Here's the next place on our itinerary: Kabul (kahBUHL). Send your PM to me ASAP, PDQ, RSVP, DOa, STD, FBI, NSA, SWAK.

Interestingly, when I put it in Rhymezone it rhymes Kabul with cobble, gobble and hobble. I know that's not quite right, but here is the pronunciation on Dictionary.com. It seems to be KAH - boo l. I think this is another one of those that's up for grabs.

Don't be too persnickety people about the rhymes with this one.

The first thing that came to my mind was this old ditty.

Any variation is permissible, up to a point. Rhyming with Chicago or Birmingham may be cause for rejection.

I ran into an old girl friend, Nola,
Who was pushing my kid in her strola.
I said, "Is that my son?"
She said, "Don't touch him, non,
He has SIDS, gonorrhea, and Ebola.

quote:

Rhyming with Chicago or Birmingham may be cause for rejection

Is that Birmingham, Alabama, or Birmingham, England?

Well, I do like that one, Proof!

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Originally posted by arnie:

quote:

Rhyming with Chicago or Birmingham may be cause for rejection

Is that Birmingham, Alabama, or Birmingham, England?

Come-on....you should know that. Birmingham, England...of course. You can pronounce Birmingham, Alabama any way you want and you'll be right.

When it's my turn (and that will likely be never ), I'll post "Louisville." Now that will be a challenge, particularly for those not in the U.S.

Just two so far.

Yeah, this is a hard one for me. But I'll get one in - just likely not the winner.

Don't wait for mine - as I probably won't get one in. In 1987 I wrote a 16 verse tribute poem about the deeds of my Sporting Hero. The whole of Melbourne is in mourning at his unexpected passing at the age of 59. I have been asked to recite my tribute to him at the Memorial Service. There will be footage of his career highlights on the big screen at the Members Dining Room of the MCG (main stadium of the 1956 Olympic Games) simulcast to another room for members of the general public, and the words of my Ode will be printed on the program so attendees will have it as a memento.

All my focus will be there until then.

Greg,

I don't follow the AFL (not surprising as I'm in the UK) so must confess I'd not heard of Robbie Flower, let alone his death. However, please accept my condolences on the loss of your hero.

Your mention of the MCG caused me to wonder if I'd missed learning of the death of a great cricketer, which prompted me to go to Google to find out the details.

How can there be just 2 when I sent three?

I meant submitters.

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I don't follow the AFL (not surprising as I'm in the UK) so must confess I'd not heard of Robbie Flower, let alone his death. However, please accept my condolences on the loss of your hero.

I also recorded it for a Melbourne Sports Radio station the day after he passed away where it received a wonderful response. If you want to have a listen, Google search for "Ode to Robbie Flower" and the first link to come up that refers to SEN will hook you into the recording. You don't have to understand the game to understand the sentiments.

But you do need to know the following, because a significant portion of the Ode focuses on one particular game. 1987 was Flower's last of 15 seasons and he had never played in a final series. In the last round of the Home and Away season his team, Melbourne (The Demons or just The Dees) was playing Footscray (The Bulldogs or sometimes The Scraggers) and the winner of that match would make the Finals (5th spot on the ladder), if and only if the then top team Hawthorn (The Hawks) defeated the then 5th team Geelong (The Cats). The two games were played simultaneously, so those of us at the Western Oval for the Melbourne-Footscray match had one ear glued to our radios listening to the broadcast of the Hawthorn-Geelong match. With ten minutes to go in that match Geelong had a three goal lead and it appeared that Melbourne and Footscray were playing for nothing because Geelong were set to win and retain 5th spot.

Wow - you are famous, Greg! I don't know anything about the game, but I do want to listen. At the least I'll hear that great Australian accent!

Proof, you got mine as well, I presume.

Famous - nah not me - Robbie was famous - I was just a fan who wrote a tribute to him, that a lot of people seemed to appreciate. It isn't even particularly well written, and I am probably the only person that can make it scan, but it is passionate and I think that comes through.

I listened, Greg. You sound great! I feel like I know you better now. You are right; it is passionate.

Thanks Kalleh, well maybe I am just a little bit famous in my little neck of the woods, now. I was on the 2 main commercial free-to-air TV networks' main News Bulletins last night, if only for a few seconds in each case.

If you want to check them out, you can see them at Channel 7 News and Channel 9 News.

And if it so interests you can see the whole thing at the Melbourne Football Club website

The most rewarding thing for me was to have Robbie's first wife come up to me in tears and thank me profusely, saying how she was so glad her kids would have that to remember their Dad by forever, and then one of those kids draw me aside later to say he wasn't old enough to remember his Dad playing but that I made him feel like he was actually watching his Dad play.

Three submitters. Will the total ascend?

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saying how she was so glad her kids would have that to remember their Dad by forever, and then one of those kids draw me aside later to say he wasn't old enough to remember his Dad playing but that I made him feel like he was actually watching his Dad play.

Oh, that is heartwarming for you, I am sure.

Time for the vote?

Still the same number. If I don't get more in a day or so, I'll post what I have.

I'll have to postpone posting for a bit while I attend to some personal matters.

You could send them to me and I could post them.

In the meantime, how about a couple more, folks?

quote:

Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.
Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes)

Hey Arnie,

Your sign-off quote has just appeared in our main Melbourne newspaper. I guess we are running a fair way behind. Anyway "Calvin and Hobbes" is a hoot. Just fisnished a whole series that ran for over a week, about when Calvin locked the babysitter out of the house, and that had me in stitches every day, especially when he told the sitter's boyfriend on the phone that she was a bit psycho and he could probably do better.

The cartoons stopped in 1995 when Bill Watterson, the creator, retired. Any strips being printed now are therefore repeats. I still believe that it's the best comic strip ever produced.

I love your tagline, arnie.