Obituaries for 2020

[sneakypete]

Katherine Johnson was not a “code breaker”. She was however a brilliant mathematician

[/quote]

@Neverdul

Thanks,an important distinction.

[verga]

We just watched Hidden Figures again...... AMAZING story about an incredible group of women, but Katherine in particular.

I read that one of her daughters said that her Mom couldn't figure out what the fuss was about when she finally began getting the publicity she deserved.

She said she was just doing her job.

Her kind of brilliance combined with humility is a rare combination.

Rest in the Peace of your Savior, Katherine!

AMEN, well said.

[TomSea]

Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak dies

Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak – ousted by the military in 2011 – has died in Cairo at the age of 91.

Mubarak spent three decades in office before a popular uprising swept Egypt.

He was found guilty of complicity in the killing of protesters during the revolution. That conviction was overturned and was freed in March 2017.

Read more at: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51630142

"...ousted by the military in 2011" <---- I guess, this is the correct interpretation but I remember it too, it seemed everyone from the Obama administration to yes, Glen Beck, were saying he should step down and that was probably the wrong outlook as well.  I'll have to read but I thought Mubarak caved in under pressure.

[Gefn]

@TomSea

Just about to post this. Thanks.

[skeeter]

Katherine Johnson was not a “code breaker”. She was however a brilliant mathematician who, during the early space program and before the large scale implementation of computers, hand calculated trajectories, launch windows and emergency return paths for Project Mercury spaceflights, including those for astronauts Alan Shepard, the first American in space, and John Glenn, the first American in orbit, and rendezvous paths for the Apollo Lunar Module and command module on flights to the Moon. Her calculations were also essential to the beginning of the Space Shuttle program.

My mistake. For some reason I thought Ms Johnson had begun at the OSS.

[TomSea]

"...ousted by the military in 2011" <---- I guess, this is the correct interpretation but I remember it too, it seemed everyone from the Obama administration to yes, Glen Beck, were saying he should step down and that was probably the wrong outlook as well.  I'll have to read but I thought Mubarak caved in under pressure.

Fox News coverage:

Throughout his rule, Mubarak was a stalwart U.S. ally and a bulwark against Islamic militancy. But to the tens of thousands of young Egyptians who rallied for 18 days of unprecedented street protests in Cairo's central Tahrir Square and elsewhere in 2011, Mubarak was a relic, a latter-day pharaoh.

Nearly 900 protesters were killed during that stretch, which ended when Mubarak stepped down and handed over his power to the military.

Mubarak eventually was sentenced to life imprisonment for involvement in the killing of anti-government protesters during the uprising, but later was retried and subsequently acquitted and released in 2017.

https://www.foxnews.com/world/hosni-mubarak-egypts-former-autocratic-president-dead-at-91-report

See, he handed over his power to the military. I don't quite buy that he was ousted by the military, that too, would seem to mean a "coup".

So, for a more "Middle Eastern" source:

Mubarak ruled Egypt for 30 years until he was ousted during the mass protests in 2011. He was one of the first leaders toppled during the Arab Spring uprising.
https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2020/2/25/former-egypt-president-hosni-mubarak-dead-at-91

Middle East Eye:

The former air force commander first came to power in 1981 after the assassination of his predecessor Anwar Sadat, and ruled for 30 years until huge popular protests forced him from office.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/toppled-egyptian-president-hosni-mubarak-dies-state-tv

[Smokin Joe]

Fox News coverage:

Throughout his rule, Mubarak was a stalwart U.S. ally and a bulwark against Islamic militancy. But to the tens of thousands of young Egyptians who rallied for 18 days of unprecedented street protests in Cairo's central Tahrir Square and elsewhere in 2011, Mubarak was a relic, a latter-day pharaoh.
See, he handed over his power to the military. I don't quite buy that he was ousted by the military, that too, would seem to mean a "coup".

So, for a more "Middle Eastern" source:

Middle East Eye:

Obama an his goons were chin deep in the "Arab Spring" destabilizing governments around the Med, and Mubarak was just one leader in the way.

Lest we forget, his replacement (Morsi) had connections to the Muslim Brotherhood (his wife was a member of the Muslim Sisterhood, an affiliated organization, along with Huma Abedin's mother).

This 'ousted by the military account' smooths over and conceals far more than it illuminates.

Mubarak's replacement was ousted by the military.

[TomSea]

Obama an his goons were chin deep in the "Arab Spring" destabilizing governments around the Med, and Mubarak was just one leader in the way.

Lest we forget, his replacement (Morsi) had connections to the Muslim Brotherhood (his wife was a member of the Muslim Sisterhood, an affiliated organization, along with Huma Abedin's mother).

This 'ousted by the military account' smooths over and conceals far more than it illuminates.

Mubarak's replacement was ousted by the military.

I appreciate the response. Thanks. @Smokin Joe

[Gefn]

Freeman Dyson, famed physicist and creative force, dies at 96


The UK scientist tackled quantum physics and nuclear politics and came up with the idea of Dyson spheres that span an entire solar system.

Freeman Dyson, a physicist, mathematician and author, has died at the age of 96. The UK scientist's ideas encompassed everything from the abstruse physics of quantum mechanics to enormous Dyson spheres that harvest the entire energy output of a sun. He posited the latter in 1960, long before it was featured in sci-fi settings like Star Trek: The Next Generation or when scientists started talking about alien megastructures.

The Institute for Advanced Study, his academic home in Princeton, New Jersey, for 60 years, announced Dyson's death Friday.

https://www.cnet.com/news/freeman-dyson-famed-physicist-and-creative-force-dies-at-96/

[sneakypete]

Freeman Dyson, famed physicist and creative force, dies at 96


The UK scientist tackled quantum physics and nuclear politics and came up with the idea of Dyson spheres that span an entire solar system.

Freeman Dyson, a physicist, mathematician and author, has died at the age of 96. The UK scientist's ideas encompassed everything from the abstruse physics of quantum mechanics to enormous Dyson spheres that harvest the entire energy output of a sun. He posited the latter in 1960, long before it was featured in sci-fi settings like Star Trek: The Next Generation or when scientists started talking about alien megastructures.

The Institute for Advanced Study, his academic home in Princeton, New Jersey, for 60 years, announced Dyson's death Friday.

https://www.cnet.com/news/freeman-dyson-famed-physicist-and-creative-force-dies-at-96/

@Gefn

I really envy people like him. Pretty much every day of his life was exciting because he was doing EXACTLY what he was born to do,and learning something while doing it.

We should all be so lucky. EVERYBODY is born with some sort of "gift",but few of us ever get exposed to the right "trigger" that lets us know what it is. I knew a guy in VN that seemed to be so stupid you had to wonder how long it took him to learn how to tie his shoes and brush his teeth. He got drafted when he was 18 and sent to VN when he was 19,and that was when he found out he had a gift for languages. Within a few months his official army job was being done by someone else,and he was interviewing VN job applicants and supervising their work because he could speak to them in their own language.

Chances are if he had never been sent to VN he would have never discovered this "gift".

Frankly,I was a little impressed that he spoke and understood English. That boy had "Florida Man" written all over him.

[Cyber Liberty]

@Gefn

I really envy people like him. Pretty much every day of his life was exciting because he was doing EXACTLY what he was born to do,and learning something while doing it.

We should all be so lucky. EVERYBODY is born with some sort of "gift",but few of us ever get exposed to the right "trigger" that lets us know what it is. I knew a guy in VN that seemed to be so stupid you had to wonder how long it took him to learn how to tie his shoes and brush his teeth. He got drafted when he was 18 and sent to VN when he was 19,and that was when he found out he had a gift for languages. Within a few months his official army job was being done by someone else,and he was interviewing VN job applicants and supervising their work because he could speak to them in their own language.

Chances are if he had never been sent to VN he would have never discovered this "gift".

Frankly,I was a little impressed that he spoke and understood English. That boy had "Florida Man" written all over him.

My lifelong dream was to just sit on my ass, and retirement seems perfectly suited for that.

[Smokin Joe]

@Gefn

I really envy people like him. Pretty much every day of his life was exciting because he was doing EXACTLY what he was born to do,and learning something while doing it.

We should all be so lucky. EVERYBODY is born with some sort of "gift",but few of us ever get exposed to the right "trigger" that lets us know what it is. I knew a guy in VN that seemed to be so stupid you had to wonder how long it took him to learn how to tie his shoes and brush his teeth. He got drafted when he was 18 and sent to VN when he was 19,and that was when he found out he had a gift for languages. Within a few months his official army job was being done by someone else,and he was interviewing VN job applicants and supervising their work because he could speak to them in their own language.

Chances are if he had never been sent to VN he would have never discovered this "gift".

Frankly,I was a little impressed that he spoke and understood English. That boy had "Florida Man" written all over him.

Seems there is a niche for most everyone, if they can just find it. In one of my 'breaks from the oil patch, I worked with a guy who was a little OCD in a warehouse, and it was great! Everything in its place...so you could pull stock in a heartbeat and never had to spend time looking all over for things.

[Gefn]

@Gefn

I really envy people like him. Pretty much every day of his life was exciting because he was doing EXACTLY what he was born to do,and learning something while doing it.

We should all be so lucky. EVERYBODY is born with some sort of "gift",but few of us ever get exposed to the right "trigger" that lets us know what it is. I knew a guy in VN that seemed to be so stupid you had to wonder how long it took him to learn how to tie his shoes and brush his teeth. He got drafted when he was 18 and sent to VN when he was 19,and that was when he found out he had a gift for languages. Within a few months his official army job was being done by someone else,and he was interviewing VN job applicants and supervising their work because he could speak to them in their own language.

Chances are if he had never been sent to VN he would have never discovered this "gift".

Frankly,I was a little impressed that he spoke and understood English. That boy had "Florida Man" written all over him.

@sneakypete he was an amazing man. Dyson spheres are pretty incredible. RIP

[Gefn]

Joe Coulombe, founder of popular Trader Joe’s markets, dies


LOS ANGELES (AP) — Joe Coulombe envisioned a new generation of young grocery shoppers emerging in the 1960s, one that wanted healthy, tasty, high-quality food they couldn’t find in most supermarkets and couldn’t afford to buy in the few high-end gourmet outlets.

So he found a new way to bring everything from a then-exotic snack food called granola to the California-produced wines that for flavor compared with anything from France. And he made shopping for them almost as much fun as sailing the high seas when he created Trader Joe’s, a quirky little grocery store filled with nautical themes and staffed not by managers and clerks but by “captains and mates.”

From the time he opened his first store in Pasadena, California, in 1967 until his death Friday at age 89, Coulombe watched his namesake business rise from a cult favorite of educated but underpaid young people — and a few hippies — to a retail giant with more than 500 outlets in over 40 states.

https://apnews.com/7e58cf76e73aba70736081a06e2715fa

[Gefn]

I never went to Trader Joe’s until a few months ago. I’m pretty much hooked.  It’s now my favorite grocery store.

RIP.

[Applewood]

@Gefn

My buddy lives close to a Trader Joe's, so when I go to visit her, I have to make a stop at TJ's.  What I particularly like are TJ's British Muffins.  They are English Muffins, but they're larger and thicker than the ones I would get at the local supermarket.  TJ's also has a low sodium tomato soup with roasted red peppers.  Alas, the peppers are few and far between, but I add mixed veggies and/or brown rice to the soup to make it more substantial. 

What I like about Trader Joe's is that I can find products there that are "gourmet" and/or "healthy" but I don't have to pay outrageous prices for them.  They don't carry the usual name brands, but their own brands are just as good as, if not better than, the big name items. 

Rest in peace,  Mr. Coulombe.

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete  Dyson spheres are pretty incredible. RIP

@Gefn,yeah,I'm going to have to take your word on that one.

[Smokin Joe]

@sneakypete he was an amazing man. Dyson spheres are pretty incredible. RIP

Yes, he was. A visionary in many respects. RIP, indeed.

[skeeter]

@Gefn

My buddy lives close to a Trader Joe's, so when I go to visit her, I have to make a stop at TJ's.  What I particularly like are TJ's British Muffins.  They are English Muffins, but they're larger and thicker than the ones I would get at the local supermarket.  TJ's also has a low sodium tomato soup with roasted red peppers.  Alas, the peppers are few and far between, but I add mixed veggies and/or brown rice to the soup to make it more substantial. 

What I like about Trader Joe's is that I can find products there that are "gourmet" and/or "healthy" but I don't have to pay outrageous prices for them.  They don't carry the usual name brands, but their own brands are just as good as, if not better than, the big name items. 

Rest in peace,  Mr. Coulombe.

Their 9 dollar a pound Atlantic salmon is enough reason for me.

[PeteS in CA]

@Gefn

My buddy lives close to a Trader Joe's, so when I go to visit her, I have to make a stop at TJ's.  What I particularly like are TJ's British Muffins.  They are English Muffins, but they're larger and thicker than the ones I would get at the local supermarket.  TJ's also has a low sodium tomato soup with roasted red peppers.  Alas, the peppers are few and far between, but I add mixed veggies and/or brown rice to the soup to make it more substantial. 

What I like about Trader Joe's is that I can find products there that are "gourmet" and/or "healthy" but I don't have to pay outrageous prices for them.  They don't carry the usual name brands, but their own brands are just as good as, if not better than, the big name items. 

Rest in peace,  Mr. Coulombe.

I don't shop TJ's but from what I've heard from former employees, they treat their people really well. So besides offering products people want at a price they'll pay, they're handling the other side of the operation, their people, right.

[Free Vulcan]

I never went to Trader Joe’s until a few months ago. I’m pretty much hooked.  It’s now my favorite grocery store.

RIP.

They do a top notch job, especially if you want to eat healthy.

[Cyber Liberty]

They do a top notch job, especially if you want to eat healthy.

I like Two-Buck Chuck.

[Applewood]

They do a top notch job, especially if you want to eat healthy.

Even if you don't wat to eat healthy, the store has some good junk food too.

[catfish1957]

They do a top notch job, especially if you want to eat healthy.

I have to keep my salt intake down due to bp.  Trader Joe has maybe the best selection of good tasting Low Sodium seasonings there are. 

[mountaineer]

I like Two-Buck Chuck.

I've always wanted to check that out, but the closest TJ's is in Pennsylvania, so it doesn't sell wine, alas.