GA Russell

Thanks kh!

Even at 100%, I can't read it on my monitor. Does he say anything intereresting?

I like the suggestions regarding using them in the dryer. http://lifehackery.com/2008/03/22/50-great...h-tennis-balls/

It occurs to me that Easter is a holiday which is not associated with drinking alcohol!

I'm pretty sure I had an album by Maneige. I'll have to check my database. The album I'm thinking of was great, but maybe it was by another band.

The Globe & Mail broke the story that the league is fairly close to issueing an Ottawa franchise to 67s owner Jeff Hunter. I don't disbelieve it, but my feeling is that, as Donald Trump used to say, there's no deal till there's a deal. The plan is for the team to start in 2010. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Ott...058366-sun.html ***** Here's as eight minute video from YouTube of the 2007 Grey Cup: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqAviCncNjo

What do the stars mean?

Chuck, you will enjoy this one, The Best Goals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCdcAfXsom0...feature=related Kenny, what's with some of the refs wearing green shirts? Do they no longer wear the white coats and hats?

Paul Scofield died yesterday. Here is his AP obituary: http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-...1,7630021.story British actor Paul Scofield dies at 86 ReutersBritish actor Paul Scofield won an Academy Award for the 1966 film "A Man for All Seasons." From the Associated Press 6:41 AM PDT, March 20, 2008 London -- Paul Scofield, the towering British stage actor who won international fame and an Academy Award for the film "A Man for All Seasons," has died. He was 86. Scofield died Wednesday in a hospital near his home in southern England, agent Rosalind Chatto said. He had been suffering from leukemia. Paul Scofield click to enlarge Photo Gallery Paul Scofield | 1922-2008 Scofield made few films even after the Oscar for his 1966 portrayal of Sir Thomas More, the Tudor statesman executed for treason in 1535 after clashing with King Henry VIII. He was a stage actor by inclination and by his gifts -- a dramatic, craggy face and an unforgettable voice that was likened to a Rolls-Royce starting up or the rumbling sound of low organ pipes. Even his greatest screen role was a follow up to a play -- the London stage production of "A Man for All Seasons," in which he starred for nine months. Scofield also turned in a performance in the 1961 New York production that won him extraordinary reviews and a Tony Award. "With a kind of weary magnificence, Scofield sinks himself into the part, studiously underplays it, and somehow displays the inner mind of a man destined for sainthood," Time magazine said. Scofield's huge success with "A Man for All Seasons" was followed in 1979 by another great historical stage role, as composer Antonio Salieri in "Amadeus." Actor Richard Burton, once regarded as the natural heir to Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud at the summit of British theater, said it was Scofield who deserved that place. "Of the 10 greatest moments in the theater, eight are Scofield's," he said. Scofield's rare films included Edward Albee's "A Delicate Balance" in 1974; Kenneth Branagh's 1989 production of "Henry V," in which he played the king of France; "Quiz Show," Robert Redford's film about the 1950s TV scandal in which Scofield played poet Mark Van Doren; and the 1996 adaptation of Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible." Scofield was an unusual star -- a family man who lived almost his entire life within a few miles of his birthplace and hurried home after work to his wife and children. He didn't seek the spotlight, gave interviews sparingly, and at times seemed to need coaxing to venture out, even onto the stage he loved. But, he insisted in The Sunday Times in 1992, "my reclusiveness is a myth. ... Yes, I've turned down quite a lot of parts. At my age you need to weed things out, but the idea that I can't be bothered anymore with acting -- that's quite absurd. Acting is all I can do. An actor: That's what I am." Scofield reportedly had been offered a knighthood, but declined. "It is just not an aspect of life that I would want," he once said. "If you want a title, what's wrong with Mr.?" In 2001, however, he was named a Companion of Honor, one of the country's top honors, limited to 65 living people. His temperament, too, was unexpected in an actor who remained at the very top of his profession. "It is hard not to be Polyanna-ish about Paul because he is such a manifestly good man, so humane and decent, and curiously void of ego," said director Richard Eyre, former artistic director of Britain's National Theatre. "All the pride he has is channeled through the thing that he does brilliantly." David Paul Scofield was born Jan. 21, 1922, son of the village schoolmaster in Hurstpierpoint, 8 miles from the south coast of England. When he married actress Joy Parker in 1943, they settled only 10 miles north, in the country village of Balcombe, where they reared their son and daughter and where Scofield was in easy striking distance of London's West End theaters. Scofield trained at the Croydon Repertory Theater School and London's Mask Theater School before World War II. Barred from service for medical reasons, he toured in plays, entertaining troops and acting in repertory in factory towns around the country. Throughout the 1940s, he worked repertory and in London and Stratford in plays ranging from Shakespeare and Shaw to Steinbeck and Chekhov. In his 20s, he worked with director Peter Brook, touring as Hamlet in 1955. The collaboration included the stage adaptation of Graham Greene's "The Power and the Glory" in 1956, which Gielgud regarded as Scofield's greatest performance. His later stage appearances included "Heartbreak House" in 1992 and the 1996 National Theatre production of Ibsen's "John Gabriel Borkman." He is survived by his wife and children.

Thanks Kenny! 150 years is a long time! Rugby football was brought over to Canada in the 1860s by the British army officers (Montreal) and civil servants Toronto). May I assume that the same occurred in Australia?

The Lions traded Pikula today to the Eskimos for the 18th pick in the draft. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/BC/...5062066-cp.html ***** Here's a surprise. The Stampeders have cut Scott Coe. With an unsatisfactory defense last year, the Stamps are letting go of their linebackers (first Clark, now Coe). http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Cal...5050721-cp.html

David, I once read an old French saying that I try to keep in mind: A money wound is not fatal. Good luck and best wishes!

Congratulations on the baby Jim! The project sounds exciting. I'll be looking forward to hearing that "live in the studio" sound!

Thanks Paul and VB.

Thanks, Guy. A college classmate of mine named Mike Mortara invented something about mortgages when he was with Goldman Sachs. I think he invented the CDO. I know he became very wealthy as a result, but he died (I think of heart failure) fairly young.

Where is the "my profile" link to view one's own as Chuck did? I don't see it.

Thanks, Dave and aloc. I had thought it was the way aloc described it, and maybe that was the way it was commonly pronounced. But it's good to see that reference to his correcting people to pronounce it la-Zwah.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b55a0d64-f523-11...0077b07658.html Apple mulls unlimited music bundle By Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson in London Published: March 18 2008 22:01 | Last updated: March 18 2008 22:01 Apple is in discussions with the big music companies about a radical new business model that would give customers free access to its entire iTunes music library in exchange for paying a premium for its iPod and iPhone devices. The "all you can eat" model, a replica of Nokia's "comes with music" deal with Universal Music last December, could provide the struggling recorded music industry with a much-needed fillip, and drive demand for a new generation of Apple's hardware. Apple would not comment on the plan, but executives familiar with the negotiations said they hinged on a dispute over the price the computer maker would be willing to pay for access to the labels' libraries. Nokia is understood to be offering almost $80 per handset to music industry partners, to be divided according to their share of the market. However, Apple has so far offered only about $20 per device, two executives said. "It's who blinks first, and whether or not anyone does blink," one executive said. Detailed market research has shown strong appetite among consumers for deals bundling music in with the cost of the device, or in exchange for a monthly subscription, executives said. One executive said the research had shown that consumers would pay a premium of up to $100 for unlimited access to music for the lifetime of the device, or a monthly fee of $7-$8 for a subscription model. Apple, which is thought to make relatively little money from the iTunes store compared with its hardware sales, is also understood to be examining a subscription model. Subscriptions would work only for its iPhone devices, where it has a monthly billing relationship with customers through the mobile phone operators offering the device, while the "comes with music" model would work with iPhones and with iPods. The subscription models under discussion in the music industry include the provision for customers to keep up to 40 or 50 tracks a year, which they would retain even if they changed their device or their subscription lapses. Other music groups are understood to be in talks with Nokia, which is keen to sign up as many of the major labels as possible before launching its first "comes with music" devices in the second half of this year. edit to fix copying problem

I thought for sure that I had told this story, but I haven't found it, so I'll tell it now. When I spoke with Bob Purkey, I mentioned to him that I remembered an article I read in Baseball Digest when I was a boy that went as follows: There was at that time a rule in MLB which prohibited a position player from pitching. (The rule could be excused ahead of time for promotional purposes, when it would be advertised that a player would play all nine positions that game. I remember one of the Twins did that in the late 60s. I don't remember if the time Jose Canseco blew his arm out pitching was an example of that or not. Perhaps today the rule has been completed rescinded.) Anyway, as the story went, the rule was established because the Giants manager Bill Rigney was tired of Willie Mays getting thrown at. He told the press one day that the next time the Giants face Bob Purkey, he was going to bring Mays in from center field to pitch to him. Purkey acted a little insulted or indignant, and said that he had never deliberately thrown at anybody, and he did not acknowledge ever hearing that story! Bob Purkey was one of my favorite National Leaguers when I was a boy, so it was a very pleasant surprise for me to speak with him. I had his bubble gum card in 1959 and 1960 when he was with the Reds. The obit says that his best year was 1962, but as I recall he also had a great year in '61 when he led the Reds to the pennant. Purkey died Sunday. Here's his AP obituary from USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/20...rkey-obit_N.htm Bob Purkey, pitcher for Reds, Pirates, dies at 78 document.write(niceDate('3/19/2008 1:28 Bob Purkey, pitcher for Reds, Pirates, dies at 78 BETHEL PARK, Pa. (AP) — Bob Purkey, a Major League pitcher who played in three All Star games and one World Series with the Cincinnati Reds, has died. He was 78. Purkey, of Bethel Park, died Sunday, according to the Paul L. Henney Funeral Home in Bethel Park. Purkey pitched for 13 seasons, from 1954-1966, for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, and St. Louis Cardinals. He compiled a 129-115 career record with a 3.79 ERA. He spent four seasons with the Pirates before moving onto the Reds, for whom he appeared in three All-Star Games (1958, 1961, 1962) and the 1961 World Series. In the '61 series, Purkey pitched a complete Game 3, which the Yankees won, 3-2. He was used in relief later in the series and had an ERA of 1.64 over 11 innings. The Yankees won the series three games to one. Purkey's best season was in 1962, when he was 23-5 with a 2.81 ERA and 18 complete games. Purkey was 103-76 in 217 starts over seven seasons with the Cincinnati (1958-64) and was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame in 1974. The Reds planned to honor Purkey with a moment of silence before Tuesday's game against the Pirates at the Reds spring training facility in Sarasota, Fla. After baseball, Purkey started an insurance agency, which he owned for more than 30 years until he retired. He also raised money for charities and was involved with the Pittsburgh Pirates Alumni Association. Purkey is survived by his daughter, Candy Holland, and was preceded in death by his wife, Joan, and their son, Bobby Jr. edit to fix copying problems

Thanks, BeBop. I would have preferred to see brands rather than corporations. Interesting that Cadbury Schweppes beat out Coke and Pepsi.

Why did they invade in the first place? Does Tibet have natural resources which China can exploit? I've never seen any advantage for China's being there. Maybe Tibet has good military locations from China's perspective.

The Stampeders have cut Brian Clark. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Cal...947871-sun.html ***** The Bombers have signed Ryan Dinwiddie to a new contract. http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/CFL/Win...5041731-cp.html

Happy Birthday, o knotted one!

My great-grandmother was an Irish immigrant named Dacey. She married an Italian immigrant named Parziale. Not sure precisely of the years they came over. About 1870, I think.

Chris, I see that the website says that it is not an Apple product, but a "generic". Is that legal? Sounds lke a counterfeit to me, but what do I know?