Jim is on the Board

Coretta Scott King died Monday evening at the age of 78. She had been ill the past few months after suffering a stroke in the autumn of 2005. King spent her life fighting for equality alongside her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After his assassination she continued the fight for equal rights while raising their four children.

Her death is the first of the year for Jim but the third for the Circling Buzzards. In 2005 the first death occurred on February 11 (Arthur Miller).

With 22 points Jim is in second place, six behind Izzy.

Birthday: Dana Reeve

Although she has acted on numerous television programs, Dana Reeve is best known as the widow of actor Christopher Reeve. The former Superman star was paralyzed in 1995 in a horse riding accident. Since that time he and his wife worked to raise funding for paralysis research. After Christopher died in October of 2004, Dana has continued their work. However, in August of last year Dana was diagnosed with lung cancer. At the age 45 she has never smoked.

If Dana Reeve died today she would be worth 55 points for Izzy.

Birthday: Mohammed Ali

Born Cassius Clay in 1942, Ali started boxing at the age of twelve. As an amateur he won Gold Glove Championships in 1959 and 1960 before winning a gold medal in the 1960 Rome Olympics. Shortly after the Olympics he turned professional and in 1964 he won the heavyweight title by beating the highly favored Sonny Liston. Two days after the fight Ali announced his conversion to Islam. He would defend his title eight times before being called into military service in 1967. He refused the call-up and was stripped of his world title.

Ali returned to the ring in 1971 and lost a tough battle against current World Champ Joe Frazier. Three years later he fought George Foreman in one of the best publicized boxing matches ever - the ‘Rumble in the Jungle.’ Ali knocked out Foreman and regained the heavyweight title. In 1975 Ali defended his title versus Joe Frazier in the ‘Thrilla in Manila.’ After ten more defenses of his title, Ali lost to Leon Spinks but again won it back from him in 1978. His final title loss was to Larry Holmes and shortly afterward Ali retired for good.

Outside of the ring Ali always fought social injustices, including war and civil rights. But in 1982 he began fighting a different kind of opponent – Parkinson’s disease. More specifically, Ali suffers from Pugilistic Parkinsonism, brought on by repetitive trauma to the head. Although the disease has slowed him down, he still remains active in world politics.

If Ali died today he would be worth 36 points for Izzy.

The Soothsayer Strikes Back

Shelley Winters died today giving Greg 15 points.

I can just hear him reflecting from his Maineville estate, "darn...I miseed $15 by 8 days."

Don't worry, Greg. After the punishment we received last year, I think we would have been wise to have just bet on how badly you will school us again in this year's Death Pool. I wonder how that over/under would have looked...

Lou Rawls Dead at 72

Grammy Award winner Lou Rawls died early friday morning. Rawls had been hospitalized for more than a month for treatmnent of lung and brain cancer.

It is the first death in the Circling Buzzards 2006 death pool. Izzy used the top pick wisely with his choice of Rawls. Along with an early 28 point lead, Izzy wins the $5 side bet for having the first death.

Izzy could increase his lead significantly as the world watches the fate of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Sharon Not Looking Good, But Could Linger

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon suffered a massive stroke Wednesday and was on a respirator after falling ill at his ranch. Doctors operated to drain excess blood from his brain. Dr. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, director of Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem, said Sharon suffered "a significant stroke," adding that he was "under anesthetic and receiving breathing assistance." A few minutes later, Mor-Yosef emerged to say that initial tests showed Sharon had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, or bleeding in his brain. Mor-Yosef said Sharon, 77 and overweight, had "massive bleeding and was being transferred to an operating theater."

"The fact that he's on a respirator means its extremely serious," said Dr. Philip Steig, chair of neurosurgery at Weill-Cornell Medical Center in New York. However, he said that depending on the severity of the stroke, doctors may be able to sustain Sharon on a respirator for weeks.

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