Heef
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Posts posted by Heef
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8 hours ago, Great Uncle Bulgaria said:The Last Devil to Die - the 4th in Richard Osman's series about 4 nearly-80 year olds who go round solving murders that the police can't. Found the previous 3 a mixed bunch and wasn't entirely convinced that a 4th helping was the way to go, but I found this possibly the best to date. This is a bit darker than previous ones and the gear changes between light comedy and serious murders are a bit less clunky than previously.
No specific comment on Richard Osman as I've not read any of his books yet, but this growing trend of celebrities writing novels or books for children and using their profiles to achieve sales that writers can't hope to achieve without marketing support is quite annoying. I don't want to hear constant drones about what celebrity has managed to churn out a novel
8 hours ago, Toast said:These are useful - can be used as a bookmark as well as a place to make notes. I bought a set as a gift for a friend who is in a book group.
Hmm. That's a decent idea. When I think of something of interest when reading, I'm rarely near paper and pen. Most of my reading is done on the daily commute when I'm on the train.
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17 hours ago, lilham said:What did you think of the Master by Colm Toibin?
One of my regrets in this process was in not making a few small notes as to what I liked or disliked about each book. I've been trying recently to reflect back on each year's shortlist to see what I can remember about each one and sadly some of the ones I read a fair while back I only have vague memories of (I started in 2016). With The Master, I'm not a fan of fictualising around real people and I'm not an expert in Henry James able to distill the complete fabrications from the fanciful from the reality or enhanced reality. The delivery of the novel conveys a real sense of the internal workings of the narrator's mind (whether it's a reasonable representation of Henry James or not). I recall some reasonably amusing moments - particularly with the narrator's aversion to conflict and his inability to fire his two house-staff who have become - shall we say - not fit for purpose due to alcohol consumption. I see on Goodreads, I give it a 3/5 score, but there's no finesse in that!
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On 09/01/2019 at 00:47, YoungWillz said:Death Notice for Terence Wheeler, shortlisted for the Booker Prize for his debut novel The Conjunction in 1970: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thetimes-uk/obituary.aspx?n=terence-wheeler-terry&pid=191197659
I know this is well out of date, but good luck finding a copy of The Conjunction anywhere. It's been out of print pretty much since publication and is a little bit... dated... shall we say? I read it at the British Library.
Anyway, don't waste your time trying to track The Conjunction down. It's a bit poor.
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On 14/03/2018 at 11:04, Heef said:Working my way through the Booker Prize short list nominees at the moment. Some of the nominees are so much better than the winners. e.g the Reluctant Fundamentalist > the Gathering; Morality Play > The Ghost Road. Some great books in the list, but some pap too.
Only 12 books left before I've read every shortlisted Booker Prize nominee from 1969-2009.
83 shortlisted books left to read in total. Currently reading Jhumpa Lahiri's The Lowland.
According to Goodreads, I have given the following books 5 stars:
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
Empire of the Sun - JG Ballard
The Redundancy of Courage - Timothy Mo
Troubles - JG Farrell
English Passengers - Matthew Kneale
Such a Long Journey - Rohinton Mistry
Disgrace - JM Coetzee
Beside the Ocean of Time - George Mackay Brown
The Life and Times of Michael K - JM Coetzee
The True History of the Kelly Gang - Peter Carey
Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood
Morality Play - Barry Unsworth
Good Behaviour - Molly Keane
Sacred Hunger - Barry Unsworth
A Month in the Country - JL Carr
Rates of Exchange - Malcolm Bradbury
The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Richard Flanagan
His Bloody Project - Graeme Macrae Burnet
Confederates - Thomas Keneally
In hindsight, I might have also underrated Goshawk Squadron by Derek Robinson.
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1. Vojislav Šešelj
2. Nikolai Ryzhkov
3. Mátyás Szűrös
4. Milan Panić
5. Josip Manolić
6. Lech Wałęsa
7. Alexander Bessmertnykh
8. Artur Rasizade
9. Biljana Plavšić
10. Raif Dizdarević
Reserves
11. Philippe Morillon
12. Mart-Olav Niklus
13. Diego Arria
And yes, I have recently watched the superb BBC documentary The Death of Yugoslavia. What of it?
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Updated for Michael Hardie-Boys, Cardinal Tom Williams, Ken Douglas and Miles Warren. Can't adjust the Olympian table - I'll have to update this manually later.
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Good to see someone resurrected the pool I started back in (I think) 2017. Bit more popular than the original run's 3 entrants.
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Not long after John R Reid, another NZ stalwart - John F Reid - has passed away. Much younger and more unexpected of course. https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/300194432/former-new-zealand-cricketer-john-f-reid-dies-aged-64
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Anyway, now that's updated. If anyone would like to submit a list of potential starters for 2021, then just PM me.
Chur.
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Annoyingly, Ken Shadie is on the list twice and I can't currently find the original spreadsheet to replace him. Still, I make the score 9/50.
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Updating this. It's been a while. Margaret Guilfoyle died: https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7020589/pioneer-politician-margaret-guilfoyle-dies/?cs=14264
Jean Hurring: https://www.odt.co.nz/sport/swimming/otago-swimming-great-dies
Cliff Green: https://www.smh.com.au/national/gifted-writer-behind-screenplay-for-picnic-at-hanging-rock-20201209-p56lxx.html
As noted, so have:
Deane Sutherland: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/kiwi-musician-deane-sutherlands-family-kept-from-farewelling-him-due-to-lockdown/4ZXATHBTTBP2G7B5XWA66FNTEA/
John R Reid: https://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/cricket-new-zealand-great-john-r-reid-dies-at-92/JU63RUK4Z7CDKO2JGQNHFWT764/
Jeanne Little: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/celebrity/legendary-australian-entertainer-jeanne-little-dies-20201107-p56cgs.html
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Did anyone pick Mike Moore this year? If not, he should be on the List of the Missed. Pretty sure I picked him previously. Can't open the DDP website anymore. Seems to have been barred for some reason.
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Roseberry can't be the most common name. Is he former Middlesex-opener (and County Durham born) Mike Roseberry's dad, I wonder?
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The ANZAC List belatedly makes a return. Thanks to all those that contributed to the list. I put this together on Friday,, but have been out and only got round to posting today. In the meantime, Mike Moore died this morning so that's theoretically a first hit. If anyone is concerned about the fact I haven't posted the list before he's scuttled off this mortal coil, then I'll bring in a sub, but he was a returner from last year and I've picked him for DDP teams for a number of years.
25 people return from last year (last year's position in Brackets) and 25 newbies on the list. David Gulpilil takes the #1 slot, but the majority of the list was pretty volatile.
1. David Gulpilil (b. 1 Jul 1953, Arnhem Land) Australian
2. Elizabeth Chong (b. 27 May 1931, Canton) Australian
3. Levi Holley (b. ~1975) New Zealander
4. (18) Neale Daniher (b. 15 Feb 1961, West Wyalong) Australian
5. (47) Alan Davidson (b. 14 Jun 1929, Lisarow) Australian
6. Fred Nile (15 Sep 1934, Kings Cross)
7. (13) Graham Richardson (b. 27 Sep 1949, Sydney) Australian
8. (32) Margaret Guilfoyle (b. 15 May 1926, Belfast UK) Australian
9. (10) Barry du Bois (b. 4 Aug 1960, Sydney) Australian
10. Judith Durham (b. 3 Jul 1943, Essendon) Australian
11. (22) Neil Harvey (b. 8 Oct 1928, Fitzroy) Australian
12. (34) Mary Ward (b. 6 Mar 1915, Fremantle) Australian
13. Gavin Robertson (b. 28 May 1966, St Leonards) Australian
14. Bruce Reid (Aussie Rules bloke) (b. 4 Apr 1946, Melbourne) Australian
15. (30) Neale Fraser (b. 3 Oct 1933, Melbourne) Australian
16. Deane Sutherland (b. mid-late 1960s, ) New Zealander
17. (49) Loongkoonan (b. 1910, Kimberley) Australian
18. Bruce Beresford (b. 16 Aug 1940, Sydney) Australian
19. (24) Ken Shadie (b. 8 Dec 1935, Bondi) Australian
20. (11) Butch Miller (b. 21 Oct 1944, Auckland) New Zealander
21. (50) 'Superstar' Mick Dundee (b. 24 October 1943, Scotland) Australian
22. (25) John R Reid (b. 3 Jun 1928, Auckland) New Zealander
23. Jean Hurring (b. 23 Dec 1930, Dunedin) New Zealander
24. (1) Jeanne Little (b. 11 May 1938, Sydney) Australian
25. Neal Blewett (b. 3 Dec 1933) Australian
26. Dame Miriam Dell (b. 14 Jun 1924) New Zealander
27. Ray Lawler (b 23 May 1921, Footscray) Australian
28. (37) Sir Richard Hadlee (b. 3 Jul 1951, Christchurch) New Zealander
29. (4) Ken Rosewall (b. 2 Nov 1934, Sydney) Australian
30. Sir Murray Halberg (b. 7 Jul 1933, Eketahuna) New Zealander
31. (17) Roy Emerson (b. 3 Nov 1936, Blackbutt) Australian
32. (33) Clive Revill (b. 18 April 1930, Wellington) New Zealander
33. (27) Tony Garea (b. 20 Sep 1946, Auckland) New Zealander
34. (39) Fred Stolle (b. 8 Oct 1938, Hornsby) Australian
35. Marie Bashir (1 Dec 1930) Australian
36. Luciana Arrighi (b. 1940, Rio de Janeiro) Australian
37. (3) Olivia Newton-John (b. 26 Sep 1948, Cambridge UK) Australian
38. (14) Pauline Parker (b. 26 May 1938, Christchurch) New Zealander
39. Sir Roger Douglas (b. 5 Dec 1937, Auckland) New Zealander
40. Ken Archer (b. 17 Jan 1928, Yeerongpilly) Australian
41. (43) Mike Moore (b. 28 Jan 1949, Whakatane) New ZealanderLINK
42. Molly Meldrum (b. 29 Jan 1943, Orbost) Australian
43. [DUPLICATE]
44. (21) Frank Sedgman (b. 29 Oct 1927, Mont Albert) Australian
45. Sir Michael Hardie Boys (b. 6 Oct 1931, Wellington) New Zealander
46. Peta Murphy (b. 1 Nov 1973, Goulburn) Australian
47. (6) Rod Laver (b. 9 Aug 1938, Rockhampton) Australian
48. Cliff Green (b. 6 Dec 1934, Melbourne) Australian
49. Donald McAlpine (b.13 Apr 1934, Quandialla) Australian
50. Howard Sattler (b. 1945, Cootamundra) Australian-
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I'd think that a theme team has to reasonably be some kind of small minority to be picking from. Allowing a team that can be picked from ~50% of the world's population doesn't seem particularly on.
But, it depends whether the theme team league is a "fun" thing or a competitive thing.
Let's get statistical and weight teams based on the percentage of the overall population that their team consists of. Therefore, a hit in the "all male" or "all woman" team might be weighted at 0.5 based on women/men being approx. 50% of the population. Then, on the other hand, selecting a team from the cast and crew of the 70s film for masochistic children, Watership Down (like my better half did a couple of years back) would afford each hit a weighting of ~100/7.5bn. So, if Ray Merrin had received a QO, then he'd have been worth the standard number of points divided by (100/7.5x10^9) which would have meant Merrin would have scored ~3*10^8 points for her (300,000,000) compared to only 8 points for the hypothetical person selecting Merrin for their all male theme team.
I think we can all agree that the simplicity and satisfaction in appropriately awarding niche teams would go a long way towards making the Theme Team League a more highly respected competition.
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Yes. He shouldn't have been in the Basil Brush thread. He should have been in a Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister one.
Heartbeat. Pffft. What next? A thread for Lovejoy?
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Any more for any more for the 2020 Anzac list?
I'll drop in Chorizo and Whoami's suggestions into last year's master list to see what the model drops out, but still 10 days to go to get any suggestions in.
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On 14/01/2020 at 10:52, msc said:Ah jeez. I miss the DDP moving house and I now miss the Cup because I was away. I thought this started a bit later in the year, but I guess it already is later in the year.
Good luck to the fair ship Deathlist Cup and all the ragged, tormented line-ups that dwell therein.
Plus, someone give John Key, that slurred-voiced, megolomaniacal cryptofascist a good old fashioned thrashing please. Tear down the Tall Poppies.
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Dammit. Gonna be tough to challenge this list with an ANZAC one that's gonna be a month late from starting! Surely Margaret Atwood is tough as nails though.
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11 out of 50 for the first run at the ANZAC list, it would seem.
A bit late to start this year's on time, but if people would like to message me with their list of names for 2020 then I'll throw up a new list by the end of January.
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On 20/12/2019 at 18:47, Sir Creep said:[Tells you how often I look at the DDP site, but...] So I goes and looks in on the Theme Team standings......
How the hell is a team of all women a THEME team? All men a THEME team then? 'Swingin' Dickx' 1st year in DDP that'll be my regular team, just drop the 2 or 3 women off of it. Seriously, you can NOT deny my all male theme team, precedent is established. @Spade_Cooley LOOK a theme of gender.SC
Ha. I missed out on defending my Theme Team crown by 1 point to a theme that represents >50% of the global population.
Why do I always insist on picking Michael Somare?
Anyway, I've been away and also moved house over the last 2 weeks, so didn't get to submit in for 2020, so have a ball all!
And belated congratulations to DI.
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On 14/10/2019 at 04:27, CoffinLodger said:Marvin the Robot from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy has died.Or at least the actor who did his voice, Stephen Moore, has anyway https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/oct/13/stephen-moore-obituary
Fantasticly smooth, lustrous voice that he had. Did loads of tv too - from Hitchhikers to playing Kevin the Teenager's dad in Harry Enfield and Chums. One of those stalwart actors whose name you might not know straight away, but you recognise from years and years of work.
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I think that moves me up to my highest position - 39th. Any chance of a theme team update?
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By -Election Bingo 2019-2024
in Dead Pools
Posted
It looks like this seat won't exist in the next general election, so it'll be a bit of a strange by-election. The area in the constituency at the moment will be split over 3 constituencies with perhaps the biggest share going to Bristol North-East, so I assume the winner will transition to that seat.
As for Andrew Rosindell, I used to live near Romford and wouldn't be surprised to see a defunct greyhound wearing a blue rosette get up there. One of the bigger shocks in 1997 was that Labour won there with a 16% swing. He really is a contemptible little oik though, so hopefully good riddance.