YoungWillz

I just don't know and I wouldn't intrude on the grief of the American people. So, encroaches a little rather than intrudes! I've drawn the analogy before I'm sure somewhere, but Trump is in the mould of William McKinley. Look what happened to him. So perhaps not worry too much about his re-election - should he survive the campaign trail. I hear of trillions of national debt, stock market on the slide, those tax cuts some are enjoying will stop for the middle class in mid next term, though the tax cuts for the richest will continue. Where's your infrastructure projects? What's to like about keeping the incompetent incumbent who uses the position to enrich only his friends, cause division everywhere, tries to persuade you that everything you read is fake and, more recently, all the people who once were revered without question are attacked. Surely that's the Russian way? Watched some of the coverage and I am frankly amazed the American public aren't snapping up the general thrust of Warren and Sanders on healthcare. I can't imagine that walking in and out of hospital with no bills isn't somehow attractive, especially as the deduction from wages would be progressive (cheaper for the poorest, more expensive for the rich) but everyone has access to it and the vast majority will be better off. That's not to say there isn't a place for private insurance, but that's a choice for those who have it. Could in some way federalise it to make it more attractive? Those more rural states could get additional funding out of the savings on prescription costs to keep their hospitals up? Immigration seems to be the main stumbling block - even with an all Democratic congress, there seems to be so much disagreement intra-party that resolution seems to be distant in that event. It's quite clear why more people are coming - threat of closure of the border, withdrawal of international funding for programmes in Central and Southern America - all self inflicted by the Americans by electing the current incumbent. Democrats still have to be much stronger here. Point here really is if you have better trading relations and cut tariffs/corporation taxes, the investment will flow in and America can afford to make undocumented immigrants citizens and afford the extra courts to sort out the economic migrants from the asylum seekers, afford the border control to sort out the genuine from the criminals. So that's where the US has to get back to a super economy that makes everyone better off. It impacts on everyone and everything they want. Seems to me constitutional change is needed, but it's not an issue for now - it's leaving folk cold. So those promoting like Buttigieg are failing. Gun controls - did Parkland and everything else still not teach them anything? Again, I don't understand why this doesn't seem to chime. From what I've seen you need a strong personality. Biden seems hamstrung by his past. Warren seems to have some baggage, perhaps a little too folksy. Sanders maybe right given his consistency on issues all his political life - is America ready for him, or has his message had it's time already? Will everything he wants done get done in 8 years? So I'd tend towards Harris as the Democrats' best hope. She'd rip Trump apart on his 4 years. Seems to be just radical enough to change America for the better. But it's for America to decide.

Literally got to go here. Howard Lapides, producer, dead at 68 from cancer: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/howard-lapides-dead-talent-manager-celebrity-rehab-producer-was-68-1228942

That's why I said a few years, rather than a decade.

I'm sure those with Andrea Camilleri and Johnny Clegg on their teams might want to change their picks...might not of course....

With the rise of these esports competition (FIFA Champs coming up in London, wooo, how exciting....is this what we've become?), surely we are going to have a spate of disaffected yoof competitors hitting the mental health skids in a few years.

Two things for a Friday ponder: Bawjaws Johnson says his thoughts and prayers are with the residents of the village threatened with a dam burst. Why doesn't he get his fat, overprivileged arse up there? Especially with his wafer thin majority. Reagan's intermediate range arms treaty dies at the hands of the US. Seems to me the splash of orange shite smearing the walls of the Whitehouse was quite happy to let Russia go down the road of testing these weapons. After all, he was the one promising to escalate his arms production himself during his campaign - more grist to his mill for putting the US in deeper debt by increasing the defence budget. Nothing makes you vote for an incumbent than the niggling feeling you are under threat. Enjoy your safety and your bankruptcy.

Dafuq is this blank link?

One of The Few, Archie McInnes, reported dead hours after celebrating his 100th birthday:

Twitter claims Rudy Boesch is dead. Looking for corroboration.

Harley's on his bike and that means we welcome all newcomers to the leaderboard, Jiroemon Kimura, Death By Arsenic and Yorkshire Banker. Bonus: Jiroemon Kimura hits A Diamonds - 5 Additional Points. Yorkshire Banker's hit was only from his sub pool - draws Q Spades for 12 Points. Leaderboard updated.

Deaths So Far: Christopher Booker - 3 July Jared Lorenzen - 3 July John McCririck - 5 July Sutopo Purwo Nugroho - 7 July Michael Sleggs - 9 July Freddie Jones - 9 July Denise Nickerson - 10 July Hussain Muhammad Ershad - 14 July Johnny Clegg - 16 July John Paul Stevens - 16 July Andrea Camilleri - 17 July David Hedison - 18 July Beji Caid Essebsi - 25 July Kevin Roster - 26 July - No Obit Mad Marty Wilson - 26 July Harley Race - 1 August Brian Lochore - 3 August Alf Smith - 4 August Cecilia Caballero Blanco - 13 August - No Obit Kathleen Blanco - 18 August Fred Rister - 20 August Tim Fischer - 22 August Randy Romero - 28 August - No Obit Captain Chorizo: 760 Points (Lorenzen; McCririck; Nugroho; J. Clegg; Camilleri; A. Smith; K Blanco) Cards Played: gcreptile: 683 Points (Booker; Nugroho; J. Clegg; Essebsi; Wilson; K Blanco) (Sub: Lochore [8 Hearts]) Cards Played: Grim Up North: 650 Points (McCririck; Nugroho; Sleggs; J. Clegg; K Blanco; Rister) Cards Played: Death Impends: 635 Points (Nugroho; Sleggs; J. Clegg; Camilleri; Essebsi; K Blanco) Cards Played: Joey Russ: 615 Points (Booker; Nugroho; Sleggs; J. Clegg; Essebsi; K Blanco) Cards Played: Clorox Bleachman: 600 Points (Nugroho; Sleggs; J. Clegg; Camilleri; Essebsi; K Blanco) Cards Played: Banana: 516 Points (Booker; J. Clegg; Camilleri; K Blanco; Fischer) (Sub: Essebsi [6 Diamonds]) Cards Played: The Old Crem: 500 Points (McCririck; Sleggs; Ershad; J. Clegg; K Blanco) Cards Played: msc: 450 Points (Booker; Sleggs; F. Jones; J. Clegg) Cards Played: Sir Creep: 424 Points (Lorenzen; Sleggs; Camilleri; K Blanco) (Sub: J. Clegg [A Diamonds]) Cards Played: Sean: 400 Points (McCririck; Nickerson; J. Clegg; K Blanco) Cards Played: YoungWillz: 363 Points (Booker; Sleggs; K Blanco) (Sub: Hedison [K Hearts]) Cards Played: Toast: 310 Points (McCririck; Sleggs; J. Clegg) Cards Played: Fixed Business: 305 Points (J. Clegg; Stevens; K Blanco) Cards Played: RadGuy: 300 Points (Nugroho; J. Clegg; K Blanco) Cards Played: Skinny Kiltrunner: 300 Points (Sleggs; Essebsi; K Blanco) Cards Played: Torva Messor: 300 Points (McCririck; J. Clegg; K Blanco) Cards Played: Great Uncle Bulgaria: 220 Points (J. Clegg; K Blanco) Cards Played: Jiroemon Kimura: 208 Points (Race; K Blanco) (Sub: Fischer [3 Hearts]) Cards Played: Death By Arsenic: 200 Points (Race; K Blanco) Cards Played: theoldlady: 200 Points (McCririck; J. Clegg) Cards Played: Yorkshire Banker: 112 Points (K Blanco) (Sub: Race [Q Spades]) Cards Played: Bibliogryphon; Gooseberry Crumble: 0 Points.

Harley Race Sun Obit: https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/wwe/9636574/wwe-hall-of-famer-harley-race-dies-tributes/

And yet another miss for me team - Ian Gibbons of The Kinks who played on Come Dancing, reported dead by Dave Davies:

1987 Ryder Cup. Probably had as Scottish an accent as Sandy Lyle and Colin Montgomerie?

Composer really and Australian born, but it's being reported that Barrington Pheloung has died: https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/barrington-pheloung-inspector-morse-composer-dies/ IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006224/ Look at all those deaths since Biblio posted.....

Well, another miss for my TOTP theme team this year if true. Not even on my radar. Searches for news turned up nowt in December last year. RIP.

Scot Gordon Brand Junior has reportedly died aged 60: Part of the Ryder Cup team that was the first European Team to win on American soil in 1987. RIP.

A poker player becomes a hit in a poker Deadpool? gcreptile's spot that Mad Marty Wilson was being dealt a bad hand means he will jump into second place. Bonuses: gcreptile makes a pair of 7s - 10 Additional Points. With his existing pair of 9s, that makes two pair - 15 Additional Points. Total Bonus - 25 Points. Leaderboard updated.

Mad Marty Wilson Telegraph Obit: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2019/07/31/mad-marty-wilson-poker-player-won-4-million-around-world-became2/

Singer of Sweden's 1962 entry Inger Berggren has reportedly died: https://eurovoix.com/2019/07/29/sweden-inger-berggren-has-died-aged-85/ Quite a jolly number:

So here's another song where the late Doris Day was mentioned. Unlucky 13 survivors of Elton's hilarious Wrap Her Up: Brigitte Bardot Billie Jean King Samantha Fox Joan Collins Kiki Dee Grace Jones Priscilla Presley Vanessa Williams Petula Clark Julie Andrews Annie Lennox Natassja Kinski Princess Caroline of Monaco Not sure who Doris Franfield or Pat Verness are, but I'm guessing these were names Elton and George Michael had for each other. Possibly. Knowing the pair of them. Those guys.... Edit: Actually listened to the extended mix and Anouska Hempel is definitely mentioned, so make that 14 survivors. Never rely on lyrics sites, YW, never.

You are right. Douglas Fielding's death was reported elsewhere on the Forum, The Times definitely went with the Z Cars theme: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/douglas-fielding-obituary-08xphs58q

Oldest Ipswich Town player Ron Trenter has died aged 90: https://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/36362/oldest-town-player-trenter-dies Rather helpfully, the article discloses that the now oldest living Ipswich player is Len Fletcher, now 90. From 2015: https://www.facebook.com/bbcsuffolk/videos/len-fletcher-on-postwar-football-at-ipswich-town/1088132754534337/

Paula Williamson, sometime soap actress and Loose Women presenter, dead: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9608830/charles-bronson-wife-paula-williamson-dead/ Ex-wife of sometime DDP pick, criminal Charles Bronson.

Not a good year for Carlisle United as another former player Peter McConnell has reportedly died aged 82: Leeds United and Bradford also.