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Another update: Bobby's surgery went well. He is currently recovering in ICU.

My top 50 considerations for next year: 1)George Alagiah 2)Bill Turnbull 3)Martin Peters 4)Gerd Muller 5)Stan Bowles 6) Barbara Windsor 7) Douglas Hurd 8) Sandra Day O'connor 9)Ruth Bader Ginsburg 10)John Paul Stevens 11)George P Schultz 12)Walter Mondale 13)Clarrisa Eden 14)June Lockheart 15) June Whitfield 16)Harry Reid 17) Billy McNeil 18)Stevie Chalmers 19) Peter Bonetti 20)Peter Swan 21)Jack Charlton 22) Malcolm Hebden 23)Daniella Westbrook 24) Sheila Mercier 25)June Spencer 26) James Lovelock 27)Diana Athill 28)Eileen Derbyshire 29) Paul Flynn 30)King Salman 31)Vanessa Redgrave 32)Alberto Fujimori 33)Freddie Jones 34)Doreen Mantle 35)Barbara Walters 36)Hugh Downs 37)Zizi Jeanmaire 38)Gloria Vanderbilt 39)Norman Tebbitt 40) Imelda Marcos 41)Betty Boothroyd 42) Terry Jones 43)Billy Connelly 44)Paula Tilbrook 45) Freddie Starr 46)Gunther von Hagens 47)Shane MacGowan 48) Doddle Weir 49) Irrfan Khan 50)Fernando Ricksen

Really? Shame. Promptly removes him from shortlist.

I don't for a minute deny my searching for hope position is reflective of my political 'bias' !!

Ginsburg has to be one of the very few people out there where your political slant affects how you see her viability as a dead pool pick! More left-wing poolers: "It was caught early, she'll recover fully" More right-wing poolers: "She's 85 and this is her third cancer bout, I don't think she can handle much more"

She is clearly a tough resilient lady.She does have heart issues as well though and at nearly 86 all these issues must add up sooner or later.

RBG for 2019.

Bader Ginsburg deserves a place on next year's list.Has now had 3 types of cancer 3 times and has a history of falls.

I would definitely urge the committee to be brave like they were this year and keep the Queen of the list .Once she does return she will become undroppable because of her status yet at the same time she stands a strong chance of seeing 100 plus like her mother so once she returns she will be taking up a space on the list potentially for years. too many undroppables reduces the committees room for manoeuvre and their 'creativity'. So the timing of her return has to be done carefully and I do not see 2019 being her year especially given her general physical stamina. Resist those calling for The Queen's premature return! Names I think the committee should strongly consider Loretta Lynn, 87 next year and had a number of serious health issues in past 2 years.Has not to best of my knowledge been able to perform musically despite her previous intention to do so sometime this year.Has kept herself to limited media appearances such as her kid gloves friendly televised chat with one of George Bush Seniors granddaughters. Julie Goodyear , this Coronation Street icon and legend has been a chain smoker for decades and is nearing her late seventies.In one of her last tv appearances on a quiz gameshow she had to be carried and helped onto the set. Barbara Windsor , Clearly ailing fast as a result of dementia and now heart problems Soap matriarch Emmerdale star Sheila Mercier who turns 100 on new years day .Her age and obvious status makes her a must pick imo as you cannot take too much for granted at that age. Veteran motor racing commentator Murray Walker who is 96 next year and will have no problem at all receiving a qualifying obituary. Clarissa Eden ,widow of former Prime Minister Anthony Eden and will turn 99 next year. I think after the foolish miss of open goal 101 year old Mary Wilson this year that picking Clarissa Eden is a must .This is a british website after all so if we can have American first ladies ,as we should , then we should have the british 'version' even though their roles are different the is a valid comparision up to a point. Speaking of American first ladies I think the committee should choose Rosalynn Cater who is in her nineties and has had surgery for something or another in recent years .If she were left of the list and died I think she would be the first US first lady the committee had ever missed? Other names worthy of consideration and exploration for the committee in my opinion are Sidney Poitier - A Hollywood icon known to be in frail health and too ill to travel Kenny Rogers , Rosamunde Pilcher , Baby Peggy , Imelda Marcos and Peter Sutcliffe.

Glad to hear your not on the way out, and best of luck with the meds. Regards the bit in bold, like all things in the health service there will be a reason for it. People requested it maybe? Or gently trying to encourage you to have someone else as a witness their just in case you ever decide to make a false allegation a later point? (Yes, I'm a jaded cynic).

Middle finger you say? *Asian doctor a given. ** ra best lfn, ra best. And always get a second opinion, the fuckers aren't trustworthy.

If she was indeed formerly married to Douglas Bader, a "kick in the arse "she could not expect.

Actually this guy is extraordinary. I think very few people on this world could have survived what he's gone through. People like him, general Anh, Li Rui, Overton and others in the like should be criogenically frozen to be studied for ethernity.

He's actually dead already, having shuffled off his mortal coil in 2011.

The cancer was caught early though, so not like she would need the chemo right now anyhow. However, if the cancer returns, that would be a different story...

OMFG The Russians are coming

A short but informative follow-up about Parsons MM battle. Suffice to say it isn't a new battle. Last month, Parsons opened up about his ongoing battle with the rare blood cancer in an interview with Fortune Magazine. “I’ve been now on chemotherapy for quite some time – about a year and a half, closing in on two years – and they’ve really knocked the cancer down,” Parsons explained. “The issue now is how to keep it down.” He can say what he wants. I'd likely agree 2019 may not be his year, but he is almost DLy (CBS aside, he took over the Clippers after the Donald Sterling fiasco) enough for inclusion in 2020. Certainly one to watch. SC

81 today! Hanoi Birthday!

....and here I am, stuck with fucking AT&T

So as I was entering somebody's list today, I had noticed that apparently I put the name of a similarly named fictional character instead of someone actually who is actually famous (and never realized how similarly those two names are). That certainly would've been mocked had I not noticed that before January 1st.

There's only about a week and a half left to submit to the crowdsource list. Some people who submitted from past years who's entry I have yet to receive includes @Death Impends (pretty sure he's waiting to submit during the last week, but don't want to forget him), @gcreptile, @deadsox, @FixedBusiness, @Sean, and @Toast. I also hope some newer posters will also make a submission to the crowdsource list as well. As for shadowlist entries, I already got one list submitted via that route and another one confirming they plan on entering via the shadow list. Remember, everyone is welcome to make a submission to the list.

Announcement: I'd like to reassure the anxious hordes that the Hartlepool DP will be going ahead in 2019. Due to a scarcity of updates this year, we may have to take action to protect this important part of our deadpooling heritage, which I'm sure our absent host, the great Rotten Ali would understand. Stand by for further news... DDT

FTFY

Even Clarence Thomas looks uncomfortable with Kavanaugh there....