Aberlour10

I do not know what a right is. I only know that I would greatly prefer to live in a country where everybody has health care. I agree. Let's take Germany for example, the avarage employee pays about 7% of his monthly income for health insurance, if he/she does not sign it by private company. ( the rate = about 14%, the half of it pays the employer) I think, its not so much if we know, that this insurance included health service for his wife and children. Unemployed people have the same services.(paid by goverment)

I voted for "something genius": I don't know which bid it is, but I would call it:The Bowie Relay :) Robert

I have been watching the double DVD of Floyd guitarist David Gilmour -"Remember That Night: Live At The Royal Albert Hall"....incl. amazing version of "Comfortably Numb" with David Bowie as a guest star. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5ppxerxC3g Robert

I remember, somebody posted in Forums about successfully 24-hours-play-in-MBC "solo" attempt 3 or 4 years ago Robert

I do it always first after I logged in Forums :blink: ...simply to see what is todays a hot "headline topic" Robert

Traditions. There were a very few possibilities in Poland to learn other systems before online bridge started. The things began to change since BBO went online and several hundreds of Poles are logged every time. I suppose more than a half of them have not only "WJ" in their profiles but SAYC or 2/1 or Precision etc too. But it's true, if 2 Poles play together, they still prefer to play Polish Club. Robert

I have not seen our great organizer & TD, Jillybean posting in Forums for a very long time :( , so maybe someone else will take it in his/her hands at the end of the year? Robert

I think one of those: The Star-Spangled Banner, La Marseillaise, God save the Queen or Das Deutschlandlied

If we compare bridge to other sport disciplines and define "world class player" similar we do to basketball, soccer etc...I think, there are not more than 100 such players in world bridge. Robert

Well, another year is gone, how about finishing it with 16 boards for ex. on Saturday, 29th December? :( Robert

Yes, Sumo wrestling is my specialty. I am happy to learn that you got women involved in the UK. My only wish is that they are bit slimmer than the guys in Japan. Roland I thought your speciality is the pole vault. Once you said to kibitzers, you achived 1,24 m in pole vault, and that is a great result if we know that the best among the chessplayers jumped world record = only 1,09 m :) :) Robert

You are of course right, its cover from cover :)

I have discovered on YouTube a great cover of Jimi Hendirx's "Hey Joe" performed live by The Experience, Steve Winwood & Slash at The Jimi Hendrix Tribute. Amazing! :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3Mm3WPw2Xs...related&search=

Germany had as ever pretty fortunate draft, I think, they did not become a "deadly" group once in the last 100 years :) Robert

Have you ever tried to sail a ship with captains only? It works better is you have a few sailors too. There were always great captains in Dutch team, enough great sailors too, the problem was quite often.... they worked together like a "team" from H.M.S Bounty.... Robert

I get quite often in troubles after such opening playing in polish tournaments vs polish club partnerships. Do you know useful defence against it? links? infos? Thanks :) Robert

A nice blog, Helene :) It had to be pleasure to work in Leiden this old dutch charming city, I wish I had more time to "discover" this town during my last year visit in Netherlands. Robert

I am sure that, Senator McCarthy's The House Un-American Activities Committee (if still exists) would have the same opinion. Robert

I would like to suggest to keep the locked thread "artifical" at the top of the Water Cooler for a moment. I think the content is important for the "new" people(user) who want to overlook this case and a discussion about it. Otherwise it will disappear very fast at site 2 or 3. Robert

The prices for food in Germany exploded formally in last few months, especially for milk products, meat and fresh vegetables, the cheapest sort of butter from 0,79€ to 1,19€ (250g), fresh milk from 0,49€ to 0,75€ (1l) for example...the prices for fuel, gas and electric power become astronomic dimensions, but the goverment says that the official inflation rate = still 2-3%. :blink: Robert

In the case of Team Poland all of these elements. There are donations from the main sponsor of the Polish Bridge Union ( biggest software company in the country ), a part from the member fees (PBU), and special goverment's rewards for " top 3 achievements" in the international championships.( open, women,seniors, juniors ) Robert

....beacuse there are still 1 000 001 things in this game I have to learn, to spot, to try, to manage :) Robert

I voted for "some signs are appropriate" Why? My opinion is not a view of a lawyer, it isn't usable for any WBF rules, it's more a personal feeling... in the same situation if a few persons would unfold a huge black banner with hate on their faces, to provoke a political scandal, I would say "zero tolerance for such behavior" All I saw was a nice lady, with the smile in her face, holding a small piece of paper with her personal standing. I did not feel she wantend to provoke something or somebody... or to change this ceremony to a political demonstration. Robert

Congratulations for Team Norway and all BBO members from this country :P Photo album from the Closing Ceremony... http://www.pzbs.pl/wyniki/2007/zagranica/b.../f08/index.html Robert

Hi all There are surely some topics about this theme based on defined hands, but I would like to ask our BBF experts for (more) general thoughts, an intermediate player would be able to follow. Robert