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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
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The Siamese twins did not become famous until P.T.Barnum included them with his famous collection of freaks. Here's a URL about him worth looking at: http://www.ltbn.com/fame/Barnum.htmlScroll down 3/4 of the way.Regrettably no picture and only brief mention of the Siamese twins. I'll go look for a picture. Here is picture URL and more story: http://www.picturehistory.com/find/p/8404/mcms.html
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Joined: Sep 2000
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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They married unjoined sisters and sired twenty-two children. They alternated between homes every three days.
Never mind alternating between homes, does that mean that since still technically one organism (he says, choosing his words carefully) the father(s) were jointly siring all 22 as full siblings? We need to know these things.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
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The site about Barnum said he was one of the first millionaires in the country. Imagine how the money would have rolled in if he had had a movie camera to record for posterity the technique required of the participants. Must have been frustrating for the non-involved twin. He must have really had the stonies, unless his twin was very generous.
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Joined: Sep 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Sep 2001
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Interesting. I can clearly remember being a small child and reading an article in Life magazine (I'm almost sure, however...) about Chin and Chang, I believe their names were. I remember looking (staring, oogling) at those photographs for the longest time. My imagination was transfixed considering the possibility of having been so-connected to another human being. The realization, as far as my child's mind could realize, of that possibility as reported in Life both repelled and highly interested me.
In looking back over my fascination--though certainly the fascination of a pretty innocent child--I must admit a consequent feeling of guilt. I think it must have been my first experience of schadenfreude--and one that I have certainly overcome because I don't allow myself to experience that kind of fascination over physical troubles of others anymore--and haven't, really, for a long time.
Yes, it is exhilarating to read about the human soul and how it overcomes physical frailties most people would have great difficulty (or even impossibly) overcoming! But that submerging of the imagination to grasp what such frailities are--and somehow enjoying (in a sick way, I think) the plunge? Oooh! I am glad to be beyond that--and I am especially glad that freak shows, to my knowledge, are no longer around. They share the same sick turn of the imagination as do the Romans feeding Christians to the lions and bear baiting.
...off the little soap box of True Confessions...
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Joined: Jan 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
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Dear WW: I wouldn't call your childish fascination with the bizarre schadenfreude. I'll give you one. I had just gone off diving board, and a beautiful bimbo in an all rubber bathing suit (early 1930's) dove next. Obviously for first time in that suit. As she hit the water, the suit expanded,and stayed on surface, where I "rescued" it. It was the ultimate in Schadenfreude be able to insist on her letting me help her put it back on. A knight "arrant" rescuing a damsel in distress.
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