Tuber Mirum

In this day and age, almost any term for an ethnicity can be considered racist if it isn't the exactly right one which has been approved by the Powers That Be. For example the word "black". They stopped using the word "blackboard" in schools because it is "racist". OK, they also stopped making them black, so the term became obsolete anyway, but the reason they say "chalkboard" instead is because some loony leftie or religious fascist decided "blackboard" is racist. In one of the places where I work sometimes, there is a black guy serving in the canteen. Why could it be considered an insult to him to order a black coffee, but not if you order a white coffee from his white colleague? Hipocrisy. Double standards. If I had anything against a certain ethnic group, I might say so, or I might keep it to myself. But when I am talking about something else, like a cup of coffee or a writing board at school, I like to be able to use the word I want without being baselessly accused of racism. Luckily Germany isn't as bad for that kind of thing as the UK. And people of different ethnic backgrounds are different and have different traits. There's nothing racist about making jokes about Irish, Jewish, black, Armenian etc., stereotypes. As long as they are realistic and not abusive. Some of the racial stereotypes are negative, but it doesn't make you a racist to mention them. We Scots are often accused of miserliness. The Germans never get tired of mentioning this because they think it's funny. But they aren't racists because of it. They would be racists if they hated the Scots, but they don't because Scotland tends not to beat Germany at football much. (although they did send us that useless manager) Racism is (or isn't) within a person, and can't be controlled by forbidding certain words. The litmus test is when you are confronted with a person of a different ethnic background, whether you treat them with the same respect you would treat your own countryman. Or in other words: "would you mind if your daughter married one?" That's how I see it anyway.

Strangely enough, as I was considering your financial problems, in addition to the usual solutions of industry, discipline and thrift, the possibility did occur to me that you could sue your employer for sexual harrassment. That would easily have brought in a couple of grand. It's possibly a bit late for that now, but you could maybe still try blackmailing him. You probably wouldn't be interested in drug trafficking, which I am told can also be quite lucrative. Glad you decided not to sacrifice your brains for the sake of financial liquidity. Doesn't Mr Josco know a lot of big words! He seems to have done Latin at (public?) school.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I couldn't be bothered to read that big long post from Eileen.

Looking at your Avatar Mr Josco, gives me an unpleasant feeling of hung-overness. Whoever designed it is clearly a genius. And you have the added and possibly unexpected bonus that it makes you attractive to women. Well, certain women anyway. Go on, give her the 2000 quid! You won't regret it.

Jawohl!

Scots- the only language where a double positive makes a negative.

Since Amanda brought up the subject, I might mention that I have always found Joscos avatar slightly annoying. That's probably not a bad thing in an Avatar because it makes it memorable. My favourite is Eejit's.

I have seen early films too. If someone filmed the sun back then, it was certain to be wobbling, because in those early films everything wobbles.

Israeli Yeti Goader?

If anyone wants to chat, there's a place in your member profile to let folks know your name on AIM, MSN etc., I think the info is available to the general ranting public, so some might not be keen on disclosing it, but I've yet to have a problem of that kind. There is also the deathlist personal message service for those more intimate intimations which may not concern the general readership. (Although they may well interest some of us)

Was that one of those Gestetner Duplicators with the tubes of horrible sticky ink, and the stencils that you had to do on a typewriter first? Or was it the even more primitive kind which used Meths as ink, so all the text was purple? My grandmother used both kinds at one time to do the hymnsheets.

According to this BBC report: Also interesting to note that the world's oldest person may not be that Dutch lady after all.

Just looking at their front page, it looks pretty horrid. I should keep away from that kind of thing, it doesn't improve the balance of one's mind in my opinion. You don't want to end up like Mrs. Trellis. One way of knowing if it's real or not, is if you see the same person getting killed twice, then at least one of the clips is a fake. Good luck for your first day in your new job!

¿Que?

I thought it was Larry Pestilence III and Amanda. She obviously gets about a bit, that girl. But seriously, I agree with your doubts as to the wisdom of live ranting on the List. There'd be no harm in an informal get together in an AIM chatroom once in a while, between consenting parties. I'm not sure I'd want to pollute my computer with MSN messenger, though.

My, this is a silly thread! Reminds me of an internet chatroom. Does anyone else (apart from Grim Rita) think live chat would be fun on the Deathlist? Or do I mean dead chat?

Should we put you on the list?

Shhhhhh!!

Scotland nearly won the World Cup in 1978, but that's the closest we ever came.

In the face of the weight of evidence, a denial would seem futile. Were you ever in the Young Conservatives? One hears such stories.....

What a bummer! He was on the list twice, and not six weeks later, he has to go and pop them.

It all serves to keep our Department of Speculative Etymology busy. You wouldn't want Professor Horsemen out of a job now, would you?

I'm gagging to hear the answer...

It's a good job I'm not enough of a sucker to swallow that one!

I must admit I sometimes ask myself would my time not be better spent composing symphonies or designing cathedrals? But then I think "naaah!"