George McAnthony, Italian country singer, died from a heart attack he was , 45.

George McAnthony (Born Georg Spitaler) was a country singer and songwriter. Since 1988 he toured around Italy, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and France died from a heart attack he was , 45..
McAnthony was born in Appiano, Italy. He recorded 14 albums, three of them in Nashville. George McAnthony performed as a "Country One Man Band", playing seven acoustic instruments at the same time, live, without playback or support from other musicians. He played 12-string guitar, dobro, mandolin or electric guitar, harmonica and kazoo. With his feet he played percussion instruments such as bass drum, snare, tambourine and hi-hat.

(6 April 1966 – 8 July 2011)

McAnthony performed a duet with John Denver and appeared in radio and TV broadcasting shows. He has been awarded the "Best European Country Artist", "Vocalist" and "Country Song of the Year". George McAnthony was much dedicated to charity projects.
McAnthony's thirteenth CD, "Bridge To El Dorado", was been given airtime on the international radio network by "Comstock Records USA", and came in second place at the European Country Music Awards 2009 in the Category "Best European Album of the Year". In April 2010 George McAnthony recorded his forteenth album "Dust Off My Boots" in Nashville, Tennessee, with Brent Mason, Paul Franklin and Bryan Sutton.
McAnthony died of myocardial infarction on 8 July 2011 in Terracina, Italy.^[1]

Awards

• European Country Music Award - Best European Country Vocalist of the Year 1998
• European Country Music Award - Best European Country Artist & Song of The Year 2001

Discography

• Country & Western Collection (2011)
• Dust Off My Boots (2010)
• Bridge To El Dorado (2008)
• Trail of Life (2006)
• Best of 1997-2005 (2005)
• Great Spirit (2004)
• Wild Horse Running (2002)
• The Vision (2000)
• 22 Greatest Hits 1988-97 (2000)
• Weekend Cowboy (1998)
• Like a Country Boy (1996)
• Live on the Road (1994)
• Country Way of Life (1992)
• Together (1990)
• Green is Peace (1989)

 

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Paul Michael, American actor, died from heart failure he was , 84

Paul Michael was an American actor best known for his role as TJ, the hapless boss of a burger bar in children's television show 'Spatz' died from heart failure he was , 84. He was a regular guest star on American television appearing in Kojak, Hill Street Blues, Alias, Gilmore Girls and Frasier among others. He played a cop in the Hollywood movie Batman.
He also played King Johnny Romano on Dark Shadows. He was best known for his connections to the Robert Langdon series of novels by Dan Brown, having narrated the American release audiobooks for both The Da Vinci Code and The Lost Symbol, as well as the 2006 docu-drama Opus Dei Unveiled, focusing on the primary antagonist group featured in Da Vinci Code.

(August 15, 1927 – July 8, 2011)

Personal life

Michael was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He began singing at a young age in school productions. He served as a sergeant in the Army in the South Pacific during World War II. Later, under the G.I. Bill, he received a B.A. in English literature from Brown University. He was in a relationship for 23 years with actress Marion Ross. He is survived by his two sons Matt and Greg Michael.^[1]

Death

Michael died from heart failure on July 8, 2011 at his home in Woodland Hills, California at the age of 83.^[1]

 

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Ricardo Alegría, Puerto Rican anthropologist, died from complications from heart disease he was , 90.

Ricardo Alegría was a Puerto Rican scholar, cultural anthropologist and archeologist known as the "Father of Modern Puerto Rican Archaeology"died from complications from heart disease he was , 90.  .

(April 14, 1921 – July 7, 2011)

Early years

Alegría was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he received his primary and secondary education. He was motivated by his father, Jose Alegría, who taught him to love Puerto Rico and to be proud of its history and culture. In 1941 at the University of Puerto Rico, he founded the Puerto Rican Fraternity Alpha Beta Chi in search of a fraternity that based its principles in equality, fairness and acceptance of all that wanted to join. In 1942, Alegría earned his Bachelors of Science degree in archeology from the University of Puerto Rico. He continued his academic education in the University of Chicago where in 1947 he earned his Masters in Antropology and History. In 1954, Alegría earned his PhD. (doctorate) in Antropology from Harvard University.^[2]

Institute of Puerto Rican Culture

Alegría was named the first director of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture by Luis Muñoz Marín, Puerto Rico's first elected governor. He was responsible for the creation of the "Archaeological Center of Investigation of the University of Puerto Rico". Alegría also created the "Center of Popular Arts of the Puerto Rican Cultural Institute", the program of publication of books of the institute, and created the logo for the Institute of Neurobiology in Puerto Rico.
Alegría was responsible for the renovation and restoration of historical Old San Juan under the leadership of then San Juan mayor Felisa Rincón de Gautier. He is also responsible for the restoration of the ruins of "Caparra" and "Fort San Jeronimo". As a result of his work "Old San Juan" was declared a "Historical World Treasure". In 1976, Alegría opened the "Center of Advanced Studies of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean". In 1992, he established the "Museum of the Americas".^[3]

Anthropology pioneer

Alegría is credited with being a pioneer in the anthropolic studies of the Taino culture and the African heritage in Puerto Rico. His extensive studies have helped historians understand how the Taínos lived and suffered, before and after the Spanish Conquistadores arrived in the island. Alegría estimated that about one third of all Puerto Ricans (2 million out of 6 million) have Taíno blood and therefore the Taínos where not completely extinct and some had to survive. Recently, the results of recent DNA studies have proved him right.^[4]

Written works

The following is a list of books which Alegría has either authored or co-authored.

• "Ball Courts and Ceremonial Plazas in the West Indies"
• "The three wishes; a collection of Puerto Rican folktales"(1969) ( with Lorenzo Homar)
• "History of the Indians of Puerto Rico"
• "El Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña, 1955–1973 : 18 años contribuyendo a fortalecer nuestra conciencia nacional"
• "Taino: Pre-Columbian Art & Culture from the Caribbean" (with Fatima Bercht and Jose J. Arrom)
• "Las primeras representaciones gráficas del indio americano, 1493–1523"
• "Descubrimiento, conquista y colonización de Puerto Rico, 1493–1599" (with Mela Pons Alegría)
• "Historia y Cultura de Puerto Rico: Desde La Epoca Pre-Colombina Hasta Nuestros Dias"
• "Excavations at Maria de La Cruz Cave & Hacienda Grande Village Site, Loiza, Puerto Rico" (with Irving Rouse)
• "La vida de Jesucristo según el santero puertorriqueño Florencio Cabán"
• "San Juan de Puerto Rico" (with Manuel Méndez Guerrero and María de los Angeles Castro Arroyo)
• "Cafe" (1967)
• "Programa De Parques Y Museos Del Instituto De Cultura Puertorriquena" (1973)
• "La Fiesta De Santiago Apostol En Loiza Aldea"
• "El Fuerte De San Jerónimo Del Boquerón"

Awards and recognitions

In 1993, President Bill Clinton presented Alegría with the "Charles Frankel Prize" for his contributions in the field of archaeology. In 1996, he was awarded the "James Smithson Bicentennial Medal". In 2001, Alegría received from the hands of Nancy Morejon "The Haydee Santamaria Medal" in Havana, Cuba. In 2002, Alegría received the "Luis Muñoz Marín Medal" in recognition of his life achievements from Puerto Rican Governor Sila Calderón. Puerto Rican artist Lorenzo Homar honored Alegría by making an artistic graphic poster of him.^[4]
Alegría also received recognition from cultural and architectural organizations in Peru, Venezuela, Mexico and the Dominican Republic, where he also received an honorary doctorate. The city of Havana recognized his influence in the project to remodel the city's historical district (similar to Alegría's work in Old San Juan) by honoring him with a plaque, which, while he was alive, was the only monument honoring a living Puerto Rican in the entire city.
Puerto Rican folk duo Los Niños Estelares dedicated a tribute song to Alegría, named "Alegría, Doctor Alegría", in their 2010 album, Namasté. In it they describe many of Alegría's accomplishments, his educational background, and -partly in jest, due to Alegría's impressive credentials- likened him to Indiana Jones. In the lyrics, they name Alegría "the last Puerto Rican hero."

Legacy and death

Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa became inspired by Alegría's work and incorporated a fictional character based on him, named Ricardo Santurce, in his play "El loco de los balcones". "I admire him a lot; his work was extraordinary. Not only did he resucitate a barrio, Old San Juan, which is very beautiful, but he did it without allowing it to be turned into a museum. He gave it a great vitality and integrated it to current life, showing in a quite concrete way that the past can be a very rich and stimulating element for the present. I wish all Latin American countries had a Ricardo Alegría”.
Ricardo Alegría lived in Old San Juan in his later years, until his death on July 7, 2011. He had been hospitalized in San Juan's "Centro Medico" (Medical Center Hospital) a few weeks before his death. After a brief recovery, he relapsed, and was returned to the Medical Center, where he died of heart failure.^[5]

 

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Peter Aucoin, Canadian educator (Dalhousie University) died he was , 67.

Peter Charles Aucoin was a professor emeritus of political science and public administration at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. He is recognized as one of the leading theorists on the practice and reform of public administration and governance. He was a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a member of the Order of Canada. He also served as an advisor to the Government of Canada as well as provincial and municipal governments.

(October 3, 1943 – July 7, 2011)

Early life

Aucoin was born in 1943 in Halifax.^[4] He attended Saint Mary's University High School, and went on to get his Bachelor of Arts from Saint Mary's University. He earned his master's degree from Dalhousie University, and his Ph.D. from Queen's University.^[3]

Career

Aucoin was appointed to the Dalhousie University faculty in 1970, and became a full professor nine years later.^[3] From 1985 to 1990, he was the director of the School of Public Administration, and from 1992 to 1995, he served as chairman of the Department of Political Science.^[5] When he retired in 2009, he was the Eric Dennis Memorial Professor of Government and Political Science and Professor of Public Administration.
Aucoin worked in an advisory capacity to the Canadian government at federal, provincial, and municipal levels.^[2] He was the Science Advisor for the Science Council of Canada, and coordinated research with the Royal Commission on the Economic Union and Development Prospects for Canada from 1985 to 1986. He was the director of research for the Royal Commission on Electoral Reform and Party Financing from 1990 to 1991, as well as the Halifax Commission on City Government.^[3] He was also senior fellow of the Canada School of Public Service.^[5] Aucoin also was called upon several times to be the lead expert witness in court cases relating to election and referendum law, including spending limits on third party election advertising in Canada.^[6][3] He was a member of the board of directors of the Institute for Research on Public Policy.^[2][7]
From 1995 to 1996, Aucoin was the president of the Canadian Political Science Association. He also was previously the vice president of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. He also served on many editorial boards of both Canadian and international academic journals. He co-edited the book series published by the Institute of Public Administration of Canada.^[2] Aucoin himself was a prolific writer, authoring and editing fifteen books and eighty articles and book chapters.^[3] His article "Administrative Reform in Public Management: Paradigms, Principles, Paradoxes and Pendulums" has been cited over 500 times.^[8]
Aucoin died on July 7, 2011.^[9]

Awards and recognition

• 1994: J. E. Hodgetts for an article published in Canadian Public Administration^[10]
• 1995: Charles Levine Book Prize for The New Public Management: Canada in Comparative Perspective
• 1999: Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia 1999 Medal for Excellence in Public Administration
• 2004: J. E. Hodgetts for an article published in Canadian Public Administration^[10]
• 2005: Governor General Vanier Medal for Exceptional Achievement in Public Administration
• 2006: elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
• 2006: Dalhousie University Alumni Association Award for Teaching Excellence
• 2007: appointed a Member of the Order of Canada^[1][2]
• 2011: received an Honorary Doctorate of Civil Law from Saint Mary's University^[3]

 

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Manuel Galbán, Cuban guitarist (Buena Vista Social Club), died from a heart attack. he was , 80

Manuel Galbán  was a Grammy winning Cuban guitarist, pianist and arranger, most notable for his work with Los Zafiros, Ry Cooder and the Buena Vista Social Club died from a heart attack. he was , 80. The last surviving member of Los Zafiros, he died on July 7, 2011 of cardiac arrest at his home in Havana, Cuba.

(January 14, 1931  – July 7, 2011)

Biography

Manuel Galbán was born on January 14, 1931 and grew up in the small fishing town of Gibara in the Holguin province of western Cuba. After playing guitar and tres in various local youth groups, he got his first professional gig at the age of 14 playing guitar with the Orchestra Villa Blanca. In 1956 he moved to Havana, where he spent seven years playing in bars and clubs and making frequent appearances on radio.
In 1963 he joined the legendary vocal group Los Zafiros, after a mutual friend had recommended him to them. His playing proved to be a such hit with Los Zafiros that he was told by singer Miguel Cancio "Galbán, from now on you're working with us; you're exactly what we're looking for". Galbán was such an essential ingredient to the sound of Los Zafiros that the distinguished Cuban pianist Peruchin once said "to replace Galbán you would need two guitarists". He left the group in 1972 after working hard for years to allay the personal problems that plagued its various members.
Thereafter he spent three years with Cuba's national musical ensemble, Dirección Nacional de Música, and then a further 23 years with the Grupo Batey as a guitarist, vocalist and pianist, touring extensively across four continents.
In 1998 he joined the traditional Cuban group Vieja Trova Santiaguera with whom he toured and released two highly acclaimed albums. He also he appeared in the Wim Wenders film Buena Vista Social Club, filmed with Ry Cooder during the sessions for the debut solo album by Ibrahim Ferrer. Later he recorded with Ferrer and Buena Vista Social Club bassist Cachaíto Lopez, leading to his present engagement as the featured guitarist with the touring ensemble named after the film.
In 2001 he recorded Mambo Sinuendo with Ry Cooder which won the 2003 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album. Says Cooder of the making of the album "Galbán and I felt that there was a sound that had not been explored, a Cuban electric-guitar band that could re-interpret the atmosphere of the 1950s with beauty, agility, and simplicity. We decided on two electrics, two drum sets, congas and bass: a sexteto that could swing like a big band and penetrate the mysteries of the classic tunes. This music is powerful, lyrical, and funny; what more could you ask?"^[3]

Style and equipment

Galbán's distinctive electric guitar sound makes liberal use of reverb, tremolo, diminished arpeggio runs and palm mutes. Using a Fender Telecaster with heavy gauge strings, he references the tone of Duane Eddy and the early surf guitarists whilst playing the melodic runs and chordal patterns associated with traditional Cuban music.^[4] He has been pictured using Fender Twin, Roland JC120 and Fender Bassman amps, as well as a Dunlop TS-1 stereo tremolo pedal.

 

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Humberto Leal Garcia, Mexican murderer, died from a lethal injection he was , 38.

Humberto Leal García, Jr. was a Mexican inmate on death row in the U.S. state of Texas for the May 21, 1994, rape, torture, and murder of Adria Sauceda in San Antonio.^[2] Despite calls from U.S. President Barack Obama, the U.S. State Department and Mexico on Texas for a last-minute reprieve, Leal was executed by lethal injection as scheduled on July 7, 2011.



(January 16, 1973 – July 7, 2011)

Early life and crime

Leal, a mechanic,^[3] was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico,^[4] and moved to the United States when he was two years old.^[5][6] He suffered from brain damage and was sexually abused by a priest as a child.^[7]
On May 21, 1994, Leal kidnapped, raped, and murdered 16-year-old Adria Sauceda.^[8] The girl had been at a party and become intoxicated, and a group of men gang-raped her. Leal is said to have offered to drive her home, and the two struggled when Sauceda tried to get out of the car a little distance away from the party.^[9] Official court documents state "There was a 30- to 40-pound asphalt rock roughly twice the size of the victim's skull lying partially on the victim's left arm; Blood was underneath this rock. A smaller rock with blood on it was located near the victim's right thigh.” There was also a stick 15 inches (380 mm) in length extending out of her vagina, with a screw at the end.^[10] Leal claimed that she fell and hit her head.^[9] No one was charged in the gang rape.^[9]

Case and trial

Leal was never informed that, as a Mexican national, he was entitled to assistance from the Mexican consul.^[10][11] However, at the time of his arrest he did not reveal his Mexican citizenship, and the issue of consular access was not raised during the trial.^[12] Critics of the decision to execute him said that he incriminated himself, which a better lawyer might have advised him not to do, and that he had other legal difficulties, including the court-appointed lawyer's failure to challenge questionable evidence.^[2][11][13] The jury convicted him after 45 minutes of deliberation.^[2] Texas maintained that he confessed before his arrest and so a change of legal counsel or strategy would have made no difference.^{[citation needed]}
As Texas law does not allow the death penalty for murder alone if the victim is over age five, prosecutors had to prove, in order for Leal to be sentenced to death, not only that he had killed Adria Sauceda, but that the murder was committed in the course of another felony offense—in this case, rape and kidnapping.^[9] Leal's lawyers criticized the lack of DNA evidence supporting the sexual assault charges.^[13]
Defenders of Leal stated that the original case relied partly on controversial and flawed methods such as bite mark analysis and the use of luminol to detect blood.^[14][15]

Legal controversy

The failure to inform Leal of his rights created legal controversy. In 1998, he appealed his death sentence on the grounds that police had not informed him that he could call the Mexican consulate. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals had already upheld the sentence in February of that year, but international law had not been considered in the ruling.^[16]
A 2004 ruling by the International Court of Justice (in Avena and Other Mexican Nationals (Mexico v. United States of America)) found that he and about 50 other Mexican nationals condemned to execution in the United States had been denied their right under the Vienna Convention to be told that they may contact their consular officials. A 2008 Supreme Court decision declared the international court's decision binding, but said that it was necessary that Congress pass a law obliging states to comply.^[17]

As the date scheduled for Leal's execution approached, the Obama administration made a number of comments concerning the execution, saying that it would cause "irreparable harm" to US interests abroad, including the demonstration of "respect for the international rule of law," and "have serious repercussions for United States foreign relations, law-enforcement and other co-operation with Mexico, and the ability of American citizens traveling abroad to have the benefits of consular assistance in the event of detention."^[11][18]

Supreme Court case

The administration submitted a 30-page^[11] brief to the Supreme Court asking them to stay Leal's execution while Congress considered legislation relating to the right of foreign nationals on death row to contact their consulate for legal aid. On July 7, 2011, the court ruled 5–4 that Congress had had adequate time to do so, and wrote in an unsigned majority opinion that it would not "prohibit a state from carrying out a lawful judgment in light of unenacted legislation." Justice Stephen G. Breyer, in his dissent, which the other three dissenting justices joined, wrote that the execution would damage American foreign policy interests and that the court should defer to the executive branch's traditional prerogative with regard to foreign relations.^[17]

Execution and reactions

After 16 years of appeals, Leal was executed by lethal injection at 6:21 pm C.S.T. on July 7, 2011. He admitted responsibility for the crime and said he was sorry,^[19] and his final words included "Viva México".^[10] Leal's last meal consisted of fried chicken, pico de gallo and guisada tacos.^[20]
On July 8, a spokesman for Texas governor Rick Perry stated "If you commit the most heinous of crimes in Texas, you can expect to face the ultimate penalty under our laws."^[21] Arturo Sarukhan, Mexico's ambassador to the United States, said that "the government of Mexico has never called into question the heinous nature of the crimes attributed to Mr. Leal and in no way condones violent crime," but condemned the execution; Sarukhan had earlier tried to contact Perry, who would not take his call.^[3][21]
Euna Lee, an American journalist who was arrested in North Korea in 2009, criticized the United States' failure to comply with the Vienna Convention, saying that she believed "prompt consular access" protected her from physical mistreatment while a prisoner, and that the decision in the Leal case would encourage foreign governments to violate the rights of American citizens abroad.^[22]
Navi Pillay, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that Leal's execution undermined "the role of the International Court of Justice, and its ramifications [were] likely to spread far beyond Texas."^[21]

 

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Olav Versto, Norwegian journalist and editor (Verdens Gang), died when he drowned he was , 60,

Olav Versto was a Norwegian journalist and editor, primarily known for his work for the newspaper Verdens Gang  died when he drowned he was , 60,.

(31 July 1950 – 7 July 2011)

Education and career

Versto received a cand.mag. degree from the University of Oslo in 1976.^[1] He started his career in the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation in 1977, and was hired as a subeditor of Verdens Gang, Norway's largest newspaper, in 1987. From 1994 to 2008 he was the political editor of Verdens Gang. After that he became the editor of the op-ed section of the newspaper.^[2]
Olav Versto hailed from Vinje, and was the grandson of Olav Aslakson Versto and son of Aslak Versto, both politicians. He was himself politically involved, and was a forceful activist for the failed campaign for Norwegian European Union membership in 1994.^[3] In his later years, Versto was involved in the debate over the conflict between Islam and the West.^[4] In 2003, he went far towards supporting the US-led invasion of Iraq, a controversial stance in Norway at the time.^[5]
Versto was married to Kari Storsletten, journalist in the newspaper Aftenposten. The two were in 2007 ranked as number four among the most powerful media couples in Norway, by the online business newspaper NA24.^[6]

Death

Versto was found dead in the harbour of Farsund on 7 July 2011.^[2] Police believe he may have slipped on the rain-soaked floor of his boat and fell into the water.^[7]
Following his death, Versto was praised by several prominent figures, including Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, former Prime Ministers Gro Harlem Brundtland, Kjell Magne Bondevik, Kåre Willoch and World War II veteran Gunnar Sønsteby.^[8]

 

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