textfiles/messages/BACKWATER/bw840210.txt

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19 
20 To: Jonathan ChanceIf I am a figment of your imagination, you are imagining 
21 this conversation. Therefore, my arguments are meaningless. (Solipsism is not
22 well thought of because there is NO way to prove or disprove it. It DOES 
23 violate the law of parsimony however!)
24 _______________________________________Leonard_________________________________
25 Weapons at the Door   (by Joseph of Locksley)
26 As I roved out to Western lands to take the Western air,
27 I went into a revel hall and saw a Twelfth Night There.
28 But I was halted at the door by a privy councilor
29 And told that I would have to leave my weapons at the door.
30 
31 As I, in my astonishment, stood hung on tenter-pegs
32 A knight came in whose Prowess hung down between his legs
33 The doorman grabbed a greatsword and he struck the knight full sore
34 And gave him a receipt, he left his weapon at the door.
35 
36 A bard was next, whose goodly voice has entertained us all
37 But he too was prevented from entering the hall
38 And told he must refrain from taking weapons on the floor
39 He checked his voice and harp among the weapons at the door.
40 
41 A Master entered graciously, a man we all know well
42 Who holds a third dan black belt, though this he'd never tell
43 It was a valiant struggle, the master cursed and swore
44 But he left his hands and feet as weapons at the door.
45 
46 The company was jovial, although a bit dismayed
47 For lack of proper cutlery, down to the smallest blade
48 For even teeth and fingernails (both can be used in war)
49 Were cut and pulled and left behind as weapons at the door.
50 
51 And has their King not loyal knights, that he must be afraid
52 Of brawling in his hall, and of assassin's bloody blade?
53 The right of men to carry arms at least WE'VE not forswore!
54 A pox on him who made the rule of weapons at the door!
55 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
56 Piper, this is an example of why one should never irritate a bard.
57 The bard who wrote this was inconvenienced by a "check your weapons at the door"
58 policy while visiting the Kingdom of the West. You can see the result!
59 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BARD~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
60 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
61      The dockside bar was crowded and smokey, the port scum and hookers
62 going through the motions, a dead body still unremoved in one corner.
63 The Inspector, in disguise, sat listening quietly to the conversations
64 around him, hoping for a clue.  As he sat with his head on the table,
65 feigning drunkeness, he was quite surprised to hear the scraping of
66 a chair on the floor and someone sitting at the table across from him.
67      As he looked up, he saw a tall blonde man in a white suit which
68 would have cost him a months' pay back on the force.  The man was smiling.
69 "Aye, what would ye be wantin' mate?" the inspector drawled.  The man
70 smiled wider.  His accent was faintly British, but mixed, a man who traveled
71 widely.
72      "Mr. Salizar.  Have no fear, I will not betray your identity.  My
73 name is Contremon Valerius." He waited for that to sink in, the inspector's
74 eyes widened.
75      "You killed the assasin at the cafe.  I believe we owe you our lives."
76      "Well, yes and no.  I arranged for Serena's protection, for I needed
77 her to lead me to you.  McKane's people know Serena has contacted someone,
78 but all leads to you have, shall we say, terminated.  But we must act
79 quickly.  McKane's headquarters are about one hundred kilometers from
80 here in the jungle.  Here are the plans to his fortress.  You must go
81 tonight, as a mercenary, named Michael Serente.  Monsieur Serente wil
82 not be catching his transport.  Go now, before you are spotted. Here are
83 your papers.  Go!"
84      Alberto got up.  Stuffing the wad of papers into his jacket.  "What
85 about Serena?  How will she find me?"
86      "Serena, IF she gets here alive, will be informed.  We have not 
87 uncovered a clue of her wherabouts since you left on the steamer."
88      "Just Who are you?"
89      "An old friend of McKane's.  An old, old, friend..."
90 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Contremon^^^^
91 ############################################################
92    "...Ok, explain." and he sat back to listen.
93      "I met Diane in college, the few years I was there.  She was a
94 physicist, just starting her graduate study and showing all the signs
95 of a very mediocre career.  We had a brief and uneventful romance; she
96 was always joking about 'slumming' when she picked up an engineer who'd
97 washed out to business college.  We parted amiably, or at least she parted
98 amiably, and I lost track of her until her name came up, quite surprizingly,
99 for a Nobel Prize."
100      "Wasn't there some sort of scandal associated with that? he shifted,
101 punctuating with his pipe.
102      I was surprized that he'd remembered that little piece of trivia.  
103 "Nothing was ever proven, and she was eventually cleared of all suspicion
104 that she'd used another physicist's work, but she wasn't awarded the prize,
105 either."
106      "Go on."
107      "The night of the murder, there was a knock on my door.  I remember it
108 was seven O'clock, because I'd just gotten up for a beer between shows.  I
109 opened the door, and there she was."  Somehow, being here, close to her,
110 or at least as close as one could get to someone who has been spread out
111 over about a hundred square kilometers, I could vividly remember the night
112 she walked back into my life, even almost hear her voice..."
113 ################################daver#####################################
114 !~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
115      The place is Calcutta in the West Bengal.  The time is now.  In the 
116 meanest quarter of the city, there is a small lane known to the locals as
117 "The Street of Thieves".  On this lane is the dirtiest, darkest dive in all
118 of India.  It is simply known as "The Black Hole of Calcutta". <groan>
119      We enter with no small bit of trepidation.  The room is lit only by 
120 the eerie, flickering light of a 13" portable Zenith black and white TV.
121 On it is playing "DRIVEL, The Terror from Beyond" starring the Bruise
122 Brothers.  But that's another story.
123      Dark figures huddle secretively over their drinks.  In a corner Serena
124 and the Inspector hold hands and look dreamily into each other's eyes.
125 Their thoughts far away from the task of crakacking McKane's fortress.  
126 Sighing heavily, Salazar brings Serena's hand to his lips.  He speaks
127 softly; "Serena darling, I hear Pam may be coming back."
128      Throatily, Serena murmers; "Yes, my sweet, it seems some at the Inn 
129 delete and overwrite her contributions."
130      "Yes, I know -- but in a trans-reality Inn, one must realize that while
131 we're all a little weird; a few jerks are present, too."
132      "I agree.  It's just something we have to accept and deal with.  I hope
133 she returns soom.  Wassir is thinking about getting up a search party.  You
134 know what that means."
135      Suddenly both pause... listening, waiting.  Then both dive to the floor.
136 Too late, a voice cries out from the rear: "HIT THE DECK!!!!"
137 
138                        K A B O O M !!!!!
139 
140 A cruise missle smashes through the window taking out the east wall and half
141 of beautiful downtown Calcutta.
142      Slowly from the rubble, Salazar and Serena stand shakily and begin to
143 brush each other off.  Serena says, "I think Mohammed is a little jealous;
144 we'll have to stop meeting like this."
145      The Inspector smiles, "Yes, but now let's get some lunch; I'm hungry.
146 Then it's time to take care of McKane's fortress."
147      Arm in arm they walk out into the warm Indian sunshine, a glowing 
148 Calcutta at their feet...
149 !~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!Valinor!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!
150 
151 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
152 J Chance: I probably am a figment of your imagination.
153                   Bo
154 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
155 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<  *.*  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
156 <<<< T.P.W.E.B.  cont.
157   
158      Nila awoke when the sky was barely alight, as was her
159      custom. She bathed herself with little hands full of the
160     fountain's pure water. Her skin tingled and the warm
161      wind caressed her, making her feel as light as the clouds.
162     Just then the sun rose over the eastern horizon and 
163      washed her with warmth, as the fountain had washed her
164      with coolness. She stretched her arms out to it glorying
165     in its radiance.
166      "Oh No!", she said suddenly, dropping her arms like a rag
167      doll, "I haven't reached the place where East begins after
168     all. The sun still rises in the East and it's rising way
169      over there."
170     She sat down with her chin in hand. "I must reason this
171      out logically", she said to herself. I went as far East
172    as I could see from the palace, so logically I have
173     reached the place where East begins. But East still goes
174      on as far as I can see. Oh, what can be wrong? Just then
175      a flight of bees must have passed her flower rich grove,
176    for she heard their sound in her head. Even fainter than
177      that was something that was almost words or the meaning
178     of words without their sound. It whispered,
179            "Don't look outside yourself for
180            something that lies only within."
181    "I understand", Nila said. "I have not reached the place
182      where East begins. I have only reached the place where 
183    my eyesight ended. How strange! And now I am here and 
184     there is a new eyesight, and a new East... but when will
185      it ever end? Oh, I just don't know what to think!"
186     "WELL", said a deep voice, so near as to make her start.
187      "If you must think, then think this. The logic of the
188       Palace is not the logic of the Fountain!"
189     Beside the fountain sat a large green frog; rather
190      pleasant looking for a frog. It had been his voice that
191     had startled the princess.
192      "But logic is logic isn't it?", Nila asked.
193      "Not at all.", said the frog. He took an enormous leap
194      over right Nila's head, landing behind her. "You see",
195      he continued complacently, "It all depends on where you
196     hop from doesn't it? And what direction you're facing."
197      "Well that doesn't make any sense.", Nila said, "Are you
198      a handsome prince under a spell?"
199     "Yes, of course.", said the frog. "But if you don't mind
200    miss, could we forget about the kissing thing and all
201      that, please. Frankly in my present condition I rather
202      prefer female frogs to beautiful princesses. Nothing at
203     all personal you understand."
204      "But don't you want to be a handsome prince again?", Nila
205      asked mystified, "They always do in the stories."
206     "Not particularly", said the frog. "The prince's prison
207      is the frog's freedom, if you catch my drift. Anyhow
208    froggin' is not the worst experience I've ever had you know.
209      The work is not demanding and your time is your own."
210      "But what kind of work does a frog do?", Nila asked.
211     "Just Froggin'", said the enchanted prince, "It's the
212      natural course of events when you're a frog. Don't look
213     outside yourself for something that lies only within."
214     "I wish everyone would quit saying that.", Nila said
215      stamping her little foot.
216     "No Doubt!", said the frog, "However..."
217    "However What?", Nila said.
218      "Nothing just however... frogs don't mean anything by
219       however... frogs don't mean anything by anything you know.
220      frogs just mean frogs."
221     "I guess I don't know really very much about frogs.",
222    Nila said humbly.
223      "No, nor logic neither, I fear.", said the frog, "no matter."
224     He took another great leap and landed in the spot he had
225      first been. Nila turned around. "Good Bye.", he said, 
226      "Nice talking to you. Thanks...
227   
228 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<  to be continued... >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
229  
230 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
231 at the inn...
232 and just why are you pointing that silly little TOW missile at my body,young 
233 lady? said the gray man,obviously hiding a great deal of fear.
234 "didn't you see the new sign that the innkeeper put up(anything efective over 5 
235 feet leave at the door)?"
236 "why yes,I did" the lovely young leathal lady said"I just wanted to get your 
237 attention,father"
238 "I am not a preast young lady,I doubt youl find one in a tavern"
239 "I know your not a preast,your my father"
240 as the words the young lady spoke fought past the ale induced haze in his mind 
241 the gray man decided to order some raw ethyl alcohol,it was going to be an 
242 interesting night.
243 The Man in Gray
244 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
245 =========================================================================
246 JONATHAN:
247     COULD YOU PROVE THAT YOU ARE NOT A FIGMENT OF MY IMAGINATION.
248                                           EVAN
249 ========================================================================
250 ########################################################################
251 Hey everyone!  I'm a figment of your imagination! 
252 Duh! Duh!  2 + 2 Be 4
253 Be real people!  Oooops I forgot you can't be
254 real, Your FAGments of my imagination!
255 ########################################################################
256 DEWEY KNEW    by Paul Aurandt
257 
258 Let's say you are running for president.  And you have information which would surely defeat the other fellow.  But for you
259 to publicize the information might jeopardize the security of our country.
260 Would you speak out anyway, and win, or keep your mouth shut and lose?
261 At least one presidential candidate we know of was confronted with that dilemma.
262 
263 In 1944, Tom Dewey was running for president against Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  If he, Dewey, hoped to defeat the popular
264 incumbent, he would need all the help he could get. 
265 That summer, help arrived in the form of damaging information against his opponent.  A shocked, disbelieving Dewey learned 
266 that U.S. Intelligence had cracked the Japanese secret code---in 1941.  To him that meant that the United States knew in
267 advance of the attack on Pearl Harbor, but that FDR had done nothing to prevent it.
268 Had the Republican candidate's source been less than reliable, I believe Dewey would have dismissed this information as the 
269 wishful thinking of some bitter fellow Republican.  Dewey's source, however, was completely credible.  He had to believe.  
270 though the thought of a U.S. president permitting a Pearl Harbor for any reason was thoroughly distasteful to Tom Dewey.
271 His first reaction was: The people must be told THE REST OF THE STORY---that Franklin Roosevelt, to whet our appetites for 
272 war, allowed the Japanese to obliterate our base in the Hawiian islands.
273 Then, somehow, Army Chief-of-Staff George Marshall discovered that Dewey knew about the code.  
274 September 26, Tom Dewey was campaigning, was staying briefly at a hotel in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He had not yet used his trump 
275 card.
276 Dewey was in his Tulsa hotel room.  A knock at the door.  Dewey answered.  A man introduced himself as Colonel Carter Clarke,
277 an army intelligence officer.  He, Clarke, had been instructed to deliver a confidential message from George Marshall.
278 Dewey opened the sealed letter from the army chief-of-staff and read: "You understand the utterly tragic consequences if the
279 present political debates regarding Pearl Harbor disclose to the public any suspicion of the vital sources of information we 
280 possess.  The conduct of all operations in the Pacific are closely related in conception and timing to the information we 
281 secretly obtain through these intercepted codes.
282 Marshall was begging Tom Dewey to keep silent for the sake of national security.  Remember, in 1944 we were still at war.
283 But for the moment, at least, Dewey could think only of Roosevelt's role in the secrecy.  In the presence of Marshall's 
284 messenger , Dewey blurted out, "He knew what was happening before Pearl Harbor!  Instead of being reelected, he ought to be 
285 impeached!"
286 And so was Tom Dewey confronted with perhaps the most agonizing decision in his lifetime.  Disclose the damning information
287 , ruin Roosevelt, win the election, and tip our hand to Japan---or keept quiet, lose the election, and preserve the state of
288 our national defense.
289 You know Tom Dewey lost in 1944.
290 Not only did he keep his mouth shut during the campaign, he NEVER recealed his knowledge of the broken Japanese code.
291 Tom Dewey has been dead for oer a decade.
292 In 1981, a secret document was declassified, a document revealing something Tom Dewey never knew.  The Japanese code we
293 cracked back in 1941 was DIPLOMATIC code, not military code.  It was only after the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor that
294 U.S. intelligence learned how to eavesdrop on Japan's military plans.
295 According to that recently declassified document, FDR had no advance knowledge of the Pearl Harbor attack.  Neither, in fact,
296 had Japan's own premier, nor that nation's own minister of war!
297 Tom Dewey may have gone to his grave wondering whether he had done the right thing.
298 You know he did.  Because now you know THE REST OF THE STORY.
299 
300 -------------------------------------------------- P. V. Jeltz ----------------
301 STOP
302 /EX
303 /X
304 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
305 Just wondering: what does that message "FILE UNSAFE" mean?
306                Bo
307 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
308 ############################
309 Who cares 'BO'?  We're all just figments
310 of somebody's imagination.
311 Which, for some odd  reason brings me to this joke[
312        *Why can't you go to the bathroom at
313 a Beatles' concert?  
314      
315     There's no John.
316      *HA HA*
317      
318 Well this is 'figment of the imagination' signing off___
319       
320      
321 ****************************
322 HEY IF I'M A FIGMENT OF YOUR IMAGINATION WILL YOU PLEASE WAKE UP!!!
323 I AM REALLY CURIOUS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO ME. IT MAY BE A FLEETING 
324 REALIZATION, BUT IT SHOULD BE INTERESTING.  I MAY HAVE MISSED SOME OF THE 
325 ENTRIES ON TIME TRAVEL BUT IT IS A FASCINATING SUBJECT.  IF WE ASSUME
326 THAT TIME TRAVEL IS POSSIBLE, AND THAT IT IS SERIAL. IE. THERE IS ONE TIME TRACK AND CHANGES ARE CUMULATIVE. THEN THAT 
327 ENSURES FREE WILL. THE FUTURE WILL ALWAYS BE IN FLUX. ALSO THE PRESENT AND 
328 THE PAST OF COURSE. WHERE WILL WE PUT THAT MYTHICAL OBSERVER WHO CAN SEE
329 THE CHANGES WITHOUT BEING AFECTED. 
330 IT DOES SEEM TO ME THOUGH THAT IF TIME TRAVEL IS INVENTED. AND THAT THE
331 ABOVE ASSUMPTIONS ARE TRUE. THEN TIME TRAVEL WILL SOONER ARE LATER BE 
332 UNINVENTED (WIPED OUT) BY RANDOM CHANGES IN THE TIME STREAM. THEREBY
333 ELIMINATING ANY PARADOXES, LOOPS, OR WHATEVER.
334 HOW CAN ANYONE DETERMINE IN ADVANCE WHAT WILL CHANGE THE FUTURE.
335   
336 BY THE WAY HAS ANYONE CONSIDERED THAT IF THERE ARE TIME TRAVELERS. THAT 
337 MAY BE THE SOURCE OF ALL THE NEW DISEASES (FLU OUTBREAKS AND OTHER
338 SIMILAR PRIMARILY NON FATAL DISEASES.) I AM ASSUMING THAT TRAVELERS WOULD BE 
339 AT LEAST SOMEWHAT SCREENED. CONSIDERING THE INCREASES IN GOVERMENT INTERVENTION
340 IS SCIENCE. TIME TRAVEL MUST BE EXPENSIVE AND BULKY.
341 TO GET BACK TO THE SUBJECT THOUGH. TIME TRAVEL WOULD TEND TO TELESCOPE EVOLUTION
342 ON THE MICRO LEVEL. WELL ANY COMMENTS.
343              
344                                        STEVE
345 **************************************************************************
346 OFF
347 
348 
349 
350 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
351 The piper roared with laughter as the bard finished his tune.
352 
353 "My friend, I certainly would hesitate to offend one whose wit and tounge bite
354 so deeply.  And I am certainly glad that the good innkeeper has no such restrictions
355 at the entrance to the inn.
356   At our last meeting, Did you not speak of an orginization called the SCA?  I've
357 been aware of the group for quite a while, and it seems to me that they (and you
358 if you are a member) perform a valuable service in our society.
359    Mundane life badly needs a leaven of fantasy and humor to make it bearable.
360 Without good humor and a dash of fantasy, the grey tedium of life would be more
361 than many sensitive souls could withstand.  Could you perhaps enlighten some
362 of the other patrons as well as myself with some of the tales of those who
363 participate in these matters?  
364 AHH THE ALE!!"
365 The piper grabbed the large jack of ale that the innkeeper proffered.  Tilting
366 his head back, the piper poured the contents down his throat in one motion, 
367 wiped the foam from his mustaches and returned the jack for a refill.
368 Blowing a mightly breath, he inflated the bag as he slung his pipes to his 
369 shoulder, gave the bag a short jerk with his elbow to start the drones and 
370 began playing "the drunken piper."
371 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
372 
373 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<  ...   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
374  
375    It's not so much that reality is in question...
376     It's that there are too many FIGs without imagination!!!
377   
378 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<  ...  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
379 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
380 Jonathan Chance,you are right,our venerable and respected high school was filled
381 to the rafters with less then intelegent people.however you must remember that 
382 about 27% of the "patrons" of this in must  be from this place of higher 
383 learning,but at least you can take your abuse in small individual doses.As for 
384 my newly aquired daughter I will probably get creative around 4 a.m.I was not 
385 able to show at chs due to some old friends leaving soon,you know which ones.
386 The Man in Gray(accept no substitutes)
387 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
388 MAN IN GRAY:THAT'S PRIEST, NOT PREAST! ALSO, YOU MEANT "YOU ARE" MY FATHER,
389 WHICH IS PROPERLY CONTRACTED "YOU'RE". THE WAY YOU SPELLED IT MAKES IT
390 THE POSSESIVE CASE (YOUR HAT, YOUR COAT), THUS THE SENTENCE MAKES NO SENSE!
391 :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
392 Ah yes, tales of the SCA! If any here present find that I am in error
393 regarding the details of some of these tales, I beg your forgiveness. I recount 
394 them from memory, and thus may misremember small details.
395 About 7 years ago, a young lord named "Gillmarond of the Blue Flame" was
396 married. It was a fine ceremony, many of the local Society attended (in proper
397 garb of course, none of these outlandish mundane clothes!). Now Gilmarond looked
398 quite the proper viking. Well muscled (though not bulgingly so), long blond hair
399 (to the middle of his back), etc. He and his bride received many fine gifts.
400 Afterwards, they loaded them all into their dragon (dragon: SCA for "automobile")
401 for the journey home. When they arrived they were quite tired as the revel after
402 the wedding had gone on quite late. They decided that they would unload the 
403 dragon in the morning. However, Gilmarond (being a TRUE viking), decided that he
404 would take the new war ax in to the house. This was a fine shoulder axe, 4 feet 
405 long with a curved blade. 
406 Now the bedroom in their house was at the head of the stairs, and had a window 
407 that overlooked the street where the dragon was parked. Since it was a warm June
408 night, they left the window open.
409 At about 2 am, Gilmarond heard a noise. Getting up, he looked out the window.
410 He saw a man attempting to break into the dragon. Not bothering to get dressed 
411 (Gilmarond slept in the nude), he grabbed up the ax & ran from the room.
412 Now from the bedroom door it was a straight shot down the stairs and out the 
413 door to the car!
414 Picture the would be thief, as a SIX-FOOT NAKED VIKING waving an AX over his 
415 head comes charging out the door screaming "ODIN!"
416 Some say the thief is running yet!
417 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
418 Do not get the wrong impression, we of the SCA are quite peaceful. We DO study
419 various war-like arts, but we also study those of peace. I must admit however, 
420 that many of us feel that courtesy and politeness must occasionally be backed by
421 readiness to defend oneself and others against those who would mistake that
422 courtesy for weakness. Which brings me to another tale.....
423 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BARD~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
424 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
425 to:"======================" above
426 I have never been good at spelling or possesives.I am able to learn from
427 CONSTRUCTIVE critisism but "so it makes no sense" is not required for this and
428 only serves to make my immage of you less then nice,by the way...do you have a
429 name??
430 The Man in Gray
431 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
432 Bard:
433 not too long ago (I can't recall if it was here or elsewhere), it
434 was mentioned that something SCA-related was too occur on the 18th.
435 I've been curious about the SCA for some time, but have had no
436 contact person.  Could you enlighten me as to the time, locale,
437 and schedule of events?  If I am in error, please correct me.
438 Thanks.   
439 000000000000000000000000000voyeur000000000000000000000000000000
440 exit
441 
442 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
443 Voyeur: Someone told me (as best as I can remember) that the SCA has some
444 sort of festival up in washington (either tacoma or Seattle, I can't 
445 remember which). 
446 Bard: The first tale was great, I'm on the edge of my seat waiting
447 for the next.
448                 Bo
449 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
450 ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
451 BO: FILE UNSAFE MEANS SOMEONE EXITED WITHOUT USEING THE OFF COMMAND, OR
452 THAT THEY WERE THROWN OFF THE SYSTEM BY PERHAPS, CALL WAITING. WHICH
453 HAPPENS TO ME AT TIMES, WHEN I'M ON MY COMPUTER AND SOMEONE CALLS IN.
454 MAN IN GREY: HOW DID YOU COME UPON YOUR NAME?
455 THE REST OF THE STORY BIT WAS QUITE INTERESTING, IN FACT THE WHOLE
456 BOOK IS VERY EYE OPENING. IT'S AMAZING THE LENGTHS GOVERNMENT WILL GO TO
457 FOR A WAR. OR AT LEAST ONE THATS SANCTIONED ANYHOW. THE SPANISH AMERICAN
458 WAR CAME ABOUT BY US BLOWING UP ONE OF OUR OWN SHIPS IN A SPANISH HABOR.
459 OR AT LEAST THAT'S WHAT I READ IN "THE REST OF THE STORY", BUT I'VE HAD
460 LITTLE TIME TO CHECK IT OUT?
461 ROOT: DO YOU ACCESS THIS SYSTEM EVER?
462 ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!DEBORAH?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
463 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
464 Deborah,back in the dark ages(befor my computer) I used cbbs on sombody 
465 elses system,through this I met somebody with some of my own interests and
466 we decided to meet.the problem was raised as to how we would find each other
467 so I dressed up entirely in gray velour and said"look for the man in gray"
468 it stuck,so when I got the terminal up and found bwms again(aaron gave me 
469 the number once) thats what I used.
470 Jonathan Chance,as for chs today I was unable to attend due to a small run 
471 in with the local constabulary at 2 in the mourning which cause much sleep 
472 loss(ever try to explane why you have blood all over your body and are 
473 walking around in the dead of night?) give me a call and i'll fill in the
474 details(have school from 6 to 9).
475 The Man in Gray
476 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
477 ############################################################################
478 Hey!  This is Figment of the imagination.
479     
480 Did anyone out there hear about the new
481 charity organization  that Micheal Jackson 
482 and Richard Pryour are starting?  
483     
484    
485    *It's called: Ignited Negro College Fund*
486       
487      *HA HA*
488      
489     
490 ############################################################################
491 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
492 DESPITE THE COMMENTS BY M.I.G., I GET THE POINT OF YOUR MESSAGES.
493 I MEARLY WANTED TO SEE IF THERE WOULD BE MORE INTELLEGENT RESPONSES THAN
494       !YOU ARE CRAZY(INSANE, DEMENTED, PERVERTED, ETC.)!
495 LET'S DROP THAT AND MOVE ON TO SOMETHING MORE FULFILLING(???)
496 
497 P.V. JELTZ: FACINATING ARTICLES! COULD YOU AGAIN CITE THE SOURCE FOR ME?
498 
499 TOPICS ARE ABSENT FROM MY MIND AS OF CURRENT. THE ONLY ONE I CAN THINK
500 OF NOW IS 'HOW ACCURATE ARE TESTS SUCH AS THE SAT AS A MEASURE OF ABILITY'?
501 
502 
503 I SHALL LEAVE WITH AN INTERESTING QUOTE:
504   BUT WHAT SORT OF CREATURE HAS THE BRAINS TO BUILD A SHIP AND NOT THE 
505 SENSE TO CARRY A MEANS OF DEFENSE?
506   THEY WERE AN ESSENTIALLY LOGICAL PEOPLE.
507   THE POOR SAPS!
508 
509 
510 FROM "DIABOLOGIC" BY ERIC FRANK RUSSEL.
511 
512 
513                                                   JONATHAN CHANCE
514 &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
515 --------------------------------------------------------
516 FRANCISfrom the book 'Destiny,' by Paul Aurandt
517 
518 
519 Where have the hysterical teenage audiences gone?  In the 1960's frantic, grimacing young girls swooned over the Beatles.
520 In the fifties their older sisters went wild at the sight or sound of Elvis Presley.
521 In the forties it was someone else.
522 His name was Francis, although I don't believe anybody ever called him that.
523 Now we are going to call him that.
524 What Francis did to the young women of his generation----their psyches, their souls---was positively astounding.  How quickly
525 we forget.
526 During performances they leaped from their seats and rushed toward the stage.  They threw bouquets of flowers and jewelry and
527 sometimes articles of clothing.  They wept.  They screamed.  They fainted.  They behaved in every bizarre manner imaginable.
528 A stodgy old physician was once asked to describe, in his own terms, the effect of Francis on the feminine listeners.  He 
529 attended a personal appearance and came away shaking his head, speaking of magnetism and electricity and contagion, of 
530 histrionic epilepsh and sexual arousal and even of a phenomenon which had seemed identical to that of tickling!
531 Indeed, no one ever before in the history of show business had held his fans under such a spell.
532 Teenagers and older women clawed and scratched and fought like roller-derby amazons over souvenirs.  Anything would do, as 
533 he had touched it.  Young ladies often dashed toward him with scissors, hoping to abscond with a lock of hair.  One woman 
534 actually siezed the butt of a cigar she had watched Francis smoke, then carried it in her bosom for years, some say forever 
535 after.
536 And there were groupies in the forties, if we ma call them that.  The ones who waited for Francis at his hotel.  The ones who
537 followed him from town to town on tour, some even disguising themselves as men so they could get unobtrusively closer to him.
538 The profound devotion of his admirers made Francis perhaps the wealthiest performer of his day.  And he spent money lavishly.
539 At one time he had no fewer than 60 expensively tailored jackets and 365 ties.  
540 Manufacturerss capitalized on his celebrity, flooding their various markets for more than a decade with cloting and jewelry 
541 and even candy merchandised under Francis' name.  
542 His egomania was staggering.  A superstar, he never let anyone forget it.  He thrived on adulation and could not bear to lose
543 the spotlight, on- or offstage.  In fact, a great conflict existed between his innate love of solitude and his need for a 
544 fawning entourage.
545 Bad press, and there was much of it, often droe him into a profane fist-shaking frenzy.  Yet it should be noted that Francis
546 vigorously encouraged the gossip regarding his sporadic misbehavior, and sometimes impertinence in the presence of VIP's.
547 Also there were fine qualities, kindness and generosity, which offset his constant pride and occasional irascibility.
548 Music aside, however, the world of entertainment will longest remember Francis' sex appeal.  Even as a much older man, he 
549 never failed to attract women.  
550 So perhaps it was envy, in part, that inspired so many of his colleages to minimize the accomplishments of the dazzling
551 performer with the shoulder-length hair and the outrageous tight-fitting costumes.
552 He was the first one-man show in the history of the concert stage, the mesmerizing pianist-composer of the 1840s who turned a
553 generation upside down.
554 Francis, in Hungarian, "Ferencz."
555 He called himself Franz.
556 Franz Liszt.
557 Now you know THE REST OF THE STORY.
558 
559 ---------------------------------------------------- P. V. Jeltz -------------
560 ############################################################################
561 Hey!  P. V. Jeltz!  I don't care for your stupid
562 "REST OF THE STORY".  It takes up a lot of 
563 room.
564   
565 You sound stupid too.   I'll bet you don't 
566 know how the baby crossed the road do you?
567    
568    
569   *Stapled to the chicken@
570      
571   *Ha Ha*
572   
573   Now YOU know THE REST OF THE STORY!
574     
575 Signed:  Figment of the imagination
576  
577 ############################################################################
578 The poet gazed through glazed red eyes at his drinking companion.
579 "You, my friend, are as grey as your velour," quoth he. "Did I hear correctly? Did that rather striking young ladystate
580 that she was your daughter? Please, sir, the rest of the story! Or perhaps she was a figment of my imagination?" The poet
581 hoped this was not the case, for he had gained a certain aversion to such figments of late, due to a fig of poor taste he
582 had recently encountered.
583 The Grey One remained silent.
584 "Perhaps if I were to pay for the next round..." Not a twitch. Now the poet was beginning to worry; an offer such as that
585 came but once in a lifetime...
586                && The Mad Actor &&
587 
588 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
589   The piper folded his stand of pipes carefully and placed them on a convenient
590 ledge jutting from the nearby wall.  Sitting at the table he grasped the edge
591 as the rickety stool tipped beneath him.
592    He was alright as long as he held onto the tabletop -- through three ales
593 and several storys, but at the conclusion of the bard's exceptionally well-told
594 tale, gales of laughter tipped the abused stool just a little too far...
595 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
596 Another disk with space left over and no PAM to do the honer of
597 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
598 finishing it off. I hope she didn't lose her way. Though the 
599 Rowan tree outside the Inn is tatered with so many borrowing
600 shoots for their own purposes, it still stands firm against
601 all onslots. It has even managed to survive a deadly mini-war
602 in the Inn with minimal damage to itself. So if you're out there
603 listening PAM, hurry home soon, we miss you.
604 +++++++++++++++++++++ I.S. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
605 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
606 At the Inn...
607 and tell me good lady,how I have become the benefactor of this office of "father
608 "well if you can remember 19 years ago when you first came to this land.it seems
609 that you and my mother had a little afare and then you were drafted into the war
610 "she said.
611 "and what be your name? and why are you here,the last thing I'd think you would 
612 want is to see a man who deserted you?"
613 "well my name is lynn which if you would stop drinking that stuff you would 
614 remember naming me!" said lynn with more then a little anger "and as to why i'm 
615 here you will not like it,it seems that my present family remembers your past"
616 
617 "let me guess,the battle of tabor? and they want me to kill somebody? well,I am 
618 no longer the kings hired killer!"
619 "no no,far from it,the king simply wants to find out who is importing high 
620 quality weapons into this time frame" said lynn
621 "and what of payment" said Gray,wetting his appatite for battle
622 "ha,for payment my present father said that you may keep your life! but I may
623 put in the good word for you"
624 at that Graymalken noticed that half the Inn was listening to the words
625 being said and stated "perhaps we can talk some other place? there is also a
626 rather demented looking player wxo looks as to want to buy me another drink, 
627 which I definatly do not need"
629 The Man in Gray??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

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