A Tribute to Harry Belafonte (1927-2023) ~ Entertainer, Activist, and Humanitarian

Harry Belafonte passed away, on April 25, 2023, at the age of 96. He left an indelible mark in the history and the heart of America.

“I think America offers a dream that cannot be fulfilled as easily anywhere else in the world as it could be fulfilled here. …” ~ Harry Belafonte

• If you were preparing a list of iconic and legendary American entertainers, then Harry Belafonte would be on that list.
• If you were making a list of notable civil rights activists in America, then Harry Belafonte would be on that list.
• If you were making a list of humanitarians worthy of double honor for their good works, then Harry Belafonte would be on that list.

Harold George Bellanfanti Jr. known to the world as Harry Belafonte is a Jamaican-American singer, songwriter, actor, activist, and humanitarian. Date of Birth March 1, 1927 — Date of Death April 25, 2023. Cause of death: Congestive heart failure.

Americans from my generation (50s, 60s, and 70s) know Harry Belafonte. We know the lyrics to the Banana Boat and Matilda songs, backward and forward. Several years back (1997) there was a special program on television — “An Evening With Harry Belafonte & Friends” — where he sang many songs accompanied by fabulous singers and musicians. He performed Banana Boat and Matilda. I’m sure he knew that if he had not sung those songs, the audience would have been very disappointed.

Mr. Belafonte is known for his singing, and also for the memorable roles he has played in several films like “Carmen Jones” (1954), and “Island in the Sun” (1957). He has won numerous awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Kennedy Center Honors.

In addition to knowing him as an extremely talented triple threat, i.e. he can sing, dance and act — we also know him to be a civil rights activist and a humanitarian, involved in many good works.

Giving honor where honor is due, one person referred to Mr. Belafonte as “living history”. While he was alive, you did not have to read historical events in a book because you could just talk to him since he was alive during the time and actively participated in history-making.

Mr. Belafonte has passed from living to legend now. He was almost a centenarian; age 96.

“If I’ve impacted on one heart, one mind, one soul, and brought to that individual a greater truth than that individual came into a relationship with me having, then I would say that I have been successful.” ~ Harry Belafonte

IN MEMORY OF: Harry Belafonte (1927–2023)

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I hope that his amazing talent, his fight for human rights, and his selfless charitable acts will be appreciated and remembered by Americans for generations to come.

Original Source

How to watch and stream Harry Belafonte movies

Quotes That are Re-Quote-Worthy

Martin Luther King Jr. 

• “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

President Barack Obama

• “Yes we can.”

Malcolm X

• “When “i” is replaced with “we” even illness becomes wellness.”

Nelson Mandela

• “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”

Bob Marley -

• “Overcome the devils with a ting called love.” 
  

My Top 10 List of Iconic Female Celebrities

In America, we love to apply the word “icon” to people who sort of serve as symbols or are symbolic of something much larger than themselves, and are representative of an ideal that we, as individuals, hope to achieve in life. It's almost as if these people are idols. Almost.

A better way to explain our usage of this term would be by sharing my first time hearing it applied to a well-known figure. My first time hearing the word used was a report where people were speaking of Lee Iacocca. What did this man do to have people call him an “icon”? He's an American businessman, in the automobile industry, who (based on my recollection of events) brought the Chrysler Corporation back to life. Evidently, because of his prowess as a business warrior, he stepped up, took the helm as CEO of ailing and failing business entity, revived it and steered to success. For accomplishing this impossible feat, people showered praises on him as if he were a god of the American automotive industry.


As time passed, the word “icon” started popping up everywhere and is especially used for entertainers, such as, Madonna. Why is she an icon? “Madonna could be considered one of the most successful women of all time.” (Quote source: Madonna: Icon (and Single Working Mother with Custody Issues) | The Huffington Post)


Another example? Beyoncé was selected as the 2016 CFDA Fashion Icon. (CFDA = Council of Fashion Designers of America, Inc.)


Once read an article published at Listverse.com about Hollywood suicides. The full title of the article is “10 Iconic Actresses Who Tragically Ended Their Lives”. After reviewing the list of female celebrities, the facts presented about their deaths were indeed tragic, but describing the actresses as “iconic” kind of made me bristle. It didn't seem to jive with other people in the entertainment industry who were being described as “iconic”.


So! Decided to compile my own list of actresses who should be considered “iconic”. Nixed the requirement that that they had to have committed suicide.


Hmmm …? Now where would be the best place to start to find those sort of people very quickly? The iconic Life Magazine. Of course!



Here's my list of ten (10) female iconic celebrities (not all are actresses, but they are famous or recognizable). The parenthetical notes are my rationale or reasons why these women measure up to the criteria that sets them apart as icons.

Celebrating the Genius of Einstein and #GR101

Started scanning a tweet stream this morning and found out that folks were celebrating the 101st anniversary of Einstein's Theory of General Relativity.  Collecting quotes is my hobby and in particular, always like to read what Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955) had to say.  Plucked this one from the Twitter feed.  It was shared by George Shiber.  (See embedded tweet below.)

Mr. Einstein died the year I was born.  It's not like we would have ever been best buds, but I fancy myself sometimes having a conversation with him.  Were we having a tête-à-tête, my response to his statement above would be:

"Not even a genius like you, Mr. Einstein, can comprehend all of God's thoughts. But if a fool would desire to understand just one of God's thoughts, they'd come out ahead.  (Wink. Wink.)"

Einstein always acknowledged The One Who gave him his brilliant mind.  That's what I most admired about him.

E = mc2 definition at https://t.co/bniYeSsohb, a very clear explanation for non-genius types like me. :) #GR101 https://t.co/RHfo7W9o5M

— Fox Marks ATX (@FoxMarks_ATX) November 2, 2016

"I want to know God's thoughts. The rest are details"

~ Albert #Einstein

November: Happy 101st #anniversary General Relativity pic.twitter.com/U0RBoQskz7

— George Shiber (@GeorgeShiber) November 2, 2016

This November marks the 101st anniversary of general relativity. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram as we celebrate! #GR101 pic.twitter.com/ObV4Kc9nHn

— Albert Einstein (@AlbertEinstein) November 1, 2016

Related articles

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• A Fun Way of Understanding E=mc2 - Universe Today(universetoday.com)

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Source:LiveScience

RE-Post.  First posted Nov 2, 2016.

People We Like to Quote: Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965)

The Right Honourable  Sir Winston Churchill (1874 - 1965) KG OM CH TD PCc DL FRS RA,  was a military hero and British politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 and again from 1951 to 1955.  ( Wikipedia )

I take your point Sir Churchill.  Your reference to "hell" is a descriptive term, a figure of speech to describe an horrific ordeal that someone is enduring and they must stay strong, persevere and keep pushing forward in order to overcome.

However, with regard to the real hell?  Nobody goes through it.  If they end up there it's their final destination.  They can't escape and they can't turn back.  They can't complain that there was an error in their travel itinerary and that they had been dropped off at the wrong place!  They can't even bribe whoever put them in there to let them back out.  For one thing, if they were rich, they were not able to bring their money with them.  Ask the Pharaohs or ask Paul.  Also, the living whom they left behind can't pay for them to get out of hell either through a convenient system of indulgences.  (Geez!  And you think insurance in America is a rip off!)

Churchill quotes are food for thought.  

If I were setting up my own personal private library, I would make sure to have at least one book on the shelf with his quotes. 📕📕

Mini BIO - Winston Churchill

Related Blog Posts:

• Celebrating the Genius of Einstein and #GR101

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• Confucius Wisdom and Quotes

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• Quotes for Success: Building a Door

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Houdini and Doyle: "The Maggie's Redress" Review - IGN

The first episode of Houdini and Doyle aired May 2, 2016, on Fox at 8pm CST.  

My review was published at 100Springs.com, an online writing community; and it was compared to the review published and IGN Entertainment.  IGN gave the series a rating of 6.3.  I thought it should have been 3.6.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons – Houdini and Doyle

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Image credit: flickr.com

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English: Portrait of Arthur conan doyle by Sidney Paget.c. 1890 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

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• 19 Astounding Facts You Never Knew About Harry Houdini

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