in eternum+

I'd just like to take this opportunity to use my 100th post to send Claude my best, and to thank him in advance for his expected support in the next few months. YOU'RE A SUPAHSTAH!!

What makes you think we haven't read his wonderful books? In fact, I reckon that as a structural anthropologist, ol' Claude would probably love this site, if he doesn't already. Besides, I don't think he's published anything since '95, so unless he's cosseted away researching something new and exciting, what good will another hundred years do?

Really? What if Saddam Hussein was assasinated? How would you feel about his murderer?

Aw, you're super-cute!!

[] Respect is possibly the most over-used and under-understood word of the last decade. I personally blame rap 'musicians' for the fad, but there are deeper reasons behind the phenomenon. Respect is not a right, but something one can earn or lose by achievement. Some people I respect, some I detest and by far the most I don't know and don't care about. I believe everyone has a right to be treated with a minimum of politeness, but that's not respect. My respect, or lack thereof, for people, dead or alive, comes from what they did. Let me explain this numerically. I propose a respect scale of -10 to 10. 10 is for people I utterly respect, e.g. Wim Kok, Stephen Jay Gould and Nelson Mandela. -10 is for the downright evil and the incompetent in a position of power, such as Jan Peter Balkenende, L. Ron Hubbard and Robert Mugabe. All people are born with respect level 0. Almost all people remain exactly there, only those that I get to know personally or learn about and do things that are meaningful to me earn or lose points. Good Things earn points, Bad Things lose points. Of course, I'm the judge of which is which. When someone dies she or he keeps their respect level, unless unknown facts surface. One does not gain or lose respect by dying. The classic maxim "de mortuis nil nisi bonum" is complete rubbish. If it weren't we couldn't talk about the evil things the dead did. Fortunately we can and we cheerfully do. What does this all mean for DeathList? The purpose of this web site is discussion of celebrities who we expect to die soon. Most of those celebs are worthy of respect, some are not. The fact is that not only fame, but also notoriety leads to celebrity status. Besides: even the good do bad things, and there's no reason to keep that out of the discussion. [/:banghead:] regards, Hein MH - I agree completely! It's like the notion that one should respect the elderly. I take issue with this: why should I respect someone just because they're old? If they deserve my respect, they'll have it, regardless of their age. I think it winds me up somewhat because by implication it means that those who are older than me don't need to respect me, simply because I'm younger. Drives me nuts. Off to the institution...

I'm a band! with such hits as The Fallen and A Waltz in the Gates of Death.

Wasn't the point of this particular pope to given those high up in the Catholic Church some time to choose a proper pope? I reckon they need about 2 years to find someone younger and spryer; maybe he should be considered for the 2007 list?

I don't think that just because someone is dead they deserve respect. I must fall into the category of "that type of person", about which something needs to be done. I wonder what it'll be: perhaps I'll have to endure some sort of social punishment, whereby I'm forced to march up and down the street wearing a sandwich board or something. If your whole family but you was wiped out in a plague and someone came to your funeral and started making horrid comments about your family....i bet you wouldn't sit there saying "fine if that's your opinion". And if you would, there's a mental institution just down the street. Wow. So many points to disagree with, so little time. First of all (and I shall leave my possible transference to the institution out of this), yes: I think that people are well within their rights not to feel any kind of faux-emotion towards others after they die. I would suggest that if there was a funeral for my entire family, and there were members of the community/public who did not like them, these community members are perfectly within their rights not to have to pander to this ridiculous societal doctrine whereby just because someone is dead, they deserve respect. Granted, I don't think I'd necessarily like them to be at the funeral, but I would absolutely respect their right NOT to attend the funeral, and they would be more than welcome to voice their opinions elsewhere. An example: look at the public mourning debacle following Diana's death (as discussed elsewhere, in the Diana thread). The general public was absolutely forced, via the press media, into a discourse of "respect" for her, regardless of what they acutally believed, and ALL other discourses were basically forbidden (so much for freedom of the press..). How is that respectful? It's false, hypocritical, and tacky. I'm glad Ronald Regan is dead. I think he was an evil man who committed horrible acts. He didn't have my respect before he died, and just because he's dead does not mean I'm going to change my opinion. Secondly, you CANNOT get up on the soapbox, announce that all dead people deserve respect, and then provide a list of exceptions (i.e. murderers) because you don't like them! I think you need to open your eyes and stop being brainwashed by the society you live in. So now I ask YOU: why don't murderers deserve your respect? You should also think about your words before you express them. Finally, maybe you should reconsider what you mean by the word respect. It's a term I've been thinking about for a while, as I think it's meaning is ambiguous, and I think it's a term which gets bandied about without much thought behind it. Mature enough for you? Or does the fact that I've expressed opinions different to yours mean that I'm immature?

This is a bit long, and not so much of a joke per se, but it's really funny so I thought I'd share. I don't know how 'authentic' they are, but I think they're hilarious regardless: They're Back! Church Bulletins: Thank God for church ladies with typewriters. These sentences actually appeared in church bulletins or were announced in church services: The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals. The sermon this morning: "Jesus Walks on the Water." The sermon tonight: "Searching for Jesus." Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King. Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don't forget your husbands. The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict. Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say "Hell" to someone who doesn't care much about you. Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help. Miss Charlene Mason sang "I will not pass this way again," giving obvious pleasure to the congregation. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs. Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get. Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack's sermons. The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: "Break Forth Into Joy." Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days. A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow. At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be "What Is Hell?" Come early and listen to our choir practice. Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones. Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children. Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered. The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility. Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM - prayer and medication to follow. The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon. This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin. Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done. The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday. Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door. The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy. Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance. The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours"

Gogs - Based on your second post I'd say that yes, you did miss something.

Actually, in this poll, I voted for Gerald Ford as the next person to die on the 2005 deathlist. Claude Lévi-Strauss is one of my 2005 ddp selections, so I would not mind him going next. Nice one!

I don't think that just because someone is dead they deserve respect. I must fall into the category of "that type of person", about which something needs to be done. I wonder what it'll be: perhaps I'll have to endure some sort of social punishment, whereby I'm forced to march up and down the street wearing a sandwich board or something.

Lay back and think of DeathList. regards, Hein Hm. Last time I got embroiled in a dialogue of this nature I got a bollocking for lowering the tone of the site into depraved depravity. Suffice it to say that I am convinced that Claude will not let me down. I shall start trawling the web for some form of dancing cartoon to post when my expectation is fulfilled. If only The Professor were here to back me up...

Did the Earth move for you too? That's the spirit! Wear him down. Give him a coronary. Use your nubile ways and see him off. Shall do my best. All for the good of the DL, of course.

Once again, have gone with Claude. He won't let me down.

Aw, come on MH! How can you refuse such a weepy tale of woe as this? I got a lump in my throat just reading it... Stop being such a meanie! You're hurting poor Rachel's feelings!

I think this is an excellent list, predominently as it supports my 2006-is-the-year-for-the-deaths-of-ageing-TV-detectives theory. Also, I can only surmise that Claude has not been included because he will no doubt have popped off this mortal coil at some point before the end of 2005. However, how sad if Aaron Spelling were to die. Who will take his place in bringing us quality television programming? Ah, remember the turkey baster...

Hello all - from my new location across the pond! I thought I'd rejoin you all by way of a thematically relevant joke, kindly sent to me by my mom. It's ever-so-slightly out of date, but still rather amusing: With all the sadness and trauma going on in the world at the moment, it is worth reflecting on the death of a very important person, which almost went unnoticed last week. Larry LaPrise, the man who wrote "The Hokey Pokey" died peacefully at age 93. The most traumatic part for his family was getting him into the coffin. They put his left leg in. And then the trouble started...

And clearly you are a misinformed myth-believer. Please allow Charlie Bronson, long-term prisoner, to have reformed. Institutionalised, of course he would be. Locked in a cage in solitary confinement for 28 years, who wouldn't? (it takes 8 weeks for the inmates of Big Brother to go stir crazy and THEY have access to other people). But Charlie Bronson is a changed and changing man. For your info, he hates the tag "Britains hardest prisoner". The good he would do on the streets is that young tearaways would listen to him, whereas they wouldn't listen to authority. And he would spell out to them the hell that prison is. I am going to prove you absolutely wrong, mister. And even though this is not the right forum for this discussion, (fab place all the same......I love it) I couldn't just let your smug remarks pass without question. Check out some real facts on www.freebronson.co.uk Hm. I reckon Charlie's got Internet access in his cell.

Perhaps he did die decades ago but has been too busy to notice ever since. regards, Hein Or perhaps he died quite a while ago and his wife controls his wheelchair via remote control, wheeling him into the public domain every now and then to encourage book sales. After all, when was the last time anyone saw him actually saw him move?

Hello all! Am back after a week of death, dying and disposal, and to my amazement not only has TF been readmitted (and is sporting quite a fetching new and pretty avatar), but that iain has become a member!! Geez, it's all change here. How's everyone been? Did you all read the lovely newspaper articles about how death is the new sex?

I don't really know that much about Pete or his Libertines but... Has it not occurred to any of his fans that his death might be the best thing for him? I mean, it seems to be that he's on a decline, and how better to legendify a musician than for them to die as opposed to them going into sad washed-decline? Look at John Lennon: who know what would have happened if he'd dodged the bullet, but his death probably did more for him and his music than any of his rock'n'roll antics. Insta-leg. The earliest memory I have is when we heard on the radio that John Lennon had died, and my dad subsequently going into mourning.

Am gutted! Oh, the hours I spent wiling away my youth on that island, learing how to construct radio transmitting devices from a few coconut shells, a bit of seaweed, and the venom of that ginormous poisonous spider that lived in the cave. Sigh... No wonder I have a penchant for academic-types.

Evening everyone! I am a Cannuck; left Canada in my early 20s to 'find myself' in Italy. But I wasn't there, so I came to England instead and now live in 'nam. Soon to be temporarily relocated to the great US of A.

I think I dated him once. Definitely .4 of a shag. And now this pointless thread, has achieved the near impossible. And become even more pointless. Congratulations. Cheers TF. Coming from an expert, I'll take that as a compliment.