Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the..

On Wed, 03 May 2006 13:36:29 +0100, Lemming
<thiswillbounce RemoveThis @bumblbee.demon.co.uk> wrote:

>On Mon, 1 May 2006 17:50:09 -0700, Bret Ripley <ripley RemoveThis @gotsky.com>
>wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 20:14:40 -0700, Bret Ripley wrote:
>>
>>> But I AM a people person, you poor dumb bastards! -- JustBoo
>>
>>Thanks for the e-mail, JB.
>>
>>My reply via e-mail bounced: it is possible that your HAL-9000 mail server
>>doesn't want me to write to you. I'm going to try get around HAL's filter
>>by disguising my message as porn spam; be sure to click on all the links or
>>you may miss my message.
>
>Bret, I have a question.
>
>Why are you replying to your signature?
>
>Lemming

He's not. He's using the reflection of the glint from a space-mirror
placed at Lagrange Point L5 to bounce a laser beam off the Hubble
telescope as an experiment to see if anyone would take notice. It was
months in the planning.

And... it worked. See, very simple really.

"One night I walked home very late and fell asleep in somebody's
satellite dish. My dreams showed up on TVs all over the world."-sw
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the.. 

"Bill Huffman" <bhuffma1 DeleteThis @san.rr.com> writes:

> "magnate" <chrisc DeleteThis @dbass.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:1146585226.050740.7420@i39g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> ...
>> It is painfully easy to sound like you're saying "americans are morons"
>> when you mean to say "America is ruled by very bad people pursuing very
>> bad policies". Really and truly, most of us only mean the latter. It's
>> just that it gets us really steamed and we start to sound like we're
>> slating individual americans, when most of them don't deserve it.
>
> Well this past election most did vote for Bush although the majority was by
> the slimmest of margins and his popularity rating has taken a nose dive as
> more Americans are realizing that he's a dangerous self-serving foolish
> incompetent president.
>
> I for one appreciate that the UK is rooting for the USA. It is nice
> when the

No it isn't. The prime minister is/was. I couldnt name one of my friends or
colleagues who do not totally condemn what the allies have done to Iran
and others in the name of "freedom".


> schoolyard bully has someone that is on their side, at least from the
> bully's point of view. This is the magic of Bush in a nutchell. He's managed
> to turn the USA from the image of victim-trying-to-prevent-atrocities into
> the image of a schoolyard-bully-extorting-lunch-money.

I cant really recall the victim bit : maybe a little after 9/11.
Even after Katrina. You can add the victims up of both and still
come to only a tiny percentage of those innocent civilians in Iraq who have
been killed by friendly/liberating fire. We wont even discuss the
number of Tsunami victims. Or earthquake victims. Yet an underwaterlevel
city in the US gets a bit wet and you'd think the world was coming to an
end. There were more TV hours given to that flood than to the the
Tsunami AFAIK. Shame on all journalists.
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the.. 

"Lemming" <thiswillbounce.RemoveThis@bumblbee.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:kt8h52lufmue325ge73i8d9foamkk4fv2e@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 1 May 2006 17:50:09 -0700, Bret Ripley <ripley.RemoveThis@gotsky.com>
> wrote:
>
>>On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 20:14:40 -0700, Bret Ripley wrote:
>>
>>> But I AM a people person, you poor dumb bastards! -- JustBoo
>>
>>Thanks for the e-mail, JB.
>>
>>My reply via e-mail bounced: it is possible that your HAL-9000 mail server
>>doesn't want me to write to you. I'm going to try get around HAL's filter
>>by disguising my message as porn spam; be sure to click on all the links
>>or
>>you may miss my message.
>
> Bret, I have a question.
>
> Why are you replying to your signature?

It sounds like Bret might be in danger of going into an infinite loop.
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the.. 

On Wed, 03 May 2006 15:09:33 GMT, Bill Huffman wrote:

> "Lemming" <thiswillbounce DeleteThis @bumblbee.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:kt8h52lufmue325ge73i8d9foamkk4fv2e@4ax.com...
>> On Mon, 1 May 2006 17:50:09 -0700, Bret Ripley <ripley DeleteThis @gotsky.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 20:14:40 -0700, Bret Ripley wrote:
>>>
>>>> But I AM a people person, you poor dumb bastards! -- JustBoo
>>>
>>>Thanks for the e-mail, JB.
>>>
>>>My reply via e-mail bounced: it is possible that your HAL-9000 mail server
>>>doesn't want me to write to you. I'm going to try get around HAL's filter
>>>by disguising my message as porn spam; be sure to click on all the links
>>>or
>>>you may miss my message.
>>
>> Bret, I have a question.
>>
>> Why are you replying to your signature?
>
> It sounds like Bret might be in danger of going into an infinite loop.

So it would appear to the untrained eye. Little did you know that I have
imbued my .sig with my own patent-pretending neural-net AI. Unfortunately,
it doesn't seem to do anything but send e-mails advertisements for
time-share condos in Cabo.

Bret
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the.. 

On Wed, 3 May 2006 08:57:06 -0700, Bret Ripley <ripley RemoveThis @gotsky.com>
wrote:

>On Wed, 03 May 2006 13:36:29 +0100, Lemming wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 1 May 2006 17:50:09 -0700, Bret Ripley <ripley RemoveThis @gotsky.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 20:14:40 -0700, Bret Ripley wrote:
>>>
>>>> But I AM a people person, you poor dumb bastards! -- JustBoo
>>>
>>>Thanks for the e-mail, JB.
>>>
>>>My reply via e-mail bounced: it is possible that your HAL-9000 mail server
>>>doesn't want me to write to you. I'm going to try get around HAL's filter
>>>by disguising my message as porn spam; be sure to click on all the links or
>>>you may miss my message.
>>
>> Bret, I have a question.
>>
>> Why are you replying to your signature?
>
>Better question: why aren't you?

I don't need to: I talk to my reflection in the mirror every morning.
Hey, why not? It's the only time of the day I can have an intelligent
conversation.

Lemming
--
Curiosity *may* have killed Schrodinger's cat.
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the.. 

On Thu, 04 May 2006 00:19:01 +0100, Lemming wrote:

> On Wed, 3 May 2006 08:57:06 -0700, Bret Ripley <ripley.RemoveThis@gotsky.com>
> wrote:
>
>>On Wed, 03 May 2006 13:36:29 +0100, Lemming wrote:
>>
>>> On Mon, 1 May 2006 17:50:09 -0700, Bret Ripley <ripley.RemoveThis@gotsky.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>On Fri, 28 Apr 2006 20:14:40 -0700, Bret Ripley wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> But I AM a people person, you poor dumb bastards! -- JustBoo
>>>>
>>>>Thanks for the e-mail, JB.
>>>>
>>>>My reply via e-mail bounced: it is possible that your HAL-9000 mail server
>>>>doesn't want me to write to you. I'm going to try get around HAL's filter
>>>>by disguising my message as porn spam; be sure to click on all the links or
>>>>you may miss my message.
>>>
>>> Bret, I have a question.
>>>
>>> Why are you replying to your signature?
>>
>>Better question: why aren't you?
>
> I don't need to: I talk to my reflection in the mirror every morning.
> Hey, why not? It's the only time of the day I can have an intelligent
> conversation.
>
> Lemming

Oh, I understand completely -- I do the same, except I skip the
"intelligent" bit. I'm usually very dull until my 3rd cup of coffee, after
which I am enthusiastically incoherent.

I thought about you the other day -- when the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy" film was released, you warned me to avoid it (advice I was happy to
follow, btw). The other day, I noticed that one of the movie channels was
showing it late at night. In a weak moment, I chose to record it. I
haven't had the heart to watch it yet -- I may save if for some time when I
have the flu and need something to really push me over the edge.

Are there any British television programmes I should watch out for (keeping
in mind that it may take a while before it migrates to BBC America)?

I really should take a look for "Red Dwarf" DVDs on ebay.

Bret
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the.. 

On Wed, 03 May 2006 09:24:57 -0500, gray.wizard.TakeThisOut@moria.mines wrote:

>On Wed, 03 May 2006 12:46:50 GMT, "Bill Huffman" <bhuffma1.TakeThisOut@san.rr.com>
>wrote:
>
>>more Americans are realizing that he's a dangerous self-serving foolish
>>incompetent president.
>
>Dangerous? Self-serving? Foolish? Incompetent? Sounds like he'd fit in
>perfectly on Usenet.
hehe. I wonder if he's a Derek fanboi. =P
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the.. 

JustBoo wrote:
> On 3 May 2006 06:15:51 -0700, "magnate" <chrisc DeleteThis @dbass.demon.co.uk>
> wrote:
>
> >Heh, that's about the size of it. I'd go so far as to say that the
> >break-up of the Soviet Union was actually a disaster for the USA.
>
> I've been on usenet for over 12 years and the statement above is
> without a doubt, one of the most wantonly ignorant, low IQ, beyond
> idiotic, "you couldn't be more stoopid", insane things I've read in
> all that time. And brother that's saying something.

Thank you. I've been on usenet for about 15 years and that's the best
insult I've received (though sadly not quite the best I've ever seen).
I think "wantonly ignorant" was the high point. It's a shame that you
let yourself down with the Churchill quotes. It reveals you as
considerably less intelligent than you would otherwise seem, and hints
(though this could be wrong) that the socialist/left-leaning slant of
my post riles you considerably more than the not-entirely-serious
statement you quoted above. (That could just be a coincidence, since
Churchill was so rabidly anti-left, as only a former socialist could
be.)

Churchill was a bit like the late Queen Mother - both were almost
perfect for the role they were in at the time, but thoroughly
unpleasant people. Churchill was a canny politician and an incredibly
gifted orator, but he was a mediocre leader at best, and quite a bad
one when you factor in the alcoholism.

CC
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the.. 

Bret Ripley wrote:
> On Wed, 03 May 2006 12:46:50 GMT, Bill Huffman wrote:
> > "magnate" <chrisc DeleteThis @dbass.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
> > ...
> >> It is painfully easy to sound like you're saying "americans are morons"
> >> when you mean to say "America is ruled by very bad people pursuing very
> >> bad policies". Really and truly, most of us only mean the latter. It's
> >> just that it gets us really steamed and we start to sound like we're
> >> slating individual americans, when most of them don't deserve it.
> >
> > Well this past election most did vote for Bush although the majority was by
> > the slimmest of margins and his popularity rating has taken a nose dive as
> > more Americans are realizing that he's a dangerous self-serving foolish
> > incompetent president.
>
> Did you see Stephen Colbert roast Dubya, while taking swipes at the lapdog
> Washington Press along the way? Colbert had a captive audience, and he
> didn't waste the opportunity.

[links]

> A lot of the humor will be lost on those unfamiliar with American politics,
> but it may be an eye-opener for those who have this idea that Americans are
> a gang of goose-stepping automatons.

Thank you - it was a great read. I probably missed about half the gags,
but it was still great. (Having watched a few episodes of the West
Wing, I knew americans were capable of appreciating incisive swipes at
their own administration!)

> Out of curiosity: would anything like the above ever happen to Tony Blair?

Yes - last September there was a big hoo-hah when a BBC journalist did
something similar at a private function (I've tried to find a
transcript but can't - google for 'John Humphrys speech' and it turns
up loads of articles about it), but it was slightly nastier and less
funny.

> Put another way, judging Americans based on the actions of the US President
> is every bit as risible as judging all Brits based on the pronouncements of
> whomever happens to be receiving mail at 10 Downing Street.

Agreed. So it should be easy to discern whether someone is really
"anti-american" or just slagging off the Bush administration.

CC

P.S. What's the origin of the thing about Brits having bad teeth? I was
watching Family Guy on DVD and there's a hysterically funny episode
about that. It's been in the Simpsons too, and other comedy - where
does it come from?? I mean, why are we lampooned for our teeth instead
of greasy hair, bandy legs or any other physical impairment?
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the.. 

magnate wrote:
>
> P.S. What's the origin of the thing about Brits having bad teeth? I was
> watching Family Guy on DVD and there's a hysterically funny episode
> about that. It's been in the Simpsons too, and other comedy - where
> does it come from?? I mean, why are we lampooned for our teeth instead
> of greasy hair, bandy legs or any other physical impairment?
>

You have to blame Mike Myers of Austin Powers who started all things.
Though, he make it popular in some of his skits while he was with
Saturday Night Life.
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the.. 

"magnate" <chrisc.DeleteThis@dbass.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:1146754633.077732.62490@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> P.S. What's the origin of the thing about Brits having bad teeth? I was
> watching Family Guy on DVD and there's a hysterically funny episode
> about that. It's been in the Simpsons too, and other comedy - where
> does it come from?? I mean, why are we lampooned for our teeth instead
> of greasy hair, bandy legs or any other physical impairment?

Just a guess but might it have to do with the two countries in the
nineteen-fifties, one of which was obsessing about hygiene and the other
rebuilding from WWII?
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the.. 

On 4 May 2006 07:57:13 -0700, magnate wrote:

> Bret Ripley wrote:
>> On Wed, 03 May 2006 12:46:50 GMT, Bill Huffman wrote:
>>> "magnate" <chrisc DeleteThis @dbass.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> It is painfully easy to sound like you're saying "americans are morons"
>>>> when you mean to say "America is ruled by very bad people pursuing very
>>>> bad policies". Really and truly, most of us only mean the latter. It's
>>>> just that it gets us really steamed and we start to sound like we're
>>>> slating individual americans, when most of them don't deserve it.
>>>
>>> Well this past election most did vote for Bush although the majority was by
>>> the slimmest of margins and his popularity rating has taken a nose dive as
>>> more Americans are realizing that he's a dangerous self-serving foolish
>>> incompetent president.
>>
>> Did you see Stephen Colbert roast Dubya, while taking swipes at the lapdog
>> Washington Press along the way? Colbert had a captive audience, and he
>> didn't waste the opportunity.
>
> [links]
>
>> A lot of the humor will be lost on those unfamiliar with American politics,
>> but it may be an eye-opener for those who have this idea that Americans are
>> a gang of goose-stepping automatons.
>
> Thank you - it was a great read. I probably missed about half the gags,
> but it was still great. (Having watched a few episodes of the West
> Wing, I knew americans were capable of appreciating incisive swipes at
> their own administration!)

Sure -- it just doesn't tend to happen when the big guy and several of his
minions are sitting just a few feet away, unable to interrupt or respond.

>> Out of curiosity: would anything like the above ever happen to Tony Blair?
>
> Yes - last September there was a big hoo-hah when a BBC journalist did
> something similar at a private function (I've tried to find a
> transcript but can't - google for 'John Humphrys speech' and it turns
> up loads of articles about it), but it was slightly nastier and less
> funny.

Thanks -- I'll take a look for it.

In years past I used to watch the House of Commons "Questions for the Prime
Minister" -- it was remarkable how nasty those sessions could become.
That Neil Kinnock could be a ruthless bastard!

>> Put another way, judging Americans based on the actions of the US President
>> is every bit as risible as judging all Brits based on the pronouncements of
>> whomever happens to be receiving mail at 10 Downing Street.
>
> Agreed. So it should be easy to discern whether someone is really
> "anti-american" or just slagging off the Bush administration.

You would think so. However, it is possible for the distinction to be less
clear than it should. Some people seem to have difficulty sorting out
their own prejudices.

> CC
>
> P.S. What's the origin of the thing about Brits having bad teeth? I was
> watching Family Guy on DVD and there's a hysterically funny episode
> about that. It's been in the Simpsons too, and other comedy - where
> does it come from?? I mean, why are we lampooned for our teeth instead
> of greasy hair, bandy legs or any other physical impairment?

It was also a prominent gag in the first Austin Powers film.

I'm not really sure of it's origin, but it is possible that this particular
joke is based on a misperception stemming from differences between American
film and television actors and their British counterparts.

In general, American actors and actresses have ridiculously perfect teeth.
Perhaps it has changed in recent years, but in the past British actors
didn't necessarily bother to have dental imperfections corrected. For
example, I recently watched an old TV show (I think it was "The Avengers",
though it may have been "The Saint") which featured Peter Bowles. Now, Mr.
Bowles did not have horrible teeth -- but (being a shallow American) I
couldn't help noticing that they weren't perfect, either: IIRC, he had a
tooth that appeared to be slightly rotated, creating the appearance of a
slight gap. You don't tend to see that sort of thing with American actors.

So, if my theory is correct, the "bad teeth" gag is based on the American
presumption that, for whatever reason, screen actors and actresses
typically have perfect teeth. Therefore, if the somewhat-normal looking
teeth of many British actors passes for "perfect" in Britain, then the
average Brit must possess poor teeth.

That's my silly theory, anyway. And yes, I know the whole "bad teeth"
thing isn't true.

Cheers,

Bret
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the.. 

On Thu, 4 May 2006 10:17:18 -0500, Middlebrow wrote:

> "magnate" <chrisc RemoveThis @dbass.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:1146754633.077732.62490@j33g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>> P.S. What's the origin of the thing about Brits having bad teeth? I was
>> watching Family Guy on DVD and there's a hysterically funny episode
>> about that. It's been in the Simpsons too, and other comedy - where
>> does it come from?? I mean, why are we lampooned for our teeth instead
>> of greasy hair, bandy legs or any other physical impairment?
>
> Just a guess but might it have to do with the two countries in the
> nineteen-fifties, one of which was obsessing about hygiene

Not only hygiene: we were also obsessing about communism and the threat of
imminent nuclear destruction. One finds that one wishes to put on a good
face when one is about to be vaporized.

> and the other rebuilding from WWII?

On a related note: I recently read about London's 1952-53 "flu epidemic."
A nasty business, that.

Bret
 >> Stay informed about: Recently my son, Jack, committed suicide after loosing the..