Giorgio Bocca, Italian essayist and journalist, died he was 91.

Giorgio Valentino Bocca  was an Italian essayist and journalist, also known for his participation in the World War II partisan movement  died he was 91..^[1]

^{(28 August 1920 – 25 December 2011)}

Biography

Bocca was born in Cuneo, Piedmont, the son of teachers, and studied law. He fought in the Alpini corps during World War II, and befriended Benedetto Dalmastro and Duccio Galimberti. Together with them, after the Armistice with Italy (September 1943), he joined the partisan organization called Giustizia e Libertà, becoming the commander of its 10th Division, fighting together with US and British Armies against the nazi-fascists.
Having begun his press career in Cuneo, Bocca wrote for Giustizia and Libertà's magazine during the post-war period. Later, he worked for the Gazzetta del Popolo, L'Europeo and Il Giorno, analyzing Italian culture and politics. In 1971 he was amongst those who signed a document issued by the magazine L'Espresso against police chief Luigi Calabresi after the death of the anarchist Giuseppe Pinelli, soon after killed by a terrorist group of far left named Lotta Continua. Five years later, Bocca was among the founders of the daily La Repubblica, with which he thenceforth collaborated.
He also wrote several books, in most of which he denounces the social and political problems of Italy. He has repeatedly taken a critical stance against globalization, the foreign policy of U.S. oil corporations and the rise of right-wing political parties allied with Forza Italia led by Silvio Berlusconi.
Bocca died in Milan on 25 December 2011.

Controversy

Most critics of Bocca note that in his major opus, History of the Resistance, a large research on the subject of Italy's Partisan movement between 1943 and 1945, he was very partial to extreme left wing partisans and that he omitted important and grave facts such as the Osoppo Massacre (in which a whole non-communist Partisan unit, the Osoppo Brigade, composed of mostly Catholic or moderate-view guerrillas, was ambushed, trapped and executed by leftist guerrillas from the same division in which Bocca was deployed) and that he omitted most of the aftermath immediately following the Liberation of Italy when former partisans took revenge upon former Fascists and collaborationists in Northern and central Italy, mostly by swift executions, kidnapping and other murderous acts.



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Vitaly Tseshkovsky, Russian chess Grandmaster, died he was 67.

Vitaly Valerianovich Tseshkovsky was a Russian chess Grandmaster and a former champion of the USSR died he was 67..

(Russian: Виталий Валерьевич Цешковский, September 25, 1944 – December 24, 2011) 

Tseshkovsky (Cieszkowski) was born in Omsk into a Polish family (his noble ancestors lived in Volhynia).
He was awarded the International Master title in 1973 and became an International Grandmaster in 1975.
His best tournament victories include first at Leipzig 1975, Dubna 1976, Yerevan 1980, Banja Luka 1981, Sochi 1981 and Minsk 1982. He was co-winner of the 1978 Soviet Championship (with Mikhail Tal) and winner of the 1986 Championship.^[1] He beat some world champions: Vasily Smyslov at the Moscow Spartakiad 1974, Tal at Sochi 1970, and a young Garry Kasparov at the 1978 Soviet Championship. Tseshkovsky himself almost qualified for the World Championship candidates matches when he finished fourth in the 1976 Manila Interzonal, one place lower than was needed to progress to the next stage. At the 27th Chess Olympiad in 1986, he scored 2½/5 as the second reserve board to help the USSR team win the gold medal.^[2]
His 6/9 result in St Petersburg, 2004 qualified him to play in the Russian Championship final later in the year, alongside Russia's seven top players and five other qualifiers.^[3] In 2010, he tied for 2nd-4th with Algimantas Butnorius and Nikolai Pushkov in the European Seniors’ Rapid Championship.^[4]
In the opening, his choice was 1.e4 with the white pieces. With Black he played the Ruy Lopez, Sicilian Defence, Pirc Defence and Modern Defence against 1.e4, and against 1.d4 he most often played the Grünfeld Defence and Benko Gambit.
Tseshkovsky maintained a high standard of chess throughout his career, registering his highest Elo rating of 2600 in October 2005. As a coach, he assisted with the training of many high profile players including Vladimir Kramnik, Bartlomiej Macieja and Boris Savchenko.
He died on 24 December 2011 in Krasnodar.^[5]


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Lynn Samuels, American radio personality, died he was 69.

Lynn Margaret Samuels  was an American radio personality and blogger, based in New York City. She attended Bard College  died he was 69..

(September 2, 1942 – December 24, 2011)

She began her radio career at WBAI in 1979, where in addition to her on-air work she was music director and an engineer and producer.^[1] Walter Sabo, in a tribute on the Alex Bennett program (hosted by Richard Bey) on December 27, 2011, stated that Lynn first worked for WOR on Saturdays from 4–6 p.m. "for quite some time".
Samuels was heard on WABC from 1987 until 1992, 1993 until 1997,^[2] and 1997^[3] until 2002,^[4] including two breaks in which she was fired and then rehired. Her third and final dismissal in 2002 was allegedly due to budget cuts.
Samuels was also a call-screener for Matt Drudge. In 2002, she joined WLIE^[5] for a brief time before being hired by Sirius in 2003.^[6]
From 2003 to 2011, Samuels hosted The Lynn Samuels Show initially from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the weekends before being moved to the shift from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET on the Sirius Satellite Radio channel SIRIUS Left. Early in 2011, after SIRIUS Left was folded into Sirius XM Left, Sirius reduced her hours and she began a new weekend talk show on Sirius XM Stars from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.^[7] She also made television appearances on FOX News, CNN, MSNBC, The Sally Jesse Raphael Show, Geraldo at Large and Politically Incorrect.

Death

Lynn Samuels died on December 24, 2011, aged 69, of a heart attack in her Woodside, New York apartment.^{[8][9][10][11]} She is survived by her sister Judy and two nephews. She is buried in Linden Hills Jewish Cemetery in Ridgewood, Queens, NY^[12]


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Jody Rainwater, American bluegrass musician and radio personality, died from heart disease he was 92.

Jody Rainwater aka Little Jody Rainwater (born Charles Edward Johnson,  was an American bluegrass musician and radio personality died from heart disease he was 92..^[1]

^{(Surry County, North Carolina, 1920 — died Richmond, Virginia, December 24, 2011)}

Jody Rainwater was one of thirteen children of M. Wilson and Emma Johnson. He was well known for having played bass with the The Foggy Mountain Boys. An elder brother had taken up guitar, and soon they began playing together as "Chuck and Slim, The Johnson Brothers". They played at reunions and social gatherings around the area. The brothers found themselves in High Point, North Carolina, auditioning for the new radio station WMFR which began broadcasting in 1936. They were offered a regular time slot every Thursday morning. Their father believed farm work should take priority, so they eventually cancelled their weekly show. The next big thing for The Johnson Brothers occurred at the 1937 Fourth of July Horse Show in Kernersville, North Carolina. There the brothers entered a competition for performers and won the award for "Best Individual Entertainers".^{[citation needed]}
Rainwater decided to move to Winston-Salem. For four years he found few opportunities in music. He served in the Marines during World War II. In April 1945 he was discharged from active duty and returned to Winston-Salem, where he found work at an auto dealership. While employed there he met a local musician, Woody Hauser. The two formed the band the Blue Ridge Mountain Boys. In 1946 they helped sign on station WTOB and became a regular part of its programming. While playing for WTOB the band played a few local shows in nearby schools. It was during this time that Charles Johnson became "Little Jody". Clad in baggy pants, suspenders, and old shirts the character that would soon be made famous with Flat and Scruggs was born. Little Jody and Woody played together for almost three years. After a trip with Woody and several friends to the Grand Ole Opry, Jody determined that he would one day play the Opry. After the trip Jody and Woody were offered the chance to play during the intermission of a Bill Monroe road show in Lexington, North Carolina, which is where Rainwater first met Lester Flatt.^{[citation needed]}
In 1948, Jody Rainwater left North Carolina for Roanoke, Virginia where he joined the Blue Star Boys. Later that year he learned that Flatt, Earl Scruggs, and others were leaving the Blue Grass Boys to form the Foggy Mountain Boys. Jody was asked to join them to handle bookings and advertising, but he decided to stay in Roanoke. In 1949 a coal strike devastated the Bristol area's economy and the Foggy Mountain Boys left WCYB for Lexington, Kentucky. WCYB offered the Farm and Fun Time slot to the Blue Star Boys and they took it. This didn't work out well, and at this point Flatt again offered the booking job to Jody, who immediately accepted it.^{[citation needed]}
In addition to booking, Jody joined the group on their Saturday night slot on WVLK's Jamboree as Cedric Rainwater's comedic partner. The comedy duo was a hit and Jody was soon being billed as Cedric's younger brother. Lester Flatt suggested the name Little Jody Rainwater and it really stuck. However, the comedic antics of the Rainwater brothers were short lived. Soon Cedric decided to join Hank Williams' Drifting Cowboys and leave bluegrass. The Foggy Mountain Boys found themselves in need of a bassist. For the next three years Rainwater played an important part in the band's sound and stage presence. He was both booking and playing shows. Working seven days a week up to eighteen hours a day. By May 1952 Jody was "right at a nervous breakdown", and, at the advice of a physician he put in his notice. The band was working in central Virginia at the time and he was offered a job working as a deejay at WSVS. With flexible hours and steady pay Jody jumped at the chance. On June 7, 1952 Rainwater left the Foggy Mountain Boys and began his career in radio.^{[citation needed]}

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Richard Bessière, French author, died he was 88.

Richard Bessière was a French author of science fiction and espionage novels died he was 88.. His œuvre, particularly abundant, was published primarily by publisher Fleuve Noir.^[1] Bessière was one of the leading authors of publisher Fleuve Noir's popular imprints Anticipation and Espionnage. 

(1923 – 22 December 2011)

Bessière was born and died at Béziers - a year after his death, his home town announced that a street would be named in his honour.^[2] His first science fiction series (1951–54) featured the Conquérants de l’Universe [Conquerors Of The Universe], a band of Earthmen led by professor Bénac, the inventor of a spaceship called Meteor, who explore the Solar System. Bessière’s most popular series featured the adventures of American journalist Sydney Gordon, his ditzy wife Margaret, his catastrophe-prone son, Bud, and his scientist friends, Archie and Gloria Brent. The series began with serious tales of alien or extra-dimensional invasions, but eventually took a satirical turn. Bessière's other popular series involved the hard-boiled adventures of Dan Seymour, a futuristic James Bond.
Bessière also made his mark on French science fiction through a number of non-connected novels that featured an original blend of horror and science fiction. Monstrous aliens threatening to take over mankind were featured in Escale chez les Vivants [Stop-Over Among The Living] (1960); evil entities from beyond human ken whose only weakness was sound invaded Earth in Les Maîtres du Silence [The Masters Of Silence] (1965); Cette Lueur Qui Venait Des Ténèbres [That Light Which Came From The Dark] (1967) featured ghastly body-snatching parasites. The ultimately doomed reconquest of a post-cataclysmic Earth ruled by mutants and deadly lifeforms, was the subject of Légion Alpha (1961), Les Sept Anneaux de Rhéa [The Seven Rings Of Rhea] (1962), in which Earth was described as seven concentric spheres with Hell at its core, and Les Jardins de l’Apocalypse [The Gardens Of The Apocalypse] (1963). Les Marteaux de Vulcain [The Hammers Of Vulcan] (1969) described a nightmarish planet where survival was all but impossible.
Bessière also wrote almost a hundred spy thrillers for the Espionnage imprint of Fleuve Noir under the pseudonym of F.-H. Ribes. Many of these starred a hero called Gérard Lecomte.


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Zsuzsi Mary, Hungarian pop singer, committed suicide she was 64.

Zsuzsa Mary also known as Zsuzsi Mary was a Hungarian pop singer committed suicide she was 64..

(13 October 1947 – 24 December 2011)

Career

She appeared first time on stage in 1965, later she finished on the first place in the Hungarian Television's song contest, the Táncdalfesztivál, with the song "Mama" (Mom) in 1968. The songwriter was Attila Dobos, who would be her first husband. She was successful in the Eastern Bloc countries too. In 1969, she married György Klapka, and soon after emigrated with her husband. They divorced in 1987, but maintained a good relationship. She returned to Hungary after the end of Communism. Mary came out as bisexual in 2008.^[2]

Death

She committed suicide on Christmas Eve, 2011, aged 64.^[3][4][5] According to Magyar Távirati Iroda (MTI) her body was found the next day, 25 December 2011.^[6] Her suicide was confirmed by her second husband, György Klapka.^[7]

Albums

• 1991 - Ez az utolsó tangó (This is the last tango)
• 2002 - Premier M (My premier)
• 2005 - Sodor a szél (Drifting in the wind)

Posthomous releases

December 26., 2011 - Elszálltaka az évek (CD Single) (Vanished over the years)
It's as if this song would have she said goodbye.
The refrain:
"Flew off over the years
They do not hurt the silence
The tranquility locking arms
So rock out"


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Marvin Knopp, American mathematician, died he was 78.

Marvin Isadore Knopp was an American mathematician who worked primarily in number theory died he was 78.. He made notable contributions to the theory of modular forms.

(January 4, 1933 – December 24, 2011) 

Life and education

Knopp was born on 1933 in Chicago, Illinois. He received his PhD under Paul T. Bateman from the University of Illinois in 1958 where he became friends with fellow student Gene Golub.^[2] Over the course of his career, he advised twenty Ph.D. students.^[3] He is the father of pianist Seth Knopp, and of Yehudah, Abby, and Elana.^[4] Marvin was married to Dr. Josephine Zadovsky Knopp for 25 years but the marriage ended in divorce. Knopp died on December 24, 2011 during a vacation in Florida. Marvin's true loves in life were his children, old movies, great music and numbers.

Career

After receiving his PhD in 1958, Knopp taught at the University of Wisconsin and then, for a few years, at the University of Illinois Chicago before moving, in 1976, to Temple University where he stayed until his sudden death in 2011.^[5] He was closely associated with Emil Grosswald.^[6] In Jean Dieudonne's influential book A Panorama of Pure Mathematics (Academic Press, 1982), he is mentioned (p. 95) as one of those who "made substantial contributions" to the theory of modular forms.

Selected publications

• Knopp, Marvin (1970). Modular Functions in Analytic Number Theory. : Rand McNally. ISBN 0-528-60000-1.

Further reading

• American Mathematical Society. Marvin Knopp ..., ed. (1993). In Knopp, Marvin; Sheingorn, Mark. A Tribute to Emil Grosswald. Providence: American Mathematical Society. ISBN 978-0-8218-5155-5. Retrieved 2009-02-06. A set of papers in honor of Grosswald; includes reminiscences, list of PhD students, and a list of papers and books.

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