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Dead Pool 16th June 2024

Not a good week to be a footballer it seems! We also have points to award!!! 70 whole points go to Neil, who correctly guessed that Françoise Hardy would peg it this year. Well done that man! 

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

Noam Chomsky has suffered a stroke and is recovering in hospital, his wife has confirmed. The 95-year-old famed linguist has not been seen in public since June last year, with many commenting on the weight of his absence from the broader debate surrounding the war in Gaza. Chomsky, who has been vocal about his support for the Palestinian cause and what he has called the “crimes” of the Israeli state, has been notably absent from demonstrations and discussions on the issue over the last year. Valeria Chomsky told the Flying Monkeys that the MIT professor is currently in a Sao Paulo hospital in her native country of Brazil after suffering from a stroke in June last year. The couple travelled on an ambulance jet with two nurses once he was well enough to leave the United States. Mrs Chomsky confirmed reports that her husband had difficulty speaking and that the right side of his body is affected. She said that a neurologist, speech therapist and lung specialist visit the academic on a daily basis. The famed intellectual is still following the news and his wife confirmed that he raises his left arm in a gesture of lament and anger when he sees images of the war in Gaza. It is feared that the MIT professor is unlikely to ever return to the public eye following the deterioration of his health. Chomsky’s former assistant Bev Stohl explained that the usually responsive academic “hasn’t been returning emails, or interviewing”. “In a nutshell, Noam is 95-years-old and suffered a medical event in June. As many have noticed, he has not been writing, corresponding, or interviewing, as his health situation has taken the majority of his time and energy.  

Veteran BBC DJ Johnnie Walker has been told to “prepare to die at any moment” after being diagnosed with a terminal illness. Walker, who has worked at the BBC since 1969, began his career at Radio 1 before moving to Radio 2 in 1998, where he currently hosts Sounds of the 70’s and The Radio 2 Rock Show. Since he was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, an inflation of the lungs, he has been presenting his radio shows from his home in Dorset. Walker needs round-the-clock care and is being looked after, full-time, by his wife, Tiggy. The couple have opened up about Walker’s terminal illness on BBC Sounds podcast, Walker and Walker: Johnnie and Tiggy, in honour of Carers Week. In the special, the DJ opened up about having “only a finite amount of time left here in the physical before I pass over”, calling it “a very reflective time for us”. Walker, who was previously cared for by Tiggy when he was diagnosed with cancer shortly after their marriage in 2006, told his wife: “Here we are at the end of my life when you’re having to care for me all over again.” He said of Tiggy: “You definitely saved my life when I went through cancer. I’m positive I wouldn’t have made it without you. Your love was just so sustaining, it gave me so much to look forward to. And your caring for me now makes my life so much better.” Tiggy said she has required help in “grieving” the life they had together, stating: “It’s only by going to the doctors and going on antidepressants that I have kept going because I was crying every single day and I was overwhelmed.” She recalled how the couple were told by a consultant that Johnny should “prepare to go at any moment”, before adding: “Equally, you might be around for six months.” Walker said that at night Tiggy “very lovingly helps me get into bed and gives me a nice kiss good night, and then she has to wonder whether I’m still going to be alive in the morning, which must be pretty hard for  her”. 

Liverpool Football Club has sent a heartfelt message to club legend Alan Hansen, who is currently seriously ill in hospital, on his 69th birthday. Hansen was admitted to hospital late last week and has since received numerous messages of support. As the Scottish footballer turned 69, Liverpool FC took to Twitter to express their thoughts: “We’re all thinking of Alan and his family on his 69th birthday.” On Sunday, Liverpool confirmed Hansen’s hospitalisation with a statement that read: “The thoughts and support of everyone at Liverpool FC are with our legendary former captain Alan Hansen, who is currently seriously ill in hospital. A defender of the utmost elegance, Hansen’s outstanding raft of honours across a 14-year spell with the Reds he joined from Partick Thistle in 1977 included eight league titles, three European Cups, two FA Cups and three League Cups.” Known as ‘Jocky’ by his teammates, Hansen is among the top 10 for all-time appearances for the club, having played 620 matches. The Scottish centre-back also served as Liverpool’s captain for four seasons. Liverpool FC is currently in contact with Hansen’s family to offer support during this challenging time, and our thoughts, wishes and hopes are with Alan and all of the Hansen family.” Further updates will be provided as they become available, and the club has requested that the privacy of the Hansen family be respected during this time.  

Chef Gordon Ramsay has described feeling shaken after a “really bad” cycling accident in the US. In a video on social media, he lifted his chef’s whites to show substantial purple bruising on his torso for which he required hospital treatment. Addressing the message to “all the dads out there” ahead of Father’s Day on Sunday, the star of Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen stressed the importance of wearing a helmet. “I don’t care how short the journey is,” he said, adding that the guidance becomes even more important when it comes to cycling with children – “they’ve got to wear a helmet”. “I want to wish you all a happy Father’s Day, but please, please, please wear a helmet. If I didn’t, honestly, I wouldn’t be here now.” On his Instagram, he also shared a before and after photograph showing substantial damage to his helmet. The chef said the accident took place earlier this week in Connecticut. The 57-year-old thanked the state’s Lawrence and Memorial Hospital’s trauma surgeons and nurses who looked after him. He clarified that he did not “break any bones or suffer any major injuries” but was “a bit bruised up looking like a purple potato”. “I’m in pain. It’s been a brutal week. And I’m sort of getting through it,” Ramsay added. 

Oprah Winfrey has been hospitalised with a stomach virus, her friend Gayle King revealed. On June 11, the 70-year-old media mogul was noticeably absent from a scheduled appearance on CBS Mornings. Her longtime friend and CBS anchor King revealed during the segment that Winfrey was unable to appear on the program due to a “serious” stomach bug. “She had some kind of stomach thing – stomach flu – stuff was coming out of both ends,” King said. “I won’t get too graphic. Needless to say, she ended up in the hospital, dehydration, had to get an IV. It was a very serious thing.” While King noted that Winfrey was going to “rally” from the stomach virus, she still needed time to rest. “She will be okay. I hope she’s not mad at me for sharing that detail,” King added about her pal. “But I wanted to make it clear, though, that it mattered to her and that it really bothered her that she couldn’t be here for you today.” In a statement a spokesperson told the Flying Monkeys that Winfrey is “recovering” following the stomach virus and “received an IV due to dehydration at the recommendation of her doctor.” “She is resting and feeling better every day,” they added.

On This Day

  • 1883 – The Victoria Hall theatre panic in Sunderland, England, kills 183 children.
  • 1955 – In a futile effort to topple Argentine President Juan Perón, rogue aircraft pilots of the Argentine Navy drop several bombs upon an unarmed crowd demonstrating in favor of Perón in Buenos Aires, killing 364 and injuring at least 800.
  • 1963 – Soviet Space Program: Vostok 6 mission: Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space.

Deaths

  • 1959 – George Reeves, American actor and director (b. 1914).
  • 1999 – Screaming Lord Sutch, English singer and activist (b. 1940).
  • 2016 – Jo Cox, English political activist and MP (b. 1974).
  • 2017 – Helmut Kohl, German politician, Chancellor of Germany (b. 1930).

Penis of the Dead 

An autopsy expert has spoken about what happens to the male anatomy after you die, after answering a curious Reddit user’s question.

A forensic technician and autopsy assistant was asked what actually happens to the penis after death, and was only too happy to let internet users know.

We’re guessing that if you’re still reading then you’re morbidly curious about this sort of thing, but just to warn you, it’s not pleasant…

The question posed on Reddit was: “What happens to dicks when the body decomposes? Do you ever chat with your coworkers about the body’s dicks?”

The expert replied: “They bloat pretty intensely, turn green, and get maggoty just like the rest of the body.”

Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

They then went on to explain that penises of deceased patients have to be discussed sometimes for medical reasons – and they have to be inspected for ‘genital warts, trauma, tattoos and silicone implants’ in order to file them properly on the body exam.

The expert added: “We have to remove jewellery if they have genital piercings, and if there is a catheter, we have to remove that as well.”

Meanwhile, an interactive map recently appeared online which pinpoints the size of penises across the globe.

On the WorldData.info website, the interactive map reveals average erect penis sizes in up to 90 countries around the world – so you can see where your country sits in the list.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Arnold Vosloo (62), Sibel Kekilli (44), John Cho (52), James Bolam (89), Helen Hunt (61), Courteney Cox (60), Neil Patrick Harris (51), Jim Belushi (70), Julie Hagerty (69), Robin Curtis (68), Will Patton (70), Donald Trump (78), Boy George (63), Chris Evans (43), Stellan Skarsgård (73), Ally Sheedy (62), Kat Dennings (38), Malcolm McDowell (81), Tim Allen (71), Richard Thomas (73), Simon Callow (75), Mary-Kate Olsen (38), Ashley Olsen (38), Kathy Burke (60), Steve-O (50), Shia LaBeouf (38), Peter Dinklage (55), Hugh Laurie (65), Joshua Jackson (46), Adrienne Barbeau (79), Jane Goldman (54), DJ Qualls (46), Elizabeth Hurley (59), Bill Burr (56), and Jürgen Prochnow (83).

Posted by  |  16th June 2024 | Categories: 2024 | 1 Comment »

Dead Pool 9th June 2024

A busy week for deaths! With the sad passing of rugby player Rob Burrow, I can award 109   points to Christine, Paula, Mark, Paul C, and me, and a whopping 209 points to Julia for having him as her Cert. I can also award 49 points to Gwenan who correctly guessed that Janis Paige would pass away this year. 

Well done everyone, especially me as I am now embarrassingly at the top of the Leader Board, I’m not cheating, honestly!!!  

Look Who You Could Have Had:

  • Erich Anderson, 67, American actor (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Bat*21,), oesophageal cancer. 
  • Harry van Hoof, 81, Dutch conductor (“Ding-a-dong”, “I See a Star”), composer (“How Do You Do”). 
  • Rob Burrow, 41, English rugby league player (Leeds Rhinos, Yorkshire, national team), complications from motor neurone disease. 
  • Jeannette Charles, 96, British actress (National Lampoon’s European Vacation, The Naked Gun, Austin Powers in Goldmember).  
  • Colin Gibb, 70, British musician (Black Lace). 
  • Janis Paige, 101, American actress (Please Don’t Eat the Daisies, The Pajama Game, It’s Always Jan). 
  • Morrie Markoff, 110, American blogger, writer, and supercentenarian. 
  • William Russell, 99, English actor (Doctor Who, The Adventures of Sir Lancelot, The Great Escape). 
  • C.Gambino, 26, Swedish rapper, shot.  
  • Nicholas Ball, 78, English actor (EastEnders, Footballers’ Wives, Hazell). 
  • William Anders, 90, American astronaut (Apollo 8, author of the photograph Earthrise) and diplomat, ambassador to Norway, plane crash. 
  • Michael Mosley, 67, British television journalist and writer. 

In Other News

Singer Halsey has indicated she has been struggling with the autoimmune disease lupus in a cryptic social media post. The 29-year-old declared she was “lucky to be alive” in the Instagram post and said she had written an album about her secret health struggles. “Long story short, I’m lucky to be alive. Short story long, I wrote an album,” she said on Tuesday night. “It begins with The End. Out now.” she said before tagging Lupus Research Alliance and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that occurs when your body’s immune system attacks your own tissues and organs, causing inflammation. Along with the announcement she shared a series of photos summarising her health journey. In the first clip, she was seen rubbing her legs as she told the camera, “Seriously … I feel like an old lady. I told myself I’m giving myself two more years to be sick. At 30 I’m having a rebirth, I’m not going to be sick and I’m going to look super hot and have lots of energy and I’m going to get to redo my 20s in my 30s.” 

Kevin Campbell is ‘very unwell’ in hospital as Arsenal and Everton both provided an update on their former player following news of his ill health. It emerged on Sunday that Campbell had been reportedly ‘rushed to hospital’ with former footballers Ray Parlour and Trevor Sinclair offering public support. The 54-year-old won a number of major trophies at Arsenal having progressed through the Hale End academy during his 10-year stint at the north London club. Campbell recently fell ill and while his current condition remains unknown, his former clubs Arsenal and Everton have confirmed that he is ‘very unwell’. ‘Everyone at the club is sending love to Kevin Campbell and his family, following news that our former striker is very unwell,’ Arsenal said in a statement on Monday. ‘We’re thinking of you.’ Campbell played a total of 209 games for Arsenal between 1985 and 1995, producing 55 goals and 20 assists. He is also well known for his successful spell at Everton, where he scored 50 times and provided eight assist across 160 appearances.

On This Day

  • 1930 – A Chicago Tribune reporter, Jake Lingle, is killed during rush hour at the Illinois Central train station by Leo Vincent Brothers, allegedly over a $100,000 gambling debt owed to Al Capone.
  • 1959 – The USS George Washington is launched. It is the first nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine.
  • 1968 – U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson declares a national day of mourning following the assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy.

Deaths

  • 68 – Nero, Roman emperor (b. 37).
  • 1870 – Charles Dickens, English novelist and critic (b. 1812).
  • 1958 – Robert Donat, English actor (b. 1905).
  • 2013 – Iain Banks, Scottish author (b. 1954). 
  • 2014 – Rik Mayall, English comedian, actor, and screenwriter (b. 1958). 
  • 2017 – Adam West, American actor (b. 1928).

Dead & Alive

A woman in Nebraska who was mistaken for dead at a nursing home and later found to be alive at a funeral home has now really died, authorities have confirmed.

Constance Glantz, 74, was declared dead at a nursing home near the state capital of Lincoln on Monday.

Staff at a local funeral home that she was then brought to noticed about two hours later that she was still breathing. They quickly performed CPR on her.

Ms Glantz was quickly taken to hospital, but officials said that she was later declared dead – for a second time – soon after.

Police are now investigating the incident, but they said there is no evidence of criminal intent by the nursing home.

“This is a very unusual case,” Chief Deputy Ben Houchin from the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office said at a press briefing on Monday.

“Been doing this 31 years, and nothing like this has ever gotten to this point before.”

A coroner was not sent to the nursing home after it declared her dead because Ms Glantz had been placed in hospice care, and the circumstances did not fall within a coroner’s remit, Mr Houchin told reporters.

Ms Glantz’s death had been anticipated, he explained.

Additionally, “a physician had seen her in the last seven days, and the physician was willing to sign the death certificate, and… there was nothing suspicious at the time of the death”.

On Tuesday at around 16:00 local time she was pronounced dead for a second time, Mr Houchin later told reporters.

He added that a post-mortem examination had been scheduled later on Tuesday, and that results could take up to 12 weeks.

“The funeral home did absolutely nothing wrong,” Mr Houchin added. “They are the ones who found that she was still alive.”

Mr Houchin did not name the homes at the centre of the mishap.

Reporters also contacted the funeral parlour named in local media – Butherus, Maser and Love Funeral Home – which said in a statement: “We are proud that our directors and staff handled the recent incident in the news appropriately and with upmost care.”

Ms Glantz is not the only person to be pronounced dead only to reveal themselves as still being alive.

In June last year, 76-year-old Bella Montoya in Ecuador was declared dead following a suspected stroke, placed in a coffin and taken to a funeral parlour for a vigil ahead of her burial. Five hours later, she was found to be alive after the coffin was opened to change her clothes. She did, however, die days later.

In 2018, a South African woman who was initially declared dead following a road accident was discovered alive in a mortuary fridge.

Dr Stephen Hughes, a senior lecturer in medicine at Anglia Ruskin University’s School of Medicine in Chelmsford, has said that such cases are rare, but that “death is a process”.

“Sometimes somebody may look like they’re dead but they’re not quite dead,” Dr Hughes told the Flying Monkeys  after the incident in Ecuador. “Careful examination is necessary.”

Dr Hughes added that doctors would often look for heart sounds or breathing effort for at least a minute before declaring someone dead, and that some drugs could also slow down body processes, giving someone the false appearance of having passed away.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Johnny Depp (61), Natalie Portman (43), Eddie Marsan (56), Michael J. Fox (63), Griffin Dunne (69), Kanye West (47), Colin Baker (81), Liam Neeson (72), Karl Urban (52), Anna Torv (45), Bill Hader (46), Michael Cera (36), Helen Baxendale (54), Bear Grylls (50), Mark Ryan (68), Paul Giamatti (57), Jason Isaacs (61), Robert Englund (77), Josie Lawrence (65), Mark Wahlberg (53), Mel Giedroyc (56), Angelina Jolie (49), Bruce Dern (88), Sean Pertwee (60), Noah Wyle (53), Russell Brand (49), Bradley Walsh (64), Imogen Poots (35), Michelle Keegan (37), James Purefoy (60), and Suzi Quatro (74).

Posted by  |  9th June 2024 | Categories: 2024 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 2nd June 2024

Welcome once again to a pointless week for the Dead Pool. Shockingly, most of our famous people were tragically young this week

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

Bette Nash, the world’s longest-serving flight attendant, has died aged 88 after nearly 70 years of airborne service. The news was broken by her employer, American Airlines, which mourned her death in a post on Twitter. “She started in 1957 and held the Guinness World Record for longest-serving flight attendant,” the airline said. “Bette inspired generations of flight attendants. Fly high, Bette.” Ms Nash began her career at the age of 21 with Eastern Airlines, the forerunner of American Airlines, working on its shuttle flight between Washington DC, where she lived, and Boston. She preferred the route because it allowed her to spend every night at home. She had intended to move on after a few years, but ended up staying, becoming a familiar sight to frequent flyers on the route. She never officially retired from her post. “The people are exactly the same,” she told the Flying Monkeys in 2017. “Everybody needs a little love.” According to other US media outlets, she died on 17th May in a hospice after recently having been diagnosed with breast cancer. The Association of Professional Flight Attendants, the union which represented Ms Nash, said “Our thoughts are with her family and friends during this difficult time. Bette will always be an integral part of our history and she will not be forgotten.”

Bats and rock ‘n roll rarely go together. There’s Ozzy Osbourne’s legendary biting the head off one. And now, add Taylor Momsen to the list. Opening for AC/DC on  the Power Up tour, the Pretty Reckless front-woman was bitten on the leg by a small bat. She wasn’t particularly bothered and the show went on, but now she has to undergo two weeks of rabies shots. “So…ROCK AND ROLL MOMENT…in Sevilla Wednesday during “Witches Burn” of all songs… a BAT flew onto me and clung to my leg,” Momsen wrote on Instagram. “In the moment I was performing and had no idea until the incredible crowd kept screaming and pointing.” In the video she shared, Momsen was calm. “I must really be a witch,” she said to the crowd. “It’s alright and the bat’s fine. He’s gonna be my new friend.” In the caption, Momsen added: “He was cute, but yes he bit me…so rabies shots for the next two weeks thanks to all the staff at the hospital who dubbed me #batgirl after seeing it on the local news that morning…more footage to come…that’s one for the books!!!!” The Pretty Reckless are touring with AC/DC in Europe through August.  

The number of executions recorded worldwide last year jumped to the highest level since 2015, with a sharp rise in Iran and across the Middle East, Amnesty International said in a report released Wednesday. The human rights group said it recorded a total of 1,153 executions in 2023, a 30% increase from 2022. Amnesty said the figure does not include thousands of death sentences believed to have been carried out in China, where data is not available due to state secrecy. The group said the spike in recorded executions was primarily driven by Iran, where authorities executed at least 853 people last year, compared to 576 in 2022. Those executed included 24 women and five people who were children at the time the crimes were committed, Amnesty said, adding that the practice disproportionately affected Iran’s Baluch minority. “The Iranian authorities showed complete disregard for human life and ramped up executions for drug-related offences, further highlighting the discriminatory impact of the death penalty on Iran’s most marginalised and impoverished communities,” Agnès Callamard, Amnesty’s secretary general, said in a statement. The group said China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and the United States were the five countries with the highest number of executions in 2023. The total number cited in Amnesty’s annual report was the highest it recorded since 2015, when 1,634 people were known to have been executed. The US carried out 24 death sentences last year with only China (1,000+ executions), Iran (853+), Saudi Arabia (172), and Somalia (38+) using the death penalty more often. Callamard said progress faltered in the US, where executions rose from 18 to 24 and a number of states “demonstrated a chilling commitment to the death penalty and a callous intent to invest resources in the taking of human life.” The report cited the introduction of bills to carry out executions by firing squad in Idaho and Tennessee, and Alabama’s use of nitrogen gas as a new, untested execution method in January. Amnesty said that despite the setbacks, there was progress because the number of countries that carried out executions dropped to 16, the lowest on record since the group began monitoring. 

A man who died at Amsterdam airport was an airline employee who allegedly deliberately climbed into plane’s jet engine. He was killed immediately after getting into the KLM passenger plane’s engine at Schiphol Airport Wednesday afternoon as it prepared for takeoff. Passengers and crew members on board the Embraer 190 aircraft told the Flying Monkeys that a ‘hellish noise’ came from the engine, which quickly began trailing smoke. The Dutch Royal Military Police investigating the incident said today that the man ‘intentionally climbed into the engine, indicating this is a case of suicide’. They additionally said that he had been ‘identified as an employee of a company operating at the airport’. It was unclear from initial reports whether the victim was travelling with the airline or worked at the airport. An insider told the Flying Monkeys that the incident was ‘very intense’, adding: ‘After the plane was pushed back to take off, someone walked into the engine.’ Psychological support will be provided for the passengers witness to the incident, military police said. The passengers have since been disembarked from the aircraft. They noted that the passengers may still be ‘important witnesses’ in helping them understand exactly what happened.

On This Day

  • 1692 – Bridget Bishop is the first person to be tried for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts; she was found guilty and later hanged.
  • 1953 – The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey becomes the first British coronation and one of the first major international events to be televised.
  • 2023 – A collision between two passenger trains and a parked freight train near the city of Balasor, Odisha in eastern India, results in 296 deaths and more than 1,200 people injured.

Deaths

  • 1990 – Rex Harrison, English actor (b. 1908).
  • 2008 – Bo Diddley, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (b. 1928).
  • 2008 – Mel Ferrer, American actor (b. 1917).
  • 2009 – David Eddings, American author (b. 1931).
  • 2012 – Richard Dawson, English-American soldier, actor, and game show host (b. 1932). 
  • 2017 – Peter Sallis, English actor (b. 1921).

The Pig Farmer Killer

Robert William “Willie” Pickton, a.k.a. “The Pig Farmer Killer”, was a Canadian serial killer who was convicted for six counts of murder and was suspected for at least 26 others. 

Not a lot of details about Pickton’s life prior to him becoming a serial killer are currently publicly known due to Canadian publicity laws regarding ongoing criminal investigations. What is known is that he was born in 1949 in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. His family had been pig farmers for three generations, but by the time of his arrest, Pickton had largely given up using the farm for actual farming and only raised a few pigs to sell to friends and neighbours. 

He and his two siblings, David Francis Pickton and Linda Louise Wright, inherited the family pig farm, where Pickton later committed his murders. In 1994 and 1995, they sold parts of their inherited land, earning a total of $5.16 million. 

In 1997, Robert was charged with the attempted murder of a prostitute named Wendy Lynn Eistetter, having tried to stab her, but the case was dropped because prosecutors felt that the victim, who was a drug addict, was too unstable to give an accurate testimony, even though both the victim and Pickton, who suffered a stab injury during the encounter, were treated at the same hospital and a key to the set of handcuffs on Eistetter’s wrist was found in Pickton’s pocket. David, on the other hand, had a criminal record for a sexual assault in 1988 and had also been sued on three occasions for various traffic offences. 

Though Robert was locally considered a quiet man, he and his siblings often hosted wild parties at a converted building near the pig farm called “The Piggy Palace”. In 1996, they also founded a non-profit charity organisation called the “Piggy Palace Good Times Society”, the function of which was listed as to “organise, coordinate, manage and operate special events, functions, dances, shows and exhibitions on behalf of service organisations, sports organisations and other worthy groups”. This came to an end after a New Year’s Eve party on December 31, 1998, when the Pickton siblings were sued for violating zoning laws and legally forbidden from holding any more parties. The “Piggy Palace Good Times Society” was disbanded soon afterwards in January 2000 for failing to provide mandatory financial statements. 

In 1999, Canadian police received a tip that Robert kept human flesh in freezers on his  property. Though a warrant was secured, no search was carried out. 

On February 5, 2002, Pickton was arrested when police, acting on a warrant for firearm violations, found personal belongings of a missing woman on the farm. A second court order was obtained to continue searching the farm as part of the BC Missing Women Investigation, which investigates the disappearances of women. 

As they searched the grounds, they found remains of some victims, such as skulls cut in half and stuffed with human hands and feet, DNA from 33 women, bloody clothing, and a jawbone and teeth. They also found a .22 revolver with a dildo attached to its barrel, .357 Magnum rounds, two pairs of faux fur-lined handcuffs, a pair of night-vision goggles, and photos of a garbage can containing the remains of a victim. Pickton claimed that the dildo, which had the DNA of both him and a victim on it, had been meant to function as a makeshift suppressor. The gun also contained a spent cartridge. While in custody, Pickton told an undercover officer posing as a fellow inmate that he had wanted to kill one more in order to bring his victim count up to an even 50, suggesting that he is responsible for 49 murders. A video recording of the statement was later used as evidence in his trial, which began on January 30, 2006. 

Exactly how he killed his victims is not entirely known to the public, as is anything he might have done to them before killing them. According to a witness on tape, Pickton had claimed that he brought his victims, who were prostitutes, to the farm, handcuffed them, raped them, killed them by strangling them, bled and gutted them, ran them through a wood-chipper and then fed their remains to his pigs. Another claim is that the victims were ground, the resulting mince mixed with the pork mince from the farm and the packages given to Pickton’s friends and family. It was stated in a Biography Channel documentary about the case that Pickton would lure his victims to his farm using a simple ruse, such as pretending to buy sexual favours. During sex, he would become violent and accuse the victims of something, such as stealing from him, in order to build up his rage. He would then restrain them, kill them by strangling or shooting them, and then butcher their bodies.

Pickton pleaded not guilty to 27 charges of first-degree murder, one of which was later rejected on the grounds of a lack of evidence. Because of a publication ban, not all the details are publicly known about the proceedings. On December 6, 2007, a jury found Pickton guilty of six murders, which were reduced from first-degree to second-degree. He was sentenced to life imprisonment, which in Canada entails a possibility of parole in 25 years and is the highest possible punishment for second-degree murder, essentially earning Pickton the same punishment that he would have received for a first-degree conviction. 

On May 19, 2024, Pickton was attacked by another prisoner at the Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec. The prisoner, Martin Charest, described as having a history of assaulting other prisoners, “speared” Pickton in the head with a “broken broom-like handle.” Pickton was placed on life support after being airlifted to a hospital. He died at a hospital in Quebec City from complications of the attack on May 31, 2024. 

Last Week’s Birthdays

Morena Baccarin (45), Awkwafina (36), Jewel Staite (42), Liam Cunningham (63), Justin Long (46), Zachary Quinto (47), Dominic Cooper (46), Dana Carvey (69), Tom Holland (28), Morgan Freeman (87), Brian Cox (78), Jonathan Pryce (77), Amy Schumer (43), Robert Powell (80), Heidi Klum (51), Alanis Morissette (50), Brooke Shields (59), Colin Farrell (48), Clint Eastwood (94), Lea Thompson (63), Stephen Tobolowsky (73), Colm Meaney (71), Mark Sheppard (60), Keir Dullea (88), Harry Enfield (63), Ted Levine (67), Annette Bening (66), Laverne Cox (52), Danny Elfman (71), Kylie Minogue (56), Michelle Collins (62), and Paul Bettany (53).

Posted by  |  2nd June 2024 | Categories: 2024 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 26th May 2024

I hope you’re all enjoying the bank holiday weekend! Somehow I don’t think the people listed below are. Anyhow, no points to dispense this week, unsurprising as some of the deaths were very unexpected.  

Look Who You Could Have Had:

  • Richard Foronjy, 86, American actor (Serpico, Midnight Run, Carlito’s Way). 
  • Ebrahim Raisi, 63, President of Iran (since 2021), helicopter crash. 
  • Charlie Colin, 57, American bassist and guitarist (Train, The Side Deal), fall.
  • David Wilkie, 70, Scottish swimmer, Olympic & World champion, cancer. 
  • Caleb Carr, 68, American author (The Alienist, The Angel of Darkness), cancer. 
  • Morgan Spurlock, 53, American film director (Super Size Me, Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden?, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope), cancer. 
  • Kabosu, 18, Japanese Shiba Inu dog and Internet meme (Doge), leukemia. 
  • Richard M. Sherman, 95, American film songwriter (Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). 

In Other News

Scottish comedian Janey Goldley has shared a worrying health update. The 62-year-old is currently battling terminal cancer. Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Janey admitted she was “worried sick”. She gave a fresh health update as she said that her cancer markers were “high”. Sharing the news with her 294,000 followers, the Glasgow-born performer wrote: “I have a CT scan soon, every three months I get them, I am worried sick as the cancer number is high, we know the cancer is active but not sure where. “Every pain, every twinge scares me. But I am carrying on – next show London ! I won’t go easy into the night” Her health update, which she posted on Twitter alongside a video update, has racked up 4.7k retweets, over a hundred shares, and nearly 200 comments. Janey was admitted to hospital in November 2021 for ovarian cancer, which has since been diagnosed as terminal, though the disease is being kept under control. At the time, she was forced to cancel tour dates while she underwent treatment. The comedian was told she was cancer-free in June 2022, but by the end of the year, the disease had spread to her peritoneum, the membrane lining the abdominal cavity. Earlier this year, she thanked NHS staff for taking care of her as she underwent a scan and announced her cancer was “incurable”. Posting to social media, Janey wrote: “The scan news is in – me and Ashley laugh and cheer Thanks to the Scottish NHS And everyone at the Beatson I have incurable cancer but it’s treatable. “The scan results are in and there is no change from the scan in November 2023. So that means no change, doesn’t mean I am cured or the cancer has gone away.” She continued: “I am still getting the same treatment so it’s a clear scan but I still have terminal cancer.”  

ITV news presenter Rageh Omaar looks like he is on the road to recovery after his on air health scare that saw him hospitalised after the live show. The 56-year-old has been pictured looking happy and relaxed as he walked his dog in London while wearing navy trousers and a waxed jacket, a month after he fell ill. The News At 10 host received medical care last month after he became disorientated while presenting and appeared to slur his words while reading an autocue towards the end of the bulletin. Omaar, the ITV News International Affairs Editor, was seen struggling to clear his desk and re-cap a pen following the final news story of the night and as the end credits began to roll. and has been recovering at home with his wife and three children since, the nature of his illness has not been disclosed. Following his live TV ordeal, Rageh penned a statement to thank his fans for the support he had received. “I would like to thank everyone for their kindness and good wishes, especially all the medical staff, all my wonderful colleagues at ITV News, and our viewers who expressed concern”, he wrote, adding that he had been “determined” to finish the program despite his suspected mini-stroke.  

Kabosu, the dog behind the “doge” meme, has died after 14 years of internet fame, her owner has said. The Japanese shiba inu inspired a generation of online jokes and became the face of Dogecoin cryptocurrency. She had been suffering from leukaemia and liver disease and died on 24th May. “She quietly passed away as if asleep while I caressed her,” Atsuko Sato wrote on her blog “I think Kabo-chan was the happiest dog in the world. And I was the happiest owner. As a rescue dog, Kabosu’s real birthday was unknown, but Ms Sato estimated her age at 18. In 2010, two years after adopting Kabosu from a puppy mill where she would otherwise have been put down, Ms Sato, a teacher from Sakura, east of Tokyo, took a picture of her pet crossing her paws on the sofa. She posted the image on her blog, from where it spread to online forum Reddit and became a meme that bounced from college bedrooms to office email chains. The memes typically used goofy broken English to reveal the inner thoughts of Kabosu and other shiba inu “doge” – pronounced like pizza “dough” but with a “j” at the end. The picture also later became an NFT digital artwork that sold for £3.1m and inspired Dogecoin, which was started as a joke by two software engineers and is now the eighth-most valuable cryptocurrency, with a market capitalisation of $23bn. Kabosu fell ill with leukaemia and liver disease in late 2022, and Ms Sato said in a recent interview with AFP that the “invisible power” of prayers from fans worldwide helped her pull through. Ms Sato, 62, said she had become so used to “unbelievable” events that when Mr Musk changed the icon for Twitter, now X, to Kabosu’s face last year, she “wasn’t even that surprised”. A $100,000 statue of Kabosu and her sofa crowdfunded by Own The Doge, a crypto organisation dedicated to the meme, was unveiled in a park in Sakura in November last year. Sato and Own The Doge have also donated large sums to international charities, including more than $1m to Save the Children. The NGO says it is “the single largest crypto contribution” it has ever received. 

On This Day

  • 1940 – World War II: Operation Dynamo: In northern France, Allied forces begin a massive evacuation from Dunkirk, France.
  • 1967 – The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is released.
  • 2004 – United States Army veteran Terry Nichols is found guilty of 161 state murder charges for helping carry out the Oklahoma City bombing.
  • 2020 – Protests triggered by the murder of George Floyd erupt in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, later becoming widespread across the United States and around the world.

Deaths

The Last Queue

Hundreds of crowded climbers have been captured on footage slowly making their way up the summit of Everest close to where a British climber and his guide went missing on Tuesday after they were hit by collapsing ice.

Experts fear overcrowding on the world’s highest mountain may have played a role in causing the collapse of a cornice – an overhanging mass of hardened snow on the edge of a precipice – which led to the disappearance of Daniel Paul Paterson, 40, and Pastenji Sherpa, 23. The pair have not been heard from since they reached the summit at around 4.40am local time on Tuesday and are feared dead.

Mr Paterson and his guide ran into trouble after ice collapsed and fell on them near the Hillary Step, just below the summit at around 8,800 metres, according to Lapka Sherpa. The Everest guide said they had ‘heroically’ reached the top of the world’s highest peak before going missing as they descended. 

Vinayak Malla, an accredited guide with the International Federation of Mountain Guides  Associations, said: ‘After summiting, we crossed the Hillary Step, traffic was moving slowly then suddenly a cornice collapsed a few metres ahead of us. ‘As the cornice collapsed, four climbers nearly perished yet were clipped onto the rope and self-rescued. Sadly, two climbers are still missing. We tried to traverse yet it was impossible due to the traffic on the fixed line.’ Meanwhile, a member of a team at Everest base camp told The Times: ‘A cornice broke off and washed down a few climbers including Daniel and his guide towards the Tibet side.’

Overcrowding on Everest has become of increasing concern to experts and officials in recent years. In 2019, 11 people died between March to May during the climbing season, prompting Kul Bahadur Gurung, general secretary of the Nepal Mountaineering Association to say that  ‘there were more people on Everest than there should be’.

With Mr Paterson’s disappearance entering a fourth day, his partner Beck Woodhead vowed that she will ‘do everything’ to bring him home, and has set up a GoFundMe page to raise £150,000 for a search and rescue operation. The research nurse said that her partner ‘is known for his adventurous spirit, his kindness, and his unwavering dedication to helping others,’ as she issued a plea saying: ‘Now, it is our turn to help him.’ She described him as a passionate Leeds United fan, as well as a ‘beloved son, brother, partner, friend and a proud joint owner of Wakefield Crossfit.’ The British climber, who is believed to be from Wakefield, was described by Sherpa Lapka as being ‘known for his robust fitness, uplifting positivity, and strong determination’.

The missing men were part of a 15-strong team with 8K Expeditions, led by Bolivian climber David Hugo Ayaviri Quispe. Sherpa Lapka said his colleague Pastenji was a ‘dedicated climber from his youth, with  impressive climbs under his belt including twice on Mt. Everest, K2, Amadablam, and  several other 6,000m peaks.  His warm spirit, kindness, and outstanding expertise made him one of the premier guides at 8K Expeditions,’ he added.

Mr Paterson, who was known to his friends as ‘Pat’, was also a ‘committed’ climber, and had trained in the Himalayas last year. He previously said he was emotional when he saw the Everest summit, telling his followers: ‘My dream will always be to conquer this.’ He dedicated his climb to a late friend from Wakefield Crossfield Club and recently announced that members had raised £10,000 for her family.

Nepal is home to eight of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000 metres (26,246 feet) and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring climbing season. Everest is only climbable in the short windows of clear weather when the winds are calm. This has led to long queues forming at challenging sections, leaving climbers waiting in the freezing cold and burning through their valuable oxygen supplies. Earlier this month, Mongolian climbers Usukhjargal Tsedendamba, 53, and Purevsuren  Lkhagvajav, 31, went missing on Everest. The pair, who had not relied on sherpa guides, were found dead a week later at two different locations after summiting the peak.

Last Week’s Birthdays

Helena Bonham Carter (58), Pam Grier (75), Bobcat Goldthwait (62), Laurence Fox (46), Lenny Kravitz (60), Stevie Nicks (76), Cillian Murphy (48), Ian McKellen (85), Mike Myers (61), Octavia Spencer (54), Frank Oz (80), Doug Jones (64), Alfred Molina (71), John C. Reilly (59), Jim Broadbent (75), Priscilla Presley (79), James Cosmo (76), Tommy Chong (86), Bob Dylan (83), Joan Collins (91), Richard Ayoade (47), Melissa McBride (59), Bob Mortimer (65), Ginnifer Goodwin (46), Naomi Campbell (54), Fairuza Balk (50), Judge Reinhold (67), Noel Fielding (51), Mr. T (72), Timothy Olyphant (56), Jack Gleeson (32), Joel Fry (39), Cher (78), and Louis Theroux (54).

Posted by  |  26th May 2024 | Categories: 2024 | Leave A Comment »

Dead Pool 19th May 2024

Another short newsletter this week, not a lot going on!  

Look Who You Could Have Had:

In Other News

Olivia Munn has offered fans a candid health insight following her cancer diagnosis. Earlier this year, the 43-year-old announced to her Instagram followers that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer ten months prior. Just days after doctors confirmed the disease was present in her body, she underwent a double mastectomy. In a heartbreaking post, Olivia revealed she’d ‘only cried twice’ during the ordeal and that she credited Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi for ‘saving her life’. “Dr. Aliabadi looked at factors like my age, familial breast cancer history, and the fact that I had my first child after the age of 30,” the X-Men star wrote. “She discovered my lifetime risk was at 37 percent. Because of that score I was sent to get an MRI, which led to an ultrasound, which then led to a biopsy. The biopsy showed I had Luminal B cancer in both breasts.” Following the initial reveal on March 13th, the mum-of-one has shared another update. Speaking to the Flying Monkeys, Olivia announced she had opted to undergo further surgery as opposed to receiving Lupron or leuprolide injections. This medication, which lowers oestrogen levels in the body, was reportedly causing her to feel intense levels of ‘exhaustion’. “I would wake up in the morning and almost immediately need to get back into bed,” she explained. Meanwhile, Munn announced that she has now had an oophorectomy and hysterectomy, as well as a full double mastectomy. “I took out my uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries!” 

Steve Buscemi is on the mend after he was attacked in Manhattan on Wednesday. The 66-year-old was punched in the face while walking in the Kips Bay neighbourhood around noon on May 8th. The attack left Buscemi with swelling to his face and left eye, and he was treated at Bellevue Hospital. Afterward, his publicist gave an update on his condition. In a statement the spokesperson said, “Steve Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city. He is OK and appreciates everyone’s well wishes, though incredibly sad for everyone that this has happened to him while also walking the streets of New York.” A witness working nearby saw the attack and told the Flying Monkeys, “I saw he was with a woman, and then through the corner of the window I saw him trip and fall backwards. He right away got up and ran in the opposite direction. I didn’t see who hit him.” The NYPD told us, “At this time there are no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing.” The department released surveillance footage of a suspect and added, “The individual is described as a male with dark complexion, wearing a dark coloured baseball style cap, blue t-shirt, black pants, white sneakers, and carrying a bookbag.” The police department is asking for the public’s help to find the perpetrator. Just weeks ago, Buscemi’s “Boardwalk Empire” co-star Michael Stuhlbarg was also randomly attacked with a rock in Manhattan.

On This Day

  • 1536 – Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII of England, is beheaded for adultery, treason, and incest. 
  • 1962 – A birthday salute to U.S. President John F. Kennedy takes place at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The highlight is Marilyn Monroe’s rendition of “Happy Birthday“.
  • 2018 – The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is held at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, with an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion.

Deaths

Last Week’s Birthdays

Grace Jones (76), James Fox (85), Tina Fey (54), Miriam Margolyes (83), Chow Yun-Fat (69), Toyah Willcox (66), Paul Whitehouse (66), Megan Fox (38), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (34), Pierce Brosnan (71), Danny Trejo (80), Debra Winger (69), David Boreanaz (55), Stephen Mangan (56), Janet Jackson (58), Cate Blanchett (55), Sofia Coppola (53), Tim Roth (63), George Lucas (80), Francesca Annis (79), Siân Phillips (91), Greg Davies (56), Harvey Keitel (85), Robert Pattinson (38), Samantha Morton (47), Iwan Rheon (39), Zoë Wanamaker (75), and Mark Heap (67).

Posted by  |  19th May 2024 | Categories: 2024 | Leave A Comment »