Dead Pool 24th July 2022

I won’t waffle on, this one has turned out to be a long read! Lots of dead people too! 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

• Mickey Rooney Jr., 77, American actor (Hot Rods to Hell, Honeysuckle Rose). 
• Ricky Bibey, 40, English rugby league player (Wigan Warriors, Leigh Centurions, Wakefield Trinity).
• Rebecca Balding, 73, American actress (Soap, Charmed, Makin’ It), ovarian cancer.  
• Alan Grant, 73, Scottish comic book writer (Judge Dredd, Lobo, Batman). 
• Taurean Blacque, 82, American actor (Hill Street Blues, Oliver & Company, Savannah). 
• Paddy Hopkirk, 89, British rally driver. 
• Uwe Seeler, 85, German footballer (Hamburger SV, West Germany national team). 
• David Moores, 76, British football executive, chairman of Liverpool (1991–2007). 
• Maria Petri, 82, English football supporter.  
• Stefan Soltész, 73, Austrian conductor. 

In Other News

Limp Bizkit have cancelled their UK and European tour dates following concerns over frontman Fred Durst’s health. Durst has been advised by his Doctor to take an “immediate break” from touring following some “unexpected” test results. The band announced the news on Instagram saying: “For personal health concerns and based on medical advice given by my personal physician to take an immediate break from touring, Limp Bizkit will sadly have to postpone their 2022 UK and European tour. “We truly apologise for any inconvenience this may cause to our loyal fans, promoters and support staff. Stand by for further news. Sincerely, Fred & Limp Bizkit.” The post also directed fans to the band’s website to watch a video statement from Durst in which he explains that he’d gone for some physical health tests to prepare for the band’s upcoming tour. Durst goes on to say that he learned that he needed to stay put for further testing and was told to abandon the tour. “This was very unexpected news and I’m so sorry,” Durst said in the heartfelt video, adding: “I look forward to making it up to you as soon as possible”. “I truly am grateful to everyone who was going to take the time out of their busy lives and come and see Limp Bizkit perform this summer,” he continued. Thanking fans for their ongoing support, Durst said: “We do love and cherish our connection with you more than anything on this planet.” The band were due to perform two dates at London’s Brixton Academy in September as part of the tour. The frontman was keen to stress to fans that he would be back soon, saying: “I know everything’s going to be okay. “I’m already working on something to make it up to everyone in the UK and all over Europe”.  

A wildlife trophy hunter who killed elephants and lions and uploaded photos of himself next to their carcasses has been shot dead in South Africa. Riaan Naude, 55, was gunned down “at close range” when a car pulled up next to his truck in Marken Road, Limpopo – an area which includes part of the Kruger National Park wildlife reserve. Lieutenant Colonel Mamphaswa Seabi, a spokesperson for South Africa’s national police force, said: “The man was lying with his face up and there was blood on his head and face.” A pair of hunting rifles, clothes, water, whiskey and pyjamas were found by officers. The Heritage Protection Group, a not-for-profit group against rhino poaching, claim there are two suspects involved in the hunter’s murder. The group wrote in a Facebook post: “According to eyewitnesses, a white bakkie (truck) stopped next to him and shot him in cold blood at a short distance, after which the two suspects got out and only stole his pistol. “They then jumped into the vehicle and raced in the direction of Marken. Traces were trampled on the scene. All the personal belongings were still in the vehicle, weapons, ammunition, hunting equipment and clothes were left as is.”  Mr Naude ran the Pro Hunt Africa firm, a “hunting and Eco Safari outfit” in northern South Africa. He will not be missed by anyone.  

President Joe Biden has tested positive for Covid-19, the White House said on Thursday. In a statement, White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said Mr Biden, who is screened for Covid-19 on a regular basis, tested positive on Thursday morning. She added that the president, who is fully vaccinated against Covid-19 with two booster shots, has “very mild symptoms” that are being treated with the anti-viral medication Paxlovid. Ms Jean-Pierre said Mr Biden would follow Centers for Disease Control guidelines by isolating at the White House while carrying out “all of his duties fully during that time”. “He has been in contact with members of the White House staff by phone this morning, and will participate in his planned meetings at the White House this morning via phone and Zoom from the residence,” she said. “Consistent with White House protocol for positive Covid cases, which goes above and beyond CDC guidance, he will continue to work in isolation until he tests negative”. Ms Jean-Pierre said the White House would provide daily updates on Mr Biden’s condition “out of an abundance of transparency”, though she stressed that the is continuing to “carry out the full duties of the office” despite being in isolation. During a briefing at the White House, Ms Jean-Pierre said she wasn’t sure where Mr Biden contracted Covid, adding “I don’t think that matters”. Speaking to reporters in Detroit, Michigan, first lady Jill Biden said she spoke to her husband shortly after his positive test became publicly known. “He’s doing fine,” she said. “He’s feeling good.” Since Mr Biden took office in January 2021, the possibility that he would contract Covid-19 has been of great concern to his advisers, who until recently have taken great pains to limit his contact with large crowds. At 79, Mr Biden is the oldest person to be sworn in for a first term as president and is at high risk for severe complications from the virus. But White House officials have said Mr Biden is well-protected by the vaccine and booster doses he has received since shortly before he took office. Mr Biden’s positive test comes amid a resurgence in Covid-19 cases due to new variants and sub-variants of the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, which doctors say are far more contagious than previous iterations and more easily evade the immunity conferred on him by his vaccines and boosters. The Senate Republican leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, reacted to Mr Biden’s positive test by telling reporters: “I’m hoping he gets well soon and doesn’t have any difficulty getting past it.” House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, told reporters at her weekly press conference that she understands Mr Biden’s symptoms to be “light”. “I hope they continue to be so. That was my experience,” she said.  

The oldest-ever male giant panda in captivity has died aged 35. An An lived most of his life at a theme park in Hong Kong after he and a female panda were gifted by China in 1999. The female panda, Jia Jia, died in 2016 at the age of 38, making her the oldest-ever female panda in captivity. Ocean Park theme park mourned An An as a family member who built bonds with locals and tourists. “An An has brought us fond memories with numerous heart-warming moments. His cleverness and playfulness will be dearly missed,” Paulo Pong, chairman of Ocean Park Corporation, said. An An had high blood pressure, a common condition among geriatric pandas. Over the past three weeks, An An had been kept out of sight from visitors at the park as his health worsened. He stopped eating solid food and was significantly less active in recent days. Last week, hundreds left comments on a social media post about An An’s condition, wishing him a speedy recovery. He was euthanised to prevent further suffering on Thursday morning after veterinarians from Ocean Park and government authorities consulted the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda. “An An lived a full life that ended at the respectable age of 35 – the equivalent of 105 years in human age,” Ocean Park said. Hong Kong was given another panda pair – Ying Ying, a female, and a male, Le Le – in 2007 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the city’s return to China. China commonly engages in “panda diplomacy” where the mammals exclusively found in China are leased to other countries as a sign of goodwill. 

A man has died after drinking a whole bottle of Jagermeister in just two minutes as part of a binge-drinking competition. The South African man downed a the whole bottle of the 35 per  cent spirit as part of a £10 bet at a South African liquor store. Shortly after gulping down the spirit the local resident, who has not been named collapsed. The man, who is reportedly aged between 25 and 30, was rushed to hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. A viral video has been circulated online which shows the man guzzling down the liquid while people clap and cheer him on. A police spokesperson Brig Motlafela Mojapelo confirmed the incident took place at a local liquor store at Mashamba village in Elim, South Africa. Mr Mojapelo told local media: “‘Police in Waterval outside Louis Trichardt have opened a case of inquest following an incident of apparent misuse of alcohol that took place at one of the local liquor outlets at Mashumba Village where the patrons allegedly participated in what they called a ‘drinking competition. “The winner who could consume the entire bottle of Jägermeister within a specified time, would get R200 cash. One of them immediately collapsed thereafter and was taken to the local clinic where he was certified dead.” An inquest has been opened into his death.

On This Day

• 1487 – Citizens of Leeuwarden, Netherlands, strike against a ban on foreign beer.
• 1911 – Hiram Bingham III re-discovers Machu Picchu, “The Lost City of the Incas”.
• 1966 – Michael Pelkey makes the first BASE jump from El Capitan along with Brian Schubert. Both came out with broken bones. BASE jumping has now been banned from El Cap.

Deaths

• 1980 – Peter Sellers, English actor and comedian (b. 1925)
• 2010 – Alex Higgins, Northern Irish snooker player (b. 1949)
• 2020 – Regis Philbin, American actor and television host (b. 1931)

Mending Wounds on the Dead

A mortuary student has shared a fascinating inside look into how morticians fix stab wounds on dead bodies and reconstruct a broken skull.

Madison Acor, 21, has become the latest social media sensation, sharing with her TikTok followers her day-to-day duties as a student at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. In one of her videos, which has amassed over one million views, Acor shows her followers the daunting task of having to fully reconstruct a broken skull.

In the video, which she titles Skullzo Restoration Day, Acor and her partner are given a skull made out of plaster, then are asked to break it and reconstruct it.

However, what makes the assignment more challenging than it already is, is that the instructor takes away a piece of the fake skull, and the students are left to reassemble it.

Acor explains that for the process, students are provided with cranial bone screws, zip ties, mesh wire netting and a screwdriver, among other tools. 

“At first, we were using zip ties to try to get the skull back together to make sure it didn’t shake or shimmy whenever we shook it. And that worked OK,” she revealed in the video.

“Then we used a lot of the cranial screws to reinforce it.”

To fill in for the missing piece, Acor used mesh and wire, which she “intertwined” between the pieces of the skull through holes she drilled with a screwdriver.

“It’s not so glamorous, but the goal is to make sure that when we shake the skull, nothing moved,” she concluded. 

Several people applauded her work in the comment section but confessed they wouldn’t dare try the real deal.

“The class seems fun but doing the real thing NOPE SCARED,” wrote one person.

A second person chimed in and asked: “You’re telling me I could have my head zip tied back together 😳.”

“This is so beyond cool…” commented another TikToker.  

In a separate video, Acor filmed the head she was working on, “knifezo,” and explained that the figure was a stabbing victim.

“So next is knifezo, she was the victim of a stabbing unfortunately. And you guys can see the large slice in the face and on the ear, little bit of lip reconstruction, wounds along the neck.

“There’s a big gash I kind of zoomed in right there for you. And there’s another big gash on her ear. There’s lots of little cuts along her as well, kind of scattered all over.”

To start, the 21-year-old explains how she filled in the deep wounds with clay, then applied soft wax to the covered-up wounds.

Acor explained that the soft wax part took her the longest because she had to apply it “carefully and feather it” to make the wounds look smooth for the cosmetic application stage.

Finally, the student displays her finished figure, revealing that she applied blush on “knifezo’s” ears, cheeks, forehead, nose, and collarbone to give it some colour.

Fellow TikTokers praised the mortuary student’s work but were stunned when they learned what it was for.

Acor said she started posting the videos so her family could see them easier online, saying that when the video began going viral “she was shocked.”

“I would like people to know that this profession is not scary and many people in this field want nothing but the best for the decedent and their families,” Acor told The Flying Monkeys.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Rose Byrne (43), Jennifer Lopez (53), Elisabeth Moss (40), Anna Paquin (40), Summer Glau (41), Lynda Carter (71), Danny Dyer (45), Woody Harrelson (61), Daniel Radcliffe (33), Kathryn Hahn (49), Charisma Carpenter (52), Ronny Cox (84), Slash (57), Selena Gomez (30), Willem Dafoe (67), Rhys Ifans (55), Terence Stamp (84), Danny Glover (76), Louise Fletcher (88), Josh Hartnett (44), Anya Chalotra (26), Paloma Faith (41), John Francis Daley (37), Sandra Oh (51), Benedict Cumberbatch (46), Jared Padalecki (40), Kelly Reilly (45), Kristen Bell (42), and Vin Diesel (55).