MUSINGS

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2023:

It’s now 2023 in Oz, midnight has passed, the fireworks are done and we are in a new year.

When all is said and done, one minute before 12.00 and one mute after 12.00 are really no different, it is what we have designated to it, invested in it and that we use it as an opportunity to ea, drink, be merry and make fresh starts. Really, though, a fresh start can be made at any time.

Helen Hunt Jackson’s poem “New Year’s Morning” (1892) discusses how it's only one night and that each morning can be New Year's. It ends with:

Only a night from old to new;

Only a sleep from night to morn.

The new is but the old come true;

Each sunrise sees a new year born.

Philosopher and actor John Wayne said much the same:

“Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday.”

Nonetheless, we have made Christmas synonymous with Santa, and the new year with the countdown at New Year’s Eve, so in accordance with tradition I wish you all well for the coming year.

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THOSE WE LOST IN 2022:

I posted Parts 1 and 2 of These We Lost on 28 and 29 December, in that Friday would be Funny Friday and Saturday would be New Year’s Eve.

Some celebrities died after those dates so here is the addendum:

 

DAME VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
Date of death:	29 December, 2022
Age at death:	81
About:	English fashion designer and businesswoman, largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream. Westwood came to public notice when she made clothes for the boutique that she and Malcolm McLaren ran on King's Road, which became known as SEX. Their ability to synthesise clothing and music shaped the 1970s UK punk scene, which was dominated by McLaren's band, the Sex Pistols. She viewed punk as a way of "seeing if one could put a spoke in the system". Westwood opened four shops in London and eventually expanded throughout Britain and the world, selling an increasingly varied range of merchandise, some of which promoted her many political causes such as the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, climate change and civil rights groups.
By the way:	Westwood was inducted into Britain's establishment in 1992 by Queen Elizabeth who awarded her the Order of the British Empire medal. She dressed up as then-prime minister Margaret Thatcher for a magazine cover in 1989 and drove a white tank near the country home of a later British leader, David Cameron, to protest against fracking.
Cause of death:	"Vivienne Westwood died today, peacefully and surrounded by her family, in Clapham, South London," her fashion house said on Twitter.  No cause of death has been stated.

 

PELE
Date of death:	29 December, 2022
Age at death:	82
About:	Pelé was a Brazilian professional footballer regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. Labelled "the greatest" by FIFA, he was among the most successful and popular sports figures of the 20th century. In 1999, he was named Athlete of the Century by the International Olympic Committee and was included in the Time list of the 100 most important people of the 20th century. In 2000, Pelé was voted World Player of the Century by the International Federation of Football History & Statistics (IFFHS) and was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the Century. His 1,279 goals in 1,363 games, which includes friendlies, is recognised as a Guinness World Record. Averaging almost a goal per game throughout his career, Pelé was adept at striking the ball with either foot in addition to anticipating his opponents' movements on the field. While predominantly a striker, he could also drop deep and take on a playmaking role, providing assists with his vision and passing ability, and he would also use his dribbling skills to go past opponents. In Brazil, he was hailed as a national hero for his accomplishments in football and for his outspoken support of policies that improve the social conditions of the poor. His emergence at the 1958 World Cup, where he became a black global sporting star, was a source of inspiration. Throughout his career and in his retirement, Pelé received numerous individual and team awards for his performance in the field, his record-breaking achievements, and his legacy in the sport.
By the way:	On 1 June 2022, Pelé published an open letter to the President of Russia Vladimir Putin on his Instagram account, in which he made a public plea to stop the "evil" and "unjustified" 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Cause of death:	In September 2021, Pelé had surgery to remove a tumour on the right side of his colon.   On 21 December 2022, the Albert Einstein Hospital, where Pelé was being treated, stated that his tumour had advanced and he required "greater care related to renal and cardiac dysfunctions". Pelé died on 29 December 2022 due to multiple organ failure, a complication of colon cancer.

 

POPE BENEDICT XVI
Date of death:	31 December, 2022
Age at death:	95
About:	Pope Benedict XVI (Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as pope occurred in the 2005 papal conclave that followed the death of Pope John Paul II. Ordained as a priest in 1951 in his native Bavaria, Ratzinger embarked on an academic career and established himself as a highly regarded theologian by the late 1950s. He was appointed a full professor in 1958 at the age of 31. After a long career as a professor of theology at several German universities, he was appointed Archbishop of Munich and Freising and created a cardinal by Pope Paul VI in 1977, an unusual promotion for someone with little pastoral experience. From 2002 until his election as pope, he was also Dean of the College of Cardinals. Prior to becoming pope, he was "a major figure on the Vatican stage for a quarter of a century"; he had an influence "second to none when it came to setting church priorities and directions" as one of John Paul II's closest confidants. He lived in Rome from 1981 until his death in 2022. His prolific writings generally defended traditional Catholic doctrine and values. He was originally a liberal theologian, but adopted conservative views after 1968. On 11 February 2013, Benedict unexpectedly announced his resignation in a speech in Latin before the cardinals, citing a "lack of strength of mind and body" due to his advanced age. His resignation took effect on 28 February 2013. He was the first pope to resign since Gregory XII in 1415, and the first to do so on his own initiative since Celestine V in 1294.
By the way:	His Roman Catholic family — harassed and punished by the Nazi Party for their opposition to state policies — shaped his desire to commit to the church. Despite entering seminary, Ratzinger was drafted into the anti-aircraft corps in 1943 and later into the regular military during World War II. He deserted the German military in April 1945.  Benedict said that he chose to abandon the military after witnessing the horrors of the war, including Jews in Hungary being sent to death camps, according to an interview with Time Magazine in 1993. He was captured and held as a prisoner of war by American forces for several months before returning to Germany and re-entering the seminary with his brother, Georg.
Cause of death:	Unknown.

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