obadministrivia
jul 1

An AOHellster
why am i getting these random emails about dykes and chicago??????????
You know what's coming... because you subscribed to this list, and that's what's posted to it. Don't like it? Instructions to leave are at the end of every message.

TAKE ME OFF YOUR LIST NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This attitude does not help achieve anything. Other than a complaint to AOHell. Breach of netiquette, m'dear. Not that that means much to AOHell stInc, so the two are in good mutual company.

Courtney
You know what I'm thinking people?
That we make said Hellster find their own way out? It crossed my mind...

Because this person was SO INCREDIBLY RUDE to me in my email AND was rude to us all, maybe we SHOULDN'T take he off the list, what do you think?
It's tempting. It would be against the nature of our fine admins, but there will come a time when they're all away from their computers, and can't terminate memberships in this manner. A little self-reliance never did anyone any harm.

Shobi
I haven't got a digest for a few days now. Have I been unsubscribed
No, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to post.

or is everything just quiet?
No, the digests were merely acting like London buses: you wait days for them, then half a dozen come at once. It's odd, there have been similar problems affecting thetelegram.com, and onelist hasn't been talking with my mail provider for some months now.

Angela
Yes! We're proud of our dykes, we're proud of Chicago, put 'em together, and, va-va-va-VOOM!
That's dykes as in sea defences popular in the Netherlands, and Chicago as in the Ute Lempter (sp?) musical. I think.

Or is it dykes (as in lesbians) and said musical? Or sea defences and Illinois cities? Or all the above in one great big melting pot? Heck, let's have k d lang and Richard Krajicek duetting on "All That Jazz" while walking along the wall that protects Chicago, Illinois, from the mighty Lake Michigan.

eu
jul 1

Ulrike-ke-ke-ke
i think the EU and the ideas behind it are not foolsih at all, in spite of the problems it causes.
Let's keep this in proportion. I absolutely welcome the freedom of goods, services and people that the EEC, EC, EU have helped bring about. And the undoubted contribution to peaceful co-existence in this part of the world.

the general idea to form a union which has the same currency, taxes and laws seems very important to me. and i'm sure it will work.
Very quick quiz to other Britons: what is Ulrike saying that Mr T. Blair (London) isn't?

Read my lips. Taxes. And laws.

There needs to be almost total convergence of some very disparate economies before taxes can be equalised across the bloc. I doubt that can happen inside three economic cycles - perhaps 40 years. Even the monolithic US economy has over-heating and under-performing spots, and that's been yoked together since creation.

As for laws - how will that be sold? It's not playing well in this country, and I really doubt that the current fudge and falsehoods by politicians is an approach that's going to work for much longer.

More importantly: why common laws?

the case is simply that rather small states with laws and financial policies that are opposed to each other will have problem to keep up their standards against huge states like for example the USA or others.
It's true that the days of the medium-sized nation state are over. That doesn't necessarily mean imposing one set of conditions on around six different, viable independent economies will work. (For reference: the six I'm thinking of are UK+IE; DE+LU+AT+CH; ES+PT; FR+BE+NL; IT+SV; DK+FI+SE+NO. It includes CH, SV, NO that aren't current EU members, and omits GR, which might work with CR, MC, BH, AB)

those countries in full: uk: UK - ie: Ireland
de: Germany - lu: Luxembourg - at: austria - ch: Switzerland
es: Spain - pt: Portugal
fr: France - be: Belgium - nl: Netherlands
it: Italy - sv: Slovenia
dk: Denmark - fi: Finland - se: Sweden - no: Norway
gr: Greece - cr: Croatia - mc: Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of) - bh: Bosnia-Herzegovina - ab: Albaina

the doom
jul 4

Ulrike
i plan to see the Expo as well. especially since it has so many difficulties because there aren't enough visitors. i feel some strange duty to go. :)
One could say the same thing about the Millooneyum Dome, the semi-official UK Government marking of AD 2000. It's still not pulling in the visitors. However, because it's stuck away in a god-forsaken part of East London, and not the far more accessible site in Birmingham; and because it's way too expensive; and because the content is carp, I see no duty in going.

nickers
jul 7

Sade
Ah, nothing makes one feel better than being suspected a thief.
With an opening gambit like that, how can we possibly resist?

Such is the life of a teenager. And i understand them 'cause shoplifters are usually teenage girls.
Actually, they're not. Nor are they teenage boys. The biggest group of shoplifters are -- [drumroll] -- middle-aged businessmen in suits.

It's a fact. Leading stores all report the biggest theft is from the respectable Man In A Swish Suit. He looks innocent, yet is more likely than any other person to be swiping something off the shelf. Maybe it's because people don't want to believe what they see.

comatose and feebly kicking
jul 7

There was a telling moment on C*H*U*M*S back in January. Ant, Dec and Cat are in the flat, holding a seance...

Cat: We're trying to get in touch with someone on the other side.
Ant: No-one watches the other side!

Fast forward to the BBC Press Office on Tuesday...
Saturday morning children's show Live And Kicking could be scrapped by the BBC. Presenters Emma Leddenfooted and Steve Willnevermakeadecentfistofthis have already been given their marching orders. They replaced Zoe Ball and Jamie Theakston. A BBC spokesmodel said the seven-year-old show could be axed. Ratings for the show have slumped to around 400,000 since Z&J left last year. Viewers have been flocking to ITV's SM:TV, presented by Ant and Dec.
Live And Kicking began in 1993, with celebrity interviews, silly games and pop music. Andi Peters and Emma Forbes also presented the show for three years.

There's always a grain of truth in comedy, isn't there.

mcbrave
jul 9

Jaeda
Please tell me that there's more to Scotland then that dang castle cutie Prince William goes to......
There's more to Scotland than Balmoral. There's Edinburgh, and Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee, Clackmannan. Scones, cream, cheese, kippers, herring, cakes, bread, gloriously crusty bread. Humour, sunshine, views, rain. Galleries, musicians, Mayfest, The Festival, The Beano, sculpture.

Oh, and Prince William? He's Birtney's. Only she's Cory's. Oh, I'm confused.

eu redux
jul 9

Dunja
what about postcommunist countrys will they ever be able to enter EU and equelly participate in Eu,
Good question. We're coming to the point where the EU needs to decide whether it's going to be a "deep" union of states, centred on Spain-France-Germany-Italy, and carrying the rest of Central Europe with it. Or will the EU become a "broad" union, with less tight integration. The options aren't mutually exclusive in the very long term, but choosing one path will rule the other out for ten years or so.

I think my country is pretty poor the indrustry is ruined etc, and we can keep up with EU and they are always giving us some ultimatums.
Right now, the EU is trying to fudge the deeper / broader debate. Switzerland and Norway are already part in, while Turkey, Malta and Cyprus are negotiating full entry. Iceland could also join at the drop of a hat.

Then will come the relatively westernised Eastern countries, such as Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, Estonia. Croatia is spoken of as part of the wave after that, along with Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Latvia. We're probably 10 years down the road, even assuming the EU goes broader first.

So, to return to your original question: will the ex-communist countries participate equally in the EU? As the EU is currently structured, almost certainly not. They won't get the chance. As the EU evolves? Almost certainly. It's in no-one's interests to keep them out.

Ulrike's adds
the EU already has problem with subventionating agriculture of the member states, simply because the market for agricultural product is not too big and they have this (rather ridiculous) subvention policy there.
Ridiculous? It's a complete farce. The Common Agricultural Policy is not in need of reform. It is in need of being dumped into the nearest trashcan, and allowing the free market that the Commission likes in other economic sectors to rule in agriculture. Yes, there will be transition costs, and farms will go under. But the total cost of abolition is much smaller than continuing the existing wasteful policy.

anglophilia
jul 9

Mark
What in the hell happened to good manners?! Maybe I'm just too damned English!
Too bally English? There's no such concept, my fine fellow. For that would presuppose a surfeit of politeness, consideration, weasel speaking, and drinking tea from bone china with the pinkie stuck out. Bilgewater, my man. Bilgewater, I say! Anyone for tea?

Angela and her British food
bangers and mash? (sausages and mashed potatoes),
Best served with the mash making a large pile on the plate, and the sausages sticking out of the mash in no pattern. See "The Beano" passim.

toad-in-the-hole? (Yorkshire pudding batter studded with sausages and baked until the "pud" is crispy like a popover)
Yorkshire pud batter is identical to pancake batter.

sarnies? (sandwiches),
Thinly sliced bread with butter and filling.

a cuppa? (tea),
Out of a teapot, best with loose leaf tea and a strainer.

courgettes? (zucchini), mange tout? (pea pods), aubergine? (eggplant),
These are all the exact same thing.

mushy peas? (think VERY thick green split pea soup often served beside fish and chips in some areas),
I think it's best not to make it as a soup so much as overboiled peas.

chip butty? (a roll slathered with butter and heaped with French fries)
AKA a chip sarnie (qv.) Incidentally, chip is not identical to French Frie. A chip is quite a large slice of potato, about the same size as a finger, then quickly fried in oil. French Fries are a lot slimmer and tend to be crunchier.

Those are your basics, any others?
Iced bun: light bread roll with soft cake icing on top. Sometimes made with raisins.
Belgian bun: round roll with icing and a cherry on top.
Baked beans: small white beans, canned in a tomato sauce.
Hobnob: oatmeal biscuit of hard texture. Sometimes with chocolate
Jaffa cake: Delicious.
Red sauce: ketchup
Brown sauce: vinegar, spices, in similar consistency to ketchup. Not to be confused with (runny) Worcestershire sauce.

walkies
jul 12

Roy
In london, walking is faster. Heck, crawling is faster.
There was an article in a paper the other day concerning Russian petrol-driven boots, with a piston attached to each foot. They allow long strides of about 4m, with top speeds of almost 20mph. That would be one of the few inventions that would speed up my walking, as well as being faster than most of the traffic. Even on the M6.

regents
jul 12

Jadea
i am obsessed with Regency novels...haven't quite pinned down what the "Regency" period was...have no patience for history.....but if anyone cares to explain it to me
The Regency period dates back to King George III, in the late 18th and early 19th century. According to those who were there at the time, George went somewhat ga-ga, loopy, one coronet short of a crown (however you like to define it.) Rather than trust the country to someone who was rapidly losing the plot, courtiers came up with a cunning plan to transfer much of the King's power to other people. These people were collectively known as the King's Regents, as they were reigning in the place of the King.

critics pole
jul 14

Well, the end of season US television critics poll is in. These are the results, and my comments...

*Best Shows*
1. The Sopranos - HBO / [4]
Not my cup of tea, but what I've seen I like.
2. The West Wing - NBC / SKY
It's good, but SKY's airing clashes with Murder One II. Bad luck.
3. Malcolm In The Middle - Fox
Pass.
4. Buffy The Vampire Slayer - WB / SKY / BBC TWO
I've avoided season 4, after missing the first six episodes, but how can it possibly top S3?
5. Freaks and Geeks - NBC
Someone pick this up, please! 6. The Simpsons - Fox / SKY / BBC TWO
The best comedy on TV. Still.
7. Once and Again - ABC
8. Sports Night - ABC
9. Law & Order - NBC
Three more to pick up.
10. Frasier - NBC / [4]
This season seemed a lot off the boil. Especially the over-schmalzy finale.

*Worst Shows*
1. Shasta - UPN
I've not seen this. Thankfully.
2. WWF Smackdown! - UPN / SKY / [4]
It's on [4], and it's got a DOG. Can't be good.
3. Veronica's Closet - NBC / SKY
SKY by satellite, not DTTV. Reruns of Friends are better. The testcard would be better.
4. Mike O'Malley - NBC
5. Wasteland - ABC
6. Ladies Man - CBS
7. Talk to Me - ABC
8. Then Came You - ABC
9. Time of Your Life - Fox
None have UK distribution.
10. Ally McBeal - Fox / [4]
Don't watch it.

*Best TV Miniseries, Movies and Specials*
1. The Corner - HBO
2. Arabian Nights - ABC
3. Annie - ABC
4. Jesus - CBS
5. Millennium coverage - ABC
Nope, saw none of them. Quite how they ranked ABC's 1999 ahead of CNN's is a mystery.

*Worst TV Miniseries, Movies and Specials*
1. The '70s - NBC
2. Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire? - Fox / Living
Picked up by Living. The home for the terminally poor.
3. The 10th Kingdom - NBC / SKY
Way too glossy.
4. Perfect Murder, Perfect Town - CBS
5. Leprechauns - NBC
Don't think I'll see any of them.

Jadea (snipping well, good work)
who's ass do I have to kiss for ruining DC? as long as it doesn't involve missing an episode (even a rerun) I'll do it!
Is that a genuine offer? Really? Yes? Well, have we got the perfect ass for you to kick. Step forward the man responsible for sticking a huge splodge of lemon curd all over every week's episodes of Dawson's. The man whose televisual graffiti makes the show just too distracting to watch. The one who has done the same to Planet Pop, starring St Lauren Laverne.

Yes, Jadea, your task is to come over to London, stake out the Channel 4 offices, and kick the butt of Andi Peters. Invite the press, and you shall be feted as a national hero.

What? It wasn't an offer? Grr. Guess I'll just have to go and plant size tens up Peters's butt myself.

As for the future: a Draft Guideline For Spoiler Spaces...

Big spoilers (reference at the top of the post, and at least 20 lines of mainly blank space before the spoiler) for 12 months after an episode or plot line airs. This would cover shows aired in the US from September to May, and now popping up elsewhere in the world.

Minor spoilers - a reference at the start of the paragraph, and not putting the event on the top line - for plot lines from one to two years before. That's shows that aired in the US 98/99 season.

Spoilers are clearly not needed on shows that are not exported, such as the local news. It would be polite to include spoilers on short shelf-life shows, such as Millionaire or Survivor. Remember that tape delay or videos may be used.

Stick these spoilers in and you shouldn't cause any ructions.

eminently poor
jul 14

Jadea on Mrs Mathers Jr
have to be unreasonable here...I don't like her...not at all ...if you listen to his music, she didn't want anything to do with him before "Slim Shady"
Reality (Mathers) or the character (Shady) talking? According to the writer, the two are not the same.

and now that he has a zillion dollars, she wanted to be with him....but that might just be jealousy talking...who knows?
I'd say that's jealousy, pure and simple.

anyone that could attempt to take their life when they have a child is plain old selfish to me.....goes against my Wiccan beliefs, but it does violate the Rede
There are serious issues going on here. People are getting hurt. Mrs Mathers is clearly having major problems. I think calling her "selfish" is missing the point in a huge way.

I completely do NOT hold with the theory that music/movies cause violence. I'd much rather him talk about it then do it. it's how he lets off steam.
This has become a moot argument, though. Fact: Mathers has been charged with waving a gun around in a public place. Granting due process, not pre-judging anything, he appears to have committed a number of violent acts. Does the claim that his lyrics and actions are separate still hold?

>If he doesn't mean it, he won't say it.
Really? Use the same argument when talking to christians that oppose the death penalty...the bible SAYS an eye for an eye... see how irate they get....
Straight back to Torah-as-direct-communication versus Torah-as-wisdom-interpreted-by-man debate. Scholars have been arguing this one for thousands of years, and it's carried on now Torah has become the opening part of Christianity's Old Testament.

"Stan"
>That's the lightning rod song, the one put on the album just
>to generate controversy.
and you know this how? Look around you. No radio station will play this song without heavy editorials round it - if at all. People - including me - are talking about it, reacting to it, giving attention it may not deserve. If that's not the hallmark of a track designed to stir up the hype machine, I don't know what is.