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Genuine witty desecration of local signage, Scotland

On this day in 1998 american bodybuilder, weightlifter and Mr Universe 1948 John Grimek died aged 88. He also was Mr America in 1940 and 1941 and was succeeded in his 1948 Mr Universe title by none other than Steve Reeves. He represented America at the 1936 Olympics in weightlifting and finished 9th. Grimeks nickname throughout much of his bodybuilding career was "The monarch of muscledom" and " The Glow". A son of Slovakian immigrants he finished his career in bodybuilding professionally unbeaten.

I’m honestly not sure if the committee should drop Sir David on one hand he seems great and on the other hand 96 seems like the magic number where older folks seem to die suddenly

Yes, I know, you were all waiting for someone else to open the annual thread. Been down the Mitchell Library to hunt for clues? Got a good tip from your brother who works on Pointless Celebrities? Bumped into David Essex who swore you to secrecy about his terminal cancer? Or are you waiting for Spade's top December tips about rappers and Soprano guest stars? I just add names to a word doc all year, and come back to look at it in November, which I did last week. Far too long, so I cut the list down, and checked the forum for some names I'd missed, and ended up with a list which was five names longer than when I'd started.

Glad she's dead. She was an awful person. She's in hell lol.

Ma liste à moi ressemblera à quelque chose comme ça : 1. Edgar Morin 2. Roland Dumas 3. Micheline Presle 4. André Chandernargor 5. Jean Malaurie 6. Francoise Gilot 7. Philippe de Gaulle 8. Francoise Hardy 9. Bernadette Chirac 10. Jacques Delors 11. Catherine Laborde 12. Robert Badinter 13. Edouard Balladur 14. Jean Piere Serre 15. Helène Langevin Joliot 16. Jean Marie Le Pen 17. Laurent de Brunhoff 18. Marcel Zanini 19. Maryse Condé 20. Paul Barril 21. Genevieve de Galard Terraube 22. Marcel Amont 23. Charles Dumont 24. Philippe Bouvard 25. Laurence Badie 26. Marie-France Garaud 27. Pierre Nora 28. Emmanuel Leroy Ladurie 29. Claude Bessy 30. Pierre Joliot 31. Yvon Gattaz 32. Yvonne Furneaux 33. Anne Vernon 34. Helene Ahrweiler 35. Martial Solal 36. Anne-Aymone Giscard d'Estaing 37. Anouk Aimée 38. Just Fontaine 39. Helene Carrère d'Encausse 40. Genevieve de Fontenay 41. Hubert Reeves 42. Jacques de Larosière 43. Jacqueline de Ribes 44. Isabelle Balkany 45. Catherine Robbe Grillet 46. Claude Saraute 47. Raphael Gemiani 48. Judith Magre 49. Francois Cheng 50. Line Renaud malheureusement, j'ai encore 28 celebrités reconduites, il faut donc que j'en enlève 3. Je pensais à Jacqueline de Ribes, Emmanuel Leroy Ladurie et Marcel Zanini qui ne semble pas être si connu que ça... j'espere avoir encore un ou deux point cette année pour pouvoir garder les deux premiers. J'avais tellement de gens à mettre que j'aimerais pouvoir ajouter. Sont en balotage : Charly Oleg, Hugues Aufray, Claire Maurier, Geneviève Page, Dominique Fernandez, Linda de Suza ou Herbert Léonard (pour faire baisser la moyenne d'âge et ajouter un peu de "piment" à ma liste, j'en aurai bien mis un des deux en 49eme position, la 50eme étant reservée de facto pour Line), Madeleine Chapsal, Catherine Samie, Jean Tulard, Gabriel de Broglie, Michelle Perrot, Etienne Emile Beaulieu, Monique Pelletier, Yvette Roudy et Christiane Scrivener J'ai du laisser tomber des choix qui m'interessaient pas mal dont : André Darrigade, Yvonne Choquet Bruhat, Claude Alphandéry, Alain Touraine, qui me semble le plus connu des 4. Les trois autres vous semble-t-il assez connus pour figurer sur une liste ? Enfin, j'ai revu mes exigences à la hausse et laisser de côté certaines personnes qui n'étaient pas suffisament connus : Robert Massard, Mathé Altéry, Marcel Boiteux, Michelle Perrot, Ginou Richer et Léon Gautier que j'aurais beaucoup aimé mettre en 50eme position, un peu "à-la" Captain Tom Moore. J'ai aussi délaissé des celebrités "plus jeunes" mais aussi plus connus, en espérant ne pas avoir fait d'erreur : Mylène Demongeot, Bardot, Delon, Liliane Rovère, Pierre Perret, Pierre Richard, Pierre Joxe, Bernard Pivot, Renaud, Serge Klarsfeld, Pierre Menes, Dieudonné, Borhinger et Barzotti. je sens que je vais me faire avoir sur certains d'entre eux. Je sens que ca va être Klarsefld et Menes… si quelqu'un a un avis, je prends

Veronica Hamel is 79 today.

58 David Bowie – Space Oddity 51 Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel - Make me smile (Come up and see me) 50 Tammy Wynette – Stand by your man 49 10CC - I’m Not In Love -3 49 Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody -3 49 ABBA - Waterloo 41 Barry White - You`re the first, the last, my everything +4 30 Bay City Rollers – Bye bye baby 28.Ken Boothe - Everything I own 26 The Three Degrees – When will I see you again 24 Suzi Quatro - Devil Gate Drive 22 George McCrae – Rock your baby 21 Johnny Nash - Tears on my pillow 19 Typically Tropical – Barbados 19 Rod Stewart – Sailing 14 Mud - Oh Boy 13 Pilot – January 13 The New Seekers – You won't find another fool like me 9 The Rubettes – Sugar Baby Love 9 Bay City Rollers – Give a little love 9 The Tymes - Miss Grace 8 Terry Jacks - Seasons in the Sun

I greatly admire the dedication of players who keep longlists during the year and start working on shortlists in November. I usually start drawing up a shortlist the day before I submit the team. It normally gets up to about 30 names that I have scavenged from a quick hunt through my previous year's team, the previous year's top-10 teams, and a quick perusal of this site. Then I spend about an hour trimming down the team, and a year regretting my decisions! It will probably never be a winning strategy, but it's done ok so far. But major kudos to those of you who work hard at this - you have my utmost respect!. For all you players who are worried about people on your shortlist not getting a QO, can I say that the Hare's Pool 2023 will be opening for business in about 10 days time, and that would be an excellent place to offload your dodgy, slightly obscure, not-sure-of-a-QO picks. We have extremely low standards over there - pretty much anything is acceptable as a QO. There is virtually no possibility that your selection won't score (unless you pick Diane Berberian, @Salmon Mousse). So, if you haven't played the Hare's before, maybe give it a go this year. If you are worried about me nicking a potential pick for the DDP, just PM your team late on New Year's Eve - unlike the previous host, I won't bite.

Good to see Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel in pole position, currently watching them on Now 70s, great song. Never saw them live but The Human Menagerie was one of my favourite LPs.

Qatar 0-2 Ecuador England 2-0 Iran Senegal 0-2 Netherlands USA 1-1 Wales

DEAD

Actually he was on my radar and I was suprised I hadn't mentioned him anywhere. He also had had some hospitalisations before, however as far as I know not even nearly as ill as for example John Tembo who is the same age and his successor (now dead) was seemingly a pool pick in a few places a few years ago. I have however mentioned the ultrafrail Ugandan oligarch Martin Aliker two times before, of course he's still somehow alive. Anyways here's a list of Idi Amin's govt members I know are still alive: Samuel Wako Wambuzi (1931) Chief Justice 1972-1975 and two more times since. Was in debt in 2015. Godfrey Serunkuma Lule (1932) Attorney General 1974-1977, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs 1973-1977. He was in March 1977 told that Amin is going to kill him, after which he fled to London and talked to the UN about Idi Amin's crimes. When Amin's government fell he became a lawyer, and still is. Henry Kajura (1934) Bank Governor during Amin's times. Edward Rugumayo (1934) Foreign Affairs Minister 1971-1973. First of Amin's govt to resign and flee the country. Princess Elizabeth of Toro (1936) A pretty insane life. Royal, model, first woman from East Africa to be admitted to the English Bar, virtual prisoner in her own country until Princess Margaret sent her an invitation to model in a charity fashion show, met Jacqueline Kennedy, returned to Uganda, became Idi Amin's Minister of Foreign Affairs (served under a year in 1974), escaped Uganda the following year, returned when Amin was overthrown found a much younger lover who died in a plane crash and became the ambassador to the US. Abdul Hamid Kamulegeya Jumba-Masagazi (ca. 1936) Amin's Permanent Secretary for Education and Minister of Finance 1978-1979 after Moses Ali. Western press and sources called him "Jumba Masagazi". Yusuf Gowon (1936 - 2024) Amin's military Chief of Staff 1978-1979. Henry Kyemba (ca. 1937-1939 - 2023) Health Minister 1974-1977, fled the country. Author of "A State of Blood". Francis Itabuka (ca. 1937/1938/1939) Infamous spy chief, Director State Research Bureau-SRB 1974-1977 known for keeping Amin in power and being strongly involved in killing his political opponents. Moses Ali (1939) Idi Amin's Minister of Finance 1977-1978, also has had a pretty insane life. Amin threw a trashcan at him during a speech, after which he immediately tried to flee the country, fought Amin-sent hitmen in a gunfight, later Amin sent ten hitmen to kill him but all failed. Obese, multiple hospitalisations, known for falling down after failing to kick a football. Ernest Obitre Gama (1940) Minister of Internal Affairs 1971-1973, Minister of Power, Transport, and Communication 1972-1973. Diabetic.

Rumour has it that Graham Parker is 72 today

What, alive?

Not a famous name, but one that occurred to me today was Historian and Activist Timuel Black, who died on 18th October 2021 aged 102, likely a result of Prostate Cancer.

Not necessarily. Royal birth announcements are usually signed by the attending doctors, but this was noticeably absent from the Sussex announcement, which did not follow the traditional format. Notice that it isn't presented as a fact, but just that the Queen and the RF have been told about it.

Albert Pyun is "in his final days" and receiving in-home hospice care per his wife's FB. (Kind of surprised he seems to only have one prior mention on this site given that he's been seriously ill with MS and dementia for about a decade now.)

I don't think he'll survive this one. His heart is struggling because of the tumor is putting such a massive strain on his body. In response to @Zsa Zsa's leg s post above me it all makes sense now they were only observing it because they knew he was fucked given how chronically ill he is.

Visited a shrine last week, looked reasonably well both mentally and physically. Looks like a waste of a pick. At least for this year. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/japans-emperor-visits-shrine-ancient-korean-settlers-49971308

Fuck Sir David and his Birthy McBirthday. SC

Shyte!! One persuader escaped!

Toyota. Sponsoring the Georgian Winter Olympic Team since 2010. Oh aye, and the luge laddo had something in common with Stephen Gately; they both died after hitting bars hard.

So did Judy Garland, (in 1969???) but I cant be arsed looking for a pic

Britain's oldest woman has died. Can't find a web link (read it in the Torygraph). Her name was Judy Ingamells, she was 112 & lived in Enfield.