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John Timpane

Those who died: World loses notable beauties, artists, and villains in 2011

Last updated Wednesday, December 28, 2011 - 2:51pm

Some believe that in 2011, the world lost its most beautiful woman.

When Elizabeth Taylor, 79, took leave of this life in March, hers joined many celebrated names now in the possession of memory and history. Her beautiful face, and the Everyman face of Harry Morgan, who passed away at 96, led a cavalcade of lives completed this year.

Newsmakers. By far the biggest newsmaker to die this year was Osama bin Laden, 54, terrorist leader of al-Qaida. Apple innovator and visionary Steve Jobs, 56, moved on to the next vision.

Features, Obituaries, Celebrities, Deaths Read more Comments

Economic downturn can be a laughing matter

John Timpane The Philadelphia Inquirer

Last updated Wednesday, August 10, 2011 - 1:05pm

PHILADELPHIA -- The markets are wacky, and it's a laughing matter. Throughout the media, from cable TV to Twitter, professional laugh-mongers -- the comedians whose job it is to get laughs out of almost anything -- are at it big time.

Comics feel the pulse of the moment, what large numbers of people are thinking or wondering -- or thinking other people think or wonder. Monday, when the U.S. markets had their first chance to react to Standard & Poor's downgrade of the U.S. debt, is now known as "Trillion Dollar Monday," because that's how much personal wealth went up in smoke in one day. Then on Tuesday, the Dow went stratospheric, recovering much of Monday's losses.

So heck, let's laugh.

Features, Comedy, Economy Read more Comments