Haiku: Saving Verses - ©Theda Bara

Haiku and Art by ©Theda Bara — 2026

 When something suffocates our soul
And our mouths refuse to speak
We, poets, have paper and pen to save us!

George Clooney - ©Theda Bara

The name I highlight in this post is that of the Franco-American actor, producer, screenwriter, film and television director, businessman, and philanthropist George Clooney.

Throughout his acclaimed Hollywood career, George Clooney has amassed two Oscars: Best Supporting Actor in 2006 for the film “Syriana” (2005), for his role as “Bob Barmes”, and the Best Picture award (as producer) in 2013 for “Argo” (2012); four Golden Globe Awards, including a Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2015; a BAFTA; an MTV Movie Award; and an honorary Emmy. He stands out in film history for having been nominated in six different categories by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

George Clooney does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Although he has already been nominated and approved to receive the honor, the actor has not yet scheduled a date with the event organizers for the necessary public unveiling ceremony, which obviously involves a considerable amount of money to be spent by the honoree for the maintenance of the star on the famous Los Angeles sidewalk.

George Timothy Clooney was born on May 6, 1961, in Lexington, Kentucky, United States, and is 65 years old.

Clooney has had some casual relationships, but only two marriages: his first marriage ended in divorce with American actress Talia Balsam (1959-), from 1989 to 1993; and he is currently married to Anglo-Lebanese lawyer and international law specialist Amal Ramzi Junia Alamuddin Clooney (1976-), since 2014. The couple has twin children, Alexander and Ella (both 9 years old), born in June 2017.

Haiku: Irresistible - ©Theda Bara

Haiku and Art by ©Theda Bara — 2026

 Don’t be without light
Don’t interrupt the flow
Be irresistible!

Haiku: The Universe is Sweet - ©Theda Bara

Haiku and Art by ©Theda Bara — 2026

   The universe is sweet, say scientists!
White sugar, refined, granulated, aspartame, erythulose
Honey, agave, stevia, and brown sugar... they all come from space.

 

An international team of astronomers has detected, for the first time in interstellar space, a sugar molecule identical to our own. It is erythulose, a four-carbon sugar found in a dense cloud of gas and dust in the center of the Milky Way, about 27,000 light-years from Earth. The discovery was published in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy on July 13, 2026.

Sam Neill - ©Theda Bara

The name I am highlighting in this post is that of New Zealand actor Sam Neill, known worldwide for playing paleontologist “Alan Grant” in the “Jurassic Park” saga. He passed away on July 13, 2026, at the age of 78, in Sydney, Australia. His death was announced by his family and occurred suddenly; he had been battling lymphoma, which was diagnosed in 2022.

Sam Neill could have played secret agent “James Bond” in one of the films in 1986, but he turned down the opportunity. His agent pressured him to audition, but he refused for fear of being typecast and rejected by fans of the “007” franchise.

Major awards were not a part of Sam Neill’s career; although he acted in many films, his leading roles seem to have gone unnoticed by film critics.

Sam Neill never received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Despite his extensive career, the actor preferred a private life.

Nigel John Dermot Neill, better known as Sam Neill, was born on September 14, 1947, in Omagh, Northern Ireland (UK), and passed away (as previously mentioned) on July 13, 2026, at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst, Sydney, Australia.

Sam Neill was married twice. His first marriage was to New Zealand actress Lisa Harrow (1943-), with whom he lived from 1981 to 1989. He divorced her to marry the renowned Japanese makeup artist and stylist Noriko Watanabe (1965-) in the same year he separated. They remained together until their divorce in 2017. The actor had four children and eight grandchildren. His eldest son, Andrew Neill (1969-), had been given up for adoption and reunited with his parents after 25 years. He also had Tim Neill (1983-) with Lisa Harrow and Elena Neill (1991-) with Noriko Watanabe, in addition to raising Maiko Spencer (1982-), his stepdaughter from his marriage to Noriko.