Aberlour10

Your favorite painting......I know, its not easy for anybody to choose a one between so many that we like.... but if you really have to....let us post them directly as some kind of The Water Cooler Art Gallery...it will be interesting to see...whom, which style or age the members prefer. I am a great fan of the flemish and dutch painting form XV-XVII century, and choose "Enjoying the Ice" ( about 1630-34) by dutch painter Hendrick Avercamp. ( Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam ) Robert http://we-english.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/enjoying-the-ice-avercamp.jpg

FIFA, under the leadership of the current boss looks more like a business company than a sport association. The markets, the sponsors, the money, are the all determining factors in every important move of this organisation. And Asia is the fastest growing "market" in todays football.... Robert

I try to guess..one of this must be right! a) They have discovered a huge oil fields off-shore ;) b] NZ's wines have beaten all these famous Bordeaux's at The Paris Wine Trade Show :P c) Kiwi alpinists have climbed all 14 8000ers within a week! B) d) They have qualified for major event in a game with a very unfamiliar and strange rules :unsure:

GM decided not to sell Opel and Vauxhall to the Magna Holding. In this case, they have to pay back €1,5 billions bail out to the german goverment till 30 Novemeber. Is GM already so wealthy for such amount of cash?....I wonder... Robert

Her strategy is quite simple. Never polarize! Be always non-committal, let your knights (minister) to be pro or contra something, I stand always "im the middle of"! Her newest nickname>>>> Teflon-Angie says all: she gives very less opportunity for political attacks. Sure, its very successfull for the retention of power, but is it good for the country too? Robert

Some feel that Applebaum should be required to disclose her husbands' business interests any time she comments on Polanski... The same, any time she comments on polish-russian relationships. She thinks like her husband in old pure "cold war categories", They write and talk about....if 100 000 russian tanks still stand directly at the polish border . People like them and many more from our "political eiltes" see Russia as our eternal enemy, no matter what the russians really do. The chance to prosper, to profit from our geopolitical stand between East and West is thrown away by people like them. Robert

First...welcome to the forums! I am sure if you stay longer at the BBo you learn fast to handle with these problems, you will get a " look" how to avoid to step from one "dead table" to another. On this occassion I would like to suggest smth. concerning Main Bridge Club. I play very often there at the random chosen tables, from my experience many of these "dead tables" exist because member use this way to avoid to be logged out, due to their inactivity. How about.... to give these people a possibilty to handle this in other way..in options?( maybe for one day long?)...whatever. I know, this "inactivity function" must stay for general membership, as a standard. Robert

Here in BBF are only 10 rating-system-topics / a year allowed. I am afraid this limit is already reached for this year :)

Maybe more people will be able to take part at the end of the year..between the seasons for ex.? Robert

I have read about some tests with W7 and older PC's. They run it without any problems even on an "old" 1GHz machines, various older lap tops, etc... Robert

Windows 7 is available now, any private experiences with it here in Forums? There are prevailing very postive opinions in german specialist publications about working of W7 in their testing procedures. Robert

But being aware of it does not decrease the handicap. So they have to live with that, you say? I would say they have to. Most bridge tournaments (we are talking here about) are public events run by public organizations, so you have to live with the public, no matter if its off- or on-line. Robert

Nec Hercules contra (IOC)plures! ;)

This decision of the Nobel Committee reflects generally European standing in view of the USA, we tend to fall from one extreme to another in this case, from extremely negative view at "8 years of Bush's darkness" to a period of extremely high hopes concerning Obama's presidency. I think...to keep more aloof would avoid many disappointments later. Robert

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8298580.stm

I am not very familiar with the history of the US Trials.... Has ever been there a try to "split" the trials and find the teams USA1 & USA2 in two different ways/formats? Robert

It might be out of topic...but just 2cents...from the sight of the average Europeans. Its hard to belive what is going on in todays USA on this topic.. mass hysteria, devils, communists,...only to recognize what a modern state need. Were Bismarck and the Kaiser Wilhelm communists as he recognized it and reformed the state introducing the obligatory health care system 1883....which works in his basics till now. Robert

Same here. After college finishing I played with a couple of friends rubber bridge on the beach, late windy afternoon, a lot of beer and fun B) I remember the contract was 5♦ xx..and on the second last trick a strong blast of wind blew all lying cards in the sand. The declarer claimed cool he would take 11 tricks for sure, a lot of discussion, the Appeal Committee held a long meeting in the strand bar with more beer and fun :D After so many years, if we meet occasionally, it lasts not very long till somebody says: You did not take 11 tricks! ;) Robert

A pretty funny idea for a music video: Life in Technicolor by Coldplay ;)

Europeans show in BB good performance, all teams in the top8 at the moment. Robert

I think that's a mild overbid but I'll be surprised if they qualify. nickf sydney Hi Nick, seriously don't you think this is the worst team to ever represent Australia? The performance in only one short match says not so much...but at least a "dream start" vs USA1, wd Australia! Robert

Reading it, I recognize how relaxing it was in the last 6 months... not to have listen or read anything about GW's thoughts. Robert

100 lat! :blink: & Za zdrowie Solenizantki....! http://jenniferechols.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/lm-champagne-glasses.jpg

Tja Bridge in Biarritz it sounds always very very noble, what a foux pas!!

Simply because nobody is (and will be ) able to manage 100m, 200m 4x100m and all this qualifies + finals in 400m. If you watched yesterday slowmotions you saw he looked really tired. Robert