Dead Pool 20th September 2020

Welcome once again to another issue of the newsletter! We have points to award due to the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Well done to Jemm and Louise, who both had her down as their Woman, so an epic 163 points, and also to Mark who scored the normal 63 points! Well done all of you, its certainly made the top half of the leader board interesting. 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

Jacquie Beltrao – one of the main Sky News presenters and former Olympic gymnast – has given fans an update on her health, following her incurable cancer diagnosis. She was recently diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time. The 55-year-old’s cancerous lump in her breast has shrunk to half its original size. The former gymnast was initially told the difficult news in June, after doctors reportedly first told her she had the condition in 2013. Jacquie recalled that “neither my doctors nor I could believe” how much the growth had shrunk by. “When I was told it was incurable, I burst into tears and thought, ‘That’s it, I’m going to die’.” She recalled: “I felt so sad that I’d never go to my daughter’s wedding, see my sons graduate, or become a grandma.” Jacquie stated that while she is “not out of the woods yet” doctors have told her it is “possible to keep the cancer under control”. She has also has revealed that she “lost so much” weight after following a strict diet, amid her devastating cancer diagnosis. Jacquie has been sticking rigidly to a ketogenic diet – a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that excludes sugar. “If I’ve done everything I can to stay well, I can’t beat myself up if things go wrong,” she explained. Jacquie continued: “I’d have Rich Tea biscuits with my tea, strawberries and grapes by the punnet. Boiled sweets when I was tired.” The former Olympics gymnast revealed she has lost a stone in weight after following the new plan. Jacquie admitted: “We’ve eaten a ton of salad and tuna and yes, it is really hard. “I will relax it soon to incorporate rice, because I’ve lost so much weight [at least a stone, she is 5ft 6in and weighs 8st 4lb] but so far I haven’t fallen off the wagon.”  

Linda Nolan shared the emotional moment she rang the cancer bell to mark the end of her chemotherapy. The 61-year-old reached the milestone just weeks after her sister Anne finished her rounds of chemo. ‘It was an amazing feeling and I felt so emotional, especially when all the nurses came out and cheered. It’s been such a lovely day.’ Linda was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 but has been told the secondary cancer found in her pelvis in 2017 had since spread to her liver and is not curable. The pair have already lost one of their sisters, Bernie, to secondary breast cancer seven years ago. Anne recently opened up her conflicting emotions as she finished chemotherapy for breast cancer, knowing sister Linda’s illness is incurable. Anne told us: ‘Chemo was absolutely horrendous for me and I was so happy it finally was over, but at the same time I felt a terrible melancholy that Linda wasn’t ringing the bell with me. ‘I started my chemo a week before Linda, so she still has one more round to go, but she said to me: “Anne, I will ring the bell, but we all know my cancer is never going away.”’ 

In yet another attention seeking stunt, Justin Bieber has confirmed that he is suffering from an “incurable disease”. The world famous singer took to social media to explain his diagnosis and what this means for his current and future health. The ‘singer’ hit back at claims that he looked “like shit” on Instagram. Addressing his some 142 million followers, The Bieber, 25, confirmed that he has been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease and that he is “battling” and “overcoming” the illness. He wrote: “While a lot of people kept saying Justin Bieber looks like shit, on meth etc. they failed to realise I’ve been recently diagnosed with Lyme disease, not only that but had a serious case of chronic mono which affected my, skin, brain function, energy, and overall health. It’s been a rough couple years but getting the right treatment that will help treat this so far incurable disease and I will be back and better than ever NO CAP.” *According to Urban Dictionary, “No Cap” means either “no lie” or “for real”, or back in my day it meant a cold head.  

Amy Schumer revealed on September 8th that she has Lyme disease, but she didn’t make a fuss about it. The 39-year-old comedian shared the news with her 10 million followers on Instagram, opening up about how she might have had it for years. Schumer captioned the throwback photo herself, “My first ever fishing pole. Anyone get LYME this summer? I got it and I’m on Doxycycline. I have maybe had it for years. Any advice? Can you have a glass of wine or 2 on it? I know to stay out of the sun. I’m also taking these herbs from cape cod called Lyme-2. Please comment or text me on my number in my bio. I also want to say that I feel good and am excited to get rid of it.” 

Lyme disease is transmitted to humans from infected blacklegged ticks, according to the CDC, and is the most common vector-borne disease in America. Typical symptoms include headache, fatigue, fever and a skin rash known as erythema migrans. However, Lyme disease is completely treatable. The drug Schumer is taking, doxycycline, is one of the top-recommended drugs for adults with Lyme disease. Three to four weeks of antibiotic therapy is recommended for successful treatment. If Lyme disease is left untreated, more severe symptoms may arise as the infection can spread to the joints, the heart and the nervous system. To answer Schumer’s question, drinking while on doxycycline can make the drug less effective if you have liver problems. However, if the patient is healthy, it’s okay to have a drink or two without making the antibiotics less effective.

On This Day

  • 1973 – Billie Jean King beats Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes tennis match at the Houston Astrodome.  
  • 2000 – The United Kingdom’s MI6 Secret Intelligence Service building is attacked by Real Irish Republican Army using a Russian-built RPG-22 anti-tank missile. Expect more after Brexit. 
  • 2017 – Hurricane Maria makes landfall in Puerto Rico as a powerful Category 4 hurricane, resulting in 2,975 deaths, $90 billion in damage, and a major humanitarian crisis.  
  • 2018 – At least 161 people die after a ferry capsized close to the pier on Ukara Island in Lake Victoria and part of Tanzania.

Deaths

Nutty Biographies

William Seabrook was an American occultist, explorer, traveler, cannibal, journalist and author. Born in Westminster, Maryland; he began his career as a reporter and City Editor of the Augusta Chronicle in Georgia and later became a reporter for The New York Times. Besides his books, Seabrook published articles in popular magazines including Cosmopolitan, Reader’s Digest, and Vanity Fair. 

He was married several times but all of his relationships ended up in divorce, perhaps because of his alcoholism, sadism and obsessions; like the time he traveled to West Africa and came across a tribe who partook in the eating of human meat. Seabrook writes about his experience of cannibalism in his novel, Jungle Ways; however, later on Seabrook admits the tribe did not allow him to join in on the ritualistic cannibalism. Instead, he obtained samples of human flesh from a hospital and cooked it for himself, as you do. 

Or the week he spent with occultist Aleister Crowley, which inspired him to write a story based on the experience and to recount the experiment in Witchcraft: Its Power in the World Today. He was an extensive traveler, having lifelong fascination with the occult practices of satanism and Haitian Vodou, which he witnessed and described firsthand in Third World countries, as documented in his book The Magic Island. The book is credited with introducing the concept of a zombie to popular culture. 

In December 1933, Seabrook was committed at his own request and with the help of some of his friends to Bloomingdale, a mental institution in Westchester County, near New York City, for treatment for acute alcoholism. He remained a patient of the institution until the following July and in 1935 published an account of his experience, written as if it were no more than another expedition to a foreign locale. The book, Asylum, became another best-seller. 

On September 20, 1945, Seabrook committed suicide by drug overdose

Last Week’s Birthdays

Jon Bernthal (44), Kristen Johnston (53), Sophia Loren (86), Moon Bloodgood (45), Asia Argento (45), Michelle Visage (52), Michelle Visage (52), George R.R. Martin (72), Danielle Panabaker (33), Jeremy Irons (72), David McCallum (87), Jimmy Fallon (46), Twiggy (71), Jason Sudeikis (45), Jada Pinkett Smith (49), Cassandra Peterson (69), Mickey Rourke (68), Jennifer Tilly (62), Danny John-Jules (60), David Copperfield (64), Tom Hardy (43), Tommy Lee Jones (74), Oliver Stone (74), John Bradley (32), Brendan O’Carroll (65), Jimmy Carr (48), Prince Harry (36), Sam Neill (73), Andrew Lincoln (47), and Walter Koenig (84). 

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