output. His work ethic "Sell the sizzle not the steak" would not comply with actual intercourse shown on screen. Still he was president of an organization of Adult Film Makers.^[7]
In the early 1990s, Seattle's Something Weird Video, owned by Mike Vraney, started to re-issue the work of David Friedman, getting him the attention of a new generation exploitation and b-movie collectors. He can be heard on the audio commentary track of some of the company's releases. In 2000, Friedman was featured alongside cult filmmakers Roger Corman, Doris Wishman, Harry Novak and others in the documentary SCHLOCK! The Secret History of American Movies, a film about the rise and fall of American exploitation cinema.
In 2001, he co-starred with long time business partner Dan Sonney in the documentary Mau Mau Sex Sex (IMDb entry).
Friedman died in Anniston, Alabama on February 14, 2011 at the age of 87.

Further reading

• Andrews, David. Soft in the middle: the contemporary softcore feature in its contexts, Ohio State University Press, 2006, ISBN 0814210228.
• Briggs, Joe Bob. Profoundly disturbing: shocking movies that changed history!, Universe, 2003, ISBN 0789308444.
• Burger, Frederick. (2002-02-24). "Blood! Guts! Gall!; David Friedman is proud of the schlock he's inflicted on the public over the years." Los Angeles Times. p. F-4.
• RE/Search No. 10: Incredibly Strange Films RE/Search Publications, 1986, ISBN 0-940642-09-3.
• Suckling, Nigel. Werewolves, AAPPL, 2006, ISBN 1904332463.
• David F. Friedman. A Youth in Babylon: Confessions of a Trash-Film King, Prometheus Books, 1998.

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