gcreptile

Watching Helmut Schmidt's funeral made me think of how many politicians of the 70s are still alive. So I decided to make a list of all living cabinet or cabinet rank members of "important" countries who were in a government that was elected before 1980. I've started with the USA, West Germany, UK, and France and list their functions (with the earliest one first), their name and year of birth, and some additional information that might be relevant for obits outside of their home country. I included the secretaries of state/undersecretaries for the UK, but not for the other countries, because of obit relevance. I'll probably do four more countries soon, something like Australia, Soviet Union, East Germany and Canada or Japan. International Cabinet Members before 1980 USA Johnson Cabinet Attorney General Ramsey Clark (born 1927) - involved in Civil Rights Movement, turned leftist Postmaster General Marvin Watson (born 1924) Secretary of Transportation Alan S. Boyd (born 1922) - earliest surviving cabinet member Nixon Cabinet Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (born 1923) - Nobel Peace Prize Winner Treasury secretary/SoS/OMB/Labor George P. Shultz (born 1920) - political veteran Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird (born 1922) - "Vietnamization" Secretary of Commerce Peter "Pete" Peterson (born 1926) - Billionaire, still involved in politics Secretary of Commerce Frederick B. Dent (born 1922) Ford Cabinet Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld (born 1932) - served under Bush Jr as well Secretary of Agriculture John A. Knebel (born 1936) Secretary of Labor W. J. Usery Jr. (born 1923) Secretary of Health, Education, Welfare Forrest David Matthews (born 1935) HuD secretary Carla Anderson Hills (born 1934) - small trailblazer, public figure, on corporate boards Secretary of Transportation William Coleman (born 1920) - oldest living former cabinet member WH chief of staff Richard "Dick" Cheney (born 1941) - also Vice-President Head of CIA George H.W. Bush (born 1924) - also President Carter Cabinet: Jimmy Carter Himself (born 1924) Treasury Secretary W. Michael Blumenthal (born 1926) - political veteran, director of Jewish Museum in Berlin Secretary of Defense Harold Brown (born 1927) Attorney General Benjamin R. Civiletti (born 1935) Secretary of Interior Cecil Andrus (born 1931) - also very popular Governor of Idaho Secretary of Agriculture Bob Bergland (born 1928) Secretary of Labor Ray Marshall (born 1928) Secretary of Health, Education, Welfare Joseph A. Califano Jr. (born 1931) - also newspaper columnist HuD Secretary Moon Landrieu (born 1930) - also popular Governor of Louisiana Secretary of Transportation Neil E. Goldschmidt (born 1940) - also Governor of Oregon, lobbyist Secretary of Defense/Energy Charles William Duncan Jr. (born 1926) - Coca Cola president Secretary of Education - Shirley Hofstedter (born 1925) - first SoE, also a trailblazing judge Vice President Walter Mondale (born 1928) Chief of Staff Jack H. Watson (born 1938) EPA Chief Douglas M. Costle (born 1939) U.N. ambassador Andrew Young (born 1932) - ally of Martin Luther King, mayor of Atlanta U.N. ambassador Donald McHenry (born 1936) OMB director James T. McIntyre (born 1940) CIA chief Stansfield Turner (born 1923) National Security Adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski (born 1928) - globally known commentator until today Chairman of Council of Economic Advisors Charles Schultze (born 1924) ____________________________________________________________________________ West Germany Adenauer IV Walter Scheel (born 1919) - also became federal president Kiesinger I Justice, Special Affairs, Chancellery, Post & Communication, Research & Technology - Horst Ehmke (born 1927) Economic Cooperation - Erhard Eppler (born 1926) - leftist critic Brandt I Interior Secretary - Hans-Dietrich Genscher (born 1927) - became statesman under Kohl Education and Science Secretary - Klaus von Dohnanyi (born 1928) - later mayor of Hamburg Brandt II Secretary of the Economy - Hans Friderichs (born 1931) - turned lobbyist and CEO Youth, Family and Health - Katharine Focke (born 1922) Urban Development & Construction - Hans-Jochen Vogel (born 1926) - became Berlin mayor & party leader of the Social Democrats, also served under Schmidt Schmidt I Urban Development & Construction - Karl Ravens (born 1927) Education & Science - Helmut Rohde (born 1925) Schmidt II Interior - Gerhard Baum (born 1932) - civil rights defender Labour and Social Order - Herbert Ehrenberg (born 1926) Urban Development & Construction - Dieter Haack (born 1934) Research & Technology - Volker Hauff (born 1940) Education & Science - Jürgen Schmude (born 1936) Economic Cooperation - Rainer Offergeld (born 1937) Schmidt III Finance - Manfred Lahnstein (born 1937) - in council of Haifa University, former member of the Trilateral Commission, Consultant for Rothschild Bank and private media pioneer Education & Science, Nutrition, Agriculture and Forestry - Björn Engholm (born 1939) - leader of SPD Youth, Family & Health - Anke Fuchs (born 1937) Research & Technology - Andreas Von Bülow (born 1937) - 9/11 truther _________________________________________________________________________ United Kingdom Heath Ministry 1970-1974 Treasury/Social Services/Industry/Environment - Patrick Jenkin (born 1926) Agriculture, Fisheries & Food/Northern Ireland/Employment- James Prior (born 1927) Defense/Energy/Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs - Lord Carrington (born 1919) - NATO head & leader of Falklands War Wilson Cabinet 1974-1976 Secretary of State for Prices and Consumer Protection - Shirley Williams (born 1930) - also served under Callaghan, became Professor at Harvard Wales - John Morris (born 1984) Callaghan Cabinet 1976-1979 Foreign Secretary David Owen (born 1938) - led talks on Former Yugoslavia SoS for Prices and Consumer Protection Roy Hattersley (born 1932) SoS for Transport William Rodgers (born 1928) First Thatcher ministry (1979-1983) SoS for Energy/Transport David Howell (born 1936) SoS for Trade/Defence John Nott (born 1932) - involuntarily involved in Falklands' War SoS for Wales Nicholas Edwards (born 1934) SoS for Employment/Trade & Industry Norman Tebbitt (born 1931) Financial Secretary to the Treasury, SoS Energy, Chancellor of the Exchequer Nigel Lawson (born 1932) - global warming skeptic SoS of Environment/First SoS/Defence Michael Heseltine (born 1933) SoS for Health & Social Services Norman Fowler/Employment/Transport/Minister of Transport Norman Fowler (born 1938) SoS of Environment/Northern Ireland/Defence/Employment/Transport Tom King (born 1933) ________________________________________________________________________________________ France Gouvernement Debré 1959-1962 Agriculture - Edgard Pisani (born 1918) - also European commissioner of development Economy & Finance Valéry Giscard D'Estaing (born 1926) - later president Pompidou V 1967-1968 Post and Telecommunication/Information Yves Guéna (born 1922) Industry/ later Justice - Albin Chalandon (born 1920) - director of Elf Aquitaine (1977-1983) Gouvernement Chaban-Delmas 1969-1972 Environment - Robert Poujade (born 1928) Messmer I 1972/73 Post and Telecommunication/Relationship to Parliament - Hubert Germain (born 1920) Agriculture and Rural Development Jacques Chirac (born 1932) - became president Chirac I 1974-1976 Economy and Finance/Equipment Jean-Pierre Fourcade (born 1929) Labour/Reforms Michel Durafour (born 1920) - also a writer under alibi Health - Simone Veil (born 1927) - Holocaust survivor, president of European Parliament 1998-2007, legalized abortion in France Agriculture/Interior Christian Bonnet (born 1921) Barre II 1977/78 Agriculture/later Justice Pierre Méhaignerie (born 1939) Barre III 1978-81 Youth, Sports/Labour/ of State/Agriculture & Rural development Jean-Pierre Soisson (born 1934) Women's Issues Monique Pelletier (born 1926) Transportation Daniel Hoeffel (born 1929)

Talks about Tarantino's The Hateful Eight (with Morricone's score) in the Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/ennio-morricone-the-hateful-eight-is-like-no-western-you-have-ev/ He had a fall in the summer and broke a femur. He is described as a frail, old man. But he plans to conduct in London in February, sitting down.

Mullah Omar's successor as Taliban leader Mullah Mansour was seriously wounded in a shootout and might be dead: http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/12/02/us-afghanistan-taliban-idUSKBN0TL1XV20151202#sRzyPkyLgSgmHgvJ.97

Barry Gesser, one of the advisors of the "Wolf of Wall Street" memorably portrayed by Leonardo di Caprio has been found dead at home at 55: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3343765/One-original-Wolves-Wall-Street-dead-aged-52.html It happened 2 weeks after his divorce, but no drugs found, as of now.

I could imagine there's a chance he'll survive the year. But I also think that once his health declines, death will come pretty quickly.

Poltical impersonator Sarah Palin had a cancer scare this year: http://www.insideedition.com/headlines/13333-sarah-palin-reveals-she-had-cancer-scare-calls-2015-her-toughest-year-yet "Some kind of melanoma but the doctor dug it out". So she's emulating Jimmy Carter, I bet she loves it....

Sheffield MP Harry Harpham has some kind of cancer: http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/health/local-health/sheffield-mp-harry-harpham-diagnosed-with-cancer-1-7602645 Still functioning normal as of now, he says, but it's not clear how long the treatment will last.

Does the "American Dream" also include owning several firearms? For a significant part of the population, yes. It's the "right to bear arms". Interesting link (I found it just right now) Marco Rubio's campaign page: https://marcorubio.com/issues/second-amendment/ "The Second Amendment is about the American Dream."

Sounds like revenge or frustration to me. The guy worked at the facility, he might have felt disrespected (as a Halibut or as a doctor), or disillusioned by how the system works, underfinanced/overstressed or something like that. The attacks needed to be prepared (guns and "assault clothing" needed to be bought), so it must have been something that had been going on for a while. (Maybe his colleagues regularly insulted Islam or his beard or something like that...) He might have already been receptive to "radical measures" for a while, and maybe the visit to Saudi Arabia or his new wife from there gave him the conviction that something more drastic had to be done. It ends up looking like terrorism (because Halibut and shooting) but it wasn't because - what political point was he/were they trying to make?

This death even made it to the Guardian: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/30/deso-dogg-syria-air-strike-killed-isis-rapper-from-germany-says-us But the problem is, he might still be alive: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/islamischer-staat-denis-cuspert-deso-dogg-ist-moeglicherweise-am-leben-a-1063393.html(link in german) US secret service believes he's dead, german security believes they heard him on a phone. ISIS releases a new video featuring Deso Dogg: http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/deso-dogg-islamischer-staat-veroeffentlicht-neues-video-mit-denis-cuspert-a-1065746.html(german link) It is unclear when the video was made, but some things point towards 2014, which suggests that Deso Dogg is actually dead. But for DDP purposes, ISIS sort of keeps him alive with this and doesn't recognize his death. So I guess he wouldn't count. If this is a typical strategy of ISIS, the terrorists might turn out to be pretty risky picks...

Recently, there has been, again, much speculation on Bouteflika's health, as he disappeared for a couple of days last month: http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/aging-president-s-health-puts-algeria-at-crossroads/484226

Egyptian Edwar al-Kharrat, one of the most prominent Arab writers, dies at 89 of pneunomia: http://allafrica.com/stories/201512021012.html

I'm still surprised that Carla Bruni stuck beside Nicolas Sarkozy after he lost the presidency. Maybe she is counting on him getting it back. Or maybe he's got a massive cock. You might be on to something. Maybe it looks that way because his body is disproportionally short. Sarah Brightman married Andrew Lloyd-Webber because 'he's got the biggest willy'. I think she meant to say 'wallet'.

Has he ever had sex? Apart from with himself? Today's Guardian has an intelligent and sympathetic review of the whole thing that doesn't shirk from its shortcomings - meanders from plot, impenitrable phrasing and the fact Morrissey appears pig ignorant of subject details - for all that it throws the best and worst lines in with such regularity that it makes the book look like a phrase-fest of the highest order. Mine still hasn't shown up, but it'll get demolished when it does. He wins the bad sex award: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/dec/01/morrissey-wins-bad-sex-award-fiction-debut-novel-list-of-the-lost

Hmm, where to post... Julia Almeria "Aunt Julia" Hydes dies at 106: http://www.cayman27.com.ky/2015/11/30/aunt-julia-dies-flags-flown-at-half-mast She apparently was a national treasure of the Cayman Islands and played the drums in the traditional Cayman Island style for a century. At the time of her death, she was also the oldest living inhabitant of the Cayman Islands. She also was the last living member of the "traditional Caymanian music fraternity".

Security exercise at a Kenyan university leads to the death of a woman: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-34969266

Emma Morano turns 116: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/30/europes-oldest-person-emma-morano-116th-birthday-italy

I'm still surprised that Carla Bruni stuck beside Nicolas Sarkozy after he lost the presidency. Maybe she is counting on him getting it back. Or maybe he's got a massive cock. You might be on to something. Maybe it looks that way because his body is disproportionally short.

Another Guardian article on Baby Peggy: http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/30/baby-peggy-diana-serra-cary-silent-film Her increasing need of care is exhausting her finances and she depends on the kindness of strangers: http://astarforbabypeggy.com/mptf-snubbed-baby-peggy-help-our-girl/dianas-statement-on-her-treatment-by-mptf/

Stuart Hall is apparently doing ok in prison, and he has plans to "escape" to Spain once he's freed: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3339001/Paedophile-Stuart-Hall-lands-job-tailor-prison-making-curtains-jackets-towels-weeks-released-serving-half-sentence.html

Prince Akishino expresses concern about the health of Empress Michiko and believes her stress was caused by the health troubles of Emperor Akihito, namely prostate cancer and coronary-artery bypass surgery.: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/11/30/national/prince-akishino-turns-50-raises-concerns-about-health-of-empress/#.VlxwkvkveUk A bit far-fetched in my opinion, as these things happened years ago, but then we don't know what happened behind the scenes.

Father Gerry Reynolds, conciliator in the Northern Ireland conflict, has died: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-34963015

Beloved manga artist Shigeru Mizuku, best known for Gegege no Kitaro, dead at 93 after a fall: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34962924

I'm still surprised that Carla Bruni stuck beside Nicolas Sarkozy after he lost the presidency.

Caitlyn? Or...Jack Or ... Pete Or...Cliff?