gcreptile

Maria Branyas gets her blood and genes checked to discover her secret: https://m.bild.de/bild-plus/ratgeber/2023/ratgeber/gesund-altern-forscher-untersuchen-das-blut-der-116-jaehrigen-maria-85851322.bildMobile.html Paywalled, but there's a photo.

Dementia apparently, might have been lingering for a couple of years: https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2023/10/24/s4mncl5t1wfndddxwxka4txxhsuatj

Richard Roundtree got SHAFTed by pancreatic cancer at 81: https://deadline.com/2023/10/richard-roundtree-dead-shaft-star-1235582237/ Edit: Not a DDP pick, but I think I've seen him there before.

Hans Albert, our next hit, also a DDP pick : https://www.welt.de/regionales/baden-wuerttemberg/article248182100/Soziologe-Hans-Albert-mit-102-Jahren-gestorben.html

Rose Strickland, the karaoke queen of Shropshire (and nonagenarian contestant on Britain's Got Talent) has died at almost 99: https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/local-hubs/telford/2023/10/24/she-lived-life-to-the-full-with-grace-and-dignity---shropshires-karaoke-queen-dies-days-before-99th-birthday-party/

He was a DDP cult pick a couple of years ago but beat it pretty fast. The 2nd diagnosis has put him on many radars. Also a DDP this year. Complications of a 2nd diagnosis...death wouldn't surprise.

And a DDP hit: https://uk.news.yahoo.com/entertainment/elizabeth-hoffman-sisters-matriarch-dead-184118258.html

Martin Goetz, software programmer who was the first to receive a patent for "software", dies at 93: https://www.theregister.com/2023/10/23/martin_goetz_obit/

You know, out of these, I would have guessed she'd last the longest.

Yeah, but that's not really him. It's actually his son and they switched identities for the pension. All the old people of Shanghai were in on it.

I really doubt Bobi's age. Too much of an outlier. It's like a human becoming 200 years old. And he never looked THAT old.

David Kirke, bungee-jumping pioneer dies at 78: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/david-kirke-bunjee-jumping-death-b2434042.html

Michael Tilson Thomas makes a final appearance, very frail and thin, gets an emotional send-off: https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/classical/review-sf-symphony-michael-tilson-thomas-beethoven-18429843 (An amp link is readable for EU people)

Another member of the "Home and Away" family has been diagnosed with cancer, Bruce Murray, key grip: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tv/24477160/home-away-bruce-murray-stage-four-cancer-soap/

If polar duck is correct, then Daniel Paul and Mark Pilgrim are the two missing names.

Roland Griffiths with the NYT obit is a double hit for Baby Blue and me.

Interesting too see... I'm not too sure about the quality as the most hits seems to be based on age statistics. I would have liked to see Boris Spassky and Anatoly Karpov in there. Still, they got Valentin Yudashkin. They do have Anastasia Zavorotnyuk, Ivan Krasko, Yuri Nikolaev, etc... The names we know.

Trump wont win PA. The GOP imploded a bit there and the Dems of the state are pretty popular. It may not be Biden's effort, it's more an organisational question. Other than that, I do believe that Biden is not that popular, but more in the kind of "I wish there was someone else" kind of way. He doesnt excite. But Trump will do his best to make people rally behind Biden in the course of a campaign. Biden has to avoid looking too decrepit though.

I have myself at 25/50 in the Shadow List, so after Charlton and Griffiths, two names seem to still be missing - if they got counted. Unless I have messed up, it should be like this: 1 Rolf Harris 26 Jonnie Irwin 2 James Whale 27 Chris Snow 3 Ryuichi Sakamoto 28 Andy Taylor 4 Tony Bennett 29 Michael Tilson Thomas 5 Ted Kaczynski 30 Derek Draper 6 Gianluca Vialli 31 Shane MacGowan 7 Steve McMichael 32 George Alagiah 8 Nigel Lawson 33 Christopher Fowler 9 Nigel Starmer-Smith 34 Mohamed Al Fayed 10 Bobby Charlton 35 Anita Kupsch 11 Gordon McQueen 36 Burt Bacharach 12 Joe Kinnear 37 Henry Kissinger 13 Mark Pilgrim 38 Alice Munro 14 Franz Beckenbauer 39 Johnny Ruffo 15 Tony Marshall 40 Charlie Bird 16 Frank Field 41 Eric Lamaze 17 Tim Lobinger 42 Menahem Pressler 18 Teresa Taylor 43 Roland Griffiths 19 Mike Sertich 44 Richard Rohr 20 Roberta Flack 45 Francoise Hardy 21 Rob Burrow 46 David Linden 22 Frank McGarvey 47 Frederic Forrest 23 Daniel Paul 48 Vladimir Putin 24 Mutulu Shakur 49 Carolyn Bryant Donham 25 Jeanette Lee 50 Miroslav Blazevic

Bobby Charlton puts me at 25/50.

If Kabosu survives the year, they're on a level with Zsa Zsa Gabor. No update for more than a week now.

Update time. First of all, lest I forget, Heath Streak is a hit for several people. I missed that name in the previous update. The Zimbabwean cricket legend was rumoured to be gravely ill in spring, but then they said it wasn't THAT bad, but instead of having weeks left to live he had only a few months left to live. Still, one of the better mid-year substitutes, while Cale Yarborough or Bob Knight still carry on. Biggest Australian politician to never be prime minster, Bill Hayden, is a unique hit for Salmon Mousse. Health news were getting grim this year, only SalmonMousse anticipated the decline. I score a unique hit with magic mushroom researcher Roland Griffiths. The New York Times obit came immediately, while a DDP QO has not materialized yet. Chris Snow of the Calgary Flames was a big hit for a few players. Proof here that I don't get an advantage for submitting early: If I had waited, I would have seen the news. But alas, he was in my DDP team, but not here. Luis Garavito was my 2nd unique hit in this update. One of the most ...uh... prolific serial killers in history, he finally died after about 2 years of cancer, and before receiving a compassionate release. But that was a quite a story over there in Colombia. Next hit is Rosemary Squires, another unique hit for Gooseberry Crumble, his joker as well. So he keeps on managing pretty well with a completely different set of names, 15/50 hits right now. (Funeralopolis at 19) Martti Ahtisaari is a hit for Nick and Annami. A Finnish PM turned successful diplomat. We already knew his Alzheimer's was pretty advanced, and now it has struck. Cpt. Chorizo scores a unique hit with Scottish football player Frank McDougall. Kind of a stochastic hit... Unique hit for Windsor in the DDP, unique hit here as well. But then, as far as I knew, his lung cancer was only at stage 2. The risk pays off, though. Dianne Feinstein, in spite of everything, was only picked once, by Liz Lemon. So a big congratulations on that one. And I hope, that's it. Surprisingly not picked: Phyllis Coates (only a sub), Chuck Feeney. Score-wise, Banana is the first one to cross 1000 pts this year, well done! I can make up for not having picked Chris Snow with the two uniques, and so I catch up. But do I have enough differentials left? My joker Johnny Ruffo is not enough. SalmonMousse scores a couple of times this update and is almost back on the podium again. Rank Team Score 1 Banana 1073 2 gcreptile 981 3 Funeralopolis 875 4 Salmon Mousse 871 5 RadGuy 812 6 JoeyRuss 798 7 An Fear Beag 791 8 Grim Up North 785 9 Perhaps 772 10 Cpt. Chorizo 760 11 msc 747 12 Summer in Transylvania 689 13 Book 667 14 Toast 587 15 Death Impends 586 16 The Spinosaurus 573 17 Buffalo Phil 568 18 ThereWillBeDeaths7 557 19 wannamaker 541 20 Gooseberry Crumble 525 21 GuyFromFuture 496 22 The Daredevil 490 23 Joltin Joe 481 24 DeathBecomesThem 470 25 DevonDeathTrip 469 26 Drol 450 27 Thatcher 440 28 Mr. Wonderful 429 29 TheUnknownMan 428 30 Predictor 425 31 TheOldLady 416 32 Wormfarmer 412 33 Torva Messor 410 34 Sean 404 35 TheQuimReaper 398 35 YoungWillz 398 37 Cpt. Hemlock 396 38 Hell 395 39 tracy 374 40 MortalCaso 372 41 Annami 358 42 Charles De Gaulle 351 43 The Old Crem 344 44 MariNisia 343 45 Diego 340 46 Liz Lemon 331 47 John Key 327 48 Etushipushingupdaisies 325 49 Nick 304 50 chilean way 290 51 JoeMoneypenny 254 52 Mr. Custard 246 53 CalebH 237 54 Bibliogryphon 231 55 Famous6Eva 228 56 Pedro67 226 57 Lady Fiona 208 58 Great Uncle Bulgaria 204 59 Ghostofchristmaspast 167 60 etib80 166 61 sam081 153

Potential punt for the next 20-30 years (or less?), Welsh rapper (MC) Ren, who just scored a nr. 1 hit: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67173910 He's had heavy lyme disease and is left with continuous autoimmune diseases. Currently, he's on an IV drip in Canada and cannot perform live.

Bill Hayden has died: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-21/bill-hayden-dies-labor-obituary/102096584 Edit: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/oct/21/bill-hayden-obituary

She had a tough night and would like you to send pictures of your pets: https://www.glasgowlive.co.uk/news/celebs/janey-godley-tough-night-after-27944326 ..slim pickings today...