Teddy

Grim Reaper writes Given his track record, shouldn't that be especially if he gave me his own personal guarantee?

Well, all I can add is that in the list of Great Norwegians, the only ones I recognise are already dead, which if I understand the rules correctly, disqualifies any of them from next years list - even if it would give a good start to the year Oh, apart from Walter (Fritz) Mondale, who qualifies as a Norwegian by dint of being born in Minnesota and becoming Vice-President of the US! Ronnie, I'm sure, will have fond memories of old Fritz, having walloped him in the 1984 election.

And of course, the death has to be verifiable. Given the number of times we heard that Saddam was probably dead through 'surgical' strikes, I don't think we can simply accept it when a US general stands up and says 'He was in that hole, but we blew it up so much we'll never be able to retrieve the body'!! It didn't work when they tried to explain where the weapons of mass destruction were - I don't think it will work with Osama.

Checked out the website - says that 'Satan Must Die'. Do you reckon Satan may be an outside chance for next year? I understand that Satan is in good health, but he must be getting on a bit in years, and there is always the possibility that voiceofreason may catch up with him and pull the trigger. Having said that, I know that a few people have tried to do away with Satan over the years. The late JC came closest, but Satan has managed to hang on in there. He probably falls into the 'will never die' category, along with Clive Dunn!

Found this photo of Clive from 1998 - he seems to be getting younger. Maybe he is going to live forever! PS - Clive is on the right!

Well, I would guess one way of displaying their displeasure is by not playing along, although looking back, quite a few seem to have got into the spirit of things last year and made it a record breaker.

Following on from Stayin Alive's story re preparing for the Queen Mum's death, the link shows how even internet news providers can get into the act. If you thought finding your name on the death list was bad news, imagine popping your name into Google and finding your obituary! Smokin Gun

DWB asks If memory serves, Alfred Noble was the most famous. His obit credited him with inventing dynamite, and painted such a bleak picture of his invention, with the destruction it could cause, that Alfred was moved to take his money and set up the Nobel Institute in order to leave a more pleasant lasting memory. I also read that Australian TV once announced that the Queen Mother had died, leading to a swift denial from the Palace. She probably had, but they just didn't want a Republican-minded country announcing it. Like the old Soviet leaders, I understand she was put in deep freeze and wheeled out in time for the Queen's jubilee. All the sympathy and 'remember the war' imagery ensured a good turnout at the Mall for the celebrations.

When he does go to that big radio station in the sky - if he is buried, is he 'under-Cooked'? Similarly, does cremation qualify as 'over-Cooked'? Either way, I think it is safe to say he will be 'un-Cooked'.