(1) Still gold; have been for several years.
(2) I keep gold only because I have a credit card that gives me 5,000 PQMs for $5,000 spend on united.com.
(3) Made an extra trip near the end of the year to make both PQM and PQD requirements since UA is still my best choice for my flying needs. Doubt I'll make the increased PQD spend to keep gold for 2016 though.