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Showing content with the highest reputation on 11/10/21 in all areas

  1. 6 points
    DEATH LIST? TRY A HEARING AIDE 9/50 9th April 2021 Prince Philip has died after a long period of failing health. You might have heard of him. Philip was born part of the Greek royal family, in a period so stable his grandfather had just been assassinated and his family were about to be overthrown. When he was one year old he was banished from Greece, narrowly avoiding death, thus starting as he meant to go on. By 1939, despite a number of personal losses (including his sister and niece in a plane crash), he joined the Royal Navy, and swiftly moved up the ranks as an adept officer. As midshipman, he was on the front line protecting convoys from u-boat attack. He was involved in the Battle of Crete, and took control of a battleship during a crucial battle in the Mediterranean. He remained involved in a number of Naval battles during the war, and was present when the Japanese surrendered in 1945. His Navy career was such that eventual promotion to First Lord of the Admiralty seemed on the cards, but with war over, Philip preferred to chase his teenage sweetheart instead. He married Princess Elizabeth (you may have heard of her) in 1947. In 1952 Philip found himself consort to the Queen. By this time he was already father to Charles (a relationship which struggled) and Anne (who is her own father). He took up the promotion of various charities, and created the Duke of Edinburgh Awards, which schools still try and force kids to go on. Aware that the patronage of the Duke of Edinburgh could “speed up red tape”, he promptly gave it to over 800 organisations and things. He was also famously protective of his grandchildren and was regarded as a rock of support during the various tragedies and losses in recent royal history. But you want the gaffes, right? Prince Philip couldn’t go ten minutes without saying something to annoy someone. He became famous in later life for a long serious of quips and fluffs which ranged from the genuinely funny (“how do you keep the natives off the booze?” to a Scottish driving instructor), to those the recipients claim they found funny (claiming a blinded IRA bomb victim must be blind with the tie he was wearing), to the badly timed to the somewhat frankly dodgy (the slitty eyes remark in China, for example). The latter of course led to his casual racist reputation. Which is a shame, to be frank, as calling Prince Andrew's home “a tarts bedroom” was legit funny. Many of his online critics about the more racist comments tended to refer to him as Phil the Greek, which is an odd bit of hypocrisy. Now he's dead, we can point out that Philip used to be notorious for allegedly having a thing with Zsa Zsa Gabor. In the weeks leading up to Philip’s death, there was a lot of handwringing about Philip’s reactions to Prince Harry’s recent flounce to America. Knowing Prince Philip, we can only assume his reaction was: “An actress, eh? Go on, my son!” He was the 9th Crowdsourced success of 2021, having been on all the previous editions of the list.
  2. 6 points
    MENEM MENEM (DO DO DO DO) 5/50 14th February 2021 Former Argentine President Carlos Menem, has died aged 90 to give The Crowdsourced Deathlist another success. In recent years he had suffered heart problems, lung problems, liver problems, stroke problems, crocodile problems, and a co-ordinated suicide attack on his home by a passing asteroid. Former political prisoner Carlos Menem was elected as a centrist who promised little (much like Clinton), but who struggled with the financial realities of the job (also like Clinton). Like Bill Clinton, his enemies suggested even more nefarious wrong doing, and like Clinton, he had an affair with Linda Tri… I’ve taken this analogy too far. It is arguable that Menem is actually one of the better Argentine Presidents in living memory. But when that includes Videla and Galtieri, you have to think: poor fuckers. His time in office was known for Menemism politics (really not helping that Muppets meme, guys) in which privatisation was key in trying to save an economy unstable after the Falklands War. Menem increased the number of Supreme Court Judges (just an idea, Joe), re-established diplomatic ties with the US and UK, made peace with Chile, and instituted widespread welfare reforms. He was also a gun smuggler, covered up at least one journalist’s murder, and had his own personal zoo while President. Menem was charged with holding illegal funds in a Swiss bank account. However the courts agreed that the money was just resting in his account. He was still being chased up for the whole weapons/murder thing when he decided that death gave you immunity from jail time. He was the 5th success for the Crowdsourced Deathlist with Februarly only halfway done.
  3. 6 points
    I'd like to thank Joey for running the Crowdsourced list for 3 years for everyone on the forum, and wish him well. I'll be updating the obits for the rest of the year and be the person getting all those random weather men on your lists in December. Anyhow, a bit of catching up (and I'll be recycling bits of the DDP obits for obvious reasons)... NO TIME FOR DAI 4/50 10th February 2021 Former Welsh international footballer Dai Davies has died in hospice care aged 72. The former Everton and Swansea goalkeeper played 52 times for his homeland between 1975 and 1982. At Wrexham, he helped win the third division title. His autobiography was translated as Never Say Dai in English. He commentated, taught PE, and owned a bookstore. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last summer, and his hospice status led to a debut on The Crowdsourced List in 2021. Attempts to say he had No Time To Dai proved fruitless, as it turns out, and he provides the Crowdsourced List with its 4th hit in 41 days of the year. Will this prove to be a bountiful year for the list? Time will tell! (Ahem)
  4. 5 points
    THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS PICK EXCEPT HE'S DEAD!!! 7/50 13th March 2021 The great sports commentator Murray Walker has sadly died at the great age of 97. A tank commander in World War Two, Walker took to a career in advertising before he was known as a broadcaster. The classic “Opal fruits made to make your mouth water” was one of his, after they turned down the other option of “Opal fruits, made to make you puke”. Enthusiastic for all things motorsport, Murray debuted on radio commentary for the BBC in 1949, but stuck to his day job until retirement age. In 1978 he became the full time voice of Formula One race on British TV. He was so enthusiastic for the sport that it rubbed off on the viewer, with his quips and one-liners becoming as legendary as the drivers themselves. Everyone has their favourite, but here’s a few of the best: “I’ll stop my startwatch!” “The car in front is absolutely unique except for the one behind which is identical!” “With half the race gone, there is half the race still to go!” “There’s nothing wrong with the car, except its on fire.” “His hopes, which were nil before, are absolutely zero now!” “The status quo could well be as it was before!” Murray Walker loved Formula One and Formula One loved Murray Walker. He was good friends with the late Graham Hill, and followed Hill’s son Damon’s career with great interest. In 1996, Damon Hill followed in his fathers footsteps, winning the Formula 1 Championship on the final day, and Walker’s emotional commentary became as part a moment of the iconic sporting moment: “He took the lead! He stayed there! And Damon Hill exits the chicane and WINS the Japanese Grand Prix, and I’ve got to stop, because I’ve got a lump in my throat…” It wasn’t just the great moments Walker was there for. In the aftermath of the Ayrton Senna tragedy, viewers and the BBC turned to Walker to find the right words to guide them through the horrific loss. He formed a popular double act on commentary with James Hunt. He followed Formula 1 from BBC to ITV to Sky. He won lifetime achievement awards from the RTS and BAFTA. In 2013, aged 90, he came down with cancer, and squashed it faster than Vader squashed Inoki in Japan. He continued to write his articles on the sport until the bitter end. It gives us no joy to accept the great Murray Walker as the 7th Crowdsourced hit of 2021.
  5. 5 points
    RUSH IN LIMBO 6/50 17th February 2021 American loudmouth radio host Rush Limbaugh has died of lung cancer, on the same day that Mount Etna erupted. Experts warned of the toxic danger to human life, and also about the volcano. Limbaugh used his radio show to promote Republican concerns. He was a big believer in American exceptionalism, flag wrapped patriotism, and believed that the welfare state trained a person to hate America. He was not a fan of gays, and used to run segments mocking AIDS deaths by name. He felt the US was too lenient on drugs, and disagreed with the existence of climate change. He also didn’t like green energy, feminism, the existence of Barack Obama, or liberalism. He did however believe in George W Bush, torture, bombing Iraq, NAFTA, birtherism, tariffs, calling teenage girls sluts, and that gorillas could disprove the theory of evolution. We've reached out to gorillas for comment here. They can't be arsed with politics and would rather paint and goof about. Rush LImbaugh once said we should all thank him for being a chain smoker. Fair enough, cheers for the 6th hit, mate...
  6. 4 points
    WE CAN'T SEE CLEARY NOW THE WRITERS GONE 8/50 25th March 2021 Children’s author Beverly Cleary has died aged 104. In her childhood she had struggled to read and viewed the books her schools lumped on her as not having any people she knew in real life in them. In the 1950s, she set about writing stories about the sorts of worlds 1950s kids would recognise as their own. She wrote about Henry Huggins and his dog Ribsy, and spun off into a successful series about his neighbour, Ramona. She published her last book in 1999. Clearly revolutionised children's novels in the US, turning them from the staid old Victoriana into the normal kid next door has adventures plots you can recognise all over American media nowadays. In this way she set the path for everything in her wake from Cubs at Play to Stranger Things. Modern greats like RL Stine and Judy Blume called Cleary their inspiration. So it is perhaps a bit ironic that the children's librarian once pointed to the Ramona books as a suitable friendly alternative to the Goosebumps series. If you live long enough, everything subversive and new becomes an accepted part of the old tradition. Look forward to Twilight being recommended instead of that new rubbish by school teachers in 50 years time. Beverly Cleary was the 8th success for the 2021 Crowdsourced list.
  7. 3 points
    INDIAN SUMMER ENDS FOR DILIP 11/50 7th July 2021 Bollywood legend and icon Dilip Kumar had died aged 98. The most successful actor in Bollywood history, he was a proponent of method acting and won 8 awards. His roles went from romance to comedy to serious crime drama. He had a seven year relationship with his co-star Madhubala, until he was forced to testify against her father in the Naya Daur court case. Kumar had been in poor health for years, suffering from cancer and many other ailments, and was a frequent visitor to the ICU in recent times. He is the 11th success for the 2021 Crowdsourced Deathlist, much to the shock of forum regular Drol.
  8. 3 points
    DEAD ACTORS SOCIETY 10/50 11th May 2021 Actor Norman Lloyd's career started with Orson Welles at the Mercury Theatre in the 1930s, before he transferred to playing villains for Alfred Hitchcock in films such as Saboteur, in which he fell off the top of the Statue of Liberty. Despite that setback, he also appeared in Spellbound and would later become producer of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the TV anthology series which helped inspire The Twilight Zone and Tales of the Unexpected. The latter of which he also helped produce. At the same time he starred opposite Charlie Chaplin in Limelight. He refused to testify before the McCarthy Witchhunt trials at the time, which led to a spell on the blacklist. Into his 70s he appeared on all your favourite US TV shows: Star Trek, Murder She Wrote, and he had main roles in St Elsewhere and forgotten 90s SF series Seven Days. He also appeared in Dead Poets Society, for which he only agreed to audition for after beating the director at tennis! A keen Sci-Fi fan, he financed Journey to the Unknown and brought his directorial eye to Columbo. His last film was Trainwreck, after which he retired. If we had to work with Amy Schumer, we’d retire too.
  9. 3 points
  10. 3 points
    I mean, I could run the Cup if nobody else can...
  11. 3 points
    Spanish composer Luis de Pablo, known for his chamber music "Ex voto" from 1995, orchestral music "Las Orillas" from 1990, operas "La señorita Cristina" from 2000 and film music "La caza" for Carlos Saura in 1965, died at 91 years: https://www.abc.es/cultura/musica/abci-muere-91-anos-compositor-luis-pablo-202110102336_noticia_amp.html
  12. 3 points
    During the last week Woman's Hour celebrated its 75th Birthday and they interviewed one of the original producers Diana Gayford now 104. She may not get a national QO but would be a contender for Last Word
  13. 2 points
    Heldy Djafar, Sukarno's (1901-1970) ninth and last wife dead aged 74: https://nasional.okezone.com/read/2021/10/11/337/2484496/breaking-news-istri-ke-9-bung-karno-heldy-djafar-meninggal-dunia The nine wives were: Siti Oetari (1905-1986) married 1921-1923 Inggit Garnasih (1888-1984) married 1923-1943 Fatmawati (1923-1980) married 1943-1953/1970, Sukarno's first lady for his whole tenure 1945-1967, she is now considered a national hero. Hartini (1924-2002) married 1953-1970, unofficial first lady Kartini Manoppo (1931-1990) married 1959-1968 Ratna Sari Dewi Soekarno (1940-) married 1962-1970 Haryati (1940-) married 1963-1966 Yurike Sanger (1945-) married 1964-1968 Heldy Djafar (1947-2021) married 1966-1969
  14. 2 points
    https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/126644475/beast-of-blenheim-stewart-murray-wilson-has-died Stewart Murray Wilson, New Zealand sex offender, wifebeater, bestialist etc. called the "Beast of Blenheim" dead aged 74.
  15. 2 points
    95 today. Recent health update from two days ago: "Over the last year, Thầy’s health has weakened. The autumn rains have always been challenging for Thầy’s lungs and health, and continue to be so. This spring Thầy was not able to go outside to visit the temple grounds as much as he could last year. Nevertheless, the sangha was delighted that, when the Từ Hiếu Temple renovation was finished, Thầy was well enough to make a tour of the temple to visit the completed works. In recent months, Thầy has been resting for most of the day with his eyes closed, yet he is often very alert, present and at peace." https://plumvillage.org/articles/message-for-thays-birthday/
  16. 2 points
    Beam me up... later: Captain Kirk's real-life journey into space delayed by wind (msn.com)
  17. 2 points
    A couple of months ago I made a list of surviving coaches of the finals of the three main European club competitions (European Cup/Champions League, UEFA Cup/Europa League and the now defunct Cup Winners' Cup). After much consideration of when to cut off the first two lists out of fear of them getting too cluttered, I decided to cut them off in 2002. First mentioned team was the winner of the final. European Cup/Champions League (until 2002) UEFA Cup (until 2002) Cup Winners' Cup
  18. 2 points
    An interesting one somewhat
  19. 2 points
    Granville Adams is a solo hit for @theoldlady: https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/breaking-granville-adams-dead-oz-25183281 Congratulations... @theoldlady
  20. 1 point
    One of John Savident’s former co - stars was talking about him in quite a sad tone recently. I am wondering if he is quite I’ll. He hasn’t worked for years and is 83.
  21. 1 point
    1921 - Al Jaffee, Francoise Gilot 1922 - Ray Anthony, Jacqueline White 1923 - David Oreck, Judith Hemmendinger 1924 - Wally Fawkes, Joyce Randolph 1925 - Bill Hayes, Adele Springsteen 1926 - Robert Clary, Betty Lynn 1927 - Harry Whittington, Gina Lollobrigida 1928 - CW McCall, Queen Ratna of Nepal 1929 - Gaston Glock, Vera Miles 1930 - Jasper Johns, Faith Ringgold
  22. 1 point
    Just in case you forgot about her, she gets front page coverage at Sports Illustrated. The cancer is currently under control.... until it isn't: https://www.si.com/more-sports/2021/10/07/black-widow-cancer-little-blessings-daily-cover Apparently, she has quite a health history.
  23. 1 point
    American Biochemist Herbert Tabor dead at 101 years: https://www.asbmb.org/asbmb-today/people/082120/herbert-tabor-1918-2020
  24. 1 point
    Former Prime minister of Gabon Emmanuel Issoze-Nhondet dead at 59 years: https://www.gabonmediatime.com/gabon-lancien-premier-ministre-issoze-ngondet-est-mort/
  25. 1 point
    It's a small world! One of my friends was cruised by Freddie Mercury in a London gay club in the early 1980s, my aunt once chatted with Judy Finnigan and hubby Richard Madeley on a beach in Truro around 2005(Judy was very tongue in cheek with her humour and sarcasm and definitely kept putting Richard back in his box when he tried to dominate the conversation!) and a relative used to work with Wayne Rooneys Mum Jeanette. A woman who liked to tell very dirty foul mouthed jokes on her tea break! Sorry just wanted to illustrate what a small world it is and outclass Aitken with my web of connections!
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