Jim R

Potato Valdez Jamal Mashburn

A question from a casual observer (although I try to understand the race, my favorite reason to watch are the views of the french towns and countryside )... Is there never any actual competition on the final stage... the ride into Paris? I had assumed that only a rider who had a large lead on the final day was traditionally "crowned" ahead of time and not challenged, but with the situation this year (three riders within some 38? seconds of each other), I would have thought that the outcome would be left in doubt, and the final stage would be a climactic, hard-fought battle to see who would win the yellow jersey. I saw a brief interview with Levi Leipheimer this morning, and he was asked if he would challenge Cadel Evans for second place. This question alone took me a bit by surprise, and when he said "no", I became even more confused. Sorry. If someone could generally explain this final stage, I would appreciate it.

Hank Stram Mike Marts Maxwell Smart

Hank Jones Tom Hanks Bud Shank

Not clear to me what the art is here, but fwiw...

Adderley's "Know What I Mean?": Design- Ken Deardorff; Photo- Mike Cuesta Russell's "Ezz-Thetics": Design- Deardorff; Photo- Silverstein Golson's "The Modern Touch": Design- Paul Bacon; Photo- Paul Weller

Close, but not quite?

Arthur Fiedler Boston "Pops"

That was just plain sad. Beckham strikes me as a genuine guy with good intentions, but the level of hype is sickening, annoying, and insulting to anyone who really appreciates the game. What... you don't watch the darts tournaments?

Thanks, brownie and Ubu. I have the Baker and Wilen recordings, but I'll keep an eye out for the others (not a synth fan, so I'll be cautious about that "Portrait..." one).

Slight understatement. Of course, they can vary. But as some have said, it's one way for a man to find out what it feels like to give birth. And you don't get a baby out of the deal.

It's not "out". Just don't guzzle the stuff frequently- especially if you're at risk for calcium-oxalate stones. If you have been drinking it heavily, it might be a good topic to ask your doctor about next time you have a blood test.

Oliver Kahn Kasey Keller your brother's keeper

All I can say right now is... GOD I HOPE NOT!!! I had three over the course of about 2 1/2 years (2001-2004), and I'm hoping that the dietary changes I made will prevent any recurrence. I really think the iced tea abuse was the primary reason for me, but thanks for sharing that info. Maybe between the two of us, we might help somebody here avoid the lovely experience.

Ron Popeil Slice Andrew Dice Clay

The one-armed man One-eyed Jacks "Unidexter" Dudley Moore, appying for the role of Tarzan

And now I'm off that shit too. Never knew that about tea, I hope a few times a week is still safe. I guess I shouldn't be drinking it anyways because of the caffeine. I don't want to give anybody the wrong impression here. Kidney stones are definitely something to educate yourself about and do your best to avoid, but when I said "large amounts" of tea, I meant like drinking it with lunch and/or dinner on most days, and once or twice a day as a refresher after working out or doing yard work. I used to buy the stuff (Nestea or Lipton) in liter bottles and keep it constantly available in the frig. Dumb habit, but I didn't realize what I was doing. I don't know how long I went through that phase, but my 3 kidney stone episodes occurred at the tail end of that, and my subsequent research makes me believe that the tea was the main culprit (although I've also been a choc-o-holic my whole life, and had been eating a lot of nuts also... both are relatively high in oxalic acid). So, in moderation, I'd say tea is fine. I think caffeine can also be a good thing, in moderation. About the only thing I don't take in moderation any more is... water.

Can't help but wonder how many of you have had kidney stones. I hope none of you ever has, and never will. Once you've had one (especially the obstructive type), you'll likely start drinking a lot (80 - 100 oz. a day) of water like I do. Oh, and iced tea in large amounts is a bad idea (oxalic acid)... just thought I'd mention that too, because I think that's what got me into trouble. I used to drink the occasional soda when I was young, but the diet variety never appealed to me in the least. Yecchhh.

Larry Centers Stuff Smith Lawrence Block Emily Post Tom Poston Steve Allen Jayne Meadows Jayne Mansfield

I was going to mention Michel Graillier, whom I remember from some recordings with Chet Baker. I see from a french Wikipedia page that he passed away in 2003. Anyway, perhaps brownie or someone else who is more familiar than I am with this player can provide some info and suggestions. He was still in his 50's when he passed (don't know the cause)... too bad, as I always liked his playing.

At one point yesterday, I couldn't access the board at all. I had some problems again earlier today, and once I got here, pages were loading very slowly and sometimes not at all. It's just this site that I'm having trouble with. Anybody else?

RIP, Pete. You done good.

Les Elgart Ralph Marterie Pete Rugolo

(he killed) the best man (he killed) my auntie