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NUMBER OF LINES: 999 001=Usr:0 Null User 06/30/87 20:34 Msg:0 Call:0 Lines:19 1$If you are in need of help, you need but ask... 2$************************* INSTALLED: 26 JUL 89 *************************** 3$Welcome to BWMS II (BackWater Message System II) Mike Day System operator 4$************************************************************************** 5$GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS II IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION 6$ PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM. 7$BWMS II was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS II is a privately 8$owned and operated system which is currently open for use by the general 9$public. No restrictions are placed on the use of the system. As the 10$system is privately owned, I retain the right to remove any and all 11$messages which I may find offensive. Because of the limited size of the 12$system, it will be periodically purged of messages (only 999 lines of data 13$can be saved). To leave a message, type 'ENTER'. Use ctrl/C to get out 14$the ENTER mode. The message is automatically stored. If after entering 15$the message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to 16$replace the line. To exit from the system, type 'BYE' then hang up. 17$Type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system. 18$************************************************************************** 19$ 002=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY 07/26/89 21:08 Msg:4161 Call:22851 Lines:2 20 Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest. 21 ************************************************************************* 003=Usr:70 Kurfur Redlig 07/26/89 21:33 Msg:4162 Call:22853 Lines:12 22 KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKurfur Redlig | Not Again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 23 24 Well, once again, I appear to be at the top. Well, at least that's how it 25 looks from way up here. I gotta finish off that last disk, and now I get 26 to start off this one. Some people have all the luck, don't they? 27 28 OLO 29 \___/ 30 U 31 32 KKKKKKKKKKKKKKurfur Redlig | Onwards and downwards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 33 004=Usr:53 prince dragon 07/26/89 23:58 Msg:4163 Call:22858 Lines:6 34 may 26 89??????? 35 why is the date on this disk 26 may 89?? 36 datecode is 89.7.27.00:06 37 .-=-.-=-.-=-. 38 off 39 005=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/27/89 12:59 Msg:4164 Call:22866 Lines:7 40 &*&*&*&*'s 41 THe date does indeed appear to be off. Strange, perhaps we are in fact 42 communicating with the past! 43 44 An Astral Dreamer 45 &*&*&*&*'s (Living in 7-27-89) 46 006=Usr:287 Ralph Steadman 07/27/89 13:14 Msg:4165 Call:22868 Lines:94 47 696969696969 48 APn 07/26/89. By WILLIAM M. WELCH Associated Press Writer 49 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Michael Dukakis walked off the stage after his final 50 debate with George Bush and told a top aide, "I blew it," according to a new 51 book about the presidential race. 52 Dukakis knew he had committed a serious error by responding without emotion 53 to a question about the possibility of his wife being raped and killed, 54 political columnists Jack Germond and Jules Witcover write in "Whose Broad 55 Stripes and Bright Stars? The Trivial Pursuit of the Presidency 1988." 56 Aides were baffled at Dukakis' fumbled answer because the Massachusetts 57 governor had rehearsed an effective answer to a soft-on-crime question 13 times 58 during debate preparations. 59 Advance copies of the book, published by Warner Books, drew notice earlier 60 this month for critical comments about Vice President Dan Quayle attributed to 61 Quayle's campaign aides. 62 President Bush said he was offended by Republican advisers, quoted by Germon 63 and Witcover, who called Quayle a "lightweight" and described him as having a 64 childlike immaturity. 65 Dukakis' debate response, widely criticized at the time, was to a question b 66 moderator Bernard Shaw of CNN, who asked if he would favor the death penalty if 67 his wife were raped and murdered. 68 Germond and Witcover write that the three other journalists on the panel wer 69 told of Shaw's question in advance and tried unsuccessfully to talk him into 70 softening it. 71 Dukakis' response began: "No, I don't, Bernard. And I think you know I've 72 opposed the death penalty all of my life. I don't see any evidence that it's a 73 deterrent, and I think there are better and more effective ways to deal with 74 violent crime. We've done so in my own state." 75 Dukakis' answer was flat and bloodless, and it was remembered by voters 76 because it "captured the candidate's most glaring vulnerabilities," according t 77 the book. 78 The authors say Dukakis walked off the stage in Los Angeles and told top aid 79 John Sasso, "I blew it." 80 The book also describes the Bush campaign's successful focus on a handful of 81 issues used to create negative feelings about Dukakis. Those issues included 82 Dukakis' veto of a bill requiring students to say the pledge of allegiance, his 83 support for a law allowing convicted murderers to be furloughed from prison and 84 opposition to the death penalty. 85 86 APn 07/24/89. By ROBERT M. ANDREWS Associated Press Writer 87 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Holy Batroots! Is it really true, as some scientists 88 suggest, that human beings and bats might be distant cousins who share the same 89 primeval ancestors? Is there a Batman or Count Dracula lurking in each of us? 90 In the heat of this summer's batmania, with American moviegoers breaking 91 box-office records to see "Batman," anything seems possible. 92 The National Zoo's bat expert, Dr. John Seidensticker, says it's an 93 intriguing theory, one you could sink your teeth into, but he's not sure he 94 believes it. Other scientists at the Smithsonian Institution scoff at the idea. 95 Seidensticker says brain studies have yielded evidence that certain kinds of 96 large bats found in Africa and the South Pacific may be descendants of 97 prehistoric primates akin to lemurs or mouselike shrews. 98 "The theory is that these bats are really flying primates," he says, and 99 connected somehow in the evolutionary chain to the early primate ancestors of 100 monkeys, apes, gorillas -- and humans. 101 But Dr. Charles Handley, a leading authority on bats and other mammals at th 102 Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, says this theory is a "hot 103 potato" of scientific controversy that has won few adherents. 104 "We don't know what the ancestors of bats really were," Handley said. 105 The 160 fluttering bats in the National Zoo's new Bat Cave aren't talking. 106 In fact, they don't display the slightest familial interest in their suppose 107 two-legged cousins who stare intently through a glass wall into their dimly 108 lighted hideaway of damp rocks and hollow tree trunks. 109 One recent visitor was Vice President Dan Quayle and his children, who 110 attended the Washington premiere of "Batman" at a nearby movie theater and then 111 joined a post-screening party for 1,200 guests in a tent outside the Bat Cave. 112 Seidensticker, the zoo's associate curator of mammals, illuminated the cave 113 for Quayle with a flashlight. He said the vice president was "very interested" 114 in the bats and lingered for seven minutes, much longer than the average 115 tourist. 116 Seidensticker said bats "are not mice with wings, they are bats," and people 117 shouldn't be afraid of them. 118 "They actually are nice, fun, incredible animals," he says. "They're great 119 little guys." 120 Keeper Carol Prima, who wears a Batman baseball cap, says the bats have neve 121 bothered her. "They're not aggressive," she said. "If anything, they're just 122 curious." 123 They hover watchfully while she scrubs the cave walls or delivers their 124 meals. The bats, three species of fruit eaters, consume 30 pounds of grapes, 125 melons, bananas and a gruel of peach nectar and vitamins every day. 126 The rest of the time they fly back and forth, socialize in their "harems" an 127 just hang out. Or, more precisely, hang down. They also have active sex lives. 128 "They're continuously producing babies," Seidensticker says. 129 Ms. Prima says she's never felt threatened working in the Bat Cave. 130 "They never touch me, and they've never flown into my hair," she said. "They 131 keep their distance. They know you're there, but they aren't interested in 132 coming near you. They aren't accepting you as a bat." 133 "There's no need to fear these little guys," she says, although some visitor 134 have been seen anxiously sprinting past the Bat Cave without a glance. 135 The public's most frequently asked question, says Seidensticker, is "Where's 136 the Batmobile?" 137 138 696969696969696969 139 140 second most asked question: "Where's the little batgirl's room?" 007=Usr:365 Ornac Owl 07/27/89 13:43 Msg:4166 Call:22869 Lines:56 141 142 prsmen & Minutemen 143 144 Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of the gun control movement is the 145 emphasis it places on _not_ infringing of the sporting uses of firearms. 146 Gun control advocates of all stripes--all but the most doctrinaire of 147 h etitoste doae on the right of 148 Americans to keep and bear arms will do nothing to restrict the 149 _legitimate_ rights of sportsmen. They, of course, reserve the right to 150 determine what is legitimate and what is not. 151 The concern of gun grabers with the rights of sportsmen does not grow 152 out of a love of sport. It grows out of the cold-eyed calculation that 153 any attempt to restrict firearms ownership that seriously infringed on 154 hunting and target shooting would alienate tens of millions of Americans 155 and result in the sitadpraetrmoval from office of those 156 public officals who support their cause. 157 But there is a second, more sinister motivation as well. That is the 158 need of gun control advocates to shift the debate away from the bedrock 159 isse--which is that the right to keep and bear arms is a fundamental 160 liberty protected by the Constitution and that those who would restrict 161 that rigtaeavctn sweeping assault on the liberty of the 162 American people. Gun grabbers know that if the restrictions they 163 advocate are debated in terms of the Second Amendment their position 164 is indefensible. So they are desperate to reformulate the argument in 165 terms more favorable to them. By casting the case for and agaisnt gun 166 ownership in terms of "sporting purposes" they trivialize the 167 constitutional issue. 168 Or so they think. 169 While it is self-evidentl reta h eod Amendment was not put 170 in the Constituition to protect the right to shoot ducks--it was put 171 there to ensure that no government would have a monopoly on the tools of 172 coercive force and to ensure that individual Americans would have access 173 to the instruments of self-defense--there is in fact a crucial link 174 between so-called sport shooting and the fundamental right to keep and 175 ba rms. 176 It is this: If firearms are to be used competently the user must 177 practice. 178 America is a reasonably civilized place, and the occasions when a 179 citizen msut use a weapon for a constitutionally protected purpose--self- 180 defense for instance--occur relatively infrequently. But that is all the 181 more reason why the opportunity to train and practice with the weapons 182 that will be used in critical. There is rarely time to become proficient 183 we h olf is at the door. 184 The truth is that there is nothing trivial about using firearms for 185 sporting purposes, any more that theere is anything trivial about basic 186 training. Allowing gun grabbers to determine what firearms can 187 appropriately be used for sporting purposes and the appropriate time, 188 place and manner of their use is like allowing pacifists to determine 189 hwthe Army should train for battle. 190 Make no mistake--using firearms for sporitng purposes is using firearms 191 for training. And limiting the ability to train to 19th century arms--as 192 gun grabbers are in effect doing when they propose to ban semiautomatic 193 arms--is a profound infringement on the right to keep and bear arms. 194 195 By Robert K. Brown 196 008=Usr:70 Kurfur Redlig 07/27/89 20:46 Msg:4167 Call:22878 Lines:28 197 KKKKKKKKKKKKurfur Redlig | Up next.... More batty facts.................. 198 199 It's interesting in the recent article on bats that the zoo bat specialist 200 tended to clump the bats into only 1 group. From what I learned and read 201 (mostly in biology a few years back), there are actually two different 202 types of 'bat'. One is the microthoptera, or true bats. These are the 203 small carnivorous beasties with the large ears, sonar, that eat insects 204 (although they do include the infamous 'vampire' bat in their ranks). The 205 other group is the megathoptera, or flying foxes. These are the large 206 bats (some with wingspans in excess of 4 feet) with small ears and 207 elongated muzzels that have only rudimentary (if any) sonar. These flying 208 giants are all herbivorous, eating only fruit and nectar. 209 I was informed that the two groups of bats were not closely related at 210 all, only being as close as say a canine is to a feline. The true bats, 211 carnivores, are probably descended from weasels or badger relatives (very 212 distantly), while the flying foxes are descended from the original lemur 213 (primate) stock and are relatives of humans (very distantly). What we 214 basically have is synchronous evolution; two species evolving similiar 215 characteristics the exploit the same method, in this case flight, but for 216 different means, to catch prey or to find tree fruit. It's basically the 217 same mechanism that causes dolphins to look like the extinct itchthyosaurs. 218 They both used the same method, and therefore evolved the same form (to 219 a certain degree). In this manner, some bats are our cousins, and others 220 aren't. 221 If you are actually reading this, which you probably aren't, tell me 222 your opinion on the matter. 223 224 KKKKurfur Redlig | When it comes to bats, I like to wing it :) Ha Ha!!!!! 009=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY 07/27/89 21:21 Msg:4168 Call:22880 Lines:4 225 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 226 Well, if you take evolution as being the way of things, then technically, 227 at some point in the past bats and humans DID have a common ancestor. 228 ---------------------------- M ------------------------------------------ 010=Usr:4 Milchar 07/27/89 23:42 Msg:4169 Call:22885 Lines:6 229 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 230 Yep. 'Twas my Great^2342820 Granpa, Fred Ameoba. 231 +++++++++++++++++++++ 232 Ghandi II- This time he's ticked off. Coming soon to a vidscreen near 233 you. 234 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milch ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 011=Usr:33 Mike Stanfill 07/28/89 16:17 Msg:4170 Call:22903 Lines:102 235 /*/*/*/*/*/*/*/* 236 NOTE: To those who might be offended, I would like to clarify something. 237 In this article, I use the word 'he' as a neutral pronoun. I do not 238 do so in order to imply that women are incapable of rational thought 239 or any other such nonsense. Neither is the hypothetical person 240 introduced in this article intended to characterize either M or 241 Kurfur. I have done both these things purely out of convenience 242 and in the interest of making the article more readable. To 243 paraphrase Lee Iacocca, "If you can find a better pronoun, use it." 244 245 > In response to some of the previous comments in some of the previous 246 > messages, I must state that a state of being good or bad does not 247 > necessarily also mean better or worse. It was stated that for one to 248 > believe in there being 'better information' they had to believe in the 249 > concepts of good and bad. That is not necessarily true. 250 251 I agree that 'better information' cannot mean 'more moral information' 252 since moral judgements cannot be pronounced on objects. Information itself 253 can only be said to be better in the sense that it is more logical. My 254 point is that when applied to moral systems, the information must indicate 255 a better (more morally good) system, or it is useless. My wording was poor. 256 257 > Better 258 > information could just mean that it was more accurate, from a more 259 > reliable source, or made more sense. 260 261 The first two cases seem to me to be saying the same thing in 262 different ways. Information that will change someone's view of what is 263 right and what is wrong has to deal with the issues of right and wrong. 264 To say that a given piece of information is more accurate is to say that 265 it conforms more closely to the truth - which in this case is 'right'. 266 The only value of a more reliable source is that it is more likely to 267 give accurate information. With information which simply 'makes more 268 sense,' you may have a point, though I don't think it is the one you 269 intended to make. 270 I take 'makes more sense' to mean that it fits in better with the 271 rules of logic as the person understands them. From here the person may 272 take two roads: he may say that there is an absolute logical truth, 273 while rejecting the absolute moral truth, or he may reject both. 274 If he rejects both, he is saying that his idea of 'logic' is 275 completely subjective and has no relevance to anything. He has lost all 276 capacity for distinguishing information. To say that information is 277 more logical is to say nothing about the information, only about how he 278 *feels* about it, which by his own definition is completely arbitrary. 279 To say otherwise would be to admit that there is truth. All that is 280 left to him is what he happens to feel at the moment, and his philosophy 281 becomes literally 'if it feels good, do it.' The worst part is that 282 his other option is no better. 283 If he accepts absolute logical truth, then he is saying that he 284 believes that there is some one system of logic which is correct, and 285 (if he is going to say anything) that he has some understanding of that 286 system. However, in rejecting the idea that some beliefs are better 287 than others, he cannot get farther than the statement 'This system is more 288 logical.' To say 'Therefore, I *should* adopt this system' contradicts 289 his stated premise. The 'should' implies that he sees the one system as 290 not simply different, but better. He sees (rightly, I believe) that a 291 more logical system _is_ a *morally better* system. But he has eliminated 292 this possibility already. He has no grounds on which to prefer a more 293 logical system to a less logical one. The best he can say is 'I will 294 adopt this new belief system because it is the one I want to adopt.' 295 The person may, of course, say then that Logic is the One Measure of 296 the good of a philosophy. While this is admitting *one* thing as being 297 morally better than another, he may yet find it acceptable. But in the 298 practical sense, he has not changed his view at all. Moral systems do not 299 start with logical principles, but with moral ones, and simply adding the 300 constraint of logical coherence is tying the ethereal beast with material 301 cords. Certainly, maintaining that there are no (other) concepts of good 302 is logical (Indeed, it is the view our hypothetical person holds). But we 303 are back where we started. Anything the person feels like doing is open 304 to him. His moral system (i.e. that there are no morals) is logical, and 305 there is no further constraint. He has no grounds for preferring one 306 action to another other than the fact that he *wants* to do some things, 307 and doesn't want to do others. The logical constraint does absolutely 308 nothing. Any time he wants to say of something, 'I *ought* to do this,' 309 he must appeal to an objective moral truth, or admit that this is just 310 some arbitrary feeling and that by 'ought' he really means 'want.' 311 312 > Whether information is 313 > 'more gooder' or 'more badder' (for want of better expressions) depends 314 > on what the reciever of the information wants to hear. If, during a war, 315 > a general recieves information that half troops were dead, and there was 316 > reliable evidence to back up this info (pictures etc.), while a wild 317 > rumor earlier said that the general had only lost one eighth of his 318 >troops, the info that half were dead would be regarded as better, but 319 > 'badder' information than the rumor. 320 321 I must say first that things which are morally good are not necessarily 322 in all other ways good. The reliable information is regarded as logically 323 better since it is far more likely to be true. The general would do moral 324 good to adjust his tactics accordingly. The fact that the information is 325 good in the logical sense has no bearing on how good it will make the 326 general feel. I do, however, see your point that information cannot be 327 *morally* good, since information is a thing, not an action or a motive. 328 I often make the mistake of fusing moral and logical truth together, since 329 they don't really survive without each other, but I concede that they are 330 essentially separate. 331 332 "When you're riding in a time machine way far into the future, _ 333 don't stick your elbow out the window, or it'll turn /#) 334 into a fossil." -Jack Handey, "Deep Thoughts" n n n (#/ 335 / ~~~ ~~~ \/ 336 */*/*/*/*/*/*/ -swob (a Self-Willed Orange Blancmange) /___/____\__\ 012=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY 07/28/89 23:12 Msg:4171 Call:22914 Lines:38 337 There are some problems I have with the words "right", and "truth". 338 These words are usually used to 'prove' that a statement is correct. 339 This is not a problem in itself, but all to often a person will use 340 the statement to prove that _their_ version of the "truth" is the _only_ 341 version possible. Thus I tend to shy away from the usage and when I do 342 I try to qualify my usage as being *my* view point. I don't even want to 343 get into morals, because that is a massive can of worms to deal with that 344 is purely personal in nature. Yet far too many people believe that _their_ 345 moral system is the only acceptable system and that allother people must 346 be forced to comply to their personal vision of reality. 347 I don't seek after "truth" in that sense, I seek after information. 348 I accept the concept that there may be many "truths". I try to understand 349 the alternate truths so that I can better understand how other people 350 think and how they have formed their reality. 351 I operate within the current version of my own reality, but I also 352 recognize that there are other realities and other versions of the 353 truth that may not fit my own. This does not make them right or wrong, 354 it only makes them different. 355 For some people Jesus was the son of God, for others he was just a 356 man who happen to be in the right place at the right time. Some people 357 demand that one view or the other be the only acceptable reality, so 358 they pick one and deny the other. Yet, they are both perfectly valid 359 views of reality that depend on your belief system. 360 Morality is even messier, because it is totally tied to a belief 361 system. Though morality is often justified by logical proofs, it is 362 based in beliefs not logic. The logical proof is an attempt to 363 scientifically prove that a specific morality is the "right" one 364 and that all others are "wrong". I of course have my own belief 365 system and my own moral system, but I also recognize that there are 366 other moral systems and do not presume that my versin of reality 367 is the only one or necesarily the proper and valid one for all 368 people. Though I'll certainly fight to keep my reality intact if 369 it is attacked by another. 370 Mostly though, I tend to point out that one person's belief system 371 is not the only possible one when I see that stance taken. It doesn't 372 always gain me a favorable response, but at least they know where I'm 373 coming from, and just maybe they will think about it. 374 ---------------------------------M -------------------------------- 013=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY 07/28/89 23:54 Msg:4172 Call:22915 Lines:3 375 Tomorrow night (saturday) Ch 10 will show the last Monty Python 376 show produced. 377 ************************************************************* 014=Usr:287 Ralph Steadman 07/29/89 18:47 Msg:4173 Call:22931 Lines:1 378 Too tired to think. 015=Usr:366 berney dunn 07/29/89 21:11 Msg:4174 Call:22936 Lines:15 379 Are you sure there is no "better" or "worse" ? 380 There is a quite simple test of this, and then we can extend it with 381 logic, if necessary. "Does it feel good?" But you must also include ALL 382 'side effects'. In other words "it feels good now" doesn't cut it. 383 384 Or you could just choose a few basic principals, and extend them with logic, 385 such as humans have value, pain is undersirable, and from there build most 386 all of morality. Or perhaps accept that what existing people want as what is 387 good for them. (But there you will run into logical contrdictions.) 388 389 I would consider anything that causes more pain as bad, and anything that 390 reduces it as good. Morality is only meaningful when tied to humans, and we 391 (you are human, aren't you?) are mortal, physical beings, with normal 392 animal needs, therefore we can form a logical morality based on these. 393 ................................B.A.D. ................................ 016=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY 07/29/89 22:03 Msg:4175 Call:22938 Lines:20 394 395 396 Archivists: Please note the following disks. Let me know which 397 ones you are missing so that I can get you updated. If you notify 398 me before the PCS meeting this coming thursday I can bring them along. 399 Note that we are currently working on disk #100! The disk in drive B 400 as of the date of this writing (29jun89) will be the first of the 401 group of five BW disks that will be archived to disk #100. 402 403 #90 18nov87 10dec87 29dec87 23jan88 13feb88 404 #91 02mar88 19mar88 09apr88 17may88 05jun88 405 #92 26jun88 05jul88 13jul88 20jul88 29jul88 406 #93 06aug88 11aug88 19aug88 31aug88 07sep88 407 #94 15sep88 24sep88 30sep88 27oct88 12nov88 408 #95 09dec88 30dec88 11jan89 18jan89 26jan89 409 #96 05feb89 12feb89 18feb89 27feb89 04mar89 410 #97 12mar89 18mar89 24mar89 31mar89 11apr89 411 #98 20apr89 24apr89 02may89 07may89 13may89 412 #99 23may89 08jun89 16jun89 25jun89 09jul89 413 *************************** Mikey ************************************ 017=Usr:498 Hagbard Celine , 07/30/89 13:57 Msg:4176 Call:22950 Lines:52 414 415 {} 416 417 Things are heating up! - and so is the summer heat. I haven't seen 418 such a composed debate since the last abortion/gun control bout. 419 420 My 2 cents: 421 422 Logic is, in itself, self-defeating. If you can think of a single 423 paradox, then you will find what I am describing. Don't believe that 424 logic is all-proof. After all, how do you define logic? There is 425 nothing lower: you have reached the foundation of modern understanding. 426 Below this lies mysticism and religion, at the "cross-over point" between 427 fact and faith. 428 429 As for the good-evil thing, before anyone makes another entry, have 430 you considered that good and evil are self-defining? "What is good 431 shall not be evil, but what is Evil, shall not be good." Again, we 432 come back to the concepts of shared fictions, beliefs, and "points 433 of view". That is all YOU can be sure of - that "I think, therefore 434 I am", and that your view is simply a view, reguardless of moral, 435 logical, or ethical values. To say that good and evil are evident, 436 is accepting pre-defined values. Start from the beginning (foundation) 437 and work your way there, or start from here (acceptence of belief) 438 an work your way back to the foundation. But don't start from the middle 439 and go both ways - unless you wish to discuss mysticism, cults, religions, 440 belief systems, cultures, etc. anything that has a prominent double- 441 standard within a system that accepts only a single standard. 442 443 Gee, more mindless drivel. 444 445 Hagbard, looking a little more interested, but still slightly 446 bored with the lecture. c'mon, turn up the heat a little 447 more 'n get the kettle going, just be sure to not let it 448 boil over! 449 450 PS. as for the comment "just do it because it feels good" and the 451 mudslinging on that, well, you seem to forget that most 452 acceptances are done FOR THAT REASON. Do you thing people convert 453 to Christianity because they wish to torture themselves? Of 454 course not! They want to have a comfortable conscience. 455 Gee, we can't have that! ;->) 456 457 {} 458 {} 459 460 "Gee, more mindless drivel" - I don't know which is worst right now, 461 me or my writing! 462 463 H. Celine, feeling like a half-guru! 464 465 {} 018=Usr:287 Ralph Steadman 07/30/89 17:44 Msg:4177 Call:22955 Lines:100 466 Too tired to think... 467 468 469 CUCUMBERS ARE BETTER THAN MEN BECAUSE....... The average 470 471 cucumber is at least six inches long. Cucumbers stay hard for a 472 473 week. A cucumber won't tell you size don't count. Cucumbers 474 475 don't get TOO excited. A cucumber never suffers from 476 477 performance anxiety. 478 479 ************* 480 481 Cucumbers are easy to pick up. You can fondle cucumbers in a 482 483 supermarket... and you know how firm it is before you take it 484 485 home. 486 487 ************* 488 489 Cucumbers can get away any weekend. With a cucumber you can get 490 491 a single room and you won't have to check in as 'Mrs 492 493 Cucumber'. A cucumber will always respect you in the morning. 494 495 You can go to the movie with a cucumber and see the movie At a 496 497 drive in you can stay in the front seat. A cucumber can always 498 499 wait until you get home. A cucumber won't eat all the popcorn. 500 501 A cucumber won't drag you out to a John Wayne Film Festival. 502 503 ************* 504 505 A cucumber won't ask: 'Am I first?' Cucumbers don't care 506 507 wheather you're a virgin. Cucumbers won't tell other cucumbers 508 509 you're a virgin. Cucumbers won't tell anyone you're not a 510 511 virgin. With cucumbers, you don't have to be a virgin more than 512 513 once. Cucumbers won't write your name and number on men's room 514 515 wall. Cucumbers don't have sex hang-ups. Cucumbers won't ask: 516 517 'Am i the best','How was it?' 'Did you come?', 'How many 518 519 times?' Cucumbers aren't jealous of your gynecologist, ski 520 521 instructer or hair dresser. Cucumbers won't ask about your last 522 523 lover or speculate about your next one. A cucumber will never 524 525 make a scene because there are other cucumbers in the 526 527 refrigerator. A cucumber won't mind hiding in the refrigerator 528 529 when your mother comes over. No matter how old you are you can 530 531 always get a fresh cucumber. 532 533 ************* 534 535 Cucumbers can handle rejection. A cucumber won't pout if you 536 537 have a headache. A cucumber won't care what time of the month 538 539 it is. A cucumber never wants to get it on when your nails are 540 541 wet. A cucumber won't give it up for lent. With a cucumber, you 542 543 never have to say your sorry. 544 545 ************** 546 547 Cucumbers won't leave whisker burns, fall asleep on your chest 548 549 or drool on the pillow. A cucumber will never give you a 550 551 hickey. Cucumbers can stay up ALL night and you won't have to 552 553 sleep in the wet spot. 554 555 *************** 556 557 A cucumber won't work your crossword in ink. A cucumber isn't 558 559 allergic to your cat. Cucumbers never answer your phone or 560 561 borrow your car. A cucumber won't eat all your food or drink 562 563 all your liquor. A cucumber doesn't turn your bathroom into a 564 565 library. Cucumbers won't go through your medicine chest. A 019=Usr:367 Mark Derby 07/30/89 20:52 Msg:4178 Call:22958 Lines:9 566 567 L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_snailhead_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_ 568 569 If it weren't for "evil", then "good" wouldn't look so good, would it? 570 571 Cucumbers are good for a Pimm's Cup, too. 572 573 L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_L_ 574 020=Usr:352 Katie Kolbet 07/30/89 21:50 Msg:4179 Call:22961 Lines:8 575 Alright, what's all this Cucumber stuff? 576 577 578 579 580 Hagberd, have you heard of the most original moralist in England, and Alfred 581 P. 582 Doolittle? (FROM MY FAIR LADY!!!!!) 021=Usr:116 Michael Gray 07/31/89 02:26 Msg:4180 Call:22968 Lines:10 583 ______________________________________________________________ 584 Mikey, 585 Wonderful! Just saw your list-o-disks... again. 586 (Omigosh! Bright lightning outside! Time for my back-ups!) 587 Anyway, back to disk. I went back over my list; in order to 588 catch up I will need the disks you have listed: 90-99. 589 (More Blue Light, with accompanying chorus.) 590 _____________see_you_on_Thursday__________________________mg__ 591 swob: I missed that one. Thanks for the explaination. 592 ____________________________________________________mr_gumby__ 022=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/31/89 09:07 Msg:4181 Call:22971 Lines:6 593 &*&*&*&*'s 594 Just lurking. Oh where oh where has my little inept but sincere muse gone? 595 596 An Astral Dreamer 597 &*&*&*&*'s (Speaking of a metephorical muse.) 598 023=Usr:4 Milchar 07/31/89 23:04 Msg:4182 Call:22984 Lines:4 599 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 600 CM: I require disks 97-99, plus one or two ancient history (near Jan 87 601 I believe, let me check on that). 602 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milch +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 024=Usr:219 Friar Mossback 08/01/89 08:58 Msg:4183 Call:22989 Lines:6 603 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 604 Mikey- 605 What are disks going for these days? What if you had to buy the whole set? 606 On MS-DOS? How about with disks provided? 607 Friar 608 [][][][][][][][][][][][][] Friar [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 025=Usr:287 Ralph Steadman 08/01/89 18:12 Msg:4184 Call:22994 Lines:100 609 696969696969 610 JAPAN TOPS IN BANK ASSETS:-7/26/89 611 For the first time ever, the 10 largest banks in the world are all 612 Japanese, according to American Banker's annual rankings based on assets. 613 Citicorp - the biggest U.S. bank, assets: $203.8 billion - fell from No. 10 614 last year to No. 12. It was displaced as No. 10 by Mitsubishi Trust, assets 615 $210 billion. 616 The reason the Japanese have the world's 10 largest banks is partially due 617 to the rise in the yen's value vs. other currencies. That's made the value of 618 their assets grow. Plus, savings rates are high in Japan, so deposits have 619 ballooned. However, Japanese banks aren't the world's most profitable, 620 although recent figures show their profits are improving. U.S. banks fare 621 better. 622 HUD PROGRAM A LOSER, PAPER SAYS:-7/20/89 623 A HUD home-fixup loan program has cost taxpayers at least $300 million 624 since 1979, according to a USA TODAY review of HUD audits. Despite the losses 625 and demands it be scrapped, the program is still operating under Department of 626 Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp. Price tag of the growing 627 HUD scandal: $2.5 billion and climbing. 628 HOUSE HAS EYE ON IRS OFFICIALS:-7/26/89 629 House investigators say they have found serious integrity problems and 630 misconduct by some senior officials at the Internal Revenue Service. A one- 631 year investigation revealed that IRS national office officials ignored 632 wrongdoing by senior managers in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. Also, that 633 alleged misconduct was often investigated superficially, allowing wrongdoers 634 to go free. 635 WORKERS BLOW WHISTLE ON IRS:-7/27/89 636 IRS workers Wednesday charged managers with ethical misconduct and 637 intimidation of whistleblowers. Current and ex-employees told a House 638 Government Operations subcommittee the problem was compounded by wrongdoers 639 frequently escaping punishment and the investigations unit lacking 640 credibility. The hearings come after an investigation of abuse of power 641 throughout the IRS senior management level. 642 IRS ACCUSED OF BLOCKING HUNT:-7/28/89 643 The IRS - battered by employee charges of wrongdoing - was accused by a 644 congressman Thursday of blocking an investigation of a drugs-for-guns 645 operation between Arkansas and Central America. Rep. Bill Alexander, D-Ark., 646 said the Internal Revenue Service wouldn't allow investigators to talk with 647 IRS drug investigator William Duncan about the smuggling operation. 648 ANOTHER MISMANAGED HUD OFFICE:-7/28/89 649 In April 1988, auditors for the Department of Housing and Urban 650 Development found more than $1 million in uncashed checks and money orders in 651 boxes and desk drawers - some sitting for more than a year - in the agency's 652 Jackson, Miss., office. The money came from everything from sales of HUD 653 properties to loan application fees to earnest money on home purchases, 654 auditors said. 655 REP. - PIERCE MIGHT HAVE LIED:-8/1/89 656 Former Housing Secretary Samuel Pierce and his top aide might have lied 657 under oath to congressional investigators, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., chairman 658 of the subcommittee investigating the HUD scandal, said Monday. He cited 659 testimony ex-aide Deborah Gore Dean gave a Senate panel two years ago that 660 contradicts testimony provided by Pierce. 661 IRS ACCUSED OF BLOCKING HUNT:-7/28/89 662 The IRS - battered by employee charges of wrongdoing - was accused by a 663 congressman Thursday of blocking an investigation of a drugs-for-guns 664 operation between Arkansas and Central America. Rep. Bill Alexander, D-Ark., 665 said the Internal Revenue Service wouldn't allow investigators to talk with 666 IRS drug investigator William Duncan about the smuggling operation. 667 COOKING WITH THE IRS:-7/28/89 668 IRS workers want to help out in the kitchen, says USA WEEKEND's July 28-30 669 issue. The IRS Employees Cookbook, out this August, is chock full of non- 670 taxing recipes. Dishes include Loss-agne, 1040 E-Z Pound Cake and Divine 671 Dividend Peanut Butter Cookies. Rest assured, the profits from the cookbook 672 will go to the publishers, not the IRS. 673 SANDINISTAS MARK REVOLUTION:-7/20/89 674 Before a crowd of more than 100,000 chanting, flag-waving Nicaraguans 675 celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution, President 676 Daniel Ortega Wednesday struck a new conciliatroy tone and appealed for 677 "serenity" in Nicaragua, Thursday's Washington Post reports. 678 679 OAS HIT TEAM WANTS MORE TIME: 680 A three-nation Organization of American States mission dispatched to 681 Panama singled out Gen. Manuel Noriega Wednesday as the key problem in solving 682 Panama's political and economic woe. It sought and was expected to get four 683 more weeks to complete its task - finding a solution that ousts Noriega. The 684 extension of the OAS mission would be its second since the group was formed in 685 mid-May. 686 KHASHOGGI REMAINS IN JAIL:-7/27/89 687 Saudi Arabian financier Adnan Khashoggi, 54, is still in jail, despite a 688 lower court ruling he could be freed on $10 million bail. Prosecutors appealed 689 and Khashoggi - charged with fraud for business dealings with former 690 Philippine leader Ferdinand Marcos and wife Imelda - must stay in jail until a 691 ruling on appeal is made. 692 U.S. SAYS CONTRAS MUST GO:-7/28/89 693 The United States shifted policy Thursday and joined 14 other United 694 Nations Security Council members in calling for the disbanding of the 695 Nicaraguan Contras as part of the Central America peace plan. The resolution, 696 adopted by consensus, appealed to all nations to halt military aid to 697 guerrillas in the region. But it does allow continued humanitarian aid to the 698 Nicaraguan rebels. 699 Presidential and parliamentary elections in Nicaragua are set for Feb. 25, 700 1990. The U.N. and the Organization of American States have agreed to provide 701 poll watchers. Most of the Contras have been living with their families in 702 border camps in Honduras since Congbess halted military aid to them in 703 February 1988. 704 U.S. HOSTAGE IN DEEP PERIL:-8/1/89 705 The presumed hanging death of Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins leaves the 706 fate of other hostages in the balance, especially Joseph Cicippio's, a U.S. 707 citizen threatened by his captors with execution Tuesday. The Revolutionary 708 Justice Organization - the Shiite Moslem group holding Cicippio - vowed he 026=Usr:287 Ralph Steadman 08/01/89 18:49 Msg:4185 Call:22995 Lines:57 709 .......................oops, miscounted lines................. 710 U.S. HOSTAGE IN DEEP PERIL:-8/1/89 711 The presumed hanging death of Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins leaves the 712 fate of other hostages in the balance, especially Joseph Cicippio's, a U.S. 713 citizen threatened by his captors with execution Tuesday. The Revolutionary 714 Justice Organization - the Shiite Moslem group holding Cicippio - vowed he 715 would be killed at 11 a.m. EDT Tuesday unless Israel freed the Shiite cleric 71& Israel kidnapped. 717 U.S. Middle East experts agree Israeli's kidnapping of a Shiite cleric 718 last week will strain U.S.-Israel ties. Monday, Senate GOP Leader Robert Dole 719 of Kansas vented that feeling when he said, "Perhaps a little more 720 responsibility on the part of the Israelis would be refreshing." But the Bush 721 administration says it does not blame Israel for the execution of Lt. Col. 722 William Higgins. 723 The presumed death of U.S. hostage Lt. Col. William Higgins leaves 21 724 missing and believed held hostage in Lebanon. Nine are U.S. citizens. They are 725 also four Britons including one with dual Irish citizenship, three Iranians, 726 two West Germans, an Egyptian, an Italian and a Lebanese-French. 727 728 AGENCY SAYS TAKE CARE IN KENYA: 729 The U.S. government is warning tourists to stay away from Kenya. The U.S. 730 Department of State action comes in the wake of Thursday's attack on a U.S. 731 tour group in Kenya in which one person died. The warning pins recent violence 732 on "heavily armed wildlife poachers" and urges U.S. residents visiting Kenya 733 to travel in groups with a guide from a "reputable safari firm or a game 734 ranger." 735 TOPIC - FREEING HOSTAGES: 736 Brian Jenkins, head of the terrorism research program at the RAND Corp., a 737 private, non-profit research organization in Santa Monica, Calif., and Peggy 738 Say, sister of Terry Anderson, the longest-held hostage, talk with USA TODAY's 739 Barbara Reynolds and Wendy Buchert about freeing hostages. 740 HOW SHOULD WE RESPOND TO THE EXECUTION OF LT. COL. WILLIAM HIGGINS? 741 JENKINS: Rather than the use of force, the response has to be, to a 742 certain degree, tranquil. It is unfortunate to see opportunities in tragedies, 743 but we ought to take it as an occasion for opening a dialogue to see what we 744 can do to resolve the entire hostage episode before further tragedies occur. 745 DOES THIS EXECUTION SIGNAL THAT OTHER HOSTAGES WILL BE KILLED? 746 JENKINS: Insofar as we are able to sort out the groups within the murky 747 milieu of Lebanon, those people who were holding Higgins are believed to be 748 different from those holding the other hostages in Lebanon. We still believe 749 that Iran has a measure of influence over the others. 750 DID ISRAEL INITIATE THE EXECUTION BY KIDNAPPING THE MOSLEM LEADER? 751 JENKINS: In the Middle East, sometimes one precipitated action leads to 752 another precipitated action. In combating terrorism, one has to be very 753 careful not to use tactics which appear to be indistinguishable from the 754 tactics of the terrorists themselves. 755 HOW ARE HOSTAGES' FAMILIES REACTING TO U.S. ACTION? 756 SAY: I urge President Bush and the Congress to use restraint in responding 757 to reports of the hanging of Lt. Col. William Higgins by his kidnappers. I 758 have spoken with relatives of Joseph Cicippio, whom Shiite Moslem extremists 759 say will be the next to be killed if Sheik Abdul Karim Obeid is not released 760 Tuesday. Cicippio's family is saying what I am saying - violence begets 761 nothing but violence. 762 763 amen. 764 696969696969696969 765 027=Usr:47 John Dilks 08/01/89 19:21 Msg:4186 Call:22997 Lines:4 766 A nice well placed tactical nuke would help the most. 767 Everytime they kill a hostage, nuke a village. 768 pretty soon they should start to get the idea. 769 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 028=Usr:343 black art 08/01/89 19:38 Msg:4187 Call:22998 Lines:11 770 Nothing's Boy... 771 Now climbs the Sprials of his light... 772 His Tick-Tock muscles measures... 773 In it's closed circle..... 774 His bloods own free flowing.... 775 Ups will bring him down.... 776 ... to the clouds of Zero... 777 778 Leaving the world alittle more sureal than I found it, 779 ** Black Art ** 780 @#@#@#@##@#@#@#@# 029=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock 08/01/89 21:35 Msg:4188 Call:22999 Lines:10 781 [(*)---_ [(*)---_ [(*)---_ [(*)---_ [(*)---_ [(*)---_ [(*)---_ [(*)---_ 782 So, good citizens, what manner of topic traverses the hall this night? When I 783 lahappened upon the Inn, all was quiet save for the gnawing of mice. . . 784 In truth, can it be said that those worthy folk who consider themselves the 785 true patrons of Innisfall have returned? 786 787 Nemesis 788 789 (10 Points extra to anyone who catches the reference & border shape!!!) 790 [(*)---_ [(*)---_ [(*)---_ [(*)---_ [(*)---_ [(*)---_ [(*)---_ [(*)---_ 030=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 08/01/89 21:48 Msg:4189 Call:23000 Lines:4 791 792 Don't look upon the shape that's forming. Lest observation should destroy 793 it. 794 031=Usr:33 Mike Stanfill 08/01/89 22:01 Msg:4190 Call:23001 Lines:88 795 /*/*/*/*/*/*/* 796 I should probably answer this first: Hagbard (I think) makes the 797 very good point that the fact that something "feels good" is the 798 actual reason people do lots of things. Even in self-sacrificing 799 things, often they are looking forward to something better - that 800 is, something that *feels* better. If I imply that "if it feels 801 good, do it" is a bad philosophy, I either think pleasure is bad 802 (Stoicism?), or I mean by "feels good" something different from 803 what most people actually practice. As I think everyone out there 804 will agree, pleasure is good. Therefore my one option is left. 805 What I mean by "feels good" is this: that a whole bunch of 806 (often conflicting) urges all come along and demand gratification. 807 Most people, when they say that they 'want' to do something, do 808 not mean that ALL their desires point them toward that action. 809 They usually mean that the faction with the most combined strength 810 points in that direction. To the person who believes in morals, 811 some of these things he wants to do are good, and some are bad. 812 He is certainly free to choose what he does not *WANT* to do, and 813 sometimes does because he sees that his desires conflict with his 814 morals (sometimes not, but that's another story). But to the one 815 who does not believe in morals, to say that a particular want 816 (that is, a sum of desires) runs contrary to his beliefs is to 817 say nothing in particular about it. He has no grounds on which 818 to deny whatever want he has. 819 I freely admit that these wants may be for things not 820 immediately available. He may refuse some of his desires which 821 want to have the convenience of eating at McDonald's in order 822 to satisfy *stronger* desires which want to save money for some 823 reason. He does not see that reason as better than the convenience; 824 he can only say it is what he wants more. It could be anything a 825 person might want. 826 Hagbard is, of course, right in saying that people become 827 Christians because of their conscience. Being forgiven for all 828 the bad things you ever did also gives you a good feeling, but 829 that feeling is prompted by the change that comes in the 830 conscience. Note that I have separated the conscience from the 831 feelings which it may produce. The conscience itself is logical, 832 weighing desires and actions against the person's beliefs. When 833 one discovers he has done something wrong, he feels bad about it. 834 In time, these feelings become associated with certain actions or 835 thoughts (or whatever happened to be similar through many such 836 experiences). These feelings may reflect the actual wrongness of 837 an action, or they may be something completely neutral. If you 838 pulled the wings off flies at a certain window when you were young, 839 you may feel bad when you lean on a windowsill. This does not mean 840 that the window is bad, and your conscience will tell you this. 841 The thing that conditioned the bad feeling also tells you when that 842 feeling is not logical or appropriate. But the person who rejects 843 morality cannot make this judgement, since he rejects the authority 844 of the conscience. He may say that 'since it is not logical to 845 dislike a window, I can ignore this feeling,' but he must make the 846 same judgement for other feelings, since no feelings are logical. 847 Judgement of motives is a moral activity. He may say that 'since 848 there is no morality, then surely this feeling is unfounded and 849 therefore can be ignored,' but he must say the same for all other 850 feelings and banish all motivations from his mind. He must accept 851 all feelings or reject all feelings, because he has renounced the 852 only basis he has for comparing them. 853 To people who believe in morals, some feelings are more 854 morally correct than others. Such people give precedence to the 855 feelings the conscience agrees with. Both the Moral and the Amoral 856 may have the same feeling that they want to do something, but the 857 Moral can test that feeling and determine if it is morally correct or 858 not (testing it against the standards as he understands them), either 859 obeying or denying it accordingly. The Amoral can only lump it in 860 with all his other feelings to consider in forming his actions. His 861 actions may be logical progressions toward his ends, but his ends 862 (that is, the things he wants to do) are necessarily arbitrary. 863 864 NOTE: By the Amoral, I by no means mean to say the *Immoral*. The 865 Immoral sees some want of his as conflicting with his idea of 866 moral conduct, yet proceeds to act on it anyway. The Amoral 867 cannot do so, since he rejects his own (and all other) under- 868 standing of morality, and therefore has nothing with which to 869 examine the motive. Indeed, the only person who can be 870 immoral is the Moral. 871 872 More on other things later.... 873 874 Timely quote follows | 875 \/ 876 877 "Here's a good joke to do during an earthquake: Straddle a big 878 crack in the earth, and if it opens wider, go, 'Whoa! Whoa!' and _ 879 flail your arms around, as if you're going to fall in." /#) 880 -Jack Handey, "Deep Thoughts" n n n (#/ 881 / ~~~ ~~~ \/ 882 /*/*/*/*/*/*/* -swob (a Self-Willed Orange Blancmange) /___/____\__\ 032=Usr:116 Michael Gray 08/02/89 05:07 Msg:4191 Call:23006 Lines:10 883 L---!----!----!--------------------------------------------!----!----!---R 884 Nemesis: I whould say that Inisfal is no longer. The land in time 885 that has sparked so many tales and tellers to life has vanished with all 886 its surroundings when all light, all time, all being was destroyed as 887 the universe that was Inisfal exploded. 888 In the wake of such a monumental event came the birth of 889 BackWater Message System II. -adherent 890 (I suppose you had to be there.) 891 L----!----!----!-------------------------------------------!----!----!---R 892 033=Usr:370 Lenny Miller 08/02/89 15:13 Msg:4192 Call:23013 Lines:3 893 This is to Mark Derby, If you read this please just leave a message for me is a 894 any one out there 895 034=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 08/02/89 17:13 Msg:4193 Call:23016 Lines:18 896 &*&*&*&*'s 897 Wouldn't it be nice if somebody donated a hard drive for BWMSII? Then we 898 could have more then two disks online, and perhaps a selection of some of 899 the better archive disks. 900 901 Just A Thought. 902 903 While Innisfall may have died, the fiction has not. Though it has been fairly 904 sparse these last several disks. From what I can see, the creative juices 905 dried up all over Portland a couple of years ago. Since then things have 906 been sporatic at best. 907 908 BTW, a good debate. One of the beI've seen! 909 910 An Astral Dreamer (Who hopes he hasn't scared anybody away by saying things are 911 going well.) 912 &*&*&*&*'s 913 035=Usr:4 Milchar 08/02/89 23:22 Msg:4194 Call:23025 Lines:8 914 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 915 CM: Okay, I went back over the Online Archives and saw that 8610?? thru 916 8703?? are missing, and of course I don't have disks 97-99. Trivia fact: 917 Did ya know the Backwater archives take up 10 Meg after compression? 918 ++++++++++++ 919 Well, well. Did I detect a MiG pass by? I believe I saw you waiting at 920 a bus stop across from the Downtown Hilton the other morning... 921 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milch +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 036=Usr:498 Hagbard Celine , 08/03/89 01:53 Msg:4195 Call:23028 Lines:38 922 923 {} 924 925 Dried up indeed! Poo Foo on You! Surely, there shall be more stories 926 to come, as long as their is a Backwater to recieve them. 927 928 Whatever happened to impromptu writing? 929 930 As for the debate towards emotional/logical, I must give the other 931 person (actually, I WISH to give) credit; my instruction in philosophical 932 matters is primarily pratical and garnered from what observations 933 I have made within the limited confines of American Culture. I think 934 that you will find Humans to be conflicting; I have always told my friends 935 that life is a conflict, and nothing more. Emotions form both the 936 basis of survival and the need to propetuate (reproduce & propogate without 937 difficulty, ie, manipulate conditions to a limited extent so as to 938 make propogation more favorable), but mankind's limited logic and 939 concrete understanding form another drive within him, yet it is an 940 artificial one (ie, non-instinctive) that can be directed by 941 itself. When the primal programming of insticts and emotions 942 appear, they are not directly apperent (ie, logical), yet they often 943 present problems when combined with the artificial drives of 944 Ethics, Morality, and Logic. This is not to say that any of those 945 three should be done away with, I'm simply stating that mankind 946 does what it wishes, but usually without considering the effects. 947 Sure, there could be world peace, no hunger, and better understanding 948 between cultures, but because mankind uses artificial methods of 949 perception (Money, Power, Material Goods, etc.) of his world, you 950 will find that this will not happen. The concept of property is 951 a twisted one, and you must be careful when tip-toeing through that 952 minefield! 953 954 Ack! More Mindless Drivel! Methinks I need to come up with 955 a new story - maybe on the next disk... 956 957 Hagbard Celine, slowly regaining himself as a human instead of 958 a "citizen". 959 {} 037=Usr:219 Friar Mossback 08/03/89 08:11 Msg:4196 Call:23032 Lines:40 960 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 961 Hagbard - 962 On Blue Parrot there is currently a contest going about the Borfle Quee. 963 You might try a story out here, get it refined, and then enter it there. 964 965 Milch- 966 Do you get downtown often? The place you thought you saw MiG is right next 967 to my office. If you get here often, I have been known to spring for lunch 968 on occasion. 969 970 All- 971 My neighbor suggested that we go ahead and declare war on Lebanon and Iran 972 for their acts of terrorism. Then we could blow up the countryside and not 973 violate the articles of the Geneva Convention. 974 What do you think? His reasoning is that they are all Islamic fanatics 975 anyway, and therefore are of no real use to the rest of the world, and their 976 greatest goal in life is to die for their god, so it would be helping them 977 out rather than hurting them. 978 Now since I don't believe in death in that sense, I am not sure that he is 979 wrong. I am opposed to war, but more through logic than emotion. But there 980 is a certain logic to helping people get where they want. 981 I notice that congress has given President Bush carte blanche to respond 982 "in an appropriate manner" to the current crisis. This morning I heard that 983 Joseph Cicippio had been given a four hour reprieve, which the politicians 984 jumped on as showing that their diplomacy had worked. 985 What should the US response be? The former is one extreme, and on the other 986 side I have heard "Well, they were stupid enough to be there, it's their 987 problem." Is it time to go back to the days of Teddy Roosevelt? Will George 988 Bush get really mad? Will the beaver ever lose that silly grin? 989 990 AD- 991 Things are going well. And that usually doesn't cause a mass exodus, but 992 rather, a cautious enquiry such as "Is it OK if I participate?" We have seen 993 that time and again. And the answer is always "Yes." We have a good group 994 here, and it keeps changing. As for a hard drive, I think the two disk 995 system is part of the character of BWMSII, as it was of BWMS. I liked BWMS 996 a little better, because it was quaint. When you are old enough to have 997 nostalgic feelings over older systems (and you may be, I have no idea.), then 998 you know you have been around computers toooooooo long! 999 [][][][][][][] Friar, at the bottom, holding the whole disk on his head [][][]