Davey Jones' Locker

"What?! The Committee has left me off the 2019 List? I am not amused. Off with their heads!"

I wonder if he'd grumble more if he knew we kept including him or if we dared to omit him one year?

Tina and Cleo had the same hairdresser!

Really glad the Committee talk ny suggestion onboard. I appreciate it, chaps.

Punted on Vera to open the tally.

Good list overall. Glad to see Bob Hawke made the cut. The only problem I see is that Dick Van Dyke made the list but he is seemingly still quite spritely, as he has a cameo in the new Mary Poppins sequel! I would have dropped him and kept Olivia. It is always a very big gamble to drop huge names like the Queen and Pope Benedict. Both seem to be in fine form recently since the Pope has really rallied in recent months but they will be the biggest misses of all time if they die and the Committee will have egg on its collective face for eternity. The risk is theirs.

A cheerful note on which to start the year of 2019: https://mobile.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-01/stan-grant-2019-the-end-of-history/10675572

I just did some counting and... if Hawke does last until the next election and the Morrison government loses office (very likely at this stage), we the taxpayers will be funding the pensions of no fewer than eight surviving ex-prime ministers. UPDATE: Here are some interesting stats on ages of PMs, retirement lengths and so on, for those interested in such things: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Prime_Ministers_of_Australia_by_age

Deutsche Welle analyzed German Google search stats and apparently the biggest death of the year was the suicide/mysterious death of reality television "star" Daniel Küblböck: https://www.dw.com/en/german-former-pop-idol-star-missing-after-jumping-into-sea/a-45421743

Blanche has been planning Bob's funeral... https://www.harpersbazaar.com.au/culture/blanche-dalpuget-says-shes-planning-bob-hawkes-funeral-15887

We have picked up your bad habits.

That... is probably the wisest post we have ever had on this forum. In a few short sentences, you have shown why Marx's prophecies were totally wrong, in contrast to the reams of academic pseudo-intellectual waffle usually devoted to the subject. I hereby present you with the LFN Prize for 2018.

Peter Cundall goes into early retirement at 91: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-29/peter-cundall-retires-after-50-years-of-garden-talkback/10673154

Urgent, late-breaking suggestion for the consideration of the DL Committee is Bob Hawke. Evidence: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-29/bob-hawke-reveals-terrible-health-labor-to-win-federal-election/10673364 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6536857/Bob-Hawke-fears-time-health-continues-deteriorate.html The election he fears he won't live to see is in only five months' time....

If Tony Abbot and John Howard are saying it is a good idea I would run like hell from it. Anyway, happy new year, LFN. :)

The first commercial airliner, the Farman Goliath, flew in 1919, just over 15 years after the technology was developed. 57 years, 7 months after the first spaceflight as you say, Branson and Musk are still trying to make little baby steps towards commercial spaceliners. Not that I want to go up in one anyway.

The rest of the world thinks you lot are idiots: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/dec/28/bbc-radio-4-series-as-others-see-us-neil-macgregor-brexit-views

Backlash over gold piano spotted in Christmas speech. Queen accused of being an out-of-touch hypocrite: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/celebrity-life/royals/backlash-against-queens-christmas-day-message-because-of-gold-piano/news-story/4918a80c0f0db77076b838fa200a53d5

Five more women have come forward with sexual assault allegations against Luc Besson, to add to his previous crime of ruining Valerian with that awful film adaptation. Unlikely to kill him but he must be under a lot of stress. https://variety.com/2018/film/news/five-more-women-accuse-luc-besson-of-sexual-misconduct-report-1203038610/

The Queen looked better than she has in recent years for the 2018 Christmas Message/DeathList annual health inspection. Although the Duke isn't joining the family for Christmas, palace PR types claim he is in good health, too. https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-royals/britains-prince-philip-not-expected-at-christmas-day-church-service-idUKKCN1OO0IL?il=0 These two are going to sail into the 2020s.

Bob Hawke has announced his appearance at this year's Woodford Folk Festival will be his last. Looking terrible, so the Committee should definitely consider him as a last minute inclusion in the 2019 list, if they have not already pencilled him in. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-29/bob-hawke-reveals-terrible-health-labor-to-win-federal-election/10673364

Another fun fact is that Phil Collins auditioned for the role of Romeo before losing out to Whiting! https://www.smoothradio.com/features/phil-collins-facts-age-daughter-wife-songs/

It turns out there is an official Christmas special after all, narrated by Bradley Walsh. Watch it here: https://mobile.twitter.com/bbcdoctorwho/status/1075013174833876993 I'd say it is the best episode of the year.

Beaten to it again! https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-19/penny-marshall-dies-at-75/10633286

Just a little reminder that we, the former colonies, don't want you to come to us expecting us to lick your arse when everything fall apart for you: http://theconversation.com/as-brexit-begins-australia-mustnt-get-caught-up-in-britains-post-imperial-fantasies-74918 https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/mar/10/empire-strikes-back-why-former-colonies-dont-need-britain-after-brexit Have a nice day.