Dmitry

Just got Al Casey's BUCK JIMPIN'. My oh my! I love this album. I'd like to find out more about the Swingville label and you are just the guys for the job.

Dmitry, the uproar, the disappointment, the utter disgust that many U.S. fans feel is not due to the fact that we lost. It's all about the way we lost- the way we played. Playing like that, we would have lost to Angola, Trinidad & Tobago, Togo... you name it. THAT is why people are upset. The Czechs are an excellent squad, and they definitely showed it, so it's not about disrespecting who they are and what they did. Jim, I am guilty of not being a fan of the US soccer team [never followed their games, don't know much about them, don't follow MLS Soccer. I was born and raised on the best European and South American teams of the 1980s]. They look like a solid, yet average group with no star players among them, hence my prior diagnosis. I suppose they could play a heck of a lot more cohesively, though. Let's see what happens.

Yes, check out the ESPN2 HD. On my dial it is channel 700.something. Today's HDTV schedule - 2006 FIFA World Cup presented by Adidas (HD) South Korea vs Togo Frankfurt, , Germany First Round 8:55 am to 11:00 am World Cup Live (HD) 11:00 am to 11:55 am 2006 FIFA World Cup presented by Adidas (HD) France vs Switzerland Stuttgart, , Germany First Round 11:55 am to 2:00 pm World Cup Live (HD) 2:00 pm to 2:55 pm 2006 FIFA World Cup presented by Adidas (HD) Brazil vs Croatia Berlin, , Germany First Round 2:55 pm to 5:00 pm

Scott, I also got the HD package specifically for the World Cup, and so far I've been more than happy. We have Cox Cable here, they're showing most games in HD. Like you said, the WOW factor is nothing short of breathtaking.

Slightly Off-Topic .... Has anyone been watching these matches in HDTV [high definition television]? ABC is airing pretty much all the games in HDTV and it's amazing!!! Being that I'm at work when the games are shown live, I record them on my cable box's digital hard drive recorder and get to comfortably sit back and watch the games at night in glorious HDTV. It's almost like being there...aside from the cretinous commentators.

Re:Performance of the US side. Let's open up our eyes and call a spade a spade. US played against one of the best teams in the world, and lost by [only] 3 goals. No real upset here. US is a 2nd tier team and got what was expected. I was real impressed by Ghana and of course the Italian team. So far, Italy, along with Argentina and the Czechs have left the best impression on me. Re:Japan vs. Australia. Neither team will advance, imo.

This match was like a soccer revival meeting to renew the faith in the religion of Football! Argentina looks like the strongest team so far. I was sorry to see Ivory Coast defeated. They have enthusiasm indeed but their defense seemed a bit confused! Great game! Arfentina certainly looked like a solid, well-crafted team, reminded me of the Italians ca. 1980s, Enzo Bearzot's team with Paolo Rossi. I loved the Cote D'Ivoire team! My hat's off to them!

Yep, as usual, the announcing skills of the American talking heads sucked bollocks. I had to switch to Univision for that very reason. I don't understand much Spanish, but at least they had fire in the way they talked about the game. Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Agreed. I expected more from the much hyped English side. If not for the Paraguay's own goal in the early minutes, this game may have gone into over-time with uncertain outcome. 1st half was way more interesting to watch than the 2nd, with the English executing some of their famed skill. 2nd half would be more fun if Paraguay scored. Much like Poland and Ecuador, they lack a core of star players, and will not[should not] advance. I was most disappointed in Crouch [no jazz pun intended].

Germany-Costa Rica 4:2 As I told my patients today, peaking every few minutes into the waiting room tv to check the score, "World Cup is like five Super Bowls". This game proved why. Ecuador-Poland 2:0 Poles did it to themselves. I saw 2 sloppy teams with lack of skill. Neither has a prayer.

How much you got? I got some loose change I found in my couch the other day. Enough for a popsicle and the AEOC box. Um. Can I borrow your couch? I forgot to mention that my uncle Feodor was sleeping on the couch when I found that loose change there...amazing coincidence!!!

How much you got? I got some loose change I found in my couch the other day. Enough for a popsicle and the AEOC box.

Excellent!!! Congratulations from the old city of Riga!!!!

How much are we talking about here?

I hear you on the flowers. There might be an explanation - these flowers are flowers that most often grew in the areas of combat, I'd think they carry more significance than the elaboarate floral arrangements. Just my take on this.

Victory Day in Gorky Park It's pretty emotional stuff, at least for me...

I'm no President, but I'll take Brotzmann over Butman any milisecond of any day.

:bad: ...coming soon to a dentist office near you... (with apologies to Dmitry ) Tell me about it! Knowning that I liked to play jazz at the office, one of my patients gave me a Jim Brickman cd, aptly titled No Words [awful piano music]. Another gave me a Chris Botti cd and a Kenny G cd. Which totally blows, since I have to keep these cds now, because they expect me to play them whenever they come to get their teeth fixed. It's like your aunt giving you an ugly painting that she expects you to put on the most prominent wall space in your house, so that she can lmarvel at it every time she comes over.

This is just wonderful! Thank you for posting the link.

I just listened to an hour of streaming audio from this woman's website and I don't see what the big deal is about... Nothing special, imo.

From: Katherine Gogel-Stubblefield Date: May 23, 2006 11:28:41 PM EDT Subject: Hilton Ruiz greetings all, sorry to be bringer of such news... Hilton Ruiz is in a New Orleans hospital in a coma. I need to send out an email message to be passed on telling people what has happened and to ask for everyone's prayers and healing thoughts. He has been in hospital five days now... that would be he went in on Friday, 19 May. He was punched hard in the face, all his face bones were broken, he collapsed, was taken in ambulance to hospital, on route he had cardiac arrest..... Hilton is in a coma, on life support in intensive care unit of a New Orleans hospital. The condition is extremely serious. The doctors are taking very good care of him. I have spoken to Aida his wife, and to Aida his daughter, who are both there with him, by his side, holding his hand, speaking to him, pouring out their love and asking him to pull through. Both Aida's ask that everyone pray for Hilton's recovery. We also ask that prayers be for them, sending them strength and courage for all they are going through. Send LOVE, the greatest healer of all. If anyone wants to get in touch with me, that is fine. I will do my best to respond. my email: johnstub2445@yahoo.com On Wednesday, 17 May, here in New York City, Hilton had just finished a recording dedicated to and to benefit the musicians and people of New Orleans, who had suffered so terribly from the effects of Hurricaine Katrina last year. He then flew down to New Orleans to make a promotion video for the recording. We are all truly shocked and devastated at learning that he is now in such a dire situation. Let us let the universe know that we believe Hilton is strong and will soon be back in New York City and at his home in New Jersey surrounded by the many who love and cherish him. peace and harmony through music, Katherine Gogel-Stubblefield

Estland, Lettland, etc - I know that these were the names the Nazis called these occupied countries or is that how they're still called in German? sorry to offend you... while writing I realized that I had to write the countries' English names but didn't realize I had already gotten one wrong... what Estland means is (*surprise*) land of the Ests which is not an especially imperialistic way to name it... i am to dumb to read the country's official website http://www.riik.ee/et/ but they sure don't call their country Estonia themselves - rather looks as if they call it Eesti. besides, as couw remarked many German families (including that of my girlfriend) come from that region and you just don't call the place where you (her grandparents) were born by its new name but by the name it used to have when you were young (that doesn't have anything to do with wanting it back!)... niko I wasn't offended in the least, just curious of the Baltic countries names in German. Lithuanians don't call their country Lithuania, they call it Lietuva, Finns call theirs Suomi, etc. Danke, camarad.

Estland, Lettland, etc - I know that these were the names the Nazis called these occupied countries or is that how they're still called in German?

Aside from Carmela's little trip [i.e. 30 min. of last episode] it was almost good. Now we have to wait 2 weeks for the final episode. The only justification for this crappy season would be an hour-long blood bath between the 2 families.

I'll be a voice of dissent here, read the book, quite disliked it [nothing to do with subject matter]. It was some lame writing and the plot sucked. In short, it had all the makings of a Holywood thriller.