Great article, loved it!

Just to answer the question from the previous writer asking about why GB compete in the Olympics, but England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland participate separately in FIFA/UEFA sanctioned competition...

I had wondered about that too, but then I took a job in England and learned the horrible truth.

In order to secure British participation in events such as the FIFA World Cup and the UEFA European Championships back in the day, and in view of Britain's heritage as the "Home of Football", FIFA and UEFA agreed to separate fooballing identities for each of the four countries.

The ironic upshot of all of this is that Britain has never entered a soccer team in the Summer Olympics...a directly causal side-effect of the ruling that allows them to keep separate footballing identities.

Anyway, roll on the Olymiade Invernale!.../Taras (one of the Canadians who regularly beats you up for not writing more about the CFL!)

Just saying "I didn't do it" worked for Bart...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bart_Gets_Famous

Life immitates art, again.../Taras

War Room writes: "George W. Bush has a plan to address the staggeringly high prices Americans are paying at the pump..."

You think *you* pay "staggeringly high" gas prices?!

If you believe gaspricewatch.com, the average US pump price is $2.91 per gallon.

Here in deepest, darkest Buckinghamshire, England, 25 miles from central London, the rough average price at the pumps is £0.90 per litre, based solely on observation of the prices posted around local stations.

At 3.79 litres to the US gallon, that's £3.41 per gallon and at the current spot rate from CNN of $1.82 to the UK pound sterling, we can estimate the current average UK pump price to be $6.21 per gallon.

That's more than double what you're paying now.

Re: "Mrs. Bush, after New Orleans, why not stop by Austin, Texas, to meet with a few of the thousands of displaced Katrina victims from New Orleans..."

Yes, buy you're forgetting another Mrs. Bush has made clear for us that their move to Austin "has worked out very well for them".

Why should the current First Lady think otherwise?

The 'Canes have just equalised as I write and it's 2-2 with 16:29 left in the 3rd period of Game 7. And a FINE Game 7 it is...tension is thick!

As for the CFL and curling, I'd love more coverage of both, but let's face it, the Brier is long past us, as are the World Championships. The CFL season is just around the corner and King's ignored my plea for an opinion on the Ricky Williams v Joe Theismann war. I hate the Argos as much as the next Ticat fan, but Theismann is out of order and I'm happy to see Williams get a go in the CFL.

Just like the old days...

And as for the World Cup, I'll be in Germany for the group stages, cheering on Ukraine. You can't comment on soccer until you've been to a game in England. Then, maybe, you will understand what it's all about. I grew up in Canada and was taught by sports writers to hate soccer...but then I moved to England and learned for myself what an amazing game it is. On it's own merits.

Shame the sports writers here are just as prejudiced against North American sports.

Up the Sky Blues! Oskee Wee Wee! Слава Україні!

Let me declare my prejudices straight away: I'm Canadian, a Sky Blues supporter and I support my ancestral Ukraine internationally. I live in Buckinghamshire.

The English press and the football media in particular here are in such an echo chamber, stuck in an ever increasing positive feedback loop that it's insane!

They have inflated a talented English team into near certs and, it appears, third favourites to hoist the title. I'm selling. I see a bubble ripe for bursting.

Anyway I'm off to Germany on Tuesday to see Ukraine's group games and I couldn't be more excited. We've got a smooth enough group to get through, especially if we can get a result against Spain in the opening game. If that comes to pass, anything can happen!

Вперед Україно!!

The simple truth is that you're never gonna like soccer until you spend sometime living in a place where it's the undisputed king of sports, start going to games there and have a team of your very own to root for.

Growing up in Canada, didn't remotely 'get' soccer. But then I took a job in England and, once finally in a Premiership stadium, was immediately smitten.

`Hatch said earlier this week that terrorists are "waiting for the Democrats here to take control, let things cool off and then strike again."`

Waiting for the Democrats to take control so they can strike again? Implying the attacked under a previous Democractic administration? Wingnut.