Octopus of Odstock

Might get worse before New Year's Eve - there's two, one British ex-F1 racer & one American Indy 500 legend doing very poorly right now.

Damn good racing driver too. A great shame. RIP VT: Personally, I think Woodward is a tough cookie & should go on for a fair bit. I mean Tony Martin still is after losing Charisse, after all.

Not yet - but if I don't recover from the surgery enough*, feel free to add me on for next year. I'll try & go on the 13th of the month. I'll say it's my dying wish to have an obit in the Guardian for I admire i so * Unlikely because I'm munching a sausage roll now

TMIB - you have my regular updates on the front page, plus DL to discuss any illnesses (Not that anybody does any more, mind...) I normally rant in the (unread) e-mails anyway. If you wish to start a blog that is officially "endorsed" by DDP, be my guest. Handrejka- Thank you. Being laid low after surgery today, I haven't had the strength to get on here until now & catch up. So only 5 out of 100+.. EDIT - It's 6 - Lynn Kohlman obit Interesting. Very in-ter-est-er-ing (said a la Alec Guinness) I shall put it to the wider audience whenever someone dies (F*** knows when that'll be going by news lately) & make a final decision late October so everyone has enough time to prepare. However, I think changes - as they are - will be minimal.

On the point of satisfaction, quite a few of the natives are revolting. But whether they are revolting enough I am waiting to see. I can find out for you out of interest about how much extra the Guardian has produced, but I'll have to do it over the weekend. IIRC, Georgia Frontiere was one - but I'll check it as I have to check stuff anyway this weekend. Of course, I could simply drop the Guardian due to laziness - less hits means less work ... heh heh

Vukov Obit I think, like Sir Brian Pippard, who also died recently, Vukov was a former pick on the DDP? (probably by VT). I certainly remember VT bringing him up a while back.

Oh cripes, I thought this thread would have tumbleweed blowing through it! CarolAnn: Firstly, you would be very welcome if you join the competition next year. Current Obit rules are here: Cowboy Ronnie: Interesting idea, but two main drawbacks - one it panders to the celebrity worship fest that the BBC has become - so genuine heros will not get an obit - and a News Front Page is different depending on which region you are in... and what time you check in.. so it's too problematical. Windsor: Firstly, I hope you will return to the DDP next year. I think with the advanced age, the points penalty does work - certainly the rewards are minimal compared to say, Paul Newman or Bobby Robson. I think this way is better than outright banning. But spot on with the cancer/local heroes/etc etc. It will need me to think of a defining answer TdF Yep, I can understand that from one point of view. But, for example, Rick Wright's death was a surprise & some picks, like Paul Newman, start off healthy(ish), THEN get cancer. It would be a bit harsh to penalise in that case. The other problem is some of the more obscure or broadsheet obits often don't say a cause of death, so it's potentially another minefield. Don't think I'm dismissing any ideas, far from it & almost to the contrary. But it's got to be kept simple & it's got to be clear - if there is a bonus, penalty or banning - what the guidelines are. Executions were piss easy.

Pah to that. He's been released into the wild, and despite the "health problems" looks quite hearty & healthy to me.

Interesting, most of the "Brits" seem to favour axing the Guardian. I'd be interested in what the Yanks, Canucks, Eyties, Frogs, Krauts & Aussies (and any other foreign muck nation ) say - especially as it might affect them more. Quick answers: TMIB - no, if the Times et al includes it, fair dos. Because the Guardian is under threat of being dropped because of the AP feed which is getting worse & worse, not so much "Fred was my best friend.." It's going to be very rare that happens, if at all, that a friend will get an obit. I did also stipulate - in bold - solely for being ill. So Susan Atkins, Birch, Tomlinson fine - it's more those included with rare illnesses in the Daily Mail etc I'm trying to avoid. Your unique pick bonus is too confusing for my little brain, but a good idea. But that's the DP rules, son with UP's! Handy- It IS staying at 18. That's not in question. Deadly Duo? Maybe.. I shall think about it, but I want the essence of it to being pride of picking a damn good unique pick. Not sure how easy it is to put into code though - I'll have to consult with the DDP monkeys er.. wizards. MPFC Fair point about Hughes & Endersby, not just fair but a good point too. It is looking difficult to draw the line - but I think it's the likes of Jones I want to try & get out but I don't really know how possible all this is to do. Ultimately, I still want to keep it largely untouched & largely simple & certainly not difficult to follow and as open as possible, so I have to watch all these bonuses/rules etc. One thing is for sure - if ANY team names anybody obviously long-dead on their 2009 team - no 2nd chances - no reserves - there are simply no excuses. That I WILL crack down on.

The mighty Reading are so good, we don't even have to put the ball past the goal-line any more to score goals. However, if this is a goal, then we should've won most of our matches 38-32. A UFO goal. Can you see where the ball crosses the line? Nope, I can't either...

Yes, but it's not really what he was best remembered for - although no-one here will remember him anyway because no-one's heard of him (Apart from BC Alum perhaps, he excels in knowing people no-one of us have ever heard of! Heath who? Tim who? ). It seemed a random thing to post about his basketball, when you consider for 25 years he was a baseball coach at Indiana University. Anyway, I mis-read it on Wikipedia & thought Emil Andres had died all over again. I hope this trend of nobody famous dying continues until December 31st. It certainly would make life easier....

I think not, somehow.

But they often are - probably because they think they're too obscure & nobody would notice. If you put.. Amy Winehouse, say, it would be ignored. But the Wiki police are getting stringent. When I posted Phil Hill's death on there before the official press announcement it was removed after a mere two minutes - by the time I had a citation - it had gone!

Months? You're too kind. 18 hours more like........

Glad you find this so amusing, MPFC. I'm facing redundancy because of the crisis in the travel industry right now and I thought this would be one place I could get away from it & not have to discuss it.... but no, I should've known better. XL's collapse is different to Zoom's & Silverjet's - it's like a whole leg has been cut off the travel industry's body. Zoom & Silverjet's departure was like a fingernail falling off. It's a much bigger disaster than most people think, because although it has already accounted for many - it will have a knock-on effect on so many different travel firms - it might be quite brutal - Alitalia, Libra, Goldtrail.. I can think of many for whom this is going to be a rocky time. Part of the reason, why, regrettably, I'm trying to find some more stable employment right now. Course, it's pretty damn difficult for so many industries now, so I know I'm not alone. But bar the above, I really am not in the mood for a discussion or betting on which company, travel, housing or wherever will go bust next. I would hope the fewer, the better, quite frankly.

Black holes go to West Bromwich. I think this is scientific fact. It would certainly be very difficult to find a tiny black hole in West Bromwich under all the dirt.

WOOHOO!!! The first time I have won anything since the 1984 Kentwood Fancy Dress Competition (Under 7 Category)!!!! (I was a cowboy, for information's sake)

Predicting who will win tomorrow's Italian GP is a bit of a lottery.. depends on wet/dry/1st lap chaos. But it's worth a stab at 66-1 on an each-way to finish in the top 3 for Timo Glock. Good in the rain, in good form & in a decent position in a heavily fuelled car. Just 2.50 each way could earn £203 maximum return. Not bad, me thinks... Now watch him spin out on the 1st lap....

Bob Holness? Well, he was a bit wooden when presenting Blockbusters and can only have gone downhill from there...

Course she does.. pact is what her plane seat is because of her massive bum. I was sooo tempted to say something else about Pakistanis & Goody's racial tendency, but thought it best not too...

George Putnam, US news stalwart, has died. If he gets an obit, and Kozol doesn't, he'll be the 600th all-time DDP hit. Also not a good time to be a P on the DP stakes - Phoumsavanh, Page, Putnam...

Once again, the Guardian copies & pastes & Twelvetrees has some points Well done, I'll update it soon. Another pick, Harry Kozol died in August, but he has not had a UK obituary, despite getting a NY Times one. Phoumsavanh becomes the first ever Laotian hit on the DDP - hurrah!

Lloyd Ruby, former Formula 1 driver & Indy 500 legend is facing extensive surgery on Sept 22nd - 6 hours long, the doctors will be working on his stomach & espohagus. Ruby is 78 years old - so if pulls through, he's done damn well - if he doesn't, well... it will be a damn shame but not unexpected.

In 2007, South African footballer Jacob Lekgetho was reported dead in a car crash. Indeed, it might still be on the DL somewhere. South African football mourned. But then it rejoiced, as the story was a hoax. In 2008, South African footballer Jacob Lekgetho was reported dead from a long illness (euphemism down there for AIDS, I'm afraid). This time, however, it is no hoax at all & so Jacob joins fellow & equally unfortunate African Marc-Vivien Foe as having been a participiant of the 2002 World Cup who is no longer alive. South African football is not having a good time of it lately...

At least Hunt only has a knee that has brought him shame. Keane has everything wrong with him, mouth, arms, legs & head. How funny he is now only a reserve team striker.