From: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org (fegmaniax-digest) To: fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Subject: fegmaniax-digest V12 #306 Reply-To: fegmaniax@smoe.org Sender: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-fegmaniax-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk fegmaniax-digest Wednesday, August 13 2003 Volume 12 : Number 306 Today's Subjects: ----------------- 100% Robyn ["Rex.Broome" ] Re: Nat, are you bustin' Liz Phair? [Tom Clark ] not really part of any thread ["ross taylor" ] don't shoot me, I'm only the keyboard typer (dull, boring, political) [Je] I often dream of trains ["Iosso, Ken" ] apples and other recommendations, please? [Tom Rodebaugh ] Re: Mailing list hell... [Jeff Dwarf ] Re: not really part of any thread [Jeff Dwarf ] Re: apples and other recommendations, please? [Aaron Mandel ] Re: Mailing list hell... [Jeff Dwarf ] Busting a Brenda [grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan)] That damn thread/trams [grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan)] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 10:48:36 -0700 From: "Rex.Broome" Subject: 100% Robyn >>However, the strip cartoon on the cover of the 12" single (drawn by >>one Robyn Hitchcock) clearly shows QE2 (the monarch, not the ship). >>Has anyone got a scan of this cover? Unless I'm mistaken, it's reprinted in its entirety, albeit at microfiche size, in the booklet to the Rhino reissue of BSDR... right? So most of us probably have that. Although BSDR is one of the few RH albums that I haven't replaced after the "waterlogging incident" so my copy of the art is a little bit warped and woofed. - -Rex ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 11:33:44 -0700 From: Tom Clark Subject: Re: Nat, are you bustin' Liz Phair? on 8/13/03 6:57 AM, Gene Hopstetter, Jr. at gene@hopstetter.com wrote: > > I9ve referred to 40s as Master Cylinders since my college days. To wit, > 3Dude, hurry up and drain that Master Cylinder, we gotta to catch Das Damen > at The Bayou* tonight.2 > > Bar/music club in my neighborhood outside Louisiana State University9s > campus, which appeared in 3sex, lies, and videotape.2 I met Bob Forrest from > Thelonious Monster there. (I may have just busted a 40 with that sentence.) > > Don9t know the origin of the term, however. I sure could go for a > Haffenreffer right now. Yo Gene! What editor are you using? This was freaking painful to decipher! I'm glad someone else pines for Haffenreffer. I drown many a brain cell in that swill back in my Connecticut high school years. Those "Concentration" puzzles inside the caps were cool... on 8/13/03 6:27 AM, Mike Swedene at pulp_101@yahoo.com wrote: > FYI - "sexy rocker" LIz Phair will be on Regis & Kelly > tomorrow. They have her billed as "sexy rocker." > Perhaps they read this list? > The new issue of Sound & Vision arrived yesterday, in which Brett Milano absolutely skewers Liz' new album. To paraphrase his disgust with her new I'm-edgy-but-pop-accessible image: "Hearing her talk about 'give my your white hot come' is like watching the members of Sleater-Kinney make out on The Howard Stern Show". Awesome. ob alt.country content: Also in that issue, a full page summary on all the Uncle Tupelo/Wilco/Son Volt/Jay Farrar CD's. - -tc, and a mind-numbing interview with David Lee Roth... ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 15:01:07 -0400 From: "ross taylor" Subject: not really part of any thread Me, then Jeff D. >> Don McLean's "The Day the Music Died" tells the story of >> techno, from it's origins with WaxTrax >> to the decadent failure of big beat (not really). >I thought that was about 4 high school boys trying to get >laid and abusing pastry. Also something about band camp, >flutes, and some jock-jackoff's mother. Oh, right. That's probably why I couldn't remember the actual song name. I don't think I'll go see "American Wedding," but it's been good to see Hannigan getting singled out for good reviews, & to hear her raving about Carol Burnett. - --- To me, "busting a 40" sounds like it has to do with oppressive udders. Or a different interpretation -- I'm very out of shape, & the other day I was trying to work out in the basement & I felt like I busted a 40-something. - --- Yolk, yolk, yolk-- sometimes when you go to scramble and egg, you find a little hard, white something in the yolk, & try to get it out w/ your fork -- is that the chicken embryo? - --- I Often Dream of Trains-- I have great sentimental attachment to freight. In college, there was a long C&O freight that regularly parked itself between my apartment & school, so I'd often climb over the couplings to take my short cut. Once one started pulling off. I jumped clear, but realized how tricky that stuff can be. I've know a few people in the choo-choo buisiness & thru them seen a bunch of others, & it's surprising how many older people who've worked on trains are missing a finger, or even an arm. Or at least in the 70s, maybe safety is better now. - --- >>>How about "rock songs that use electric guitar" >Oddly, the only one I can think of is "Fender Stratocaster" by Jonathan Richman. "Electric Guitar" by Talking Heads. Ross Taylor "well, the midgets get a boost and the freight train blows smoke rings and the dogs come home to roost when Leo Kottke sings" -- something I'm working on Need a new email address that people can remember Check out the new EudoraMail at http://www.eudoramail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 14:08:07 -0500 (CDT) From: Jeffrey with 2 Fs Jeffrey Subject: don't shoot me, I'm only the keyboard typer (dull, boring, political) On Wed, 13 Aug 2003, FS Thomas wrote: > The problem with Amtrak is that it's a loss-leader. The rail situation > in the States is similar to the airline and the American farming > industries: at the center of the issue is the government propping up > (either financially or legislatively) bad business. By "bad" I mean > unprofitable. Unprofitable businesses should be allowed to die; it's a > basic principle of economics. By meddling with the natural course of > business cycles, you skew the economy. At least you're consistent... The basic problem is that some things that are essential to a functioning economy are not themselves economically profitable. (And, uh, one of our list's actual economists might jump in at any time now, just to bore people further!) As you note, farming is not currently profitable (except for megacorporate farmers - actually, because of megacorporate farmers) - but does this mean, what, we should just let all farmers bankrupt? Presumably, then, we would either survive on grubs and soil, or all learn to farm for ourselves, or...? I'm not at home, so I can't cite any sources right now, but...traditional economics has a pretty poor score at describing how things actually work - particularly at the mega-macro scale, such as the IMF and its completely wack formulations of what's supposed to go on (although in that case, even they don't believe it - but then we'd be off on another leftist conspiracy rant, and that's even more oppressive than udders). It's certainly true that, particularly with our current governmental setup (a wholly owned subsidiary of), almost every program the govt. attempts to run doesn't work all that well. If we think of govt only in terms of large-scale, unpleasant things like taxes, bureaucracy, and corruption, it's understandable why one would want to eliminate almost all of it. But as the current situation in Iraq demonstrates, *some* government is necessary, on the very basic street-level functions such as making sure water is flowing, etc. It's probably the right wing's anti-govt. predilections that encouraged Bush et al. to make almost no plans for post-war situation, a chaotic vector that will almost certainly make things worse for Iraqis than they are now. And as the Brit rail example shows, business quite often manages to wangle substantial subsidies from govts. anyway - only now, they benefit only the heads of those businesses, rather than (theoretically) the people as a whole. It still amazes me that people assume that government inevitably attracts corrupt, self-centered people, whereas business inevitably works to the benefit of everyone: the "market" is clearly not a check or balance on corporate excess (hello, Enron? WorldCom/MCI?), whereas at least in *theory* there's a countervailing force upon govt. corruption: us. So, uh, this Hitchcock fella - what's he done lately anyway? - --Jeffrey with 2 Fs Jeffrey J e f f r e y N o r m a n The Architectural Dance Society www.uwm.edu/~jenor/ADS.html ::Californians invented the concept of the life-style. ::This alone warrants their doom. __Don DeLillo, WHITE NOISE__ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 13:54:06 -0500 From: "Iosso, Ken" Subject: I often dream of trains Cars would be loss leaders if we didn't subsidize them heavily by building and upgrading roads, paying patrol officers, updating bridges to name just a few of the almost infinite subsidies that we provide. There are no forms of transport that are not subsidized. We need alternative forms of transport for safety reasons as well as because we can't support endless cars and highways financially or environmentally. Ken Iosso -----Original Message----- From: FS Thomas [mailto:ferris@ochremedia.com] Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 11:59 AM To: 'pants tremor!' Subject: RE: Thatcher (0% placenta) > > Here in the US we desperately need to kill AMTRAK (a "private" but > > heavily subsidized rail co. over here.) > > As opposed to what? *No* form of transportation - and that most certainly > includes automobiles & the infrastructure supporting their use - is > profitable overall (although certainly sectors within it can be). I won't > argue that Amtrak has been particularly well run...although one way to > ensure that an entity is poorly run is to make sure it has inadequate > funding. Marginal independent businesses are seldom well run either. The problem with Amtrak is that it's a loss-leader. The rail situation in the States is similar to the airline and the American farming industries: at the center of the issue is the government propping up (either financially or legislatively) bad business. By "bad" I mean unprofitable. Unprofitable businesses should be allowed to die; it's a basic principle of economics. By meddling with the natural course of business cycles, you skew the economy. Can the rails be profitable? Possibly. What they need to do is to break with the idea of passenger-only service and commit to opening lines to freight portage. To do that, however, they would have to break the back of the Teamster's Union; something that more than likely isn't going to happen. I don't doubt for a moment that by revitalizing rail (at least in metropolitan areas) would lessen traffic and environmental problems, but without such a venture to at least break even, it's a bad, bad proposition. - -f. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 14:30:40 -0400 From: Tom Rodebaugh Subject: apples and other recommendations, please? hey folks, i recently signed up for three months of emusic (on emusic.com, i mean), and i see that, among other things, they have a load of apples in stereo. i know folks on this list like them: what would you recommend? also, for anyone on emusic, if you have recs, i'd be interested. obrobyn: live from the cambridge folk festival and nextdoorland are there. of course, i already own one and know the other isn't much worth owning. . . but it's free! (sorta. or at least really cheap.) cheers, tom ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 12:19:43 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: don't shoot me >So, uh, this Hitchcock fella - what's he done lately anyway? Check Google's greeting page to find out. Oh, and I think my all-time least favorite Feg thread was "Things which curdle." Eb http://www.whitestripes.com/finger.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 12:29:47 -0700 (PDT) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Re: Mailing list hell... Matt Sewell wrote: > Surely there's scope for a thread listing our all-time > most hated threads? > > Ok, I'll start: > > 1. Mac vs PC. > 2. Any other techie posts. > 3. Rush related threads (yes, I did start one once..). > 4. Threads full of lists of any kind. > 5. Er... > 6. That's it. 7. Brian Wilson's Placenta!!! ===== "Pentagon officials says Americanizing Iraq is difficult because Iraqis have had little to no reliable information for the past 35 years, and have lived on a diet of innuendo, rumor, conspiracy theories, fear, and propaganda. Sounds like the problem is they're too Americanized." -- Bill Maher "Being accused of hating America by people like Ann Coulter or Laura Ingraham is like being accused of hating children by Michael Jackson or (Cardinal) Bernard Law." -- anonymous . __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 12:47:02 -0700 (PDT) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Re: not really part of any thread ross taylor wrote: > Me, then Jeff D. > > >> Don McLean's "The Day the Music Died" tells the story > >> of techno, from it's origins with WaxTrax > >> to the decadent failure of big beat (not really). > > >I thought that was about 4 high school boys trying to > >get laid and abusing pastry. Also something about band > >camp, flutes, and some jock-jackoff's mother. > > Oh, right. That's probably why I couldn't remember the > actual song name. > > I don't think I'll go see "American Wedding," but it's > been good to see Hannigan getting singled > out for good reviews, & to hear her raving about Carol > Burnett. I had planned of getting around to it on video, but I ended up seeing a couple days ago. It's fairly funny though less so than the first two, a bit too much of Jason Biggs's ass, but that's a given at this point. They underutilize Eugene Levy and Fred Willard (as well as the guy who plays Kevin, who is practically wallpaper). Hannigan is far less mannered this time around that before where she was borderline almost annoying. ===== "Pentagon officials says Americanizing Iraq is difficult because Iraqis have had little to no reliable information for the past 35 years, and have lived on a diet of innuendo, rumor, conspiracy theories, fear, and propaganda. Sounds like the problem is they're too Americanized." -- Bill Maher "Being accused of hating America by people like Ann Coulter or Laura Ingraham is like being accused of hating children by Michael Jackson or (Cardinal) Bernard Law." -- anonymous . __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 15:48:50 -0400 (EDT) From: Aaron Mandel Subject: Re: apples and other recommendations, please? On Wed, 13 Aug 2003, Tom Rodebaugh wrote: > also, for anyone on emusic, if you have recs, i'd be interested. In chronological order by when I found them, here's my eMusic hits list. Many of them are things I already knew about which eMusic picked up, though some were pleasant discoveries (like, recently, Noise For Pretend's jazzy pop and Mclusky's shouty rock). Heatmiser - Dead Air (Elliott Smith's rock band) Pinback - Some Voices Stew - Guest Host Sarah White - Bluebird The Oyster Band (w/June Tabor uncredited) - Freedom And Rain Built To Spill - Ultimate Alternative Wavers Robyn Hitchcock at the Cambridge Folk Festival Rosehips - s/t Yellowman - Nobody Move... and Zunguzunguguzungguzeng Aceyalone - Accepted Eclectic The Negro Problem - both Belle And Sebastian - Tigermilk (note: I don't like them usually) Pavement! Go Sailor - s/t ? And The Mysterians - More Action Wedding Present - Tommy and Saturnalia THEM - Joyful Toy EP Blackalicious - A2G Yo La Tengo - Electr-O-Pura Silkworm - Even A Blind Chicken... and Developer Tommy Keene - Isolation Party Invisibl Skratch Piklz - The Shiggar Fraggar Show Papas Fritas - s/t World Famous Beat Junkies - Volume 2 Radio 4 - Gotham Shriekback - Care The Moves - s/t Hawksley Workman - For Him And The Girls The Rondelles - Fiction Romance, Fast Machines Frank Black - Devil's Workshop Ivy - Guestroom The Fall - Live At The Witch Trials, Dragnet, Hex Enduction Hour, This Nation's Saving Grace, Cerebral Caustic, etc. Machine Drum - Now You Know/Half The Battle The Soft Boys - Underwater Moonlight, Nextdoorland The Yummy Fur - Night Club GoGoGo Airheart - Exittheuxa Ted Leo & Pharmacists - Hearts Of Oak The Decemberists - Castaways And Cutouts Buck 65 - The Centaur EP Robert Pollard - Waved Out Albert Ayler - Spirits Rejoice Silver Scooter - The Blue Law Tahiti 80 - Puzzle Xerophonics - Copying Machine Music Cat Power - You Are Free Stephen Malkmus - Pig Lib Red House Painters The Real Tuesday Weld (indiepop built around 40s samples - nice!) v/a - Tribute To The Pixies (Japanese!) Mclusky - Mclusky Do Dallas Edan - Primitve Plus Noise For Pretend New Pornographers ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 12:51:46 0200 (UTC) From: Carrie Galbraith Subject: Re: Ah... trams... (0.1% RH) and a bit long-winded From: Christopher Gross Lisbon has several active tram routes...especially neat are the funiculars, trams built on a slant to transport folks up steep hills. For those willing to go East (as in Europe) there are plenty of trams. They tend to be old and well used however. Trams in Romania are still in use especially in towns other than Bucerest. In Transylvania, all the cities have the old tram lines but last year I noticed they were digging up some of the old lines in Timisoara. I'll check it out more thouroughly next week when I go to visit. Poland, I recall, uses trams quite a lot and I remember clearly the proximity of the little Polish ladies off to market crowding the tram. That was in Krakow and it's been a few years. One of the most wonderful funiculars is in Budapest, actually in Buda, up the hill towards the Castle. Pest has plenty of trams, of course. I've ridden trams in Sofia and Skopje but, ironically, there are none in Tirana or any town in Albania to which I have visited. No trains in that country either. Lots of bunkers however. Not to mention the streetcars still running in San Francisco, up Market St. When I first moved to The City, they were in use all over town and they swayed as they rode. Quite a bit. A trip on the N Judah could leave you unsure of your legs when you got off. And the Angelino Fegs must remember Angel's Flight. Isn't that back in working order? I understood they were going to get it back up and running, sort of a tourist thing. While I Often Dream of Trains I also often ride them. And while Amtrak is a financial loss and burden and may be politically wrong (or whatever) I have ridden the Three Rivers, the California Zephyr, the Southwest Chief and the Coast Starlight several times. Nothing like a train from Philly to Oakland to clear your head and get perspective on life. And then, take it back to really complete the experience! I've also taken trains all over Eastern Europe and there is no reason for the "unexplained cornfield stops" that happen along the way. Italian trains are always late. The only other form of transportation that I would wax more about would be by boat, but I have limited experience. A sailboat across the Pacific and up and down the California coast amd all over the Hawaiian Islands, ferries every chance I get and not to mention the waterbus I take every day to work here in Venice. But when I leave Europe for the States, I have already mapped out the container ship route. Genova to the Panama Canal and up to Oakland. Or maybe via the Suez Canal and through the Far East and Australia and on up to the West Coast. Hey James, perhaps I can stop en route... And don't get me started on driving cross country... Take my eyes, I've used them, - - Ethyl "the nomad" ketone ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 13:20:16 -0700 From: Eb Subject: Re: Ah... trams... (0.1% RH) and a bit long-winded >And the Angelino Fegs must remember Angel's Flight. Isn't that back >in working order? I understood they were going to get it back up and >running, sort of a tourist thing. From the L.A. Times, 8/6/03: Design, Oversight Faulted in Fatal Angels Flight Accident Final federal report expands on state findings on the 2001 crash in downtown L.A. By Kurt Streeter, Times Staff Writer In a final report, federal investigators said that faulty mechanical and brake systems, combined with weak oversight, led to a fatal crash two years ago at the historic Angels Flight railway, which could open again next year after being closed since the accident. The crash occurred Feb. 1, 2001, when a car on the historic railway, located on one of the steepest hills in downtown Los Angeles, broke loose and sped backward for about a block before smashing into another rail car at the bottom of the hill. An 83-year-old man was killed and his wife and six others were injured in the crash, which occurred in front of a crowd of shocked daytime onlookers. The National Transportation Safety Board's final report was delivered Tuesday in Washington and unanimously approved by the NTSB's five-member board. The report, which mirrored and expanded on findings by state regulators last year, touched on an array of engineering flaws. First were brake problems. "The brake system, as designed, was inoperable," the report noted, "as implemented, was not fail-safe, and was further inadequate" because the emergency brakes could not be activated independently of the regular brakes and tested separately. Such a test, it said, "would have revealed that the system's emergency brakes were inoperative." Angels Flight also lacked backup track brakes and a safety cable that could have stopped a runaway train. Investigators noted that those design features are common on hillside trains, sometimes called funiculars, such as Angels Flight. Investigators also found that the railway's drivetrain was flawed and that metal on its gear hub was too soft, causing it to fail. Finally, compounding the design flaws, the railway lacked adequate emergency walkways, according to the report, which prevented riders from escaping and emergency crews from getting into the trains. In addition, the investigation faulted the Public Utilities Commission, which is responsible for rail safety in California, for failing to "fulfill oversight responsibilities" during construction and operations. Last year, the PUC came out with its own report on the accident. It too blamed design and construction problems. The accident led to reorganization of the commission's rail safety review process. The NTSB also found fault with the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, which rebuilt the railway in the mid-1990s. It had closed in 1969, largely because of low ridership, after running for 68 years. The NTSB report criticized the CRA for failing to tightly oversee the reconstruction and operation of the railway. Christopher Bisgaard, a lawyer representing the agency, disputed the findings and said blame belongs with the railway's engineer and contractor. The CRA believed Angels Flight was "perfectly safe" until the crash, he said. Bisgaard said the agency intends to help restart the railway, which after its restoration became one of downtown Los Angeles' few tourist draws and an extremely popular link between bustling Broadway Avenue and Bunker Hill. John Welborne, president of the Angels Flight Railway, which operated the trains for the CRA, said his organization is raising money so the line can reopen in 2004. Welborne said the two Angels Flight cars involved in the accident have been repaired and are in a downtown warehouse. If it does reopen, Angels Flight will face tougher standards and more reviews. The NTSB called on regulators to more closely review the system before it opens and to require backup brakes and an emergency walkway. Welborne said he supported those requirements. "My hope is we can put this all behind us and open up a system that everyone agrees is perfectly safe so people in that area won't have to walk uphill so much," he said. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 13:27:55 -0700 From: "Jason R. Thornton" Subject: Re: not really part of any thread At 03:01 PM 8/13/2003 -0400, ross taylor wrote: > >Oddly, the only one I can think of is "Fender Stratocaster" by Jonathan >Richman. > >"Electric Guitar" by Talking Heads. "Red Guitar" by David Sylvian. - --Jason "Only the few know the sweetness of the twisted apples." - Sherwood Anderson ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 13:28:16 -0700 From: "Jason R. Thornton" Subject: Re: Mailing list hell... At 12:29 PM 8/13/2003 -0700, Jeff Dwarf wrote: > > 1. Mac vs PC. > > 2. Any other techie posts. > > 3. Rush related threads (yes, I did start one once..). > > 4. Threads full of lists of any kind. > > 5. Er... > > 6. That's it. > >7. Brian Wilson's Placenta!!! Yeah, I too totally hate threads about Mike Love. - --Jason "Only the few know the sweetness of the twisted apples." - Sherwood Anderson ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 15:04:12 -0700 (PDT) From: Jeff Dwarf Subject: Re: Mailing list hell... "Jason R. Thornton" wrote: > At 12:29 PM 8/13/2003 -0700, Jeff Dwarf wrote: > > > 1. Mac vs PC. > > > 2. Any other techie posts. > > > 3. Rush related threads (yes, I did start one > once..). > > > 4. Threads full of lists of any kind. > > > 5. Er... > > > 6. That's it. > > > >7. Brian Wilson's Placenta!!! > > Yeah, I too totally hate threads about Mike Love. Wouldn't that be Brian Wilson's asshole? ===== "Pentagon officials says Americanizing Iraq is difficult because Iraqis have had little to no reliable information for the past 35 years, and have lived on a diet of innuendo, rumor, conspiracy theories, fear, and propaganda. Sounds like the problem is they're too Americanized." -- Bill Maher "Being accused of hating America by people like Ann Coulter or Laura Ingraham is like being accused of hating children by Michael Jackson or (Cardinal) Bernard Law." -- anonymous . __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 11:11:54 +1200 From: grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan) Subject: Busting a Brenda >Great to hear from you, Aidan! However, the strip cartoon on the cover of >the 12" single (drawn by one Robyn Hitchcock) clearly shows QE2 (the >monarch, not the ship). Has anyone got a scan of this cover? I haven't got >a scanner, but I could probably get one if sufficient interest exists. It's in the liner notes of the Rhino re-release, too. I'm embarrassed about saying the same thing about this song twice, but I suppose repeating yourself - when under stress - is par for the course around here. And so is repeating yourself. >But Natalie...we still haven't finished embedding "oppressive >udders." I thought we agreed not to rest until it turned up in Leno's >monologue. sorry, I still think "Hell melons" is better. "Busting a 40" is a plausible one, though. And you're right, we don't have 40oz beers here. Standard practice here is, if you want to drink more than a pint, you get an empty pint glass and a jug of beer (also called a stein or a Peter. No idea where the latter term came from, and I'm not sure I want to know). James (still trying to get people to call our $5 notes "Eddies") np - Ross Overbury's successful attempt at making me re-evaluate Balloon Man. Good work. James Dignan, Dunedin, New Zealand -.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.- =-.-=-.-=-.- You talk to me as if from a distance .-=-.-=-.-=-. -=-. And I reply with impressions chosen from another time .-=- .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=- (Brian Eno - "By this River") -.-=-.-=-.-=-.-= ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 11:25:55 +1200 From: grutness@surf4nix.com (James Dignan) Subject: That damn thread/trams Rex: >>>"Haul away", by Split Enz. > >Isn't "Split Ends" the obvious choice here? Damn! You're right, especially since that was their name's spelling at the time. >>>Lou Reed's "My House" is about his teacher, poet Delmore Schwartz. > >And his then-wife Sylvia who appears in a lot of his tunes as well. Gawd, >that tune is a real corker on a much-worshipped album... "I live in the >woods with my wife and I'm all straight and domestic and stuff, but I like >to pretend the ghost of my dead decadent poetry teacher is here, too, so I'm >still cool." (Bonus points for awkward rhyme-forced pronunciation >Del-MORE.) Much of "The Blue Mask" to me is Lou doth-protesting-too-much >("I Love Women"... well, we don't doubt that, but it's hardly the whole >story, is it, Lou?). The highs are high on that record but bits of it are >embarassing. Some think it's sly and self-knowing, but I'm not so sure. all that, and yet you fail to mention "The day John Kennedy died". Great album. >Reap: >Diana Mitford, 93. This is possibly the time to mention that Not the Nine O'Clock News did a song about Oswald Moseley. (IIRC - or was it an Alexei Sayle song?) >I recently won a competition here at work which was to list songs with a >girl's name in the title... minimum 200 entries... blimey. > >Of course, I won't burden the list with the list! and I once replied to a newspaper article stating that there were very few songs with NZ place names in the title or lyrics. My reply consisted of a list of 80 such songs. - --- >Ah... trams - to this day I have still not managed to travel by tram... I >remember, as a child, my mother pointing out the tramlines to me in >Cornmarket St (in Oxford) which were still there after many years >(they're gone now of course). There was talk a few years ago of >reinstating them, but of course this never happened... can anyone >recommend somewhere I can go and ride the trams? Don't they still have them in Manchester? If you're prepared to travel a little way, there's always Christchurch, NZ. Melbourne, Australia probably has the most extensive tram system still operating in the world. Toronto still has them too, IIRC. Then there's the trolleycars in San Francisco, of course. They're talking of introducing them in Bath, according to the web, but I'm sure that that area's resident railway fan will be able to tell you more about that than I. And Wellington, NZ has a cablecar, FWIW. Sort of a vertical (well, 1 in 3) tram. I guess that's the same as a funicular. ISTR they have (or had) one of them at either Folkestone or Dover, too. The trams went from Dunedin about 40 years ago, and trolley-buses (bus wheels, but overhead cables for power) went about 15 years ago. Everyopne said we were mad getting rid of them at the time, and yup, we were. James James Dignan, Dunedin, New Zealand -.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.- =-.-=-.-=-.- You talk to me as if from a distance .-=-.-=-.-=-. -=-. And I reply with impressions chosen from another time .-=- .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=- (Brian Eno - "By this River") -.-=-.-=-.-=-.-= ------------------------------ End of fegmaniax-digest V12 #306 ********************************