kenny weir

Check it out - another Very Excellent Post by Stanley!

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Actually, considering the growing amounts of country music I'm listin' to, it's not such a weird suggestion. And there's one NZ/Oz dude - Tex Morton - that I'd happily bend an ear to. He's highly regarded by those who dig the Wilf Carter/Montana Slim sort of thing. But Slim Dusty, Keith Urban and Australian country in general - blech! I'm an ardent supporter and lover of Australian jazz, and much of the reason for that, I think, is that jazz - just about right from the get go - has always been pretty much international and adaptable. Australian jazz has its own integrity and thing going while still being part of the bigger deal. Country don't travel so well. There's something soulful that goes missing in the translation. Oz country makes me cringe. So do Oz blues. There's cool music, sometimes, in both. But they've invariably got fuck all to do with Muddy Waters or Hank Williams. Whereas, with alto saxophone master Bernie McGann (for instance) it's totally righteous to say he's all Australian and pure jazz.

Thanks guys. It went Ok for a birthday with an "0" on the end of it. Nothing special but a hunka-chunka steak and a single candle on a scoop of sublime cumquat and brandy icecream! (I get my big fat tax refund next week; will sadly have to use most of it for wiping out credit card debt, but am eyeing up a couple of CDs by poppy '60s outfit The Free Design (whom I have just discovered), or maybe the Oliver Nelson Mosaic).

The new rankings seem no more based on reality than previously, so I wonder what their point is apart from being a talking point.

As the WC washup continues, allow to me make a few points: 1. I would like to thank all my friends here for being my main online outlet before, during and after the tournament. 2. After life-long interest in various team sports all over the place, for the first time ever - and despite my NZ-born enthusiasm for the All Blacks - I found out what it's like to be a true believer. Australia's games against Japan, Croatia and Italy, in particular, were excruciating, orgasmic and terrifying. I'll never be the same. Australia plays Kuwait at home on August 16 in the Asian Cup - it's already a sellout - and I can hardly wait! 3. After long being a proponent of radical change to fix some of the "problems" being discussed here, I have come to the personal conclusion that it's just as perfect as it needs to be, EXCEPT FOR ... 4. The diving/Academy Award/cheating/cynical gamesmanship aspects REALLY need to be addressed in a meaningful way. 5. South Africa,. anyone?

Ahhhh - Hank Mobley, my second favourite clarinet player after Kenny Burrell!

Heh heh. This would be funny even if it wasn't true!

Missed the first half (set the alarum wrong ...) but loved the goals. Lovely. Looks like the Aussies might have bragging rights in terms of giving the Italians their hardest game. OK, so looking ahead ... who's gonna be joining me in South Africa? Man I'm really pumped on football now. There's all the usual grumbles from Aussie rules advocates about this just being a passing fad here, but I don't think so. There's real momentum. Our Asian Cup stuff starts very soon. Once the cup's over, let's start a regular football thread.

This for me is the story of the tournament and largely why I am a happy Australian supporter. And for all their brilliance. individual and otherwise, those super powers who have departed deserve their fate.

I agree. This is even truer in light of subsequent results involving "powers" such as England, Sweden, Netherlands, Brazil etc etc. Onwards and upwards for us from here on in. I can be very much the "half full" sort when I want to, so I can agree with the growing view that the tragic 1-0 loss to Italy could actually be the best thing that ever happened to Australian soccer - it's already part of our sports folklore. Had we got to the semi-finals - quite probable given Ukraine's capitulation to Italy - it would would have been magnificent but perhaps lessened any incentive for the future. As it is, we've now got a real beaut of a chip on our shoulder to inspire us for next time. As I said before, there's a lot of retirements coming up and a new coach to find, as well as real nitty gritty stuff like youth development, Asian Cup, Beijing and so on. And keeping a close eye on the 150 or so Aussies playing In Europe. BTW, how may Americans doing likewise? Despite being on hols with my son, I've managed to watch most games. Fleeting impressions: England and Brazil, never in it really; Argentina and Spain, found out at last. For obvious reasons, I'll be rooting for Germany against Italy. As for France-Portugal, the French are playing like the Brazilians of this tournament!

And so it goes ... congrats to Italy, I'm not sure they deserved to win, but they defended brilliantly. And the Aussies did not deserve to win, suspect PK notwithstanding. With all those chances and a one-man advantage, they shoulda dun better. Still, it's been fantastic. Is Ghana the only underdog still standing? Go Ghana! Echoing a column in this morning's Melbourne Age: I'm quite the purist when it comes to tampering with goalmouth width or the offisde rule, but too many games here seem to have been decided the the refs. I'm down the coast with Bennie, with just a small TV in our cabin and about half our larder ready to cook up a storm, so I'm not sure how much I'm gonna catch in the next few days. It feels a little better being ousted AFTER the likes of the Netherlands! I'd like to be able to say we'll be back better next time, but I'm not so sure. A lot of our guys, who have been playing together since they were boys, are headed for the retirement sidelines. So the next World Cup campaign will look a lot different. Soccer, though, now has a far more prominent and permanent place in Australia's sports life and my own personally (pay TV here I come).

Well Scott. I reckon that's a pretty darn silly way of looking at it. This is the kind of trouble I'm sure some folkses - the US, Czechs and South Koreans, for example - wish they were in. Easy there, mate! I think it was just Scott's way of saying which teams he thought would bow out in this round. He may be right or wrong about each one, but I wouldn't call it silly to phrase it that way. Oh, and I give Australia a decent chance of upsetting Italy, fwiw. I hope they do, in fact... just don't expect it. Jim - my response to Scott was delivered with a light heart. Just looking on the bright side was all. And I understood what he was saying, but it simply didn't register with me. Trouble? Yeah I know, but truly the Aussies are winners no matter tonight's result. Melbourne and Australia is agog and trembling with anticipation. There are strong doubts about Kewell's fitness, but with Hiddink - who knows? Yes - a decent chance, but one I don't expect to be fulfilled. Hope? Yes. And certainly I will be dismayed if the Australians don't make more of match of it than the disappointing Ecuador. And England. On a more reflective level, it's fascinating to observe the social and cultural ramifications of all this in Australia. On a personal level, and like many others, I have a feeling of completeness, of coming home that started with the successful introduction of our A-League. The process continued with entry to Asia, qualification for the World Cup, Hiddink's appointment. With Asian Cup matches following closely after the World Cup, "normal transmission will not be resumed", as FFA head John O'Neill put it. It's unbelievable watching Aussie Rules being reduced to a rump sport in the guts of winter. And I feel a sense of wonder and excruciating terror that I've had only mere tastes of before via the Melbourne Storm (rugby league) or even the All Blacks (NZ rugby union). Here in Melbourne, there is a strong feeling that our huge Italian community is strongly behind the Socceroos. Especially the younger generations, but also many of the elders. That would hardly have been the case a decade ago. And of course for almost all of them, it's a win-win situation anyway.

Well Scott. I reckon that's a pretty darn silly way of looking at it. This is the kind of trouble I'm sure some folkses - the US, Czechs and South Koreans, for example - wish they were in. And remember who mastermided the Italians' expulsion last time 'round? Guus Hiddink. Although I realise, of course, that three of the teams you name are now gone! Go the underdogs! Looking at the lineup for the last 16, I'm actually a little staggered at the company Australia is keeping. The value/income factor for all the players has changed radically already.

Fair enough, Jim. However, that goalmouth pileup seemed pretty innocent to me. And the ref missed two darned obvious penalties in the Croatia game - Viduka was rugby tackled in the first half, and there was a clear hand ball in the second. Like others here, I am bemused by the continuing vibe about "physicality" that continues to haunt the Australian team. The Brazilians and the Japanese both carried on about it, but from where I sit they don't seem any worse than some other, more high-profile teams. Besides, you shoulda seen the Socceroos of yesteryear - before Hiddink made something of them. It's quite crazy here - the Croatians had three Oz-born players in their side; the Aussies have seven players with Croat background. I expect the Croat community here will swing behind the Socceroos now. Like no doubt many others, I'm simply happy we're next playing Italy - rather than Ghana. Italy may well be a hurdle too high for us, but I feel that in a sudden death situation, we at least have a chance. Italy hasn't been so flash - just getting the job done, like the Australians. Playing Ghana? Blimey, I wouldn't like our chances.

Bye guys - enjoy the rest of the tournament! I'm off work for two weeks dues to school holidays. Oh yes ineedy - two weeks of reading, cooking, listening and goofing with my 5-y-o Bennie, and a whole shotload of World cup watching. But I'll only be able to check in here a coupla times a week to commiserate, gloat, yahoo, whatever. Prediction: Brazil 2 Australia 0. But ya never know ya luck, do ya?

One of the wonderful unexplainables of football: That a player sent off so often has so little impact on the game, at least in terms of enhancing the prospects of the non-penalised side.

No, no, no - you simply are failing to understand. During the World Cup, EVERYONE is an expert. Funnily enough, I find the comments, humour and analysis on this thread superior to that I find on a couple of spelcialist football forums I lurk on. Soccer tragics are even duller than jazz tragics. Hand me that anorak!

Dmitry - you may well be right, but truth is that result alone is pure glory after endless years of the sort of results (and, worse, performances) the likes of which the US guys are lamenting) from Australia. (Memo to kenny from kenny: "Must not get too excited; MUST stay calm; must act as if self don't care from here on in; must act like pure sports fan, enjoying the games and never mind the result; must ..... FUCK THAT! Go Socceroos! Go Aussie Guus!)

Hey, still here! (explanation: I refuse to have a computer at home, lest I do even less reading, listening, playing with my son, cooking etc). So I'm online during my four-day working week - Wednesday-Saturday. Thanks guys! Our game was a freaking blast. The ref actually apologised for allowing the Japan goal, both to goalie Schwarzer and (sort of) later on. It was bloody amazing. Funnily enough, though, I was nervous but never in despair. It was late, but pretty damn calculated for all that. I booked a wake-up call so's I could watch Brazil-Coatia, but slept through it, so have no idea how sharp the Croations looked - that's likely going to be a crunch game for us. We have a bunch of yellow cards, so there's going to be a lot of debate whether those guys should be rested for Sunday's match with Brazil, and saved for Croatia. I've seen a bunch of other matches - loved the Trindad game. Scrappy football, amazing game. Watched the first half of Czech-US. man I feel sorry for you guys, they looked pretty bad. Or was it just that the Czechs are so freaking scary?

Yeah, well like a host of Australians, I have a long history of misery with the Socceroos and a whole bunch of baggage. So it's only fitting, pre-game, that I work myself into a mood of outright pessimism and gloom. What exquisite masochism!

How depressing. I really enjoyed Poland/Ecuador and thought the standard was pretty high, particularly with the winners. My main thought was: "Australia has no hope in this sort of company.

Many label problems if you look at his recording career as a whole. Maybe a Select would be the go if there are any Atlantic session leftovers. A Proper New Orleans multi-artist box from quite a few years ago had a whole disc from various session. Also, there's even more repertoire than with, say, Monk. Closest thing is probably the four-disc set on Bear Family that has all of Smiley Lewis's stuff. Dang, must get that one day - that cat could sing and some.

That there's a notion with which Christianity power brokers have always been on working terms.

Well, yeah, sure, some, but.... You'd be surprised how many "real" Christians have reached similar conclusions. And there's suggestion that many early Christians were of a similar bent. I meant the ones who righteously believe their definition is the right and only one, that narrow focus actually being - as you imply - a relatively recent one.

Interesting and - IMO - intelliegent answers you two. Funny thing is, to "real" Christians I'm sure all that marks you both as heathen unbelievers of a real bad kind.