Octopus of Odstock

As it's me filling out the database, it was I that wasn't sure to which David Burke you were referring. In my defence, on the database it just lists his profession as "other" and doesn't say who submitted who, so I was in the dark, as it were, and wondered if it was the controversial American chef by the same name. Anyway, if RK hasn't already done so, I've included the info in the DDP database, for which I thank you for your speedy response.

and from me too.

Makes up for all those they've lost with Granados, Perez, Nichols etc. Looks like the only points they'll score is via the Iraqis at this rate.

I still expect this might still happen in a "Deaths in Brief". I'm not sure if it's worth trawling through the papers as most of them are online now, so if nothing's appeared online it'll be unlikely that it'll be in print.

Lovely bloke though. I had the pleasure of meeting him in 2001, (along with the fellow who plays Ben Windsor in Emmerdale - the one who has rape charges against him in real life) so I hope that bulk keeps lasting for a little while yet.

Aside from the latest update, some good news for challengers for the DDP title. No Noose is Good Noose's hopes of the title are ruined. Carlos Granados, who got a UK "obit" in January? Well, his link is now dead. This was the only UK obit Granados got, so now it's a dead link and NNIGN failed to submit it, then no points. Same for the other fellow. Meanwhile 3 more of the team have since been executed, with no UK obits. So, it doesn't look like the whitewash some feared will actually happen. Bad luck to R I P It Up & Start Again as one of their team is long dead - although they still stand a good chance of winning. Looks like being a much closer battle this year between a number of teams, which, I think, was the whole idea. Hopefully now NNIGN is not going to win, maybe Tempus will stop his sulking?

Well as this seems the de facto Bob Woolmer thread, I'll post here & say this is the biggest surprise death of the year so far. I mean he was there only yesterday watching grim-faced as Ireland magnificently trounced Pakistan. Then Jonathan Agnew & Manish whathisface were discussing whether he should come into the England set-up on the BBC highlights. Finally, only this morning I was reading his comments on the BBC website over the defeat. Then BOOM. He's gone. Suicide crossed my mind, but he was quite fat, so.... By the way, it appears his father, Clarence Woolmer, another cricketer, is still alive, aged 96.

Follow up from post above from December. Mintoff won, but is now complaining that he wasn't awarded enough. From DL's point of view there are two sentences of interest. To start with, they claimed, there was "the sheer indignity" suffered by Mr Mintoff who, apart from having an enormous influence in the development of the Maltese Republic, was a 90-year-old man who suffered from a number of illnesses but also:- The actions of the public authorities have effectively hounded out this man from his chosen resting place of residence, (L-Gharix, in Delimara) which had been built specifically close to the sea where he would indulge in swimming daily, to a house in one of the more populated areas of Malta Well enough to swim daily, obviously, so how ill is ill? Could be a Biggs thing. His win, and successive whinging have now made him very unpopular in Malta. That particular home is just one of many, of course, and some Maltese lost their homes under rules brought in, in the past, by..... Dom Mintoff. Don't be surprised if he gets assassinated at this rate....

O'Hara is an outside bet at the moment. She's still quite feisty & active, despite recent illness. As for Delannoy, no, not really. I'm quite happy with who I DO have, right now, thanks for asking.

Former Iraqi PM Saadoun Hammadi has died. Of natural causes, I should add, one of the few Iraqi politicians who will this year.

If there was ever proof that every death reported on Wikipedia should not be trusted as accurate, surely this article proves it. I would say that I hope Iain will read it & learn, but I know he can't read.

Well, he's been back in court again. This article has a recent picture of him and he certainly looks worse than he used to see this article. But it's difficult to say how ill he is, cos obviously he would look older/thinner from his heyday 'cos there's a difference betwwen prison food & ambassadorial food. Still, it's one to keep an eye on from natural causes rather than hanging. Meanwhile this article suggests Barzan was murdered first, then hung

Long, big-worded but interesting medical journal article on long-term injury/strain of a F1 driver's wrist So far the only proper medical report really published on the study of F1 drivers.

Former footballer & Burnley FC manager Tommy Cavanagh has died.

Ramadan loses final appeal

Fats goes home.

Whinging again. Also looks a lot like Paul McCartney, me thinks.

Still an ill chap, as is Gretna's manager

I had a dream last night that Star Crossed was revealed to be Carol Thatcher, if that's any help.

Ah sh*t, HCW, you funny bastard you. I come in, after a good's night drinking, see this response, start laughing & now I have the bloody hiccups, which I only get if I laugh after drinking. Ah well, there goes my night's sleep

Y'see, Windsor, this is what I mean. Just when I take a few off (George Cole, Prince Phillip) in come more candidates far riper for the taking. Wasn't he the hunger strike fellow from last year?

He's on telly this Saturday, doing the song for Eurovision. Seems well recovered enough, at least mentally. Vocally, is another matter, of course.

Ahem... getting back on topic, George Cole will be on our TV screens again next week in a TV programme called (I think) "A Class Apart", starring the godawful Jessie Wallace. Ol' George looks okay, a bit wider at the waist, but if anything looks a little less frail than before. Bit of blurb, best photo I could find for now

Leslie Phillips wins "trouper of the year". Both he, and Peter O'Toole, may I add, look in good fettle.

I know, I know, it's borderline, and I was very concious of that when writing the above posts. But I don't do stats on them, I just list them, in no particular order. It would probably be much less if DDT didn't keep coming up with people who are ill. Maybe I can have a cull of them one of these days. And I don't mean literally...