Though it doesn't directly concern words or language, I thought those of us technically inclined might be interested

http://science.howstuffworks.com/theory-of-everything.htm

I myself have thought about this for a much longer time than the surfer and (I'm perfectly serious now, no kidding) I have a more comprehensive theory, which however, is very straightforward. It explains not only how the Universe works but where God comes from

But since I don't wish to burden WS hard-drive space, I am dalehileman@verizon.net

I, for one, would like to read your straightfoward theory.
And I, again for one, would believe you before I would a physicist; even one who rides a surfboard.

Post it here if it is not a secret, and if it is then post your theory on the Awad Personal Message feature and stop worrying about length.

A comprehehensive theory about the nature of God and the Universe shouldn't take more than a sentence or two; everything after it should be axiomatic.

and, following Fermat, you've no doubt alluded to your theory in the margin of a book, since misplaced.

exasperatedly,
-Andrew Wiles

the: Thank you for your interest. Every so often, however, I am raked over the coals for an excessively lengthy post. But hang in there, as I will find some way to post it elsewhere and provide a link

re: A comprehehensive theory about the nature of God and the Universe shouldn't take more than a sentence or two;


but who cares? if i want to discuss religion (or my theories about the nature of god (or if there is one) i don't do it on a WORD board.

Religion--can all to quicky turn to prostilatizing..(at best!) at it worst, it is divisive!

i'm not interested, not in those who want to talk religion in the subway, or the missionaries who come to my door.. and i don't want any here, either, thank you very much!

I don't want to be told how to live my life.. or to have someone else shove their version of immortality, or morality down my throat, (all for my betterment, or so they claim)

I don't tell you how to live your life, or to drink (or not drink) or to womanize (or to not womanize) to go to church, (or not to) and if i was interested in discussions of theology, i would go to an appropriate place to discuss them.. NOT TO A WORD/LANGUAGE BB.

it is irresponsible of you milo to encourage such behavior. --
why don't you drown your sorrows in a bottle of what ever it is you like and write some fiction.. I love your fiction!

the: My goodness, you must be as terrible a person as I

Now Helen...
You can call me Ray
Or you can call me Jay
But you doesn't have to call me...

Who me? Number Seven?

Call me irresponsible - call me unreliable
Throw in undependable too
Do my foolish alibis bore you
Well I'm not too clever - I just adore you

Call me unpredictable - tell me I'm impractical
Rainbows I'm inclined to pursue
Call me irresponsible - yes I'm unreliable
But it's undeniably true - I'm irresponsibly mad for you.



Now can I talk to Dalehileman?

sure take your god talk private.. god knows he publishes his email every week (if not more often!)

talk all you want! but this is not the place for god talk or theories of theology.

and you know that. you are just being troublesome!

now i love it when you are troublesome about words, and i love your good old boy stories, but please, religion and politics? no no's and you know it.

Ok, Helen. In the future I'll try to be more considerate of the non-beliefs as well as the actual beliefs of the people who visit this board.

Now can I talk to Dalehileman?

Get a room, boys! %^*

zm, the: By all means, I'd be most glad to hear from you. To save you keystrokes I am dalehilemn@verizon.net

Get a room, boys! I concur with zmjezhd. A calmly-stated difference of opinion is one thing; nastiness is quite another. This board evolved pretty quickly (though not without a backstep or two) into a place of overall peace; let's keep it that way.

In any group where the environment (read: membership) cannot be controlled, it's so easy for one person to ruin the enjoyment of all. This is not my board: it's Anu's, and, while I could act like a dictator, I really don't want to; I would strongly prefer to follow his hands-off policy. So please, let me keep doing that.

Hi Jackie: Since you had addresed your last post to me, I assume it is I being accused of nastiness. But I make a conscious effort not to. What have I said that could possibly be construed as nasty

I think z's remark was only meant for milo and dale to take their conversation private.

(and I know that's some lousy sentence structure, but.)

:¬ )

If by Milo you mean the, I just reread his posts and don't see anything provocative, and in fact I was not even aware that I was arguing with him

Illustrating the general principle that one can, if he is so inclined, to find obloquy anywhere

I give up.

I give up.

"Gooble gobble, gooble gobble, we accept you, we accept you, one of us, one of us!"

It looked right to me. Sort of an inescapable construction even.

I thought it was ok too but was afraid to say so

Still not sure who is Milo

Milo is themilum.

...and don't you forget it.

AKA Mr. Minderbinder.

Mr. Minderbinder.

Oh,shoot!
How did François Villon come into this thread of...

Qu' à ce refrain ne vous remaine:
Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?

Ballad of the ladies of days gone by.

( beautiful as it is though )

How did François Villon come into this thread of...

Lt. Minderbinder and Snowden are character's in Catch-22, agreat American novel. "Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear?" is a question asked during the course of the book. It was my introduction to Villon, something I'll always be grateful to Joseph Heller for.

Ah, zmjejezhd, I am not the Milo of Heller, I am rather the Milo of Vonnegut.

In 1972 I met Kurt Vonnegut at the Airport Holiday Inn Lounge in Birmingham, Alabama. We (I) talked of Science Fiction and the nature of life in depth while we sat drinking at the mirrored bar until late at night. Me being me, I did most of the talking.

A year or so later -- after seeing his photograph in the back fly of "Breakfast Of Champions" -- I saw that the nappily ruffled fellow with whom I had chated that night was none other than THE Kurt Vonnegut who very often visited his 80 year old aunt in Birmingham. Vonnegut's favorite aunt was a life long attendee of the Ruhoma Baptist Church in South East Lake which was only a short three miles away.

From an Amazon review...

Breakfast of Champions is about what it means to be alive and kickin'. The universe is unreasonable. The syntax of stuff doesn't make sense. The center caves in. When Trout arrives in Midland City, an admirer named Milo Maritimo approaches him as savior:

"Oh, Mr. Trout teach us to sing and dance and laugh and cry. We've tried to survive so long on money and sex and envy and real estate and football and basketball and automobiles and television and alcohol — on sawdust and broken glass!"

[Trout responds]

"You have nothing but desolation and despair here, you say! I bring you more of the same!"


And so it goes.

really? and here i was thinking of you as southern version of milo o'shea!.. (tall, dark, brillant, witty with word, a great actor-and well acquainted with the juice of the barley corn)

oh, well time for a reframe!--
now i'll have to go back to remembering what you look like.(I've seen photo's!--we ladies share info among ourselves!)

Ruhoma Baptist Church

Venus, are you sure you didn't mean Ruhama Baptist Church. Ruhama is from the Hebrew for 'consoled'.

Since we're in a tale-telling mood, I once tended bar at the hospitality suite for a science fiction convention where I got to make small talk with and serve drinks to some greats in skiffy: Theodore ("90% of everything is crud") Sturgeon, Jerry (Chaos Manor) Pournelle, and Richard (With The Bentfin Boomer Boys On Little Old New Alabama) Lupoff.

Pooteeweet!

My apologies, zmjezhd. I knew that "Ruhoma" didn't look right and I attended two wedding's in that church. But after a lifetime of saying rhu-home-uh I couldn't dredge up "Ruhama". My bad.

Theodore Sturgeon? Wow! My earliest hero.

And oddly in my reading I seemed to have missed Richard Lupoff. Thank you. I'll check for his stories, especially "With the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama".

A threat by paralipsis is somehow even more ominous than a conventional threat.