George Aar

Paw only told half the story of our foray into NYC. We had already been through at least a half-dozen or so New York songs - inspired by whatever neighborhood we were in. We went through Spanish Harlem, so naturally we all started singing "There is a rose in Spanish Harlem", then Plots made mention of the New York River Line and so Billy Joel's "New York state of mind" was heard from the backseat. Then various renditions of "On Broadway", "New York - New York" and probably a few others. By this time Plots was getting a little flustered trying to find an address and politely told us to pipe down a minute. And then, completely oblivious to what he was inviting, he said "Now, where's the 59th Street Bridge?" We all cracked up and - in unison - immediately broke into a rendition of that.

Maybe "Gentlemens' Quarterly"?

Hey! I can see my house! There I am in the window, waving...

I dunno, even being the cynical jerk that I am, I've never found any humor in "The Darwin Awards". Firstly, they're quite often totally fabricated, and - even if they are true - are we that hard up for entertainment that we have to have it at the expense of the mentally disturbed? O.K., I'm a spoilsport...

Any song with "groovy" in the lyrics could only inhabit a very brief period in history. Say about 1966? About May or June, I'd bet, and by autumn I'm pretty sure we'd worn that word out...

I think what's even more interesting is that - from what I can gather - there was NO love lost between Davis and Crawford, before, during, or after the filming of the movie. They REALLY just didn't get along. Davis really stole the show, though. But then, she DID have the juicier part.

kathy, I read through some of the reviews in "The IMD" and someone else mentions a rat as well, so I may be totally mistaken. But I seem to remember Blanche having a pet parrot, or maybe a parakeet, in her room and - after noticing it's absence from it's cage - lifts the lid to discover what's for lunch! Have I fabricated this whole scene myself? Interesting, if that's the case...

Well, I'm stumped on the "Our Gang" pic. I think the black kid is Buckwheat, but I'm lost after that, don't even recognize "Spanky" in there. BTW, does anyone else share my visceral aversion to "The Andy Griffith Show", "The Honeymooners", "The Donna Reed Show", and the penultimate crap T.V. product "I Love Lucy"? I don't know why but those shows just make me cringe. Gawd, they're awful. Especially the characters like Barney Fife, or Gomer Pyle, or Lucy, or anything Red Skelton did. Geeze, I just wanna reach through the T.V. screen and give them a horrendous dope slap and say "Knock it off already!" I guess I must be in the minority in that view...

Hey, now I've got a problem with "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" IIRC, the covered plate petite dejeuner actually held a dead parrot, didn't it? Been years since I've seen the flick, but that's how I remember it.

I wish you could read it in the original: http://www.otrnow.com/store/dvd/ItsAJokeSon_01.htm

Hey Wadeaminute there Sudo, IIRC Batman and The Lone Ranger were broadcast in COLOR, weren't they?

Gee, I was so confused about how to celebrate the day. You know, do I perform the usual human sacrifice or simply rededicate my life to Satan? Both seem so passe, thanks for making this option known...

James Randi has posted many times how a moderately skilled magician could duplicate the types of events that routinely take place at seances and the like . (http://www.randi.org/) Of course then we get into the "real" spiritual stuff and the "faked" type of debate. I just ask, Which is more plausible? An unseen, imperceptable cadre of "spirits" are playing highjinks with the uninformed dupes, OR Someone is using some basic, well understood, thoroughly within-the-realm-of-the-laws-of-physics, illusions to deceive? If it's so easy for physics to be overridden by the "power" of Satan and his minions, why is it so difficult to demonstrate? Well, of course he doesn't want to be found out, now does he? groan....

More like a "Counterfeit Challenge" maybe?

Yeah, I don't think LoyBoy did anything to promote the health of WayWorld in the longrun. But, to take an even larger view, it was a scam that was bound to unravel sooner or later. Be it Charles Ponzi, or Rich DeVoss, Jim Bakker. or any of a few thousand of the MLM schemes around, sooner or later reality has a way of making itself known. And even when LCM took over there was ample evidence of a WayWorld in decline. In a great many ways, I think it was just a matter of time till it all came tumbling down.

Joyeux Anniversaire ma petite framboise

Or, for a real expedient method, get a small choker, some 3/8" cable and borrow somebody's 4-wheel drive truck. A tree that small should pull out relatively easily...

Yumpin' Yimminy, Dat vas purty gut dere! Is dere kawffee EGG kawffee? Dats da best kind, ya know...

And then there's the thing about "testicles" and "testify" being from the same root word. But, ... can we talk about that on a "family" forum? Oooops, I see WW already coverd that... (and well he should!)

OH Ck, Don't ever stop posting, O.K.? That just brightened my whole day, HAH!

I got a 95. the one that got me was what to do when an oncoming car's light are too bright. Uh, why couldn't they give an answer that would be something people actually DO?

In a battle not too long ago: "On 1 July, British, French and Commonwealth troops went on the offensive. Many walked slowly towards the German lines, laden down with supplies, expecting little or no opposition. But the bombardment had failed in two ways; much of the munitions used by the English were 'duds' and didn't destroy frontline barbed wire or robustly built concrete bunkers sheltering the Germans and it had given them advance warning of an attack. Tens of thousands of men fell to German machine guns - many as soon as they climbed out of the trenches. By the time the offensive was called off in November, the British and French had gained just eight miles of territory and lost 620,000 casualties; the German casualties were estimated at 500,000." I'll do the arithmetic for you. That's 1.62 MILLION casualties, the wounded and killed, in a little over 4 months time. The infamous Valley of the Somme. Easily one of the bloodiest campaigns in the history of warfare. And how many of us today, except those with a particular interest or possibly a degree in history, can recount what the objective of that offensive was? And, moreover, how many today can recall why the entire First World War was even fought? Yeah, we know the Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated by some tubercular Serbian Nationalist, but how in the hell did some Austrian Figurehead's death touch off a Global conflict? Again, it probably requires a good bit of research and schooling to even figure that out. And in the final end, what was accomplished? The evil Huns got pushed back in their cage, only to break out and do the SAME thing all over again some 20 years later. The futility of it all overwhelms me at times. Certainly we owe the freedom we enjoy to the sacrifices of some of the servicemen who've taken up arms and marched off to war. But I fear that there's lots of those wonderful guys who - despite the spirited oratory of a good many of our leaders - DID die in vain. They fought a senseless war for no good reasons and paid a horrendous price for ... nothing. I also fear that war is all too often the first choice when it comes to foreign policy. Diplomacy is for wimps. We don't want to be another Chamberlain, do we? So our leaders swagger and talk big talk, all the while their loved ones are safely escounced off in some prep school, while the unwashed rabble can supply their offspring as cannon fodder. Yes, we have real enemies. And I guess there's times when war IS necessary. And I DO support our troops. But I think supporting them MIGHT just mean wanting them to stay alive for a good long while. Anyway, I have no profound conclusions, just lots of ambiguieties. A few of the things I'll be thinking about today, when I put some flowers on my dad's gravestone, with the simple inscription: GEORGE L. AAR 1917 - 1967 U.S. NAVY - SC1C

NLL, Re:"I looked over at everyone and felt STRANGELY ALIENATED from them. DISTANCED from them, even from my husband, because the thought occured to me that they were not LIVING THE WORD, that I KNEW BETTER, and that I WAS NOT LIKE THEM." I'm not so sure that this isn't - at least partially - a function of your age and gender. At least, I've had more than my fill of such attitudes directed at me since the women in my life have been moving into middleage. Is it all a coincidence? Maybe so. Still, for what it's worth, might I suggest that you don't cut off your lines of communication - the "open and honest" variety - from those that are near and dear? Not saying that you would, but it has been known to happen...

Was Edison an apostle then?

Gawd, I wish I could. Don't have the energy for that anymore, I'm afraid...