Angel >> Rock ’n’ roll legend Otis Blackwell A composer from the early days of devil music, Blackwell, who helped propel the likes of Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis to megastardom, passed away on Monday, age 71. His songwriting hits are the stuff that made rock ’n’ roll: “Don’t Be Cruel,” “All Shook Up,” and “Great Balls of Fire” all came from his pen. Perhaps the most prolific and important pre-British Invasion writer, his songs served as a launch pad for the careers of, among others, the King, Bobby Darrin, the Drifters, Gene Vincent and Ben E. King.

Insect >> Quebec preventing full-time daycare at McGill Despite $60,000 worth of brand spanking new facilities, the extension of McGill’s $5-a-day daycare is not getting a full-time license from the province’s Department of Child and Family Services. The extension can handle 106 children, but is only offering part-time care to 18. Critics charge that the rules and regulations concerning the creation or expansion of $5-a-day daycares are too vague and too mired in bureaucracy. The province says choosing which daycares are suitable for subsidies is the city’s responsibility, but couldn’t explain why the McGill extension was rejected.