Activists

[Toast 16,141]

31 minutes ago, gcreptile said:

One of the big decisions for the new teams was on picking Irish campaigner Vicky Phelan or not.

 

I would have voted no. 

[The Old Crem 3,605]

25 minutes ago, Toast said:

 

I would have voted no. 

Equally she has become famous enough that she is often no longer introduced by anything - meaning the assumption is every reader knows who she is.

[gcreptile 10,976]

29 minutes ago, Toast said:

 

I would have voted no. 

Ah well, not many people actually did.

[Charles De Gaulle 484]

1 hour ago, gcreptile said:

One of the big decisions for the new teams was on picking Irish campaigner Vicky Phelan or not. She's now going to spend the next 6 months in the USA, on "alternative treatment", the alternative would be palliative care:

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/vicky-phelan-going-to-us-for-months-of-experimental-cancer-treatment-1.4454345

 

She says she has about 10 tumours in her body. Her immunotherapy worked pretty well for 3 years, but not perfectly, so some tumours shrunk some didn't. She's hoping for an additional 2-3 good years. And in about 2 months she will see the first effects, or not.

She is clearly a "only famous for being ill or dying" pick.

[Ulitzer95 12,644]

3 minutes ago, Charles De Gaulle said:

She is clearly a "only famous for being ill or dying" pick.

Agreed. That’s what she became known for. If you use a historical search on Google, first mention of her is from the start of 2018. Those are stories about a woman with cancer who sued over a faulty test result.
 

Everything that she’s done since then, may be considered “activism” but it’s coverage is directly a product of her FFBI “fame”.

[YoungWillz 21,050]

Hmm.

 

Now, for example, the rules in the Poker Tourney are quite clear and strict in that regard and she would be FFBI for that.

 

The DDP on the other hand have gone down similar to the Hare's Pool route. It's up to the DDP folks to interpret those rules, not for us to declaim a disbar on our own feelings on the matter.

 

FWIW, I think under even the current rules, she qualifies as a pick. Unlikely to be dead within the year, I'd say, so it only matters when she is gone.

 

 

[Toast 16,141]

Fundraising, campaigning, blogging - should only count towards notability if the person began it before they became ill. 

 

[gcreptile 10,976]

27 minutes ago, Toast said:

Fundraising, campaigning, blogging - should only count towards notability if the person began it before they became ill. 

 

Well, according to that logic, fundraising, campaigning and blogging shouldn't count at all - because if the person was already notable before, why even bother?

 

Vicky Phelan's political impact is what makes her count. Now, yes, it happened because of her illness, but not every ill person does what she does, or did.

Maybe in the future, the rules will be stricter, but for now, these people, much like, for example, Noel Conway, or in the past, Kate Granger, are at least part of a societal discourse, if you will.

[Toast 16,141]

5 minutes ago, gcreptile said:

Well, according to that logic, fundraising, campaigning and blogging shouldn't count at all - because if the person was already notable before, why even bother? 

 

I don't quite get your point.  A healthy person can become notable for fundraising and campaigning, someone like Sue Ryder, Cicely Saunders etc.

[msc 18,477]

There is currently a Kate Granger rule for picks who expand beyond FFBI by process of their activism/fundraising/whatever going well beyond the normal. Its a, imo, considerably rare event however. Phelan is covered by it going by her near nightly appearances on the Six O'Clock News a year or two ago. Others have different views.

 

Like I said before, first year ban was focused directly on the 20 picks a year which can be summed up as "dying nobody with kids has sob story in The Mirror/Mail/Sun about Stage IV cancer". Its picked up some non-notables who might have skipped by on the way but again, if folk demand a judgement call...

 

In future years the rule might be tweaked. Joey's fame criteria for the Cup is far higher than the one I originally set (first FFBI ban on the forum FTR!), but then, that's sort of my role - the Mazzini of FFBI bans awaiting a Cavour...

[An Fear Beag 1,535]

5 hours ago, gcreptile said:

One of the big decisions for the new teams was on picking Irish campaigner Vicky Phelan or not. She's now going to spend the next 6 months in the USA, on "alternative treatment", the alternative would be palliative care:

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/vicky-phelan-going-to-us-for-months-of-experimental-cancer-treatment-1.4454345

 

She says she has about 10 tumours in her body. Her immunotherapy worked pretty well for 3 years, but not perfectly, so some tumours shrunk some didn't. She's hoping for an additional 2-3 good years. And in about 2 months she will see the first effects, or not.

 

What did you decide gcreptile? She was one of my last decisions to make before submitting the 2021 team. I went with her in the end, but already I'm not sure it was a good decision. We'll see in time I suppose.

My reasoning was pretty much the opposite of why I picked Tom Parker. I don't think Parker will go this year, but I figured that most of the top teams would have him, so if I was wrong, I would be at a big disadvantage. With Phelan, I felt that most of the best teams would give her a miss, so if she does go, I would have an edge. But I think the odds are in favour of her seeing at least 2022. 

 

I actually hope it goes well for her in America. She seems decent enough from the little I know of her, and her campaigning has certainly done the Irish people some service. 

[Spade_Cooley 9,530]

David Norris finally gives an interview about Ezra Nawi's death, so if he's going to get a QO it'll be in the next 24 hours.

[TomTomTelekom 3,728]

Labor leader John Sweeney, who served as the President of the national trade union center known as AFL–CIO from 1995 to 2009, died at 86 years:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/former-aflcio-president-john-sweeney-dies-at-age-86-john-kerry-dissent-president-union-union-b1796386.html

He was previously President of the national SEIU, where he pushed for improvements to laws regarding issues like health care reform and immigrant rights.

[gcreptile 10,976]

On 30.1.2021 at 14:59, Spade_Cooley said:

David Norris finally gives an interview about Ezra Nawi's death, so if he's going to get a QO it'll be in the next 24 hours.

Another article, but still, only Irish:

https://extra.ie/2021/02/03/news/irish-news/david-norris-former-love-ezra-nawi

[drol 11,952]

Indian social farming activist Kamala Pujari hospitalised in very critical condition with kidney failure. Only 72, mind.

[drol 11,952]

Another Indian social activist in serious conditions, Tulasi Munda, aged 73.

[drol 11,952]

Despite Saalumarada Thimmakka being unexplicably still alive, India is looking for the next environmentalist claiming an exaggerated age. So here's to you organica farmer Pappammal (wiki), who has been conferred the Padma Shri this year at 105.

 

@markb4, what's up with your people exaggerating their ages? That woman is hardly 90! If I were a genuine geezer like Venkatasubbiah I'd take a train to punch her and Fauja Singh in the face. 

[markb4 902]

@drol Well, I identify as West Indian/Caribbean, so I really couldn't tell you about my original ancestors, lol.

[drol 11,952]

30 minutes ago, markb4 said:

@drol Well, I identify as West Indian/Caribbean, so I really couldn't tell you about my original ancestors, lol.

Always thought you were Indian. A shame you can't punch Fauja Singh for me.

[Lord Fellatio Nelson 6,218]

34 minutes ago, markb4 said:

@drol Well, I identify as West Indian/Caribbean, so I really couldn't tell you about my original ancestors, lol.

'Identify'.........????

Surely you are or you are not?

Maybe it's me, I am seeing too many '28 stone ex rugby prop called Gareth identifies as a woman' bollocks nowdays.

[TomTomTelekom 3,728]

Vernon Jordan dead at 85 years:

https://edition.cnn.com/2021/03/02/politics/vernon-jordan-dies/index.html

After working with fellow civil rights activist Donald L. Hollowell on a lawsuit against the University of Georgia for the institution's racially discriminatory admissions policies, he held executive positions with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Urban League, and the United Negro College Fund.

[Sir Creep 7,070]

Paula Rideout-Harris, a leader of the Greater Harrisburg (PA) Branch of the NAACP at start of this century and committed civil rights and policy activist long after that, died Saturday at her Lower Paxton Township home. She was 68.

SC

[Joey Russ 7,228]

So Vicky Phelan seems to be hospitalized for treatment side effects. Hm...

[alt obits guy 3,371]

Matashichi Oishi, aka Oishi Matashichi, a Japanese anti-nuclear activist and author who'd been exposed to radioactive fallout from a 1954 U.S. hydrogen bomb test in the Pacific, died of aspiration pneumonia earlier this month. He was 87. His death was made public today, March 21st.

 

https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2021/03/5ddb18344ab5-ex-fisherman-exposed-to-1954-us-nuke-test-dies-of-pneumonia-at-87.html

[Spade_Cooley 9,530]

On 28/02/2019 at 23:00, DevonDeathTrip said:

Egyptian feminist, doctor, novelist and activist Nawal El Saadawi, 87, has a crowdfunding page up to pay her hospital bills.  The latest update is that she is getting better, but definitely someone to keep an eye on, as her health looks rather perilous.  Also, as an added bonus, she's the subject of frequent death threats from disgruntled Islamic traditionalists who consider her enlightened views to be heretical.

 

Nawal El Saadawi, probably the leading feminist voice in the Arab world, dead at 89. DDP pick and I assume a QO will be along shortly.