DevonDeathTrip

Not exactly in my backyard, but seventy miles down the road at Sennen, near Lands End... For the last few weeks I've been following the news about possibly the most unusual rare bird sighting ever to happen in the UK. The Paddyfield Pipit is an unremarkable little brown bird, native to South East Asia, so quite how one ended up in West Cornwall is anybody's guess. While many other non-native species of bird have been spotted only once in the UK, almost all of them were migratory birds who have either got lost or blown off course. There have also been birds which were later determined to have been released or escaped from captivity. What makes the Paddyfield Pipit sighting so unusual is that there is no record of them being kept in captivity and it is non migratory. They don't really stray that far at all. This map indicates the Paddyfield Pipit's range (note the isolated purple blob over Cornwall). So unlikely was it considered that this bird could possibly end up here, that the sighting provoked huge debate on bird forums. Many were convinced it had been incorrectly identified, basically refusing to accept what they saw in front of them. Anyway, after a tense wait, this weekend it was confirmed that, through DNA analysis of it's droppings, the bird was indeed Cornwall, Britain and Europe's very first Paddyfield Pipit. The nearest one has ever been spotted before was the United Arab Emirates. The bird's DNA pinpointed it to probably being originally resident of the Western Ghat mountain range in southern India. How did this poor, confused, tiny creature end up here? We'll never know. One thing we can be fairly certain of is that it won't be going home. There have been no sightings since. Hopefully the cat enjoyed his exotic snack.

I'm not sure it was mentioned at the time - Rowland Gould, guitarist and founding member of Level 42, hanged himself in April.

Wow, there's a blast from the past. Welcome back

That Lord Dawson not only gave George V enough morphine to kill a horse, but also felt it necessary to administer a whole gram of (presumably) pure cocaine immediately afterwards, has always seemed a bit odd to me. I guess he just wanted the boss to enjoy his final trip with a free gift.

Methamphetamine addicted finance executive, Fergus McMahon, convicted of series of rabbit thefts in New Zealand. He's previously served jail time for Australia's "worst act of aggravated animal cruelty".

Former Springbok Carel du Plessis, 58, diagnosed with brain cancer in January, says he's "spiritually strong".

According to Independent, Rhodes had his own range of "cooking items and bread mixes". So somewhere out there there may be packets bearing the legend "Gary Rhodes Brown Bread"?

Bernard Tapie's cancer has spread to his lungs. (French link)

John Sitton's dressing room rant takes some beating. Love the bit at the end when he's inviting the players to have a fight with him. https://youtu.be/nYDIMWpcKqI

Paul Tisdale to replace him, MPFC?

An update from Peter Scott-Morgan 2.0 I think his obit chances are negligible, but I admire his positivity in the face of pretty grim circumstances. PS Are cyborgs allowed on the DDP?

89 year old Holocaust survivor and life senator, Liliana Segre, currently under police guard after receiving numerous death threats. She's angered the Italian far-right for suggesting that a committee to combat hate should be established. That's a lot of stress for an elderly person. Will her heart be able to take the strain?

Irish folk fusion violinist and vocalist Fionnula Sherry, who won the 1995 Eurovision for Norway as half of the duo Secret Garden, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Dennis Skinnier also conspicuous by his absence...

Yes, Ripon City FC, currently showcasing their skills in division two of the West Yorkshire League, is the correct answer.

The reformed Salisbury FC (the previous incarnation were liquidated) are in the Southern League Premier division, or the seventh tier.

Ely are in the ninth tier and Wells are in the tenth.

Times journalist James Gillespie, according to Twitter.

Talking of Ely City, a quiz question - Which English city's highest ranking club plays in the thirteenth tier of the footballing pyramid?

The DUP's Brexit spokesman, Sammy Wilson MP (who I can't help liking, due to his scruffy appearance and habit of waving paper around when speaking in Parliament) looked even more unhealthy than usual on the news tonight. He seems to have a remarkably purple complexion for a teetotaler and also disappeared from view for a short while earlier this month. Just a hunch, but I'd suggest Wilson is someone we need to be keeping under observation.

NZ by 36 England by 3

My view is to reinstate all of them, although I accept I may be in a minority on that one. The barring of these sources was done with the best of intentions, but I do think it has resulted in the odd quirky, stylish or interesting person missing out on points. Variety is the spice of life (and death?) and while we can eternally debate the notion of 'celebrity', I can't say I'm a huge fan of the drift towards the Drop 40 mentality of deciding to pick someone because you think everyone else will as well. IMO this significantly impacts on the chances of those who don't want to follow the herd and that seems wrong to me. I would add that none of the above should be seen as a criticism of @themaninblack, who had the impossible task of trying to please everybody and didn't always get the appreciation he deserved. In fact I would go as far to say that, at times, he got a rough deal on here both as a poster and as a deadpool organiser. As a mod, there were a couple of occasions where I now regret not intervening to support him and his continued absence from these forums bothers me. TMIB was one of us, going right back to the early days, ultimately sacrificing huge amounts of his time to keep the rest of us entertained. I miss him and I want him to come back. Hopefully he will reappear some day.

Al-Baghdadi's death means I'm down to one survivor from my 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2016 squads.

I'm not really one for football tribalism, but, even so, I thoroughly enjoyed watching the mighty Exeter City put a woeful Plymouth Argyle to the sword this afternoon. The biggest derby victory since 1925, 4-0 and they were lucky to get nil!

Little Richard to felled by the sword of Damocles.