The Pooka

At last pulphack...... an opportunity to give you something back rather than to benefit from your God-like omniscience. Piblokto is an Inuit mental disorder characterised by depression with an histrionic element. The sufferer wanders off into the icy wilderness, usually to be rescued by a loving family. Piblokto like espanto and estuto is a culture-bound mental disorder. The Malay condition amok (as in running amok) has also entered our language. Koro, an Asian male hysteria, in which men believe that the penis is retracting into the body (and then get friends and family to grab it and pull it to stop it disappearing) is similarly culture bound. It should not be confused with kuru, the Asian dementia, that results from cannibalism. At least now, when you tell me what happened to the bassist on track 3, side 4 of the Bumpers sampler I can convince myself that I have been just as helpful to you. And yes, Pete Brown and Piblokto were good. Didn't Pete co-write some Cream songs with Jack Bruce.

Godot - an alien could study English language and culture for many centuries without making head nor tail of this. Yet, for those of us steeped in the history of the mediocre, this is as clear as glass. Why thankyou Pook. So nice of you to say so. I've been thinking about Sugden and Clitheroe. They must have been around the same age. In another life they might have formed a double act, like the Krankies in reverse. That would have necessitated Jimmy Clitheroe dressing up as a schoolgirl. Godot you have a gift for creating disturbing mental images. They'd have had to wed too so there would have been Jimmy dressed as a schoolgirl playing with Mollie's pussy. Godot - you are truly the Salvador Dali of thought.

..... and no-one's mentioned Dennis Wise, yet.

Agreed Mmmmmmm. Why let them choose when and how they will die. I think that committees should spend endless years choosing when and how it should happen. There should be appeals, last minute reprieves, retrials and re-sentencing. The condemned should receive information and misinformation. The whole process should be designed by a team who have spent years studying Kafka's 'In the Penal colony'. In the end the ultimate is that the little fellow begs to die and is told 'No......... not just yet'. The end, when it comes, should follow a notice of unconditional reprieve and release. This isn't necessarily a rational approach but I guess many of us were a little traumatised by the deaths of those innocent strangers. Excuse me.

Not really forgotten, then. Which reminds me of the chess match between the Russian Grandmasters Korsakov and Alzheimer. No one remembers where and when it was played, nor the result. regards, Hein Karpov beat Korsakov and Alekhine beat Alzheimer. But only the winners remembered it.

Godot - an alien could study English language and culture for many centuries without making head nor tail of this. Yet, for those of us steeped in the history of the mediocre, this is as clear as glass.

PS....... and relevant to this thread, Mollie Sugden appeared as Jimmy's mother in Just Jimmy

God that was a show so dreadful that it was compulsive viewing. Jimmy Clitheroe died at 52 following an overdose. (He was four foot three inches tall so two Paracetamol may have been enough. ) nBut was there a health problem responsible for his stature and slightly oriental appearance?

I didn't reemember that he was in it and didn't know he was dead. Two snippts for the price of one MPFC. A bargain.

All I remember of the latter is a character called 'Cheese and Egg'. It wasn't funny. Who remembers 'All Gas and Gaiters'? A clerical comedy with William Mervyn and Robertson Hare (plus points) and Derek Nimmo (minus point). I was rather fond of that.

That'll be the seafood patter, I presume. There's no doubt, he was a manta be admired.

'Somethings gotten hold of my heart Keeping my soul and my senses apart Somethings gotten into my life Cutting its way through my dreams like a knife' I fancy that'll be a stingray!

The good news is that they were filming. The show will be pure dynamite when it's aired. Mind you I think I'd have preferred to see him go one down to a crocodile.

For the sake of American visitors to DL, it may be worth clarifying just what you mean by 'fag'.

That's not a line you hear too often.

I wouldn't mind betting that she had an eating disorder and, at some point, that she self-harmed.

Yes his death is sad. But at least we won't get any more of those crap TV shows.

Pure vitriol, OoO. I'll wait to see her outcome before either condemning or applauding you.

I know that I am being tedious as I keep saying this........ but there is no book of English usage of which I am aware that condemns the split infinitive. Most state that it is perfectly acceptable and cannot understand where the objections originated. (Probably in some anally retentive prep school teacher). Indeed, in sentences such as 'ice failed to completely melt', the meaning will change if you unsplit the infinitive. Also if 'to boldly go' is wrong why isn't 'I boldly go'. So the only way in which I'd disagree with the author is in his saying that the split infinitive is 'technically incorrect'. It isn't.

But we all work in our local mental health services. And one day you may need us.........

Pooka, are you saying before she was famous for biking she was - like - the town bike? Certainly not. I am sure that she is most demure. I thought it would be witty to suggest that biking would keep her off the streets.

Years ago I've read it, in a Dutch translation. It's brilliant. Süskind's The Story of Mr Sommer is also an excellent read. regards, Hein English imperialism! You've reminded me, MH, that the original was in German. We English assume that all books are written in the mother tongue. I was once upstaged by a German academic. When I said that I was immensely impressed by 'Love in the time of Cholera' by Garcia Marquez, he told me that he had found it an extraordinary read in the original Spanish but had been disappointed by the German and English translations (pretentious twat). I didn't like to admit that it hadn't occurred to me that it was originally written in another language.

Yep. You can only draw from that particular well so often. Still, I suppose it keeps her off the steets.

Not funny Brinsworth. That was good stalking time wasted!

Perfume by Patrick Suskind. Brilliantly written. A novel focused on the imagery of smell rather than that of vision or sound. 18th century Paris - Grenouille, an amoral grotesque with a gifted hooter - becomes top parfumier - murder and horror on the way - the finale is worth the wait. Grenouille puts the Brut in Brute.