Folks,

I'm not sure what it means however I notice that we have accumulated over 18,000 hits. Not too shabby for any thread. I salute you SNAFU wherever you may be.

Here is something about as 'off topic' as I could think of if I drank LSD with a Mary Jayne chaser. This is way off topic for our forum and our thread, however, I feel someone should at least mention the passing of the great Italian tenor, Luciano Pavarotti who recently died of pancreatic cancer at 71 at home in Modena, Italy. Mr Pavarotti brought opera music to entire sections of society that had never heard it before. At the same time, he brought an excitement to the opera world that had not been seen in generations.

For millions of people around the world, the face of opera was Luciano Pavarotti. Now you've seen me type how I really feel about opera in general. I fully agree with my hero Mark Twain. Like him I love everything about opera...except the singing. Yup, look up Philistine in yer Funk And Wagnels and you'll probably see my photo next to the definition.

Nevertheless Pavarotti singing just about anything could rivet my distracted attention right off the page of my Playboy magazine like a bird dog pointing a fat quail. I defy anyone to listen to the maestro sing Puccini's "Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot" and fail to be moved. I understand that this pretty much became his signature aria. I will look up aria in a few minutes so we'll all know what that is.

I have a friend that used to work back stage at the Met. He tells us of a chance meeting with the great singer. It seems they were all having to get new photos for the security tags they had to wear about their necks after 9/11. Our friend says that when he arrived at the appointed location he was amazed to find himself waiting in the same room with the great tenor. We are told that beyond the monumental talent he is known for (he could hit a triple high C like Annie Oakley could crack a dinner plate), what impressed our friend most of all the whole time he was in the presence of Pavarotti was how overwhelmingly happy the great man actually was. He deserves it, me thinks, for he did and still does make millions just as happy. I don't know but I suspect that Heaven has a new tenor. Salute Maestro wherever you may be.