Biggs Wants to Take It to the House

Astronaut Neil Armstrong famously spoke in 1969 from the moon about a small step for [one] man, one giant leap for mankind. Now there's a Biggs improvement to report in the mobility of one of the world's most famous and elusive criminals.

Ailing jailbird Ronnie Biggs is hoping to be freed soon as he battles back from a string of serious health problems. The 78-year-old Great Train Robber is currently being nursed at Norwich prison after being hit by strokes, heart trouble and high blood pressure. Biggs also has to be fed through a tube.

But he can now walk 100 yards without help and can communicate with signs and alphabet boards. And worried relatives claim he should now be released to spend his last days as a free man.

It may be a while before this jailbird goes down and out.

[The People]

TWID - Man Responsible for Oppression, Degradation and Genocide of an Entire Indigenous Population Day Edition

This Week in Death brings you: This Week in Death! Below are all the notes and news to cover a week's worth of health and death. There are more health notices than a hospital, and more death than Thanksgiving. How is Farrah Fawcett this week? What's the latest on Ronnie Biggs? Which Music or TV persona - whom I have never heard of - died? (Hint: It's Ned Sherrin) In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue; in 2006, the Commissioner's Council went for a dip in the Death Pool.

In honor of Columbus Day, we gave these people blankets to keep them health noticed...

His Ashes Aren't Blowing Anywhere
Weathered folk hero Bob Dylan performed to a full house at the Ryan Center on Sept. 29 - and he was in good company - joined by old pro Elvis Costello and newcomer Amos Lee. Unlike many of his peers, Dylan's still kicking: he's managed not to OD, get assassinated, or die in some other horrible, but legacy-cementing way, which makes him one of the few remaining representatives of his generation of artists.
[The Good 5¢ Cigar]

Sheppard's Voice Shows Up in October as Much as Yankees Do
Bob Sheppard, the voice of the New York Yankees, will miss the club's first-round playoff games with a bronchial infection, ending his string of 121 straight postseason contests behind the public-address microphone. Sheppard, who will turn 97 on Oct. 20, has been the announcer at Yankee Stadium for 57 seasons. He earned the nickname the "Voice of God'' for his unhurried introductions of Yankees players from Joe DiMaggio to Derek Jeter. "Doctors are monitoring my progress,'' Sheppard said in a statement. "And I am hoping to get back to Yankee Stadium to watch and announce Yankees playoff games long into October.''
[Bloomberg]

I'm Ronnie Biggs, Reminding You Kids that Crime Doesn't Pay... Not Counting the 2.6 million pounds. ♪ The More You Know ♫
Ronnie Biggs apologised yesterday for his role in The Great Train Robbery – and begged to be released from prison so he could die a free man. In a sensational letter to Government officials, the ailing 78-year-old admitted that crime does not pay, and conceded he had wasted his life. Biggs took part in the theft of £2.6million from a mail train in 1963 in which driver Jack Mills was hit over the head. Mr. Mills died seven years later from leukemia, having never recovered from the ordeal. Biggs earned his notoriety following his dramatic escape from Wandsworth Prison in 1965. Then began 30 years on the run in Australia and Brazil before his arrest in May 2001
[Daily Express]

If Our Family Was Ryan O'Neal, We'd Also Search for Alternative Approaches
Actress Farrah Fawcett and the late Coretta Scott King are among the thousands of people who have turned to alternative approaches to cancer treatment when conventional medicine has failed. It's often a last-ditch attempt to find a cure, one that brings the patient into a murky world of offshore clinics and unproven courses of treatment that are scorned by the medical establishment. "I would [tell a patient considering alternative treatment] that they are signing their own death certificate," said Barrie Cassileth, chief of the Integrative Medicine Department at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Cassileth has not treated Fawcett. "I would say they are wasting time they could otherwise spend happier and with their families."
[ABC News]

Although I think these people may have received smallpox blankets, accidentally...

Oerter in the Court; Dismissed
Al Oerter was destined to become an athlete, although he often wondered what he might have been if not for a chance meeting with a discus. "I could throw a baseball, a football or a golf ball a country mile," Oerter told the Associated Press in an interview last year. "It was just easy to throw anything." The discus great who won gold medals in four straight Olympics to become one of track and field's biggest stars in the 1950s and '60s, died Monday of heart failure, less than two weeks after his 71st birthday.
[ESPN]

The Lesson, As Always: Duke Sucks
U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Davis, R-Virginia, died Saturday after battling breast cancer, her office said. She was 57. She was first diagnosed with cancer in 2005, according to a statement from her office, and had a recurrence earlier this year. "Davis had been receiving breast cancer treatment at Duke University and just recently had received positive reports on her condition," the statement said. "However, during the last week Davis' health took a turn for the worse."
[CNN]

Harry Made Quite a Dent Using a Tricky Dick in his Southern Strategy
Harry S. Dent Jr., who helped devise the "Southern strategy" that was crucial to Richard M. Nixon's winning the White House, died on Friday in Columbia, S.C. He was 77. The cause was complications of Alzheimer's disease. When President Lyndon B. Johnson championed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, some Republican strategists thought their party could reap the votes of white people uneasy with Democrats, or downright hostile to them, for advancing the cause of black people.
[New York Times]

We at TWID Salute our Forebears: TWTWTW
Broadcaster Ned Sherrin, who directed "That Was The Week That Was" news program in the early 1960s, has died of throat cancer Monday, his personal manager said. He was 76. Sherrin was proudest of his work producing and directing the British Broadcasting Corp.'s satirical show, which poked fun at current affairs and packed spoof news items between skits and songs.
[International Herald-Tribune]

This Week Was Somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Some Death Pool Entrants' Birthdays. How Old Are They? 1,2,3... And Never been Kissed By... Death
Happy Birthday to:
October 3: Gore Vidal (82)
October 4: Charlton Heston (83)
October 4: Anne Rice (66)
October 4: Run Run Shaw (100)
... And Many More!!!!!!!!

Were there any points deaths this week? Well, was Columbus really a Sephardic Jew? Actually, no. The Top 5 remain...
1. El Esta Adead - 76 points (6 deaths)
2. The Ex-Parrots - 62.3 points (6 deaths)
3. Kraut's Picks - 60.9 points (8 deaths)
4. Yiz-score - 54.3 points (4 deaths)
5. Struck Down by Yahweh - 53.6 points (6 deaths)

At least we got the day off from work, though...
The Commissioner's Council

TWID - International Talk Like a Pirate Day Edition

Ahoy! This Week in Death brin's you our latest nuggets o' treaaye. Below be all t' notes and news t' cover a half a fortnight's worth o' livin' and dyin'. There be more health than a hornpipe, and more death than land lubbers on ye high seas. How be Billy Graham this week? What's t' latest in Fidel Castro rumors? Which Music or TV bilge rat went t' Davy Jones' locker? Arr, One way t' find out, matey. Continue... If you dare...

Struck down by Yahweh took all t' booty this week from t' spoils o' James Oliver Rigney Jr , who we made walk t' plank. T' world may have known you as Swashbuckler Robert Jordan, but on t' high seas, you were always Little Jimmy Rigney. You had a beard t' make a pirate say "Arr.... " (aye, we recognize t' irony that everythin' makes us say arr)

Sick? Maybe. Scurvy? Aye. But they haven't kicked t' bucket. Well, blow me down. These people be alive

Hard to be at Death's Door When You're Too Sick to Leave Your Own House
Two senior Cuban officials said on Wednesday that Cuban leader Fidel Castro, absent from public view for more than a year, is recovering from an intestinal problem that required several operations. Cuban Culture Minister Abel Prieto said Castro was not at death's door and dismissed rumours in Miami of his demise as "wishful thinking" by exiled opponents. Prieto said he had no inside information on Castro's medical condition, but deduced from the 81-year-old leader's regular essays and columns that he is not dying.
[Reuters]

Run Run Finding it Difficult to Walk Walk, Focus Focus
Sir Run Run Shaw, accompanied by Hong Kong Chief Secretary Henry Tang, Thursday night showed up on TVB Jade, to present the annual Shaw Prize to four distinguished scientists. Walking with difficulty, Shaw seemed to be coping with deteriorating vision as well. When he presented the mathematical science award to Professor Robert Langlands of the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, he needed Tang to point him in the direction of the cameras.
[Forbes]

If They Don't Release Him Soon, He May have to Deal with O. J. as a Cellmate
Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs's lawyer is asking for him to be freed early, it emerged yesterday. Biggs, 77, is terminally ill after a series of strokes. "As things stand, he is due for release in two years and we are asking for this date to be brought forward. He is a very old man who is dying. "He is partially paralysed, can barely walk, and has almost lost the power of speech. On compassionate grounds, he should be released to be with his family."
[Daily Record]

I Can't Believe Willie Would Disappoint All the Little Orpheums
Willie Nelson has canceled his Sept. 25 concert at the Orpheum Theatre, citing exhaustion. "We are incredibly sorry that we have to cancel this show, especially since we already postponed it once, but we wish Willie the best of health and will work hard to bring him back in the near future," said Dave Bernstein, the show's promoter. "This is highly unusual, and we sincerely appreciate the patience of all those folks that purchased tickets, as we know they are as disappointed as we are," Bernstein said.
[Sioux City Journal]

"She's Got Legs, Knows How to Use Them...Once That You Got Them, You Can Never Lose them"
Zsa Zsa Gabor, who is partially paralyzed from a 2002 car accident, was set to have surgery Tuesday for a severe infection in her legs. Gabor has been forced to use a wheelchair and walker since the auto accident, leading to infections in her legs. "She's been inactive for the last four years," John Blanchette, publicist for the 90-year-old actress said. The operation was scheduled at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, said Blanchette.
[Yahoo!]

Yarrrgh mateys, ye've been boarded by death! We hope your voyage ends in t ' place o' pirates dreams... parrrrrradise!

Rowdy Roddy Roddick Was Piped Up for Causes
Anita Roddick, the crusading entrepreneur who used the Body Shop chain of cosmetics stores she founded to promote causes, died on Monday. She was 64. Ms. Roddick was one of Britain's most visible business executives. Working on behalf of numerous causes — the rain forest, debt relief for developing countries, indigenous farmers in impoverished nations, whales, voting rights, anti-sexism and anti-ageism, to name a few — Ms. Roddick believed that businesses could be run ethically, with what she called "moral leadership," and still turn a profit.
[New York Times]

OK, Brett, Your Turn: On September 15th, You Will _________
Actress and comedian Brett Somers, who amused game show fans with her quips on the "Match Game" in the 1970s, has died, her son said. She was 83. Somers died Saturday at her home in Westport of stomach and colon cancer, Adam Klugman said Monday. Hosted by Gene Rayburn, "Match Game" was the top game show during much of the 1970s. Contestants would try to match answers to nonsense questions with a panel of celebrities; much of the humor came from the racy quips and putdowns.
[CNN]

A Cold Front Descends on Joe Z. Pussycats Mourn
Joe Zawinul, the jazz keyboardist who soared to fame as one of the creators of jazz-rock fusion with the band Weather Report, has died, a hospital official said. He was 75. In 1970, Zawinul and saxophonist Wayne Shorter founded Weather Report and produced a series of albums including "Heavy Weather," "Black Market," "I Sing the Body Electric," and the Grammy-winning live recording "8:30." Zawinul died early Tuesday, a spokeswoman for Vienna's Wilhelmina Clinic said. He had been hospitalized since last month and suffered from a rare form of skin cancer, said Risa Zincke, his manager.
[Yahoo!]

Stepien: Cut a Hole in the Box. Alternatively, Trade Lots of Draft Picks and Fire Coaches
Former Cleveland Cavaliers owner Ted Stepien, whose propensity for trading away draft picks resulted in an NBA rule change, died Monday at his home in Willoughby Hills, Ohio. He was 82. He went through six coaches during that span, including four during the 1981-82 season - Don Delaney, Bob Kloppenburg, Chuck Daly and Bill Musselman. The team finished 15-67. Because of his habit of trading draft picks for mediocre players, the league passed the "Stepien Rule," which restricts teams from dealing future first-round selections in consecutive years. "I don't feel I failed," Stepien later said. "I rescued a bankrupt organization."
[Canadian Press]

Surprisingly, He Didn't Mention Being Proud of Narrating "Captain EO"
Percy Rodrigues, who played a neurosurgeon in the 1960s series "Peyton Place" at a time when blacks were just beginning to win roles as authority figures on television, has died. He was 89. Mr. Rodrigues died of kidney failure on Sept. 6 at his home in Indio, said his wife, Karen Cook-Rodrigues. The distinguished-looking actor with a booming voice played doctors, politicians and other authorities in dozens of movie and television appearances. Mr. Rodrigues, who also acted on Broadway, "respectfully fought for these more dignified roles," his wife told the Los Angeles Times. "He was most proud of that."
[Mercury News]

For yer birthday? A pirate's whistle o' a tune for ye' (sung to t' tune o' "Blow the Man Down"):

Ye know it be yer fault we're singin' this way,
Yo! Ho! It be yer fault!
1st mate: For had we not known it be Pirate Talk Day
All: We'd be a singin' Happy Birthday!

And so we be gather'd, yer chums and ye kin
All: "Thank ye, Mates fer lettin' us in."
1st mate: to celebrate with ye for a-nother year
All: Lift up yer mugs and give 'em a cheer!

The candles be meltin' all over the cake
All: Give 'em some time to blow them all out!
1st mate: Ye better start puffin' befur it's too late!
All: Now be th' time to blow them all out! Now be the time to blow them all out.

Happy Birthday to:
September 16: Lauren Bacall (83)
September 16: Peter Falk (80)
September 16: Phyllis A. Whitney (82)
September 18: Robert Blake (74)
... And Many More!!!!!!!!

Robert Jordan did many thin's in his life, but in death he does one more: boots Die Hard from t' Top 5, puttin' Struck Down by Yahweh thar instead. Hold down t' wind sails, Die Hard, we're almost in t' home stretch...

1. El Esta Adead - 76 points (6 deaths)
2. The Ex-Parrots - 62.3 points (6 deaths)
3. Kraut's Picks - 60.9 points (8 deaths)
4. Yiz-score - 54.3 points (4 deaths)
5. Struck Down by Yahweh - 53.6 points (6 deaths)

We're shovin' off buckos,
T' Commissioner's Council

TWID - Road Trip Edition

This Week in Death brings you: A welcome relief from the summer heat! Hop a fence with us and join in on the fun. Get your beach balls inflated and your swim trunks on. Jump in so we can catch you up on the veritable ocean of news you need to know to be an educated death pool competitor. Don't forget to bring a towel! There's plenty of room for everyone, especially during the next week and a half. Death Pool has just been handed an urgent news story and it needs all of you to stop what your doing and listen... Cannonball!


We may not have it all, but at least we have our Health Updates...

Don't Worry, Your Job'll Be Waiting for You When You Get Back. Get better, George! Get betteeeeeeeeer!!!!!
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner is in ailing health, according to a lengthy story about him in the upcoming issue of Portfolio magazine. "He doesn't look all right. In fact, he looks dreadful," reporter Franz Lidz writes in the story, which hits newsstands Aug. 15. "Steinbrenner's face, pale and swollen, has a curiously undefined look." Lidz recounts a visit to Steinbrenner's home with Tom McEwen, a longtime Steinbrenner friend, in which Steinbrenner answers a series of different questions, including inquiries about his wife, Joan, by saying, "Great to see ya, Tommy."
http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=249916

Biggs' iPod Playlist Update: Artist - The Strokes; Album - Is This It? Song: Alone, Together
Ronnie Biggs, one of the masterminds of Britain's Great Train Robbery in 1963, is making a renewed bid to be released from jail on compassionate grounds, his lawyers said on Friday. The 77-year-old, who is partially paralyzed and can barely speak after suffering several strokes, wants to spend his remaining years with his family.
http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/343114.htm

Richie Fetus Enters Fourth Month of Involuntary Hunger Strike

Pregnant reality TV star Nicole Richie was reportedly rushed to hospital recently, fearing she was suffering a miscarriage. The 25-year-old noticed bleeding and worried she would lose her baby at the end of last month, just after she and rocker boyfriend Joel Madden returned to Los Angeles from a tour with his band Good Charlotte. However, doctors quickly assured the four-months pregnant Richie her baby is safe, but did encourage her to eat more to feed the unborn child. An insider tells American magazine Star, "Nicole was bleeding so much, it was really scary for her. "They found out she's suffering from both a hormonal and nutritional deficiency."
http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/richie%20rushed%20to%20hospital_1040102

An Opera in Three Parts... Act I: Dramatic Hospitalization; Act II: Wondrous Recovery; Stay Tuned for Act III
Opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti, diagnosed with cancer last year, is doing better after being admitted to hospital two days ago, his wife said on Friday. Pavarotti, 71, regarded by many as the greatest tenor of his generation, was taken to hospital with a high fever in his home town of Modena on Wednesday. He is being treated in the hospital's cancer ward. "He is doing better, thank you," Pavarotti's wife, Nicoletta Mantovani, who is 34 years his junior, told reporters as she left the cancer ward on Friday morning.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/10/pavarotti.hospital.reut/index.html

And if you haven't got your health, what have you got? Death...

I'll Take Dead TV Legends for 800, Please: R __ S T I N P __ A C __
His birth name was Mervyn, but the world knew him as Merv Griffin. The 82-year-old died Sunday after being hospitalized earlier in the week for a recurrence of prostate cancer. Born in San Mateo, Calif., Griffin created two of the most popular game shows in syndicated history. "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy!" remain in production more than two decades after they began. He even wrote the theme music for "Jeopardy!" Beginning in the early 1960's, Griffin was a fixture on daytime TV. The 32-time Emmy nominee actually escorted 17 golden gals home for his work on "The Merv Griffin Show," according to the official website for Griffin's company, The Griffin Group.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=3471627&page=1

Hazlewood Walked Over by Renal Cancer, Given the Boot from Life
Lee Hazlewood, the reclusive songwriter and producer behind a slew of hits by Duane Eddy, Nancy Sinatra, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin in the 1950s and 1960s, including Ms. Sinatra's No. 1 smash "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," died on Saturday in Henderson, Nev. He was 78. The cause was renal cancer, said his publicist, Perry Serpa.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/07/obituaries/07hazlewood.htm

Wine Prolongs Lives; Heart Attacks End Them
Baron Elie Robert de Rothschild, who helped France's renowned Rothschild winemaking and banking dynasty recover from the ravages of World War II, died Monday while vacationing at his Austrian hunting lodge. He was 90. Rothschild had been on a hunting trip at his lodge near the Alpine village of Scharnitz outside Innsbruck when he suffered a fatal heart attack, police in the province of Tyrol said in a statement.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/06/europe/EU-GEN-Austria-Obit-Rothschild.php

No Word Whether He Died In Order to Promote MGM's Upcoming "Death at a Funeral"
Frank Rosenfelt, who as chairman and CEO of MGM Studios helped green-light such classic movies as Network and Doctor Zhivago, has died. He was 85. Rosenfelt died Thursday at his Los Angeles home, his granddaughter, Stacey Lubliner, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. She did not know the cause of death. Rosenfelt, a lawyer, joined MGM in 1955 after spending five years in the legal department of RKO. He became MGM's general counsel in 1969 and was named studio chief after mogul Kirk Kerkorian bought MGM in 1972.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2007-08-07-rosenfelt-obit_N.htm?csp=34

This Week Was Somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Some Death Pool Entrants' Birthdays. How Old Are They? 1,2,3... And Never been Kissed By... Death
Happy Birthday to:
August 7: Walid Jumblatt (58)
August 8: Ronnie Biggs (78)
August 10: Doyle Brunson (74)
August 10: Tom Laughlin (76)
August 13: Fidel Castro (81)
August 13: Dan Fogelberg (56)
... And Many More!!!!!!!!

Back by popular demand, the Commissioner's Council proudly brings you "Skinny Dipping," a weekly glance at some of the goings-on in the Pool. Columns will feature a more in-depth look at some of the squads and picks. To comment on this feature, or suggest an idea for "Skinny Dipping," feel free to send an email our way.

Last week in this space, entrants' ages, maybe the most popular factor in deciding picks, was given a closer look. Since having an age is something everybody has in common, another look at the data is certainly appropriate. You might even learn a few new words in the process! As noted last week, the oldest pool pick is Ruby Muhammed, currently 110 years young, making her the lone supercentenarian (Age ≥ 110) in the pool. Joining her are 11 centenarians (Age ≥ 100), which means 4% of the pool is living life in triple digits. Of the remaining 269 with known birth years, as of today's date 59 entrants are nonagenarians, 79 are octogenarians, 67 are septugenarians, 28 are sexagenarians, 18 are quinquagenarians, 12 are quadragenarians, 3 are tricenarians, and 3 are vicenarians. As of today, the average age is 78.2; the median age is 81.

Reminding you that Death claimed 42,642 people on the road in 2006, we remain...

TWID - National Underwear Day Edition

This Week in Death brings you: A post midnight run at the swimming pool! Hop a fence with us and join in on the fun. Get your beach balls inflated and your swim trunks on. Jump in so we can catch you up on the veritable ocean of news you need to know to be an educated death pool competitor. Don't forget to bring a towel! Oh, and put on some sunscreen, we don't want you to end up in here. Death Pool has just been handed an urgent news story and it needs all of you to stop what your doing and listen... Cannonball!

We lost two of our own this week: Bill Walsh, who invented the West Coast offense, and Oliver W. Hill, who would have fought for his right to do it.


A Health is a guy who can't get no love, but he's also known as a buster....

Notorious B.I.G.G.S. Better Hope for "Life after Death"
Great Train robber Ronnie Biggs was feared close to death in jail last night. Biggs, 77, is in a specially designed "nursing home" for elderly prisoners at Norwich jail. And the prison chaplain is on standby to administer the last rites. He has skin cancer, heart trouble and MRSA. A family friend said: "Ronnie is ready to go free at last. He has put up a brave fight but his health has deteriorated so badly lately that he can't go on."
http://www.people.co.uk/news/tm_headline=train-heist-biggs-nead-to-death&method=full&objectid=19573281&siteid=93463-name_page.html

Otto Has a Case of the Jim-my Legs. Well, Leg, Really
Hall of Fame center Jim Otto recently had his right leg amputated and is recovering in a hospital in Utah. Otto, 69, has had a litany of health problems. He has had prostate cancer, two major infections that nearly killed him and approximately 40 operations - mostly on his banged-up knees from playing football. "It's been, as you know with him, a tremendous fight," Al Davis said. "He's lived through it now for three years, day in and day out. But it finally came. He fought the amputation. He didn't want it. He fought it. But there was no other thing to do but to amputate."
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/2007-08-01-4141235890_x.htm

Think LaLanne's Age Is a Problem? You Don't Know Jack!
Decades before the obesity epidemic, Jack LaLanne took his exercise crusade to the airwaves, showing Americans, who were just becoming enamored of television, how they could stay active while they watched their favorite programs. Moderation remains his mantra. His healthy habits -- and a few good genes -- account for his longevity. What he stumbled upon as a teenager and built as an adult have helped him to age well.
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/food/orl-jacklalanne07jul31,0,6022683.story

Hole Singer Halved; She's Love-Sick

Rocker Courtney Love has alarmed fans with her skeletal figure. The once buxom singer wowed people with her figure when she lost 52 pounds earlier this year, thanks to a strict diet of protein shakes and minimal fish and vegetables. However, the singer seems to have taken her diet too far, for she's lost even more weight in the past few weeks, given her a gaunt look.
http://www.medindia.net/news/Loves-Skinny-Frame-Sparks-Health-Concerns-24502-1.htm

Living Till 150? Well, We've Heard You Can't Always Get What You Want
Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is a well known rock 'n ' roll survivor, but his latest statement is pushing it somewhat. Keith told a magazine he wants to live till the age of 150. Keith, who had an operation on his brain last year after falling off a shrub, said that after a few tests the docs were surprised at the condition of his body."The doctors were amazed to see that the heart, liver, kidneys were all perfect," he said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Bangalore_Times/Richards_to_roll_till_150_/articleshow/2255766.cms

Ryan Finds that Not Everything Goes in the Throat So Easily
A one-time Catholic priest who pleaded guilty to molesting a 6-year-old boy on Long Island slashed his throat the day before he was to go to jail. Barry Ryan, 59, survived the suicide attempt, said Suffolk County district attorney spokesman Robert Clifford. Ryan pleaded guilty in 2004 to sexual conduct against a child in the second degree for forcing the boy to perform oral sex the year before.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08022007/news/regionalnews/molest_priest_cuts_his_throat_regionalnews_stefanie_cohen.htm

No, I don't want no death, a death is a guy who can't get no love from me...

Pottasch's Joy of Pepsi Didn't Stop Him from Making the Choice of a New Termination
Alan M. Pottasch, who became known as the "father of the Pepsi Generation" for leading the team that devised exuberant commercials in the 1960s and '70s that linked Pepsi-Cola to the likes of skydivers and skateboarders, died Friday in Los Angeles. He was 79 and lived in New Fairfield, Conn.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/business/media/02pottasch.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin

Death to B5, Death Takes Bishop; At Least He'll Always Have Paris
Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, a Jew who converted to Catholicism and rose through church hierarchy to become one of the most influential Roman Catholic figures in France, died Sunday, the Paris archbishop's office said. He was 80. Lustiger was archbishop of Paris for 24 years before stepping down in 2005 at the age of 78. He died in a medical center in Paris, the archbishop's office said.
http://www.oregonlive.com/newsflash/international/index.ssf?/base/international-24/1186345750165490.xml&storylist=international

Gabler Was a Textbook Case of Affecting the Accepted Norm-a
Norma Gabler, a Texas homemaker who recoiled at material in her children's textbooks and became the public face of a crusade with her husband to rid schoolbooks of content they considered anti-family, anti-American and anti-God, died on July 22 in Phoenix. She was 84. The Gablers had a two-barreled strategy: in addition to pressing issues of ideology, interpretation and philosophy, the Gablers ferreted out errors of fact. But the Gablers' most important battles concerned bigger issues, like making publishers define marriage as a lifelong union between a man and a woman.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/01/education/01gabler.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries&oref=slogin

First Ingmar Bergman, then Michelangelo Antonioni... If We Were Roberto Benigni, We'd Stay Alert
Michelangelo Antonioni, one of Italy's most famous and influential filmmakers, has died at the age of 94, city officials in Rome say. Considered the cinematic father of modern angst and alienation, Antonioni had a career spanning six decades which included the Oscar-nominated "Blow-Up" and the internationally acclaimed "L'Avventura" (The Adventure).
http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/07/31/antonioni.obit.reut/index.html

This Week Was Somebody's Birthday! Whose Birthday? Some Death Pool Entrants' Birthdays. How Old Are They? 1,2,3... And Never been Kissed By... Death
Happy Birthday to:
August 1: Sheldon Adelson (74)
August 2: Peter O'Toole (75)
August 2: Shimon Peres (84)
August 4: Barack Obama (46)
August 4: Anita Page (97)
August 4: Helen Thomas (87)
August 5: William H. Smith (102)
August 6: Dom Mintoff (91)
... And Many More!!!!!!!!

Back by popular demand, the Commissioner's Council proudly brings you "Skinny Dipping," a weekly glance at some of the goings-on in the Pool. Columns will feature a more in-depth look at some of the squads and picks. To comment on this feature, or suggest an idea for "Skinny Dipping," feel free to send an email our way.

With this week's TWID introducing the new birthday section, Skinny Dipping felt it would be a good time to analyze a key aspect of the pool: entrants' ages. Of the 281 entrants (out of 283, but you knew that already) with known birth years, 11 entered the 2007 year over the age of 100. The oldest pool member is currently 110: Ruby Muhammed, Mother of the Nation of Islam. The youngest? Former football player Maurice Clarett, currently 23 years young. The average age of the 281 is 77.5 years old. What about the 28 (so far) points deaths? Glad you asked. The oldest death to register points was Charles Lane, who passed away after 102 years and 165 days of life. The youngest has been Marcheline Bertrand, who passed on at the age of 56 years, 263 days. The average age of the 28 coming into 2007 is (or, more accurately, was) 84.2 years old.

We're going to sit on the passenger's side of our best friend's ride
The Commissioner's Council

TWID - All Star Break Edition

This Week in Death brings you: Notes from the game of pool! We've set up the balls in the rack and chalked up the cues. Join us as we go solids versus stripes, and catch you up on all the news you need to know to be a Fats Domino-like death pool competitor. Watch out for the 8-Ball, like death... it's an end. Unlike death, it doesn't give you any points.

If you don't have your health update, you have no update.

Some Lady Birds Weren't Meant to be Caged
Lady Bird Johnson, the former first lady, was released from the hospital Thursday and was resting comfortably at her home, a family spokesman said. Johnson, 94, was admitted to Seton Medical Center a week ago and treated for a low-grade fever. She remained at the hospital for observation after the fever subsided.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,287258,00.html

Richie Now Eating For One
In Touch Weekly magazine and TMZ.com are confirming rumors that "Simple Life" star Nicole Richie is pregnant. An unidentified friend says Richie was planning on withholding the news until she was at least three months pregnant.
http://www.13wham.com/news/national/story.aspx?content_id=1fa0ab6b-4770-4db9-96a3-658329239e11

Look Who Knows So Much? Just So Happens that Your Father Here Is Only Mostly Dead
Italian opera sensation Luciano Pavarotti will release a new album of classical religious music, despite battling cancer. The tenor has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and his weight has dropped dramatically since undergoing a recent operation to remove a tumour. But despite his ill health, the 71-year-old still plans to release an album of sacred songs. The news of the new project follows reports of Pavarotti's daughter claiming the singer "knows he's going to die soon" - a statement which has been disputed by Robson.
http://www.pr-inside.com/pavarotti-dampens-dying-rumours-with-r164632.htm

Notorious B.I.G.G.S.? Every Move He Makes, We'll Be Watching Him
Ronnie Biggs, one of the masterminds of Britain's Great Train Robbery in 1963, has been transferred to a lower security jail because of his ailing health and advancing years, media said Wednesday. The 77-year-old, who is partially paralysed and can barely speak after suffering several strokes, has been moved from Belmarsh high security jail in south-east London to a prison for elderly inmates in Norwich, eastern England. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/theworld/2007/July/theworld_July114.xml&section=theworld&col=

What's that you say? Death Gordon is approaching?

Down and Out Is Beverly Sills
Beverly Sills, the Brooklyn-born opera diva who was a global icon of can-do American culture with her dazzling voice, bubbly personality and management moxie in the arts world, died Monday of cancer, her manager said. She was 78.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/02/obit.beverly.sills.ap/index.html

This Boots was Made for Walking, But That's Not What He'll Do
Boots Randolph, whose spirited saxophone playing on "Yakety Sax" endeared him to fans for years on Benny Hill's TV show, died Tuesday. He was 80. Randolph played regularly in Nashville nightclubs for 30 years, becoming a tourist draw for the city much like Wayne Newton in Las Vegas and Pete Fountain in New Orleans.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070703/ap_en_mu/obit_randolph

Yabba Dabba Dead!
Will H. Schaefer, a composer whose music accompanied hit television shows such as "I Dream of Jeannie" and "The Flintstones," has died in California, a family friend said Wednesday. He was 78. The Wisconsin-native wrote background music, which is different from theme songs, for such TV shows as "The Flying Nun," "Hogan's Heroes," "The AristoCats," "The Jetsons," "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" and "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson.
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117968075.html?categoryid=14&cs=1&nid=2568

Walker's Lung Cancer as Deadly as Dy-no-mite!
Former Providence great Jimmy Walker, the only player from a New England college to be selected with the first pick in the NBA draft, died Monday of lung cancer in Kansas City, Mo. He was 63. In three seasons at Providence, Walker averaged 25.2 points per game and scored a total of 2,045, a school record that stood for 38 years.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2925047

Shekhar-a's Truth-Telling Hips Laid to Rest
Former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar died of cancer on Sunday in New Delhi at the age of 80, a hospital statement said. Chandra Shekhar, who headed a coalition government as India's 11th prime minister from 1990 to 1991, was a socialist politician from Uttar Pradesh.
http://in.today.reuters.com/news/NewsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2007-07-08T124445Z_01_NOOTR_RTRMDNC_0_India-283699-1.xml

26 editions of TWID down, and this edition marks the first of 26 to go. To mark this occasion, the Commissioner's Council proudly introduces "Skinny Dipping," a weekly glance at some of the goings-on in the Pool. Columns will feature a more in-depth look at some of the squads and picks. To comment on this feature, or suggest an idea for "Skinny Dipping," feel free to send an email our way. Without further ado...

Entering 2007, it seemed like using a spot on the roster for Fidel Castro would be a wise choice. Halfway through the year, however, it's been looking like Milk. Castro, who came into the year in poor health, was selected by 17 of the 30 teams. Socialite Brooke Astor, who turned 105 recently, was the 2nd-most popular pick, appearing on 13 rosters. Fellow centenarian Charles Lane came in 3rd, with 12 rosters forecasting his demise. Rounding out the Top 5 are Albert Hofmann (a vibrant 101-year old) and subject of many a health update Lady Bird Johnson, each having been selected 10 times. What do they all have in common (besides, you know, being really old)? Well, halfway through the year, none of them have put points on the board. In fact, none of the 18 picks at the top of the frequency list have passed on. Maybe Agent Kay was right after all: A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals and you know it... The most popular picks to be a source of points have been Kitty Carlisle and Maurice Papon, with each being selected by 5 people.

Don't forget to bring a scoring update!

1. El Esta Adead - 66 points (5 deaths)
2. The Ex-Parrots - 58.5 points (5 deaths)
3. Yiz-score - 50 points (3 deaths)
4. Die Hard - 46 points (3 deaths)
5. Av S. is My Hero - 41 points (3 deaths)


Don't let the heat drag you down, cool down with a dip in the death pool...
The Commissioner's Council

TWID - 4:20 Edition

This Week in Death brings you: Notes from around the pool! We already stuck our toe in and the water is perfect... So come on in as we take you from the shallow to the deep end, and catch you up on all the news you need to know to be an educated death pool competitor.

Fare thee well, Kitty Carlisle Hart. You were a champion of the arts in your life, and you gave in death as well... gave points; points to death pool competitors. Thank you for caring.

As always, priorities straight... Health!

One More Win for Wooden; Legacy Still Alive
John Wooden is resting at home after being released from a hospital. The 96-year-old former UCLA coach had been hospitalized since Sunday. Wooden's daughter reported he is "doing well" and he is thankful for people's thoughts, prayers, cards and notes.
[KTVU]

If the Article's Picture is not Lying, Maradona Needs to Quit More than Drinking
Argentine football player Diego Maradona has been transferred from hospital to a private psychiatric clinic in Buenos Aires for treatment for alcoholism. Maradona has spent much of the past month in hospital with acute toxic hepatitis related to alcohol abuse.
[TLT News]

Putting the Ah Man to Ahmadinejad; Assassination Necessary Claims Amit
Western countries must unite in an effort to assassinate Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, former head of the Mossad Meir Amit said on Wednesday night. "Even though in the past I have been opposed to assassinating Arab leaders, this case is different because it alone is the center of the nuclear issue."
[Jerusalem Post]

Knievel Kleaving to Kristianity; Evel no Longer Evil
Former motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel recently took a leap of faith. Knievel spoke for about 20 minutes to more than 4,000 people who gathered inside the Crystal Cathedral for services on April 1, telling them how he'd been a sinner all his life and now things had changed.
Schuller said Knievel had called him a couple of weeks earlier, telling him, "Dr. Schuller, I've accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior."
[Billings Gazette]

Still a Biggs Tossup. Would you Rather be the Biggs in a Vegetative State or the Biggs who is IN a Vegetative State?
Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs has been told he will freed in Three years. But his lawyer believes the frail 77-year-old crook has only months to live anyway. "I'm very grateful to the Home Office for giving us this concession. But it's very likely Ronnie Biggs will die in jail long before that. He cannot walk, talk, eat or go to the toilet. He is in a vegetative state."
[ThePeople.co.uk]

And, Death; Dumb, Points-less death...

Yeltsin Goes the Way of Communism; Nation and Natasha Mourn Boris
Former President Boris Yeltsin, who engineered the final collapse of the Soviet Union and pushed Russia to embrace democracy and a market economy, has died, a Kremlin official said Monday. He was 76.
[MSNBC]

In the Movie Version She will be Known as Juanita Millender-McDowell
Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, a seven-term congresswoman from southern California, died late Saturday of cancer. Millender-McDonald, who was 68, died at her home in Carson, California. The congresswoman had asked for a four- to six-week leave of absence from the House last week to deal with her illness.
[CNN]

Walton Rolled Back; Bouncing Yellow Smiley Face Still at Large
Helen Robson Walton, widow of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, died Thursday evening at her home, the company said in a news release. She was 87. Walton was surrounded by family members when she died of natural causes, the company said. "We are so proud of our mother and the life she led," said Rob Walton, eldest son of Sam and Helen Walton and chairman of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.
[CNN]

Moose Passes. Midge to Lead Procession Past Chocklit Shoppe
Harry "Moose" Miller, who played in the first game in NBA history, passed away Wednesday night, according to the National Basketball Retired Players Association. He was 83. He died Wednesday in Latrobe, Pa. from kidney failure, according to the association.
[ESPN]

Parry, Parry, Thrust, Thrust, Good! O'Brien Dies, Rumored to be of Iocaine Powder
Parry O'Brien, who revolutionized shot-putting technique, won three Olympic medals (two gold) and became the first man to reach 59, 60, 61, 62 and 63 feet, died Saturday during a masters swimming race in Santa Clarita, Calif. He was 75 and lived in Rancho Belago, Calif., west of Palm Springs.
[New York Times]

Have a health or death tip? Have a thought to share about TWID? Want to compliment the font choice for the upcoming words "The Commissioner's Council?" Don't forget - our hotline is always open at Deathpool2007@gmail.com Representatives are standing by...

The Commissioner's Council