From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V8 #235 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Tuesday, July 6 1999 Volume 08 : Number 235 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Texas Fegs [ultraconformist@mail.weboffices.com] Enoisms [digja611@student.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan)] Re: the devil and other quail relatives [ultraconformist@mail.weboffices.] copyright [digja611@student.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan)] Re: Random notes from a returning vacationer ["Livia" ] Re: (no subject) ["Livia" ] Re: the devil and other quail relatives [ultraconformist@mail.weboffices.] Austin show [tanter ] CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS? [tanter ] If it's not too late ["Russ Reynolds" ] Re: jabber ["Russ Reynolds" ] RE: fegmaniax-digest V8 #234 ["FS Thomas" ] Marx is so dreamy, you know? That beard, those revolutionary notions... [] OT: FYI ["FS Thomas" ] My name is Michael and I'm... [Michael Wolfe ] The emotional roller coaster ride that is the Feg List [Christopher Gross] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 23:24:17 -0600 From: ultraconformist@mail.weboffices.com Subject: Re: Texas Fegs >General Deep Ellum info: >www.deepellumtx.com< A warning: If you go down to Deep Ellum just to have a little fun Better have your 15 dollars when the po-liceman come! Love on ya, Susan ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 17:21:32 +1200 From: digja611@student.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: Enoisms Thought for today: It has been revealed before that Robyn is a fan of Brian Eno. Which song of RH's is most influenced *Production wise* by the Domed One? Lyrically, they often seem to come from the same alternate reality, but production wise...? I'll start the ball rolling by suggesting "Arms of Love" - I'd love to hear an Eno remix/reworking/remake/remodel of this track... James PS - welcome to all the newbies and delurkers! Man, has this list's surrealism quotient gone up lately! James Dignan___________________________________ You talk to me Deptmt of Psychology, Otago University As if from a distance ya zhivu v' 50 Norfolk Street And I reply. . . . . . . . . . Dunedin, New Zealand with impressions chosen from another time steam megaphone (03) 455-7807 (Brian Eno - "By this River") ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 00:15:21 -0600 From: ultraconformist@mail.weboffices.com Subject: Re: the devil and other quail relatives >> >collection while in New York, but WE MUST BUY MORE MOMUS IMPORTS. I blame >> >Susan Dodge as much as I blame the media and the devil. > >are they anything like mariala? He's a bit like an Egon Schiele soul in an Andy Warhol state of intrigue. >> I do have this way of sharing (read: pounding unfortunate people on the >> head) when I make a musical discovery. > >ow! i felt that cerry conker. 'Ello kiddies. Whatcha gonna do when your head's exploding? ><are about to pounce.>> Mama told me, yes she told me, I'd meet girls like you. She also told me stay away, you never know what you'll catch. (1) >and eye all night. Eye love eye. It and Queen Elvis are my favorites. I don't feel they are as high in Robynosity tho, but there's no subjective measure for that (is there? if there's a way to quantify it we could build a database for the Asking Tree). >and on yua Love on yua, and don't go catching religion from the television, Susan (1) some Indonesian junk that's going round ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 17:21:28 +1200 From: digja611@student.otago.ac.nz (James Dignan) Subject: copyright >friends. Let's also say that one of my friends duplicates this disc and >sells 10 million copies. At a profit of $2 per disc, would you care to >explain why my friend deserves $20 million, I deserve $10, and James Dignan >deserves nothing?> > >but that's what i'm saying. *nobody* deserves *any* profits from it. but i >think it's a step in the right direction if nobody has any rights to it. hmmm... in which case people would say "sod it - there's no point in slaving away to write any new songs, we'll just keep churning out cover versions of old standards!" Oh, and every time any of those 10 million copies is played on a radio, I'd get 66 cents from it (more from TV). And if there were 10 million copies, chances are some of them would be played on radio. Also if you or the other people involved claimed that you or they had written the song, I could sue :) James Dignan___________________________________ You talk to me Deptmt of Psychology, Otago University As if from a distance ya zhivu v' 50 Norfolk Street And I reply. . . . . . . . . . Dunedin, New Zealand with impressions chosen from another time steam megaphone (03) 455-7807 (Brian Eno - "By this River") ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 22:14:11 -0700 From: "Livia" Subject: Re: Random notes from a returning vacationer > From: Natalie Jacobs > To: fegmaniax@smoe.org > Subject: Random notes from a returning vacationer > Date: Monday, July 05, 1999 3:07 PM > 4. Livia is a bot. I bet you anything. i can't decide whether to laugh or be mildly offended. but a song just got dedicated to my left hand, so what the hell. > But I think I'll leave the extended gushing to those who are > more comfortable wearing their hearts on their sleeves. i never have been until now. and i still waver sometimes, but it's getting easier to think in two voices at once. on a bench at sunset is a good place to draw pictures on someone's jeans. > 6. Viv says she felt unfaithful to her favorite artists when she switched > over from one to another. I must be inherently polygamous or something. > While XTC have been my favorites for many years, I was intent on marrying > Robyn when I was in high school, and these days I have no problem with > wanting to marry Martin Phillipps while also wanting to bear Jeff Mangum's > love child, and, given the invention of a time machine, I plan on having > an affair with Nick Drake, provided I catch him on a good day. i'm still repenting my years of semi-coldness. but i had to concentrate on work and learning a lot of new skills all at once and dealing with other people's problems to and beyond the point of absolute no return. all of which are easier to do in a state of icy reclusive self-denial. it's that damn egyptian cream again! > 7. Re. the Eaten By Her Own Dinner Dinner, where are the prawns? I make a > mean shrimp curry... i don't know where the king prawns are, but this little prawnlet is back in redmond about to eat pizza after an eventful afternoon in various local parks. if you ever see a picture of a strange redhead carrying a homemade fish-stick complete with plastic-ring head and a duct-tape heart in its belly, well, that was me. and i found a tiny picture of a greedy blue/green fish floating in lake sammamish. it's thoroughly captured in a jellyfish nail-polish collage now, right next to the drawing of eyes in the trees at dog trail info sign 3. i wonder if there's anything interesting going on in seattle tonight? i have full transportation back at last, which is a mighty relief. => elysa ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 01:28:07 EDT From: DDerosa5@aol.com Subject: (no subject) terry said: Eddie riposted: well, that's a bit different, because the pay would presumably have been for living expenses, leaving the artist with complete artistic freedom to create whatever he or she wanted. Which immediately called to mind: 3 Christs ("the fat one balances the two skinny ones"), off a contractual obligation record, I think... It's official, now, if any one cares: the only artist I have more records of than Robyn: the world's greatest band, for a few years there anyway, the Kinks (and, given all the "new" records that are just ripoff greatest hit collections, where an unfamiliar song title turns out to be a mistake, Robyn may soon pass them) (though some of the Kinks CD imports have bonus tracks galore on 'em, anyone got any thoughts on them?) I'm assuming that nobody wants that signed copy of fegmania, but if it's still there when I get back to Chill from Philthy-delphia, I'll just buy it anyway. So there. See y'all at the EBHODD. And yes, when I make chole, I make chana masala, so mine has tomatoes in it. By the time the dinner rolls around, the plum tomatoes in my garden should be ready, so we won't have to eat pink tennis balls. or if we do, someone else is bringing them. I'm still psyched about finally seeing Storefront on the 30th. the next day, I'll be standing on an "official" soapbox in front of Studs Terkel and a coupla hundred other folks in Bughouse Square(where Clarence Darrow, Ida B Wells, and my heroine, Emma Goldman, all looked for kindred minds or at least good arguments) to argue that genetic engineering is just another form of corporate fascism disguised as a public service. No, not too heavy handed--people will be yelling at me the whole time, so it promises to be fun! Anyone who comes to town that weekend is welcome to attend. please please.... Hey Viv, ask Robyn what he thinks of genetic engineering...tis not a rant I've heard him do, that I know of. love, yes I mean all of you, dave who didn't get to listen to JfS on this very long road trip cause I was too drunk the night before to get the tape from Leslie (oops, Vivien)'s porch. Which made me want to try self-immolation, but unfortunately all my illicit fireworks went straight up. Yes, I too was celebrating Das Kapital, now available in coffeetable edition... ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 01:37:11 EDT From: DDerosa5@aol.com Subject: psst, down here yeah, that last message had no subject. It probably would have been something really dumb, knowing me, like Jewel for Sofia and Coals for Newcastle. so it's just as well. By the way, without JfS to obsess on during this trip, I've instead read Cryptonomicon, and was quite blown away. Neal Stephenson has already been hailed as a Sterling or even Pynchon--but never mind the hi-falutin' touchstones, this thing's so big, digressive, encyclopedic, and public-pleasing (for those willing to grasp the math), he could be the next James Clavell ! (whom I never see on any libyrinth lists...) Seriously, this is a big enjoyable book. I so enjoyed hearing about the start-up of a high tech firm, based on electronic currency, that I breifly turned into Jeme and felt like maybe there was a future. at least, one to look forward to. All this from someone who is a little surprised to heartily recommend a book in which the appellation "Nips" occurs approx. 2000 times, and never once referring to little candies... read it if you've got a week you want to lose. dave ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 00:43:32 -0600 From: ultraconformist@mail.weboffices.com Subject: Re: It's the end of the world as we know it ... >but the reverse-twister trick is to have a lot of personal plans and goals >that can't happen before 2000, I think this is good advice in a general sense, mostly because my own spiritual beliefs are that the universe is more or less neutral and what we put into it determines what we get, so if the majority of people really believe the world will be destroyed, then that's what we'll get. If you have plans and goals for one year, 5 years, ten years from now, that will help counterbalance the apocolyptans. Not sure I agree that it has to do with concentrating on oneself, unless oneself has been neglected to the point where one is only seeing a few feet ahead at any given time. >> passed. For those keeping score, June 20th was the one for Our Lady of >> Fatima's prophecy. > >er, what was that? i just improvise and skim. Well, to make a long story short, apparently some kids had a vision of the Virgin Mary and the Pope got involved and they told him a buncha things that Mary had told them about, including the destruction of the world by a meteor on June 20th, 1999. It's very interesting to me that so many of these things are surfacing now, it's almost like people can't wait to see the world end on Jan. 1st and must hurry it up, and it's depressing. It's driving me insane. >and an almond for the dane in the corner >or maybe just a little pouncing spider here in the chili star >corner >and i prefer my apricots up the tree The man inside my brain. Love on ya, Susan ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 01:43:19 EDT From: DDerosa5@aol.com Subject: signable vinyl never mind me from two messages ago, that Fegmania! has been claimed, and his claim has been weighed, assayed, poked and prodded, and found to be sound enough for the state of texas. black gold, indeed. dave ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1999 23:42:54 -0700 From: "Livia" Subject: Re: Enoisms > From: James Dignan > To: The feg man cometh > Subject: Enoisms > Date: Monday, July 05, 1999 10:21 PM > > Thought for today: It has been revealed before that Robyn is a fan of Brian > Eno. Which song of RH's is most influenced *Production wise* by the Domed > One? Lyrically, they often seem to come from the same alternate reality, > but production wise...? > > I'll start the ball rolling by suggesting "Arms of Love" - I'd love to hear > an Eno remix/reworking/remake/remodel of this track... cpo 953a says: beautiful queen. because she's the sweetest one he's ever seen. and i might mean bryan. > PS - welcome to all the newbies and delurkers! Man, has this list's > surrealism quotient gone up lately! i feel suddenly inspired to paint a clock on my hand with my glow-in-the-dark nail polish. oops! there's already a green sharpie spiral occupying most of that palm. i wonder what my other hand could manage to draw...? well, it tried to make an arrow turn into a floating funnel of fingers and hearts, but the skill (and blue polish) weren't up to it. but the purple pen can do the rest any old time, and it's certainly in the livia-cam archives. (i'm a secret left-hander. i only figured that out a few months ago, but in retrospect it was quite obvious. right leads and protects, left listens and sees. but i broke my left arm twice as a kid -- 7 and 9 -- and between that and wanting to have hard-to-read writing anyway, to discourage maternal snoops, it was more than worth keeping that secret from myself all this time.) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 00:10:04 -0700 From: "Livia" Subject: Re: (no subject) > From: DDerosa5@aol.com > To: fegmaniax@smoe.org > Subject: (no subject) > Date: Monday, July 05, 1999 10:28 PM > > terry said: and music) were commissioned, you know.> > > Eddie riposted: well, that's a bit different, because the pay would > presumably have been for living expenses, leaving the artist with complete > artistic freedom to create whatever he or she wanted. i completely agree, and indeed wish someone would commission something from me (other than computer bloody programming, that is, for which i no longer have the time or patience). i'm tired of depending on controlling roommates with fat corporate jobs that i helped them get in the first place. > Which immediately called to mind: 3 Christs ("the fat one balances the two > skinny ones"), off a contractual obligation record, I think... here comes another one. but is it amber or blue? > I'm assuming that nobody wants that signed copy of fegmania, but if it's > still there when I get back to Chill from Philthy-delphia, I'll just buy it > anyway. So there. what signed copy? i want one too! and i'll trade a copy with weird midnight doodles all over the box. > See y'all at the EBHODD. And yes, when I make chole, I make chana masala, so > mine has tomatoes in it. By the time the dinner rolls around, the plum > tomatoes in my garden should be ready, so we won't have to eat pink tennis > balls. i found two cherry tomatoes in a bag in the park today, near a silver medallion and a {pause to grope in pocket} beautiful black lapel pin with an eleven-sided ribbon star. but one of them was already somewhat squashed. > I'm still psyched about finally seeing Storefront on the 30th. the next day, > I'll be standing on an "official" soapbox in front of Studs Terkel and a > coupla hundred other folks in Bughouse Square(where Clarence Darrow, Ida B > Wells, and my heroine, Emma Goldman, all looked for kindred minds or at least > good arguments) to argue that genetic engineering is just another form of > corporate fascism disguised as a public service. No, not too heavy > handed--people will be yelling at me the whole time, so it promises to be > fun! Anyone who comes to town that weekend is welcome to attend. please > please.... what town? i still haven't seen it yet, either, and i've only listened to the album (it belongs to my ex) once or twice. > Hey Viv, ask Robyn what he thinks of genetic engineering...tis not a rant > I've heard him do, that I know of. he might agree that it's better to let the randomizers behind the scenes do most of the work. but anyone who knowingly volunteers for a scan or experimental alteration should not be disssuaded or treated like a crazy idiot. oops, i'm not viv. so sorry. > love, yes I mean all of you, > > dave > who didn't get to listen to JfS on this very long road trip cause I was too > drunk the night before to get the tape from Leslie (oops, Vivien)'s porch. > Which made me want to try self-immolation, but unfortunately all my illicit > fireworks went straight up. Yes, I too was celebrating Das Kapital, now > available in coffeetable edition... that has enough colored dots to connect, but some fairly large blanks as well. that's when we replay an imaginary CD and do a little stochastic roll. <> and i thought viv lived in an apartment, so how can she have a porch? and why the hell does she never write back or return her calls any more? it's about time she got out of her cellar and stopped playing spin the bottle with jeme long enough to say hello. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 06:15:35 -0600 From: ultraconformist@mail.weboffices.com Subject: Re: the devil and other quail relatives >who's egon schiele? and please, a brief description beats >a URL any day for me, since i'm both busy and easily >distractable. and preoccupied, these days. I don't know any URLS, I'm sure there are some. A painter and illustrator from fin-de-siecle Vienna, very erotic lines, with a sort of doomed feeling and more than a little "look ma, I'm decadent". Despite that, his stuff has a powerful sensuality and a lot of genius. It goes without saying that he mostly painted women, but there are some beautiful sunflowers as well. >catch it in a bowl and make egyptian punch, of course. and >have all your friends over to help scrape the brains out of >your skull. Dear me, how violent. If I actually had friends, this would be a terrible thought. >that's a cheap trick and about 99 halves, Yes, it is rather a cheap trick, isn't it? Even decorating it with beef hearts doesn't make it look like a child's first Christmas tree. No serious hostility was meant, believe it or not, at least not from me. While I admit to being slightly cranky about your implied threats to destroy the list and your obvious dislike for my person, I was mostly just teasing. I could of course add your toe to my collection, but since it seems you are unaware of its potential value as an objet, conscience compels me to make a good faith offer to return it. I will send along with it some tangerine and blueberry minds as well as the usual strawberry one. This is a genuine offer, there are no hidden madonna wasp mines. Love on ya, Susan ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 06:21:08 -0500 From: tanter Subject: Austin show Star tickets isn't showing anything about the Austin show yet. Does anyone have info on ticket prices etc? Marcy L. Tanter Assistant Professor of English Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX 76401 254-968-9892 (9039 to leave a message) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 06:25:18 -0500 From: tanter Subject: CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THIS? From the Stubbs BBQ site (Austin, TX): August 7 Flaming Lips w/Sebadoh August 13 And Robyn Hitchcock Ween Marcy L. Tanter Assistant Professor of English Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX 76401 254-968-9892 (9039 to leave a message) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 06:00:51 -0700 From: "Russ Reynolds" Subject: If it's not too late Been out of town for a few days and am catching up now. I forget when Viv is supposed to interview RH but here's a question for: A few years ago--about the time of Y&O I believe--reports circulated that Robyn had found a body on a beach. Details were pretty much limited to these facts: Robyn found a body on a beach. I'd like to know the circumstances. Was he alone? And how was he affected by this? Seems like a pretty big deal yet not much was ever made of it. Considering Robyn's fascination with (a) death, and (b) beaches it seems like we could have heard a lot more. This would be a good one to probe. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 06:12:16 -0700 From: "Russ Reynolds" Subject: Re: jabber >Any more word on the packaging for the Jewels for Sophia advance CD? >Something was mentioned about one in a purple jewel case with an odd >shape I think this odd shaped plastic jewel case may be a new standard for promo items. I've since seen a couple of other items in this same shaped case, so it's not unique to JfS. - -rUss ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 10:07:46 -0400 From: "FS Thomas" Subject: RE: fegmaniax-digest V8 #234 Had a busy weekend stalking bands. Went down to NYC for the tale end of the Indie festival at Fez. The bands: Harvey Williams, Honeybunch, the Hang Ups, and Marine Research (formerly Heavenly/Talullah Gosh) who are supporting their new record. Monday night saw me in Providence (a lot of miles on ye olde Golf this weekend) at the Met watching the Nighthawks and both Honeybuch and MR again. Brilliant. Highlights: Harvey Williams (played one Field Mice tune), the Hang-Ups but the topper was Marine Research. IMHO they were better the second night. Amelia Fletcher (lead singer) was bouncing around in a lovely little flurry of activity. In spite of the backup singer/keyboardist quite obvious illness (bronchitis?) they were quite, quite good. While they may have gotten a few years further down the road, two of the songs echo of the energy the group had back in the early nineties About Fez: never been before. It's quite nice. Set up in the same vein as the Bottom Line with tables and a relatively low stage it's a decent place to see a show. Decent grilled pizza. Ambiance is complete with the low rumblings of the Lexington Avenue trains (they've thought of everything....). The Met: It "smells like a good time." Very freindly, actually. Frank Black and the Catholics are playing there at the end of this month and I may make the trip. Quickly catching up..... >I heard a rumor that Mark Sandman of Morphine had a heart attack Yes. On stage. Then again, most of you knew this by now... >which reminds me, has Gravel Pit been discussed yet?....i'm >pretty sure i've seen them play live -- they play around >new haven a lot (you would too if at least a couple members of your >band were from around here) Yes, they do play around southern Connecticut quite a bit. I've known the singer for more than a dozen years and have followed them from a distance. Silver Gorilla (the newest release) is the most developed of any of their offerings and is pretty danged consistant from beginning to end. I still remember (and get quite the kick out of) when they were more of a garage band cramming their sound into single-track recordings. Either way I dig 'em. Dig. Gravel Pit. Ugh. >let me recommend jules verdone to those >craving someone else in the vein of aimee mann.... >_diary of a liar_, was of my favorites from last year. Hear, hear, mein Kapitän! I saw her years back when she opened up for the Gravel Pit (convenient) at the GYPSCY down at Yale. Absolutely bewitching. Later.... - -ferris. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 07:43:03 -0700 (PDT) From: Vivien Lyon Subject: Marx is so dreamy, you know? That beard, those revolutionary notions... James Dignan said- > PS - 4th of July... that's some kind of anniversary, > isn't it? Oh, yes, > that's right - the 121st anniversary of publication > of Das Kapital! Karl Marx was reading Das Kapital to me in my dream this morning! And I thought he was hilarious! I'm not kidding. I woke up and drifted off again briefly. It's supposed to rain today in Chicago-land, so in my dream I was trying to figure out whether or not to bike to work. I finally decided against it and kicked my ex-roommate out of my car. She angrily got into a taxi, Karl Marx confusedly exited said taxi, and got into my car. Then he took over the drivers' seat and started reading me Das Kapital in a funny voice and making sarcastic comments. Then he threw it on the floor and said disgustedly, "I could have done so much better." Vivien _________________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 12:12:28 -0400 From: "FS Thomas" Subject: OT: FYI Other cross-continent dates for Marine Research (aka Heavenly, Talullah Gosh) are: July 6 Boston/Cambridge MA: Upstairs at the Middle East with The Nighthawks, Honeybunch and Jumprope 7 Washington DC: The Black Cat with Saturday People and Harvey Williams 8 Philedelphia: Stalag 13 with Ted Leo, Clock Strikes Thirteen and The Skywriters 10 San Francisco: Bottom of the Hill with Casino Ashtrays, The Crabs, Monterey and The Fairways (part of the SF popfest ( - runs 8th thru 11th) 11 Los Angeles: Club Sucker with the Crabs, Sarah Douhger, and Paige 12 Los Angeles: Instore at Benway Music, 6pm with the Crabs 13 Sacramento, CA: Old Ironsides w/the Crabs, Sarah Dougher and Electro Group 16 Olympia, WA: Yo-Yo-A-Go-Go (the early show) 18 Seattle, WA: Washington Hall with Make Up 19 Portland, OR: Ozone Records at 4pm (time tbc) 19 Portland, OR: Crystal Ballroom with Make Up 20 Chicago, IL: Empty Bottle with Aden, Elizabeth Elmore (from Sarge) (brilliant!!!) and Mollycuddle 21 Chicago, IL: Instore at Reckless Records, 3.30pm FS Thomas mailto:ferris@snet.net http://pages.cthome.net/hellhollow ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 16:24:17 +0000 (GMT) From: Michael Wolfe Subject: My name is Michael and I'm... *resigned sigh* ...and I'm listening to Neutral Milk Hotel, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea. I expect that I will be for quite some time now. *resigned sigh* Another holdout bites the dust. - -Michael Wolfe ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 1999 12:56:55 -0400 (EDT) From: Christopher Gross Subject: The emotional roller coaster ride that is the Feg List First, an earlier political thread left me so grumpy and irritated that I decided to avoid all Feg list political debates. They angry up the blood! Besides, they take up too much time and mental energy. Even if it was just to be a temporary moratorium, this decision left me immediately feeling better, as if a crab that had been pinching the back of my neck had finally let go. Then a discussion of intellectual property turned into a debate about capitalism, and I started seesawing back and forth between mild anxiety ("There are things that should be said! Should I say them?") and modest contentment ("Ahh, it feels so good to just relax and say nothing"). But then I read something like this: > also, if you want to see a good test-case comparing the effectiveness of > command and free market economies, look at russia vs. brazil. russia was a > very poor third world country in 1917. yes, the soviet union was a horribly > tyranny, but it *did* industrialize very rapidly, and raised the standard of > living of its citizens *immensely*. all the while, brazil, one of the most > richest, bountiful countries in the world (in terms of resources) was used > as a test-case, by the u.s., for its free market ideals. and it's now an > absolute basket-case. ...And zoom! the roller coaster is off again, and I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or bang my head against the door frame until I pass out. (Of course, the current crock pot weather doesn't help me stay calm, either.) But then I read further: > and i'm done with this thread. so feel free to blast away with impunity. And it's like the roller coaster has reached the bottom of the drop and shot through the tracks and smashed into the ground. Ack! Now I can't even reply without looking like a jerk! But THEN, just as abruptly, the crash is followed by a sudden calm. Why should I care so much? Fegs are smart people, they aren't going to just accept any old idea unless I save them first. And then I remember something I'd almost forgotten: the number of list members who have told me that they just skip every political post that they see. That put it all in perspective. In the end, I wind up calm and reasonably happy. But it was a hell of a ride getting there. I haven't had this much excitment since 1978, when my friend Jimmy and I set a refrigerator box on fire while we were inside it! And all without leaving my chair. Thanks, guys! That's all. - --Chris ps: I'm pretty sure Charles Schultz is still alive, because I read an article about him just a year or two ago and haven't any death notices since then. He does seem to have become a grouchy old recluse, though. I can get behind that! ______________________________________________________________________ Christopher Gross On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog. chrisg@gwu.edu ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V8 #235 *******************************