Aggie87

b3-er - I would think if you contacted one of your local silk-screening shops you could have them done for quite a bit cheaper, somewhere in the range that catesta mentions. There is a local custom screen printing shop here that charges $8.00 per shirt (for a 100 white t-shirt order), with a $25 setup fee. That is for a small graphic on the front of the shirt and a large one on the back, both three colors. So 100 shirts would cost $825, and if you sold them for $15 apiece, you gross $1500, net $675.00. Just a thought...

Here's one that ties organissimo to jazz, for the uninitiated, and also might catch the eye of other jazz fans as well. I don't think the t-shirt needs to mention the forum either. But I would consider making a splashy statement on the home page itself, something like "Home of the World's Greatest Jazz Forums!" or something equally as humble.

An interesting point. Jo Ellen Demetrius was hired by the defense team to help select the jury in their favor. Jury consultants are a small part of the legal community, but seem to have alot of power to skew results one way or another. Jo Ellen was on Larry King a number of times back after the OJ trial, offering her analysis of what happened. She has worked on a number of other high profile trials, including some that are ongoing presently. My sister is a jury consultant. It's a fairly small community of professionals, and she knows Jo Ellen and most of the other consultants around the country. She travels alot and is hired for a large number of cases to help with jury selection, run mock trials to help determine what are good/poor issues to present when the real trial comes around, and various other things. It's actually quite interesting to hear from her about the cases she has worked on, though that's usually in the past tense since she doesn't talk about ongoing trials/cases. Although not in the public eye like Cochran, Shapiro, Bailey et al, Jo Ellen Demetrius had probably as large of an influence on the outcome of the trial as any of them...

Anybody here have (or have read) Vincent Bugliosi's book about the OJ trial, called 'Outrage'? I just recently picked it up and have it in my to-read pile. Bugliosi (prosecutor of Charles Manson) claims he could have convicted OJ, and seems to go through all the reasons OJ got acquitted. Looking forward to reading it.

I think Clark and Darden did their best. Not so sure about the LAPD. It would be interesting if District Attorney's offices were able to pay millions of dollars for lawyers, like the defense did. You might have seen a "Dream Team" for the prosection of equal caliber to the defense's. Then perhaps you would have had more convincing arguments leading to a guilty conviction. Obvious point, but the legal system seems skewed towards whoever has the money. If a defendant is wealthy, s/he can afford better lawyers (and a slew of them in OJ's case), and can get a guilty person acquitted.

Happy Birthday! A google search of "happy birthday bertrand" brings up the following images of wellwishers:

Cowboys off-season, take 2 (tying into Brandon's comments above): 1. Parcells makes a racist comment. Said the offense's creative play calling during practice was "Jap plays". Apologizes afterwards (and prefaced it by saying "no disrespect for the Orientals"), but I'm personally somewhat dismayed to see comments like these - about any ethnic subgroup - from someone like Parcells. The fact I was born in Japan may have something to do with it, but it seems insulting and derogatory, no matter how I look at it. I remember last offseason when Shockey called Parcells a "homo"; seems like Parcells is forever in the headlines. 2. WR Antonio Bryant got thrown out of practice on Tuesday, after griping about his role as the 3rd WR. Started by arguing with Keyshawn, then the WR coach. After that he threw off his jersey & shoulderpads. Parcells intervenes, picks up the jersey and threw it back at Bryant, who then threw it BACK in the face of Parcells. Other players had to jump in between the two, and Bryant was then escorted by security out of the practice. He may not be on the team much longer... Detroit - I think the Lions got the best RB in the draft in Kevin Jones. I've read that he's looked impressive so far. He was clearly the best RB named Jones in the draft (Greg, Kevin, & Julius). I think that Jerry Jones ended up wanting Julius so there could be a "J. Jones" on the field. Anyone else want to share/vent about their team's offseasons so far? I don't know enough about the Chiefs or the Jets to offer anything.

That was a GREAT shot by Kobe, way outside the three point line. Hamilton shoulda been up in his face a bit more, like the announcers mentioned. I think that shot deflated the Pistons, and they never recovered from it. They should have fouled Shaq when he got his hands on the inbound pass. Could have ended the game right there & then.

Thanks for the heads-up, WD45. I also noticed they have the new Dave Brubeck box, "For All Time", for only $17.99, plus s/h, for those so inclined. edit: on the rock/pop side, they have Neil Young's Greendale, the version with the DVD. Also noticed they have the Rhino remaster of Yes' 90125, as well as the 3 disc best of, which may have been mentioned previously.

I have to admit I know little about country, and don't really have an interest in delving into to it very deeply. But I have been starting to listen to a little bit of Texas/Alt/Country music, and may explore a little further. I went to a concert here in Corpus Christi two weeks ago that featured ten "Texas" bands, headlined by Robert Earl Keen. I was pleasantly suprised by his music, to be honest. Not particularly deep or anything, but there's a fun vibe there. He seemed to me to be kind of like a Texas country version of Jimmy Buffett, if Jimmy wasn't so tropical. And his fans at this show seem to be similar to Parrotheads, knew all the lyrics and sang along. I managed to finagle a backstage meet-n-greet pass from one of the local radio stations, and got to talk with him for a few minutes, mainly about Texas A&M, since we both went there. But the main reason I went to the show was to see the Flatlanders, the "legendary" band made up of Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and Butch Hancock. These guys are all from west Texas (Lubbock area), and were playing together back in the early 70's. Recorded one album that was only released on 8-track (!), and kind of went their separate ways. They got back together a couple of years ago, and have since released two more albums, both of which I like. The original 70's album has also since been re-released on CD. I got to talk with them as well, after their show. I mentioned to Jimmie Dale Gilmore that I enjoyed his performance in The Big Lebowski, which he seemed to appreciate. He played Smokey, the pacifist hippie bowler. All three were very friendly and seemed to enjoy chatting. I'm gonna have to check out some more of their solo work, I think.

Due out June 29th, a Rush covers album: Tracks: 1. Summertime Blues 2. Heart Full Of Soul 3. The Seeker 4. For What It’s Worth 5. Shapes Of Things 6. Mr. Soul 7. Crossroads 8. Seven And Seven Is

LOL - I like that even better!

Okay, here's my take on the Cowboy's offseason so far: Things that needed to be addressed: 1. Running Game 2. QB Position, maybe. 3. O-Line 4. Wide Receivers 5. D-Line 6. Cornerback What they've done so far: 1. RB - Drafted Julius Jones, who should immediately be an upgrade over last season's RB, Troy Hambrick (now of the Oakland Raiders, heads up to RainyDay!). I don't think they got the best RB in the draft, and they had their pick of the litter. But either way, Jones should make the running game better. 2. QB - Traded for Drew Henson, and picked up Vinny Testaverde in free agency. Parcells says the position is currently open, and he'll select the starter after the 2nd preseason game. I'm guessing Carter has a head start, and personally I want to see him develop on his reasonably good season last year. I like him and am rooting for him, but think he's still got some improving to do. Testaverde (how old is he now, about 63?) should be the stop-gap guy in case Carter falters. And Henson appears to be the QB of the future; I hope they don't throw him in too early like they did with both Carter and Hutch. 3. O-Line - Larry Allen appears to be healthy and working hard (at least for now), so if he can be better than he was last year, that's a plus. Drafted two linemen early (Jacob Rogers & Stephen Peterman) who should be able to contribute. Flozell Adams had a good year last season, and should continue to dominate. And they guy they drafted last year to play center (Al Johnson) is back and healthy, after missing the whole season, so hopefully this group can put it together. 4. Traded Joey Galloway straight up for Keyshawn Johnson. KJ is hopefully the possession receiver the 'Boys have lacked since the days of Michael Irvin, which should help Carter out. Terry Glenn and Antonio Bryant look to be the other primary receivers, and can both stretch the field. Bryant needs to improve his catching ability. They also have two solid TE's in Dan Campbell and Jason Witten, so they appear set there. 5. D-Line - Finally dumped the failure that was Ebenezer Ekuban. And appeared to upgrade the position by picking up free agent Marcellus Wiley. Hopefully he gives the Cowboys a pass rush that they've sorely lacked. Greg Ellis and LaRoi Glover are both back and solid players, and Willie Blade seems to have turned into a fairly decent tackle as well. Should be a better D line than last year. 6. Cornerback - They let Mario Edwards get away in FA to the Bucs, which probably wasn't a major loss. But they didn't pick anyone else up, and appear to be hoping that Pete Hunter turns into a player. My fingers are crossed. I still wonder if they've got a secret plan to pick up either Mike McKenzie or Ty Law somehow. If they can do that, their defense should be even better than last year's #1 rating. If not, they should still be fairly solid. Finally, they kept their coaching staff intact, after almost losing Mo Carthon and Sean Payton. I think that will only help the offense's (and Carter's) development, and should make them a solid playoff contender. Not ready to make it to the big game yet, but if they can repeat last year's 10-6 record, I think they're headed in the right direction (especially with two 1st round picks in next year's draft). Enough musing... -Erik

Just wanted to start up a thread for this year's NFL, if anyone's ready to start talking about football! I know it's early, but the AFL & NFL Europe just aren't cutting it for me. So here's a little tidbit about the 2004 schedule, and a couple of "minor" revisions to team names ************************* The New NFL (National Football League) The New National Football League recently announced a new era. From now on, no politically incorrect team names will be permitted. While the owners of the teams rush to change uniforms and such, the New National Football League announced, yesterday, its name changes and schedules for the 2004 season: The Washington Native Americans will host the New York Very Tall People on opening day. Other key games include the Dallas Western-Style Laborers hosting the St. Louis Wild Endangered Species, and the Minnesota Plundering Norsemen taking on the Green Bay Meat Industry Workers. In Week 2, there are several key matchups, highlighted by the showdown between the San Francisco Precious Metal Enthusiasts and the New Orleans Pretty Good People. The Atlanta Birds of Prey will play host to the Philadelphia Birds of Prey, while the Seattle Birds of Prey will visit the Phoenix Male Finches. The Monday night game will pit the Miami Pelagic Percoid Food Fishes against the Denver Untamed Beasts of Burden. The Cincinnati Large Bangladeshi Carnivorous Mammals will travel to Tampa Bay for a clash with the West Indies Free Booters later in Week 9. And the Detroit Large Carnivorous Cats will play the Chicago Large Mountain Mammals. Week 9 also features the Indianapolis Young Male Horses at the New England Zealous Lovers of Country.

My turn too - take care and stop by from time to time if you're able. And good luck with your son's attention-issue, hope it's just his way of being a boy! -Erik

I've got Cassandra's "Dance to the Drums" as well, and it's definitely not her best work, but it's not as bad as her live album on JMT, in my opinion. Cool cover, but I can't recommend anything else about it. And to add another to the list, Charlie Haden's "American Dreams" - coulda been great with that supporting cast...

AB - My son just turned three in March, and for what it's worth, he sounds like he's very similar to yours. Very short attention span, and LOADS of energy. Breaks things occasionally, doesn't listen until you get upset with him, and displays his emotions very physically. Since his mother is hispanic, I attribute a little bit of the emotion thing to her genes And he's the complete opposite of my 6 yr old daughter, who's somewhat quiet, focused and can entertain herself. I think he's borderline hyperactive myself, but we haven't taken him to see any professionals, so that's just my opinion based on observation & interaction. I don't really want to go down the medication path either, or at least only as a last resort. I really want to wait until he begins kindergarten to see if he starts to settle down somewhat when he has more focused activities, and a peer group doing the same things as him. Then it will be easier to decide if he needs specialized attention or help, I think. I'm hoping things kind of normalize at that point. For now, he's just "all boy", which is a good thing! -Erik

Kinda skimpy on the extras, but at least this time we get: "Creators Come Clean" featurette Encore bonus episode: Season 1 Pilot

How about these guys?

Happy Birthday! My friend Larry's doing whatever it takes to get my present to you today!

To my surprise, they also are carrying the John Scofield/Mark Anthony Turnage collaboration, Scorched, on Deutsche Grammophon. Though it's "sales-exempt", and is listed at $19.98, so I'm guessing most folks who would want this one will find it cheaper elsewhere. But the fact that they even know it exists impresses me!

On the ground under my feet, which is also America, race DOESN'T matter.

I've also noticed that they now have the newest Yes 3 disc compilation. Two discs of "hits" and one disc of newly recorded material - including acoustic versions of South Side of the Sky and Roundabout. Not a bad set for someone just wanting a best-of. They've also got the recent Rhino remasters of Fragile, The Yes Album, and Close to the Edge. These all have very good sound, plus bonus tracks.

Rooster - Just caught up with this thread. About a month ago I purchased the Sony unit in your original post. I wanted an inexpensive combo player (<$200), and figured the Sony would be the best of the bunch. Well, the VCR played fine, but the DVD player seemed to have problems playing any DVD. I'd load one, and it would literally take about 4-5 minutes to read it. I couldn't figure out if I was supposed to be pushing some button on the remote to get it to read (faster). Whether it was defective, or just a design flaw, I didn't like it, and returned it. Basically went with the concept that wolff espouses, separate inexpensive players. Picked up a Sony VCR for about $80, and the Pioneer DVD player that also plays SACDs (for about $150), both at Best Buy.

Hey Ian - I like the early trio stuff on Enja as well, alot. The new one is as good as those, I think. It's got a more modern sound to it, and Sco's obviously played in alot of different settings over the past 20 years, so his style has evolved a bit, but it is still every bit a solid trio recording. If you liked the early stuff, don't hesitate to grab this one. And let me know what you think of it, once you've digested it. -Erik