Our Daily Dead

Now perhaps this is too easy, this adding Fidel Castro to the ODD On Deck group, but we are nothing if not easy.

“He’s getting better, better, I see him improving,” Castro Junior, also known as “Fidelito” because of how much he looks like his father, said after the inauguration of a scientific center in southern Chile on Saturday.

Bring Out Yer Dead! This latest Castro media snippet reminds of the Monty Python skit wherein the man thrown on the cart with all the dead claims “I’m not dead yet” and “I’m getting better!”

His son said on Saturday that the Cuban leader was in a “positive and optimistic mood.” Great. So is George Bush.

~~The ODDones for OurDailyDead.com

Technorati tags: Fidel Castro, On Deck, Castro Junior, Fidelito, Monty Python, Cuban, George Bush

Time to cash in a wee bit of that trust fund you are sitting on Mr. and Ms. Trustafarian because the Dracula Castle is for sale. Seems the family that owns the Transylvanian castle famous for its connections to the 15th century medieval ruler who inspired “Dracula” said Wednesday they wish to sell the fortress to local authorities for $78 million. Yup, just a paltry $78 million. Dollars we guess, not Euros or the local Romanian script.

The North County Times further reports that “…more than 400,000 visitors a year visit the castle — mainly because of its loose association with ‘Vlad the Impaler,’ the legendary prince whose cruelty inspired novelist Bram Stroker’s creation, the vampire Count Dracula.”

“Vlad punished wrongdoers or the lazy by impaling them on stakes, and once impaled all the elderly people in a community in an act of revenge following the killing of his father and brother.”

“Vlad did not own the castle, but is believed to have used it briefly during his incursions in Transylvania. He is also believed to have been imprisoned in the castle for two months in 1462 when he was captured by a rival Hungarian king.”

And while your digging out those nickles and quarters from under the seat cushions you’ll want to consider picking up your very own country. The world’s smallest country comes complete with its own flag, stamps, currency and passports.

You’ll need to apply to Prince Michael of Sealand if you want to run your own nation, even if it is just a wartime fort perched on two concrete towers in the North Sea.

And even better? Asked to describe the delights of living on what Prince Michael described as a cross between a house and a ship, the 54-year-old said: “The neighbors are very quiet. There is a good sea view.”

No doubt with your trust fund you can get both Sealand and the Castle Bran and STILL have enough to get a Starbuck’s installed in each.

~~The ODDones for OurDailyDead.com

Technorati tags: trust fund, Trustafarian, Dracula Castle, Transylvanian, Vlad the Impaler, Bram Stroker, vampire, Count Dracula, Sealand, North Sea

Geraldine Ferraro, New York politician and first woman nominated as Vice-Presidential candidate by major political party. In 19841984 Ms. Ferraro was Walter Mondale’s running mate in an which they lost to Ronald Reagan and that other guy (can you remember?). She also ran twice, but unsuccessfully, for the United States Senate.

In 1998 she was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of cancer involving the plasma cells of the bone marrow. Although incurable, myeloma may be held at bay for some years by the once banned drug Thalidomide. Ms. Ferraro is taking the drug, and so far so good.

~~The ODDones for OurDailyDead.com

Technorati tags: Geraldine Ferraro, New York, Vice-President, Walter Mondale, Ronald Reagan, Senate, myeloma, cancer, Thalidomide

William F. Cody born 1843 and died in 1917.

Cody, aka “Buffalo Bill” enjoyed rather remarkably robust health, in spite of smoking, starting to drink at age 14, and almost daily riding or otherwise interacting with large, sometimes horned, animals. He survived his wife Louisa “Lulu” Cody treating him with a “Tiger Balm.” She claimed it was to cause him to stop drinking, but he accused her of trying to poison him.

Cody suffered from hemorrhoids, and had episodes of “nervous exhaustion.” In spite of legendary show business career, Cody did not spend his money wisely. By December, 1916, Cody was essentially broke, and came down with a bad cold. He traveled to Glenwood Springs, Colorado to seek health from the famous mineral springs of that area.

By January 8, 1917 had returned to Denver, and was bedridden. His physician, John H. Eastman, attributed his failing health as due to a recent lunar eclipse. Cody reportedly planned his own funeral, including the menu to be served.

He died at 12.05 p.m. on January 10, 1917. His body lay in state in the Colorado capital. His funeral was the largest ever in Colorado. In exchange for $10,000, his wife agreed to have him buried on Lookout Mountain outside of Denver. The glass cover on his coffin was said to have steamed up from inside when one of his former girlfriends kissed it.

~~The ODDones for OurDailyDead.com

Technorati tags: died, Buffalo Bill, Lulu, Tiger Balm, Glenwood Springs, Denver