GossipGabe

Authors last a long time, but probably not Péter Esterházy (65), who has recently hinted at his battle with pancreatic cancer. DDP-qualifying obit is not guaranteed, but Deathrace points are almost certain. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/reuters/article-3257851/Hungarian-author-Peter-Esterhazy-pancreatic-cancer--magazine.html

Cache copy: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:UW5qcA0CLq8J:www.nationalenquirer.com/celebrity/celine-dions-husband-waves-goodbye+&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk If anyone wants to look at the 'Waving René" pictures that are not visible in the cache copy, the Daily Mail has them all: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3248100/Celine-Dion-pays-heart-breaking-tribute-ailing-husband-Rene-Angelil-shares-home-videos-moving-Las-Vegas-performance.html

Well yeah, and he doesn't need to be terminal to be unfit for a (semi-)long plane journey. We know for sure that his mobility is restricted, he's been seen in public using a wheelchair. Plus there are some things that we'd rather avoid talking about, like incontinence. According to Wikipedia, up to 35% of the population over the age of 60 years is estimated to be incontinent and more than 50% of nursing facility admissions are related to incontinence. These conditions are not terminal and they're usually not serious impediments to a commercial flight either, but they might make things more complicated and less comfortable. And then there are the emotional factors, e.g. some people are so overcome with grief that they just can't attend the funeral, the fact that he'd be followed by paparazzi, making it impossible for him and his family to take part in a solemn, private funeral etc.

Nasty little post. "Happy birthday" would have been sufficient. Yeah, I guess, RadGuy's prognosis is probably right (his chances of surviving for another year are pretty slim), and Martin should know that as well, but since he's not a bad person (like Mugabe or Ian Brady) there's nothing to celebrate about the fact that this is (likely) his last birthday.

Ouch, that should've been painful. Especially for the ZANU-PF members that had to realize they were lead by a senile old man who is clearly unfit to rule. This incident has laid Mugabe's cognitive decline bare for everyone. This is a dangerous situation, where even the members of his own party can organize a small coup to save their faces and (perhaps more importantly) their positions. On the other hand, dementia is not an immediately life-threatening condition, even Alzheimer's would only kill you years after you've lost your marbles. Now is the time for Grace to take control, perhaps?

The last 5 years have been Rudd-Gillard-Rudd again-Abbott-Turnbull. Better than 5 straight years of Cameron or Blair... Well, obviously more exciting. In most European countries (except maybe Italy), you rarely see politicians fall from grace without general elections. I will certainly miss Abbott's earthy sense of humour (concerning the Aboriginals etc.) and his "raw and honest" diplomatic style (shirtfronting Putin and the like).

Sterling detective work. This seems to be an interesting case though. According to the technical specifications on the IMDB ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020048/technical?ref_=ttfc_sa_6 ) it had a sound version (with sound effects) and a silent version as well, but wasn't a talkie in any case, since there was no actual talking on the soundtrack. So kind of similar to Modern Times and The Veiled Woman, which are not accepted either? Anyways, purists might have issues with calling it a silent film, but there's no doubt that when Lupita passes away, some obits will state that she was one of the last stars from the silent era (and seemingly the last one who starred in a "silent film" as an adult).

Read the interview with Lupita. Here, I will post it again: https://michaelgankerich.wordpress.com/2013/07/28/lupita-tovar-still-carrying-on/She clearly states she did work in silent films. I've already read it. Point taken but I don't see that as concrete evidence. She could easily be referring to those early talkies that were screened as silents because the movie theatres couldn't produce sound. When I see the name of a film prior to 1929, with her credited as having starred in it, then I will add her. Until then, it's blurred lines.Well, I think she could not be referring to talkies that were screened as silents without contradicting herself. She said she couldn't speak English well enough at the time and that meant her contract wasn't renewed when the talkies came. I guess if she had been playing in an early talkie, that would've been a problem even earlier. On the other hand, I agree that an interview doesn't prove anything. It could have been made up by the journalist entirely and he could get away with it, since she might already be senile and ignorant of the outside world. And no title is mentioned so it's impossible to check whether these films were ever released.

Wow, you English folks have some meanie inconsiderate coroners in your country:

Yeah, that. 90 healthy years are more than you can wish for; and what do these people say to parents of poor 4 year olds having terminal cancer? Divine retribution for a mischievious kid? These people are so unbelievably stupid...

Yeah, and if you have ever wondered how the double-hit lymphoma acquired its name, and why it carries such a dismal prognosis, here's the deal: Aggressive cancers with quickly dividing cells are usually more vulnerable to chemotherapy, but not if apoptosis is blocked by a genetic mutation. Remarkable strategy.

Interesting development. Even if it's a false rumour, the bit about him having trouble walking seems credible and it wouldn't even be surprising at 91. We know about famous politicians who could keep their seats in spite of being wheelchair-bound. FDR had to conceal his disability, but modern Western politicians like German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble can easily get away with it without anyone questioning their ability to govern/participate in a government. But Mugabe is an African and things are a little different there. It certainly seems likely that his age has finally caught up with him (his mental and physical health is deteriorating) and he will be perceived as unfit for the job both by opposition figures (or military leaders) and the populace. Could this be a perfect setting for a coup? Or could he preventively delegate his tasks to his wife? (I guess it's nearly impossible without a new election.) Either way, there is something in the air...

Anything is possible with Zsa Zsa, i think though once the Prinz dies Zsa Zsa will follow on soon afterwards as surely he is the only one keeping her alive or we will find out she has been dead in her room for years. I wonder how long the Prinz will live, i think he is 73 now so there is a strong possibility he will die in the next 15 to 20 years, will go with the Prinz dying in May 2031 with us finding out for sure what happened to Zsa Zsa then. I strongly doubt Zsa Zsa will make it to 2020. Several months ago it was estimated that her treatment would work for two more years. Her husband probably will see 2025 though. Hey, that prognosis sounds pretty interesting, could you please provide a link for that estimate? I know she has numerous ailments, but can't really guess which of them they deem terminal and how exactly she is treated for it in the first place

I guessed he was aiming for 94 at least, cause he will be 94 in 2018 when the next elections are due to be won by him. At least they say he'd like to go for it again...

Sacks or Jimmy Carter to die first: would be a good poll questionSCI reckon Sacks will go first. That was fast, though hardly surprising. He had been diagnosed with metatatic melanoma well before Carter was. So if the course is similar in his case, would that mean that he has until 2016? Btw. this one is hilarious:

I remember it happening, but can't remember the specific details. Was it Albert Dryden, the planning officer and the BBC reporter? Oh man, this scene was 'so British'. As much as I regret seeing innocent blood being drawn, I can't help thinking that this planning officer has brought it on himself. Clearly, if a loony waving his gun orders you to leave and you are unarmed, you do as you're told, and let the police sort it all out, it's their job, right? But no, you just chill there and ask whether they can 'get a shot of that gun'. Well done, mate! You just got one in your chest! And the stupid journalists are just standing there taking pictures behind the loony guy. I read that the loony has tried to appeal against his life sentence on the grounds that he was provoked. Well, he was - by the sheer idiocy of the arrogant planning officer and the media.

That's a bit sad... Not so much because of the old man, but I didn't know they had such young children. Twins aged 4 who will never see their father setting an example for them. At least it seems that it's only a question of time.

Yeah, I was worried that he might not make it to 2016, but it seems like his cancer isn't as bad as we think it is."2017 at least" seems like a stretch, but I'm confident that he'll surpass my sweepstakes prediction of February 29, 2016. It's bad, just the usual, good ol' American optimism makes them think it's curable. He had metastatic cancer in the liver and the brain, but could be more cause they haven't even checked more yet (they only did a head and neck scan, but didn't scan his abdomen etc.)! Immunotherapy has offered a promising new way to combat melanoma, but he's already 90, which means that his body might not be as robust as it once was, and the expected immune response may never come. All the optimistic prognoses come from doctors and pundits who didn't personally examine him or seen the results of the diagnostic tests. They don't even know anything about the grade of the tumour! So better wait and see the results of those tests in the coming months...

Well, I think the situation is a bit different in his case. He said that doctors had told him that 98% of melanomas (or melanomae?) originate on the skin, and 2% internally. But the conditional probability that his cancer has originated on the skin when some spots were found in his liver and brain but (so far) none on his skin is probably less. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bayes%27_theorem I guess the first thing they did after the tumour had been revaled to be a melanoma was an examination of his skin in the nude for visible patches, and they probably found none. That doesn't mean that it can't be there e.g. under his fingernails where it is difficult to see, but he might just be one of those rare exceptions. Btw. Oliver Sachs had his metastatic ocular melanoma diagnosed in February, and has recently started to feel worse. So in his case, new therapies could buy him some time, but probably not much more than 9 months to a year, I expect something similar for Carter (despite the age difference), unless later scans will reveal that many other vital organs are affected. But I agree that Ms Pavlick seems a bit too optimistic when she says Carter has "very limited" disease. That will only be clear after the tests are done, and they might easily prove her wrong.

Yeah, and if some people are saying we should dispose of them to save space and money, they are wrong. If numerous appeals processes, safeguards etc. are in place like in the US, and if they spend decades on death row, like there (in maximum security prisons) - they cost more, not less.Of course, if you just shot them dead after the verdict in a basement like they did in the former Soviet Union in the 30s (40s), it would cost less, but it would also feel less civilized. So that's why the yanks kill people without trial in other countries ? Because it's more civilised ? No, obviously, because it's easier, cheaper, faster and most importantly safer for their troops (as a drone can do the job, but it can't really arrest people). I guess their reasoning is that American citizens are usually entitled to a fair trial, but even they forfeit this right if they are acting against American interests as enemy combatants and terrorists. Other citizens are not mentioned in their constitution so they don't really count anyways. I'm not saying that I approve of this, but these people are liquidated rather than executed.

Yeah, and if some people are saying we should dispose of them to save space and money, they are wrong. If numerous appeals processes, safeguards etc. are in place like in the US, and if they spend decades on death row, like there (in maximum security prisons) - they cost more, not less. Of course, if you just shot them dead after the verdict in a basement like they did in the former Soviet Union in the 30s (40s), it would cost less, but it would also feel less civilized.

Interesting problem. He's paraplegic, has urinary and fecal incontinence, and is in prison for life, if the stay is granted. I think the death penalty would be mercy killing in his current state.

Well now she's only 18 months away, I think she has a good chance (50-60%) of making it, even if she's frail and bedridden, we don't know of any terminal illness. Severe dementia usually puts great strain on the relatives/carers, but if she has nurses and medical staff attending her, it only has a lesser effect on her life expectancy (though it affects her quality of life).

I think if the old guy is on the list next year then mum should be as well, if one goes the other is sure to follow in rapid time.Yeah, but his wife is nit really notable for anything, besides being his wife. I mean, she could get an obit if she dies soon after his hubby but you couldn't list anything why she would be notable on her own right. And besides, do you really want this displayed on the front page? It would scare the living hell out of me...

Wow, I didn't know it was that much. Honestly, it looks like someone wants him to stay ill so that this person can claim more power for him/herself, maybe a general, maybe even the Crown Prince?Surely the crown prince would gain more power by offing him?Who knows... maybe he tried and failed like he does with everything. True story: The Wikileaks cables showed that the US secret service thinks that the Crown Prince will be unfit to rule. The Crown Prince really is quite a tool, and very unpopular.Or it could be that the sum and substance of that list is overblown and excited hyperbole within a DLers kind as 'a sign.Stenosis isn't life threatening at all, it's a manageable condition unless you wanna play running back in the NFL. 0 on the meaningful scale. Flu and pneumonia? Sure they kept an elderly man in the hospital a while but he checked out and cleared to go. In other words he had a shitty flu settled in his lungs. Meaningless once he was healthy. 0 on the meaningful scale. Inflammations on stomach and lungs? Meh, cleared up and released. Only thing I see as consistent, but he seems to deal with periodically, is the matter of fluids getting to his cranium. That's not good, but those events are 2006, 2012, 2015. Is he a fair bet to go in 2016? Surely it's a decent name to put on one's list. Is he definitely at death's door? I don't know about that. SC Pneumonia can be potentially deadly, just off the top of my head Bob Hoskins (71), Jack LaLane (96), Leslie Nielsen (84), James Brown (73) all died from pneumonia, At 87 Bhumibol being as frail as he is, is just a fair contender as anyone to have a bout of pneumonia wipe him out. Yeah, pneumonia can be deadly, especially for ancient people like Bhumibol. I think that not even SC would try to deny that. The question is whether a severe bout of pneumonia in his past has any significance when predicting his current life expectancy. I guess SC argues that it doesn't have any, I'd be a little more cautious. I think all these episodes seem to indicate that his general state of health is rather poor, and he is unlikely to survive for another 5 or 10 years, even if none of what SotD listed above were terminal. The past problems with his brain can help explain the "vacant look" in his eyes as his cognitive capacities are likely reduced at this point. Sadly, I know from my experience that people can stay in such a state for years or even decades without ever recovering their marbles or dying (if they are otherwise healthy). Usually, this is terrible for their relatives, but luckily, the royal family can afford to pay a few nurses to attend him 24/7.