George Na’ope, whose mastery of the hula — the flowing, pantomimic dance of Hawaii — and its lilting chants made him a last link between an ancient ritual and modern entertainment, died on Oct. 26 at his home in Hilo, Hawaii. He was 81.

The cause was lung disease, said Iwalani Kalima, his student and caretaker for more than 40 years.

…

Mr. Na’ope is survived by a brother, Francis; three sisters, Eileen Crum, Bernie Konanni and Emma Werley; and an unofficially adopted son, Beyers Hoatili Na’ope.

Rest In Peace, George.

Sheldon Dorf, who founded the world famous Comic-Con International comic book convention, has died. He was 76.

A longtime friend, Greg Koudoulian, says the Dorf died at a San Diego hospital on Tuesday from kidney failure. He had diabetes and had been hospitalized for about a year.

Rest In Peace, Sheldon.

Troy N. Smith Sr., who turned ordering a hamburger by speaking into a microphone from a parked car into a national habit, died last Monday in Oklahoma City, Okla. He was 87.

His death was announced by the Sonic Corporation, the nationwide chain of drive-in restaurants he founded in 1959.

…

Mr. Smith stayed involved in Sonic for most of his life, even though he retired from managing day-to-day operations in 1983; he kept a seat on the board.

Mr. Smith is survived by his wife, Dollie; a daughter, Leslie Baugh; a son, Troy Smith Jr., known as Butch; eight grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.

Rest In Peace, Troy.

Michael Goldsmith, who battled amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — Lou Gehrig’s disease — and was honored in Yankee Stadium on July 4 on the 70th anniversary of Gehrig’s classic farewell speech, died Sunday. He was 58.

The cause was respiratory failure from A.L.S., according to his son, Austen Goldsmith. Mr. Goldsmith died in a hospice at St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany, where he had been living since early August, according to his son.

…

Mr. Goldsmith is survived by his wife, Carolyn Goldsmith, and his two children from a previous marriage, Jillian Goldsmith and Austen Goldsmith, both of New York, as well as two sisters, Lynn Goldsmith and Edna Goldsmith, and their mother, Anitta Goldsmith of Albany.

Rest In Peace, Michael.

Albert York, a painter of small, mysterious landscapes who shunned the art world yet had a fervent following within it, died Tuesday in Southampton, N.Y. He was 80 and lived in Water Mill, N.Y.

The cause was cancer, said Cecily Langdale of Davis & Langdale, the gallery that, first as Davis Galleries and later as Davis & Long Company, has represented him since 1963.

He is survived by his wife; two stepchildren, Jonathan Caldwell of Santa Fe, N.M., and Kristin Caldwell of Carlisle, Pa.; and four step-grandchildren.

Rest In Peace, Albert.

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Michelle Triola Marvin, who fought a landmark “palimony” case against her former lover, actor Lee Marvin, has died. She was 76.

Family spokesman Bob Palmer says Marvin died Friday morning of lung cancer at the Malibu home she shared with actor Dick Van Dyke, her partner of 30 years.

Rest In Peace, Michelle.

Coppola is the brother of filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, and he taught literature and served as dean of creative arts at San Francisco State University.

Cage spokeswoman Annett Wolf said he died Tuesday after a heart attack.

Besides Cage, Coppola is survived by sons Christopher and Marc and five grandchildren.

Rest In Peace, August.

Awesome. Common sense. Thank you.

Posted from slobokan’s posterous

Supermarket giant Coles will change the name of an in-house brand of biscuits amid claims it is racist.

Coles Spokesman Jim Cooper said the name of the “You’ll Love Coles” brand of chocolate and vanilla biscuits, called Creole Creams, will be changed as part of the company-wide rebranding of Coles products.

The name change comes on the back of claims of racism, with the word Creole used to describe a person of mixed European and African ancestry.

Exactly how far must things go before people realize how ridiculous they are? Does this mean that the Creole Restaurant in New York should close because they are racist?

What about the Creole application from the Chisel Group, the Creole consulting group from Louisiana, the Indiana University Creole Institute, and the Creole Queen riverboat in New Orleans?

Are all of these companies racist?

“The word Creole comes from a period when people’s humanity was measured by the amount of white blood they had in their bloodstream. This is the same kind of thought that underpinned horrific regimes like the Nazis,” Mr Watson said.

Wow. According to Sam Watson, the deputy director of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at the University of Queensland, they most definitely are.

Is Sam Watson capable of using his brain to come to a logical conclusion before jumping on the racist bandwagon? Obviously not.

Posted from slobokan’s posterous