Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader reads on the news wires that Dana Reeves, the widow of actor-turned-activist-turned-quadreplegic Christopher Reeves, has died. She was 44. According to the article, Mrs. Reeves was a non-smoker who developed lung cancer. The cancer was the cause of her death. It is sad that such a young woman should die of cancer. But if your Maximum Leader may get catty for a moment… What is worse is that of all the file photos the AP could have run they choose the one where she is shown with her nipples poking through her dress on a cold evening. That strikes your Maximum Leader as somehow disrepectful. Perhaps he is prudish in that way. (Because God knows he’s not prudish in so many other ways…)

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader extends his deepest sympathy to the families of the four men who died in the plane crash in Stafford County Virginia on Wednesday night. Your Maximum Leader was friends with one of the victims, Graham Green. This is such a tragedy for his wonderful family.

May God bless Graham, Rick, Buck, and Michael.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader reads that Romano Mussolini died last week. He was 78. Romano Mussolini was the youngest child of Italian Fascist Leader Benito Mussolini. Romano Mussolini became an accomplished jazz musician and recorded with many modern greats of the genre. Romano was a lucky man in many respects. Not the least of which was his marrage to Sophia Loren’s younger (and supposedly just as good looking) sister, Anna Maria.

Of course, your Maximum Leader is rather fond of Romano and Anna Maria’s daughter, Alessandra Mussolini. Some of you may recall that Alessandra was a prominent Italian politician with the National Alliance Party. The National Alliance is a right-wing party in Italy, originally founded to give some support to Benito Mussolini’s National Socialist movement. When joining the Berlusconi Government the National Alliance formally renounced fascism. At that point Alessandra left the National Alliance. Your Maximum Leader seems to remember that her new political party is called the Social Alternative Party or perhaps the Social Freedom Party… Or something like that. It is an amalgamation of various right-wing parties.

Of course, if you’ve never seen a photo of Alessandra allow your Maximum Leader to share some photos of her. Here and NSFW here.

She seems to favour her mother’s side more than dads…

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader sees on the new wires that Coretta Scott King, widow of Martin Luther King, Jr., has died; aged 78. There are so many things one could say about Mrs. King. She certainly was woman of strong character to endure all she did. Certainly she was fighting for a cause in which she believed, but there are many points at which she could have taken her life in other courses. Courses less in the limelight and less frought with danger for herself and her children. Mrs. King didn’t waiver in her convictions even when her life and the lives of her children were threatened. She kept fighting even after her husband was murdered. In many respects it was Coretta Scott King more than Rosa Parks who should be considered the mother of the Civil Rights Movement. To suffer the outrages of bigots, and to quietly accept your husband’s adultery, all the while maintaining your composure and dignity takes great inner strength. We should all mourn her passing.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader, generally, does one obituary and moves on. But he felt that the puny obituary for Birgit Nilsson to which he linked yesterday was… Well… Puny… He much prefers the obit in today’s Washington Post by Tim Page.

He commends it to you for your own edification. And for all posterity, or as long as this blog is published, he’ll reprint it in full below the fold.

Carry on.
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Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader is filled with sadness… Birgit Nilsson, one of your Maximum Leader’s favourite Wagnerian Sopranos, has died. She was 87. Your Maximum Leader has numerous recordings of Nilsson singing in various Wagner operas. Indeed, your Maximum Leader would have to say that one of his regrets is that he never saw her perform. She retired “in the 1980s” according to the article. Your Maximum Leader thinks that 1982 was her final US performance. Alas, he wasn’t going to many operas then. He does have some recollections of listening to some of her Met performances over the radio. (Both your Maximum Leader’s sainted mother and dearly departed grandmother were/are regular listeners to the opera broadcasts on WETA in Washington DC on Saturday afternoons.)

This afternoon he will have to transfer some of his Wagner to the iPod and listen to Birgit Nilsson sing.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader’s thoughts go out to the family of Phyllis Gretzky, including her son Wayne Gretzky. Mrs. Gretzky died of cancer yesterday.

Your Maximum Leader, a hockey fan, certainly hopes that the Gretzky family knows that millions of fans are keeping them in their thoughts and prayers.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader reads that Simon Wisenthal has died in Vienna. He was 96.

Your Maximum Leader is sure that if you were inclined to do so you’ve already read the myriad obituaries about Wisenthal. If you were not inclined to read the obituaries, shame on you. Simon Wisenthal kept horrible acts in the forefront of the minds of people. He sought justice for the dead. He spent his life fighting for civilization against barbarism. His life was a worthy one and one that is worthy of respect and tribute.

Remember Simon Wisenthal. And may he rest in peace.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader has learned that Susan Ann Catherine Torres has died. Aged 5 weeks.

Susan Ann Catherine Torres was the young girl born to brain-dead woman in Arlington VA a little over a month ago. If you recall, Susan’s mother, also Susan, was ravaged by cancer and died while 15 weeks pregnant. Her body was kept alive to give her daughter, and namesake a chance to live.

While the ceasarian birth appeared to go smoothly, it seems as though young Susan developed a perforated intestines and died. Your Maximum Leader can hardly imagine the heart ache of Jason Torres. Who now has lost his young wife and his infant daughter in the course of a few weeks. This fills your Maximum Leader with a deep sense of pathos.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader must note the date. Today is August 22. And on this date in 1485 the Battle of Bosworth Field was fought. At the battle, King Richard III was defeated and killed by the forces of Henry Tudor - who became Henry VII.

Your Maximum Leader, out of habit, will republish the famous New York Times obituary for King Richard:

“PLANTAGENET — Richard, great king and true friend of the rights of man, died at Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485. Murdered by traitors and, dead, maligned by knaves and ignored by Laodiceans, he merits our devoted remembrance.”

For those of you interested in learning more about Richard you might try the following links: Battle of Bosworth from the Richard III foundation, The Richard III Society of the UK, another Bosworth site from the US Richard III Society and finally a brief Britannica article on Richard.

Carry on.

Greetings, loyal minions. Your Maximum Leader suspects that by now you’ve heard that Saudi Arabia’s King Fahd has died. Well, depending on your philosophical approach to these things one could say that his body died today and his mind died years ago when he had his stroke.

King Fahd was a masterful player of the delicate art of being a good buddy to the West and a noble patron to Islamofacists. Crown Prince (now King) Abdullah is of the same mold your Maximum Leader fears. One can hope that change will soon come to the House of Saud and the nation they rule so effectively.

Humm… Two King Abdullah’s in the middle east. One supposes they will now go by the monikers Abdullah of Jordan and Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

Oh. Your Maximum Leader also hears that out of deference to the passed autocrat, the Arab League will not meet in Sharm Al-Sheik as planned this week. How thoughtful.

Carry on.