Grex Agora46 Conference

Item 10: Summer's the time for laughs

Entered by russ on Mon Jun 23 03:21:45 2003:

Just heard a rib tickler?  Share it here.
93 responses total.

#1 of 93 by naftee on Mon Jun 23 03:28:13 2003:

Yeah, why'd you send me that tel?


#2 of 93 by polytarp on Mon Jun 23 03:46:51 2003:

Please share the tel with the rest of the crass.


#3 of 93 by naftee on Mon Jun 23 03:48:58 2003:

I lost it, but it was something about calling ts a liar and a theif


#4 of 93 by polytarp on Mon Jun 23 03:57:54 2003:

Oh.  Yeah, Russ has a long standing Rage with poor TSTY.


#5 of 93 by dcat on Mon Jun 23 16:07:06 2003:

Q: What do you get if you cross an mouse with a elephant?
A: Mouse elephant sin theta.


#6 of 93 by tod on Mon Jun 23 16:24:32 2003:

This response has been erased.



#7 of 93 by gregb on Mon Jun 23 16:28:22 2003:

Whew!  I thought I'd be the only one.


#8 of 93 by aruba on Mon Jun 23 16:40:21 2003:

Heh.  I get it.


#9 of 93 by jazz on Mon Jun 23 16:43:36 2003:

        Q: What do you get when you cross a mountain climber with a mountain
goat?
        A: Nothing.  You can't cross a "scaler" (scalar) with anything.


#10 of 93 by eskarina on Mon Jun 23 16:45:56 2003:

<chuckle>


#11 of 93 by tod on Mon Jun 23 16:54:49 2003:

This response has been erased.



#12 of 93 by mynxcat on Mon Jun 23 17:06:18 2003:

Something that's not a vector.

Very geeky joke. I feel my geek-meter go up, just because I understood 
that one


#13 of 93 by drew on Mon Jun 23 17:29:33 2003:

Elephant: A mouse built to government specifications.


#14 of 93 by naftee on Mon Jun 23 17:42:25 2003:

drew; past of draw


#15 of 93 by oval on Mon Jun 23 18:11:14 2003:

>GLOBAL ECONOMICS DE-MYSTIFIED                                            
   
>                                                                         
   
>SOCIALISM:                                                               
   
>You have 2 cows and you give one to your neighbour.                      
   
>                                                                         
   
>COMMUNISM:                                                               
   
>You have 2 cows, the Government takes both and                           
   
>gives you some milk.                                                     
   
>                                                                         
   
>FASCISM:                                                                 
   
>You have 2 cows, the Government takes both and                           
   
>sells you some milk.                                                     
   
>                                                                         
   
>NAZISM:                                                                  
   
>You have 2 cows. The Government takes both and                           
   
>shoots you.                                                              
   
>                       
>BUREAUCRATISM:                                                           
   
>                                                                         
   
>You have 2 cows; the Government takes both,                              
   
>shoots one, milks the other and throws the milk away...                  
   
>                                                                         
   
>TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM:                                                  
   
>You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.                          
   
>Your herd multiplies,and the economy grows. You sell them and            
   
>retire on the income.                                                    
   
>                                                                         
   
>AN AMERICAN CORPORATION:                                                 
   
>You have two cows. You sell one, and force the                           
   
>other to produce the milk of four cows. Later, you hire a                
   
>consultant to analyze why the cow dropped dead.                          
   
>                                                                         
   
>A FRENCH CORPORATION:                                                    
   
>You have two cows. You go on strike because you                          
   
>want three cows.                                                         
   
                    
>A JAPANESE CORPORATION:                                                  
   
>You have two cows. You redesign them so they are                         
   
>one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times           
   
>the milk.                                                                
   
>You then create a clever cow cartoon image called Cowkimon and           
   
>market them                                                              
   
>World-Wide.                                                              
   
>                                                                         
   
>A GERMAN CORPORATION:                                                    
   
>You have two cows. You reengineer them so they live for 100              
   
>years,eat once a month, and milk themselves.                             
   
>                                                                         
   
>A BRITISH CORPORATION:                                                   
   
>You have two cows. Both are mad.                                         
   
>                                                                         
   
>AN ITALIAN CORPORATION:                                                  
   
>You have two cows, but you don't know where they are. You break for      
   
>lunch.                    

>A RUSSIAN CORPORATION:                                                   
   
>You have two cows. You count them and learn you have five cows.You       
   
>count them again and learn you have 42 cows.                             
   
>You count them again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting        
   
>cows and                                                                 
   
>open another bottle of vodka.                                            
   
>                                                                         
   
>A SWISS CORPORATION:                                                     
   
>You have 5000 cows, none of which belong to you. You charge others       
   
>for storing them.                                                        
   
>                                                                         
   
>A CHINESE CORPORATION:                                                   
   
>You have two cows. You have 300 people milking                           
   
>them. You claim full employment, high bovine productivity, and           
   
>arrest the newsman who reported the numbers.                             
   
>                                                                         
   
>AN ARKANSAS CORPORATION:                                                 
   
>You have two cows. That one on the left is kinda cute...    

>AN INDIAN CORPORATION:                                                   
   
>You have two cows. You worship them.                                     
   
                                                                          
   
                                      


#16 of 93 by dcat on Tue Jun 24 01:43:11 2003:

resp:15  : I love :edit and emacs. . . .

Counting in octal is just like counting in decimal, if you don't use your
thumbs.     --Unknown

Mathematicians are like Frenchmen: whatever you say to them, they translate it
into their own language, and forthwith it means something entirely different. 
     -- Goethe

The good Christian should beware of mathematicians and all those who make empty
prophecies. The danger already exists that mathematicians have made a covenant
with the devil to darken the spirit and confine man in the bonds of Hell.
     -- St. Augustine

A math professor is one who talks in someone else's sleep.

"Sex and drugs? They're nothing compared with a good proof!"
     -- Unknown math student

Q: What is the world's longest song?
A: "Aleph-nought Bottles of Beer on the Wall."

Q: Why did the chicken cross the Moebius strip?
A: To get to the other ... er, um ...

Ok, I'll stop (for) now.
(The first is from [http://www.usrbingeek.com/]'s quote generator; the rest
are from [http://www.math.utah.edu/~cherk/mathjokes.html].)



#17 of 93 by russ on Tue Jun 24 03:48:08 2003:

And in the vein of the previous geek giggles:

Q:  Why are the flights in and out of Warsaw always half-empty,
    with only the seats on the left side of the aisle in use?

A:  Because any system is unstable if it has Poles in the right half plane.


#18 of 93 by rcurl on Tue Jun 24 06:57:43 2003:

You can stabilize those Poles in the right-half plane with some positive
feedback. 


#19 of 93 by lynne on Tue Jun 24 15:52:22 2003:

<I *think* the counting in octal joke is a paraphrase of a Tom Lehrer joke
from the song "New Math".  But can't swear that that's the absolute original
source.>


#20 of 93 by remmers on Tue Jun 24 17:53:25 2003:

Did St. Augustine really say that?


#21 of 93 by dcat on Tue Jun 24 19:14:41 2003:

From Salman Rushdie, whose 56th birthday was last week:

"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases
to exist."

"Rock and roll music - the music of freedom frightens people and
unleashes all manner of conservative defense mechanisms."



((resp:20 - I'll try to find another citation for the Augustine, and a 
source, if I can.))


#22 of 93 by aruba on Tue Jun 24 20:02:49 2003:

One of my math professors in college had that quote from St. Augustine on
his office door.


#23 of 93 by orinoco on Tue Jun 24 22:11:35 2003:

Maybe St. Augustine was talking about numerologists?  I could see thinking
they were in league with Satan.


#24 of 93 by rcurl on Tue Jun 24 23:42:35 2003:

Yes, what would Augustine have meant by "mathematician"? In that age I
would expect the meaning was "astrologer" or "horoscoper". The online OED
gives such usage. 

Which raises the questions of what language did Augustine speak and what
is the proper translation of the word he used at the time? Some wag must
have translated it as mathematician. 


#25 of 93 by jmsaul on Wed Jun 25 02:37:38 2003:

Sorta like the "virgin" thing...  ;-)


#26 of 93 by aruba on Wed Jun 25 03:47:17 2003:

I assume Augustine was writing in Latin.


#27 of 93 by dcat on Wed Jun 25 06:42:49 2003:

According to several posters to the Historia Matematica mailing list [1], the
Augustine quote is from the second book of "De Genesi ad Litteram" ("The
Literal Meaning of Genesis", according to posting #92 (below)).

In [2], Barry Cipra provides the original Latin: 
    Quapropter bono christiano, sive mathematici, sive quilibet impie
    divinantium, maxime dicentes vera, cavendi sunt, ne consortio daemoniorum
    irretiant.

[1] http://sunsite.utk.edu/math_archives/.http/hypermail/historia/dec99/009
0.html
    http://sunsite.utk.edu/math_archives/.http/hypermail/historia/dec99/0091.html
    http://sunsite.utk.edu/math_archives/.http/hypermail/historia/dec99/0092.html
[2] http://sunsite.utk.edu/math_archives/.http/hypermail/historia/dec99/0097.html


#28 of 93 by dcat on Wed Jun 25 06:44:10 2003:

It's said that in Hell, the alcohol is packaged in Klein bottles.


#29 of 93 by jep on Wed Jun 25 11:46:03 2003:

re resp:28: Heh!  


#30 of 93 by orinoco on Wed Jun 25 14:27:04 2003:

www.perseus.tufts.edu says that "mathematicus" can refer to mathematicians
or to astrologers.  


#31 of 93 by rcurl on Wed Jun 25 16:41:15 2003:

We must conclude that Augustine was mathematically illiterate, if he didn't
make a clear distinction. 


#32 of 93 by flem on Wed Jun 25 17:16:41 2003:

You must wear really big hats, rane. 


#33 of 93 by rcurl on Wed Jun 25 19:07:57 2003:

What's that mean? Augustine was versed in philosophy, rhetoric and religion.
He studied Latin but apparently didn't much care for Greek, where he might
have encountered mathematics as we know it (Euclid, etc). He had a
rather numerological perspective on real mathematics - his "perfect" number
was, in fact, 6. When he speaks of mathematics, keep in mind his exposition
on number given at

http://sunsite.utk.edu/math_archives/.http/hypermail/historia/dec99/0145.ht
ml

which reads like the work of mathematicians he railed against. 


#34 of 93 by gelinas on Wed Jun 25 20:37:11 2003:

That definition of a "perfect number" is still in use, and still being
taught.

At the time of Augustine, 'mathematics' was 'philosophy': mystical
significance was attached to just about everything.


#35 of 93 by aruba on Wed Jun 25 23:09:41 2003:

Perfect numbers were defined by the Pythagoreans, according to Eric Temple
Bell, and explored by Euclid, according to Herbert Westren Turnbull (both in
Volume I of The World of Mathematics).  So Augustine either read the Greeks
or read someone who read the Greeks.

I think one should be careful not to judge a person by the standards of a
time other than his own.  Augustine was living in a world that had little
use for mathematics, so we can't really blame him for finding little use for
it himself.


#36 of 93 by rcurl on Thu Jun 26 00:48:01 2003:

I think it is more likely that he had little use for mathematics for some
of the same reasons that people here have stated they have little use
for much of mathematics. His "field" was something else. 

But thanks for reminding me of the mathematical definition of a "perfect
number", which does indeed predate Augustine by several centuries. Knowledge
of those must have come down by several routes, including astrology and other
forms of mysticism. What got me was the obvious impression in Augustine that
there is somehow something "perfect" about a "perfect number". 


#37 of 93 by aruba on Thu Jun 26 02:16:22 2003:

Well, the Pythagoreans were big into attaching emotional significance to
numbers and mathematics in general.  They were a strange lot.

There really wasn't a lot of mathematics going on in Europe between
Archimedes and the Renaissance.  So Augustine, in 300 AD, really didn't
have a lot of positive mathematical role models.  In general, what
scholarship there was in all fields was coupled pretty tightly to
religion.


#38 of 93 by void on Thu Jun 26 19:54:32 2003:

   re #28: http://www.kleinbottle.com/drinking_mug_klein_bottle.htm


#39 of 93 by gelinas on Thu Jun 26 20:40:06 2003:

(I'm tempted to order one.)


#40 of 93 by dcat on Thu Jun 26 21:54:26 2003:

 "ACME KLEIN BOTTLE - Where there's one side to every problem"

I'm also tempted, but since they're $80, not very tempted.


#41 of 93 by void on Fri Jun 27 04:52:01 2003:

   I've been tempted to order either a Klein Stein or an Acme Klein
bottle for a while now.  So far, I've resisted the temptation.


#42 of 93 by gull on Fri Jun 27 13:06:31 2003:

I can't see spending that kind of money on a knick-knack for myself, and
no one I normally buy gifts for is enough of a math geek to really
appreciate it.


#43 of 93 by tpryan on Fri Jun 27 16:26:55 2003:

        Anybody got a good portable hole around?


#44 of 93 by other on Fri Jun 27 16:33:16 2003:

I've got a few.  Of course, what they're "good" for for me wouldn't 
likely make them of any use to you.


#45 of 93 by i on Sat Jun 28 01:24:06 2003:

Re: #43
There's one right here on grex - /dev/null.  Infinite capacity, zero
side effects - perfect for all your storage needs.
 :)


#46 of 93 by russ on Sun Jun 29 19:41:45 2003:

A mathematician named Klein
Said "The Moebius strip is divine!
        And if you glue
        The edges of two
You'll get a weird bottle like mine."


#47 of 93 by gull on Mon Jun 30 16:29:51 2003:

Strom Thurmond's last words:
"They legalized sodomy?  Over my dead body!"


#48 of 93 by sholmes on Wed Jul 2 15:01:07 2003:

This one takes the cake .. 
http://www.chaser.com.au/show_story.asp?ID=638&ED=68&CAT=6


#49 of 93 by other on Wed Jul 2 17:36:50 2003:

... But not the frosting, apparently.


#50 of 93 by dcat on Wed Jul 2 19:45:55 2003:

Mole problems?  Call Avogadro's Pest Control, at (602) 257-1023!
                                                 -- Dave Aronson

(.sig, soc.bi)


#51 of 93 by other on Thu Jul 3 04:51:57 2003:

#50:  Yum.  :)


#52 of 93 by albaugh on Mon Jul 14 17:51:06 2003:

You may or may not find this amusing:

Jester The On-Line Joke Recommender
 
        http://shadow.ieor.berkeley.edu/humor/


#53 of 93 by russ on Fri Jul 25 11:27:45 2003:

[It's been a while since this was posted.]

              Taco Bell Ritual

The moon was full and the streets were glowing with
power on this appointed day. Clad in ritual garb, I
silently walked towards my place of worship.

Soon it towered before me: Taco Bell. The mirror of my
heart and the captain of my soul. I closed my eyes to
ground and center. As I felt my inner power grow, I
intoned the ancient chant: 59-79-99, 59-79-99.

I watched almost from a distance as my hand reached
out and opened the door to this holy temple of human
desire. I entered the ritual space deliberately, but
reverently. As the door closed behind me and the
sounds of the street faded to a negligible chatter, I
could begin to hear the spirits of this domain in
their eternal song. Their song took the melody from
the chorus of that famous pagan song by Peter Murphy:
Taco, Burritos, Mexi-Nuggets, Nachos, Soft Drink,
Tostada.

As I took my place at the rear of the line of novices,
I could see and hear ahead of me the graceful
movements and words of the purple-clad priests and
priestesses. One of the elders was imparting magickal
wisdom to a young initiate: "Turn that stove down -
the tortillas are getting charred!" Ah, I thought,
they have not forgotten the burning times.

Yesterday, upon the advice of a wise urban shaman I
met late at night in Pioneer Square, I had stuffed a
taco in my pants. I could still feel its pressure
against my second chakra, filling my body with its
warm, yet chile energy.

Soon I reached the front of the line of novices. A
sacred temple priestess stood before me, clad in a hat
bearing the logo of her order. "My Will is four light
bean burritos, hold the cheese, with a small soft
drink. So mote it be." The power present in the room
twisted her face into what in mundane life would be
interpreted as confusion. I made the ritual offering
of metal discs, gifts of the earth, as she made the
traditional magickal response: "Would you like that
for here or to go?"

At last, I was ready to take my place at an altar. My
four burritos, wrapped in their silver metallic
wrappers, lay before me. "Shining ones," I murmured. I
was profoundly moved, almost swooning as I reverently
took one out of its wrapper. "May you never hunger," I
said as I emptied a ritual sauce packet on it.

Now it was time to invoke an element. "I call air," I
said as I farted noisily. The novice behind me made a
gagging sound and moved away. "Oh well," I told him,
"go if you must, stay if you will." Next, thinking on
the Great Rite, I inserted my straw into my soft
drink.

The room was swirling with energy. I felt my stomach
turn in sympathy. I hoped I wouldn't have to go to the
toilet to practice the law of threefold return.
Quickly, I reestablished my grounding.

But the energy was at its peak, and I could hold my
voice back no longer. Leaping on my chosen altar and
holding my atham-burrito high, I cried, "Trifold
taco! Be with us now as we honor you with cup and
bean!" It was a transcendent moment. The quizzical
looks on the faces of the novices before me only
deepened the sense of profound mystery that I knew we
must all be feeling.

But by the appearance of the two large uniformed
gentlemen in front of me, I knew that my role in this
ritual had come to a close. I felt as they dragged me
out the door that my feet were not even touching the
ground. With my soul in the clouds and my feet on the
earth, I turned to the outer doors of the temple and
bowed my head. Merry eat, and merry fart, and merry
eat again.

                   Blessed bean!


#54 of 93 by edina on Fri Jul 25 16:10:14 2003:

You know, I love Taco Bell.  It's my fave fast food.  But I don't love it
*that* much.


#55 of 93 by jaklumen on Sat Jul 26 21:51:42 2003:

Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!  Think outside the bun!


#56 of 93 by russ on Thu Jul 31 04:01:28 2003:

                        Zen Judaism

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single oy.

If you wish to know The Way, don't ask for directions.  Argue.

Take only what is given.  Own nothing but your robes and an alms bowl.
Unless, of course, you have the closet space.

Let your mind be as a floating cloud.  Let your stillness be as the
wooded glen.  And sit up straight.  You'll never meet the Buddha with
posture like that.

There is no escaping karma.  In a previous life, you never called, you
never wrote, you never visited.  And whose fault was that?

Wherever you go, there you are.  Your luggage is another story.

To practice Zen and the art of Jewish motorcycle maintenance, do the
following:  get rid of the motorcycle.  What were you thinking?

Learn of the pine from the pine.  Learn of the bamboo from the bamboo.
Learn of the kugel from the kugel.

Be aware of your body.  Be aware of your perceptions.  Keep in mind that
not every physical sensation is a symptom of a terminal illness.

If there is no self, whose arthritis is this?

Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Forget this and
attaining enlightenment will be the least of your problems.

The Tao has no expectations.  The Tao demands nothing of others.  The
Tao does not speak.  The Tao does not blame.  The Tao does not take
sides.  The Tao is not Jewish.

Drink tea and nourish life.  With the first sip, joy.  With the second,
satisfaction.  With the third, Danish.

The Buddha taught that one should practice loving kindness to all
sentient beings.  Still, would it kill you to find a nice sentient
being who happens to be Jewish?

Be patient and achieve all things.  Be impatient and achieve all things
faster.

In nature, there is no good or bad, better or worse.  The wind may blow
or not.  The flowering branch grows long or short.  Do not judge or
prefer.  Ask only, "Is it good for the Jews?"

To Find the Buddha, look within.  Deep inside you are ten thousand
flowers.  Each flower blossoms ten thousand times.  Each blossom has ten
thousand petals.  You might want to see a specialist.

Be here now.  Be someplace else later.  Is that so complicated?

Zen is not easy.  It takes effort to attain nothingness.  And then what
do you have?  Bupkes.


#57 of 93 by tod on Thu Jul 31 16:13:32 2003:

This response has been erased.



#58 of 93 by katie on Thu Jul 31 17:20:04 2003:

So, they got Saddam's sons. Now, all they have to do is bag Dad.


#59 of 93 by tod on Thu Jul 31 17:22:03 2003:

This response has been erased.



#60 of 93 by russ on Fri Aug 1 04:07:18 2003:

Re #57:  That is Ginsberg?  It came to me w/o attribution.


#61 of 93 by jmsaul on Fri Aug 1 04:08:45 2003:

The poet or the Supreme Court Justice?


#62 of 93 by tod on Fri Aug 1 17:41:29 2003:

This response has been erased.



#63 of 93 by jaklumen on Sat Aug 2 03:58:07 2003:

Well, the Tao and Zen are a little different-- the Tao is very inward 
directed, and Zen is very outward directed, from what I hear.  I am 
reading the Tao Te Ching right now.


#64 of 93 by pvn on Sun Aug 3 05:34:01 2003:

 


#65 of 93 by happyboy on Mon Aug 4 07:22:07 2003:

re63: what translation?


#66 of 93 by albaugh on Mon Aug 4 21:57:36 2003:

For all you lexiophiles (lovers of words - saved you looking it up): 

 1. A bicycle can't stand alone because it is two-tired. 

 2. What's the definition of a will? It's a dead giveaway. 

 3. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. 

 4. A backward poet writes inverse. 

 5. In democracy it's your vote that counts.
    In feudalism it's your count that votes. 

 6. She had a boyfriend with a wooden leg, but broke it off. 

 7. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion. 

 8. If you don't pay your exorcist you get repossessed. 

 9. With her marriage she got a new name and a dress. 

10. Show me a piano falling down a mineshaft and I'll show you A-flat minor. 

11. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds. 

12. The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered. 

13. A grenade thrown into a kitchen in France 
     would result in Linoleum Blownapart. 

14. You feel stuck with your debt if you can't budge it. 

15. Local Area Network in Australia: the LAN down under. 

16. He often broke into song because he couldn't find the key. 

17. Every calendar's days are numbered. 

18. A lot of money is tainted. 'Taint yours and 'taint mine. 

19. A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat. 

20. He had a photographic memory which was never developed. 

21. A plateau is a high form of flattery. 

22. The short fortune-teller who escaped from prison 
      was a small medium at large. 

23. Those who get too big for their britches will be exposed in the end. 

24. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall. 

25. Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine. 

26. When an actress saw her first strands of gray hair, she thought she'd dye. 

27. Bakers trade bread recipes on a knead to know basis. 

28. Santa's helpers are subordinate clauses. 

29. Acupuncture is a jab well done. 

30. Marathon runners with bad footwear suffer the agony of defeat.

Bonus inside joke:

CVS is not just a farm at sea.  ;-)



#67 of 93 by albaugh on Wed Aug 6 17:02:16 2003:

According to a news report, a school in Washington recently was faced 
with a unique problem. A number of 13-year-old girls who had just started 
using lipstick would put it on in the school bathroom. Which was fine, 
but after they put on their lipstick they would press their lips to the
mirror leaving hundreds of little lip prints.

Every night, the maintenance man would remove them and the next day,
the girls would put more there. Finally the principal decided that 
something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom
and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these 
lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean 
the mirrors every night. 

To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked
the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required. 
He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned
the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.

There are teachers, and then there are educators.



#68 of 93 by novomit on Wed Aug 6 17:03:58 2003:

Heh heh.


#69 of 93 by happyboy on Wed Aug 6 17:08:53 2003:

i hope that's true.


#70 of 93 by jaklumen on Thu Aug 7 04:59:44 2003:

Me too.


#71 of 93 by albaugh on Thu Aug 7 21:04:21 2003:

Even if this is an urban leged, it's pretty funny.  :-)


Subject: Thanks for Flying.....


Air Safety:

Thanks to a retired Delta Captain for sending this "paraphrase" of a
memorable safety PA from their Flight Attendants.

In his own words....

I was flying to San Francisco from Seattle this weekend, and the flight
attendant reading the flight safety information had the whole plane looking
at each other like "what the heck?" (Getting Seattle people to look at each
other is an accomplishment.) So once we got airborne, I took out my laptop
and typed up what she said so I wouldn't forget.  I've left out a few parts
I'm sure, but this is most of it.


Before takeoff...

Hello and welcome to Alaska Flight 438 to San Francisco.
If you're going to San Francisco, you're in the right place.
If you're not going to San Francisco,

We'd like to tell you now about some important safety features of this
aircraft.  The most important safety feature we have aboard this plane is...
The Flight Attendants.  Please look at one now.

There are 5 exits aboard this plane: 2 at the front, 2 over the wings, 
and one out the plane's rear end.  If you're seated in one of the exit rows,
please do not store your bags by your feet.  That would be a really bad idea.

Please take a moment and look around and find the nearest exit.
Count the rows of seats between you and the exit.
In the event that the need arises to find one, trust me, 
you'll be glad you did.  We have pretty blinking lights on the floor
that will blink in the direction of the exits.
White ones along the normal rows, and pretty red ones at the exit rows.

In the event of a loss of cabin pressure these baggy things will drop down
over your head.  You stick it over your nose and mouth like the flight
attendant is doing now.  The bag won't inflate, but there's oxygen there,
promise.  If you are sitting next to a small child, or someone who is acting
like a small child, please do us all a favor and put on your mask first.  
If you are traveling with two or more children, please take a moment now to
decide which one is your favorite.  Help that one-first, and then work your
way down.

In the seat pocket in front of you is a pamphlet about the safety features of
this plane.  I usually use it as a fan when I'm having my own personal summer.
It makes a very good fan.  It also has pretty pictures.  
Please take it out and play with it now.

Please take a moment now to make sure your seat belts are fastened low and
tight about your waist.  To fasten the belt, insert the metal tab into the
buckle.  To release, it's a pulley thing-not a pushy thing like your car
because you're in an airplane - HELLO!!

There is no smoking in the cabin on this flight.  There is also no smoking
in the lavatories.  If we see smoke coming from the lavatories, we will
assume you are on fire and put you out.  This is a free service we provide.
There are two smoking sections on this flight, one outside each wing exit.
We do have a movie in the smoking sections tonight...  hold on, let me check
what it is...  Oh here it is; the movie tonight is Gone with the Wind.

In a moment we will be turning off the cabin lights, and it's going to get
really dark, really fast.  If you're afraid of the dark, now would be a good
time to reach up and press the yellow button.  The yellow button turns on
your reading light.  Please don't press the orange button unless you 
absolutely have to.  The orange button is your seat ejection button.

We're glad to have you with us on board this flight.  Thank you for choosing
Alaska Air, and giving us your business and your money.  If there's anything
we can do to make you more comfortable, please don't hesitate to ask.

If you all weren't strapped down you would have given me a standing ovation,
wouldn't you?

After landing...

Welcome to the San Francisco International Airport.

Sorry about the bumpy landing.  It's not the captain's fault.
It's not the co-pilot's fault.  It's the Asphalt.

Please remain seated until the plane is parked at the gate.
At no time in history has a passenger beaten a plane to the gate.  
So please don't even try.

Please be careful opening the overhead bins because "shift happens."



#72 of 93 by ea on Fri Aug 8 02:28:37 2003:

#71 sounds more like something you'd hear on Southwest than on Alaska.  
Entertaining, nonetheless.


#73 of 93 by other on Fri Aug 8 02:39:17 2003:

I can only imagine listening intently and laughing my food head off.


#74 of 93 by tod on Fri Aug 8 02:45:12 2003:

This response has been erased.



#75 of 93 by kami on Fri Aug 8 05:42:35 2003:

ROTFL!!!!
If I heard that on the plane, I"d be rushing to the loo before I peed my
pants laughing!


#76 of 93 by albaugh on Fri Aug 8 17:16:01 2003:

Oops, I see that a line got deleted somehow.  It's supposed to be:

If you're not going to San Francisco,
you're in for a long night.


#77 of 93 by kip on Sun Aug 10 15:23:19 2003:

Re: #67 http://www.snopes.com/spoons/legends/lipstick.htm


#78 of 93 by albaugh on Tue Aug 12 18:06:24 2003:

A for arthritis,
B for bad back,
C is for chest pains. Perhaps cardiac?

D is for dental decay and decline,
E is for eyesight--can't read that top line.

F is for fissures and fluid retention
G is for gas (which I'd rather not mention)
H high blood pressure [I'd rather have low)
I for incisions with scars you can show.

J is for joints, that now fail to flex

L for libido--what happened to sex?
Wait! I forgot about K!
K is for my knees that crack when they're bent
(Please forgive me, my Memory ain't worth a cent)

N for neurosis, pinched nerves and stiff neck
O is for osteo-and all bones that crack
P for prescriptions, I have quite a few
Give me another pill; I'll be good as new!

Q is for queasiness. Fatal or flu?
R is for reflux--one meal turns into two

S is for sleepless nights, counting my fears
T for tinnitus--I hear bells in my ears

U is for urinary: difficulties with flow
V is for vertigo, that's "dizzy", you know.
W is worry, now what's going 'round?
X is for X ray--and what might be found.

Y for another year I've left behind
Z is for zest that I still have my mind,
Have survived all the symptoms my body's deployed,
And kept twenty-six doctors gainfully employed!!!



#79 of 93 by gull on Tue Aug 12 20:00:42 2003:

My favorite was on an American Airlines flight to Ft. Worth:
"In a few moments we'll come around and collect cups, trash, and
anything else you don't want.  Sorry, we can't accept children or spouses."


#80 of 93 by albaugh on Fri Aug 22 16:23:24 2003:

cut and pasted from Ziff Davis newsletter:
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Yes Virginia, I Need An Editor

Our WNN editor took a well-deserved vacation last week, and I thought I could
sneak by without him.  As more than a few of you noticed, I certainly had 
a lot to loose by that assumption.  The best response to my boneheaded blunder
came from Bill Campbell.  I don't know who wrote this, but thanks in advance 
for letting me re-run it!


Eye have a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.

Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight for it to say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong.

Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew!


That's it for this week.  Welcome back Craig!

--Jim Louderback



#81 of 93 by albaugh on Wed Sep 10 17:03:01 2003:

Subject: Da Future

The multi-purpose card is the latest version of our perpetually metamorphosing
IC. With an embedded smart chip, it can also store our medical history, 
driver's license, act as an ATM card, serve as an electronic purse and even be
used at the National Library.  However, a recent experience by a holder brought
to light the questionable control on access, potential information abuse and 
privacy infringement. As the belated debate rages on, I can foresee a likely
scenario when ordering pizzas in the near future...
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Operator: "Thank you for calling Pizza Hut . May I have your..."

Customer: "Haloo, can I order..."

Operator: "Can I have your multi purpose card number first, Sir?"

Customer: "It's eh, hold on...6102049998-45-54610"

Operator: "OK... you're... Mr Singh and you're calling from 17 Jalan Kayu.
Your home number is 4094 2366, your office 7645 2302 and your mobile is 
014 266 2566. Which number are you calling from now Sir?"

Customer: "Home! How did you get all my phone numbers?"

Operator: "We are connected to the system Sir."

Customer: "May I order your Seafood Pizza..."

Operator: "That's not a good idea Sir."

Customer: "How come?"

Operator: "According to your medical records, you have high blood pressure 
           and even higher cholesterol level Sir."

Customer: "What?... What do you recommend then?"

Operator: "Try our Low Fat Hokkien Mee Pizza.  You'll like it!"

Customer: "How do you know for sure?"

Operator: "You borrowed a book entitled 'Popular Hokkien Dishes'
           from the National Library last week Sir."

Customer: "OK I give up... Give me three family sized ones then,
           how much will that cost?"

Operator: "That should be enough for your family of 10, Sir. 
           The total is $49.99."

Customer: "Can I pay by credit card?"

Operator: "I'm afraid you have to pay us cash, Sir. Your credit card is 
           over the limit and you're owing your bank $3720.55 since 
           October last year."

Operator: "That's not including the late payment charges 
           on your housing loan Sir."

Customer: "I guess I have to run to the neighbourhood ATM and
           withdraw Some cash before your guy arrives."

Operator: "You can't Sir. Based on the records,
           you've reached your daily limit on machine withdrawal today."

Customer: "Never mind, just send the pizzas, I'll have the cash ready.  
           How long is it gonna take anyway?"

Operator: "About 45 minutes Sir, but if you can't wait you can always come 
           and collect it on your motorcycle..."

Customer: "What?!"

Operator: "According to the details in system, you own a Scooter, 
           registration number E1123..."

Customer: "*$!^*%^**%^&#*"

Operator: "Better watch your language Sir. Remember on 15th July 1987 
           you were convicted of using abusive language on a policeman..."

Customer: [Speechless]

Operator: "Is there anything else Sir?"

Customer: "Nothing. By the way, aren't you giving me that 3 free bottles 
           of cola as advertised?"

Operator: "We normally would Sir, but based on your records 
           you're also diabetic..."



#82 of 93 by bru on Wed Sep 10 17:07:57 2003:

and who do you think is gonna track all that information?  Adn do you think
those of us in the federal government are going to share that information with
businesses?  

Hell!  we don't even share it with other agencies.


#83 of 93 by flem on Wed Sep 10 17:13:51 2003:

Who is going to track it?  Insurance companies.  Are you people in government
going to share that information?  Yes!  You already do!


#84 of 93 by albaugh on Wed Sep 10 18:12:32 2003:

This is the *humor* item, not a risk digest, so lighten up!  :-)


#85 of 93 by bru on Wed Sep 10 20:50:54 2003:

no flem, we don't.  There is informationa available thru the government, but
a lot of information is restricted.  Hell, I cannot even give information on
an individual in our data base to an FBI agent without approval and a from
from my superiors.


 An old farmer in Georgia had owned a large farm
>>> > for several years. He had a large pond in the back,
>>> > fixed up nice; picnic tables, horseshoe courts, basketball court, 
>>> > etc. The pond was properly shaped and fixed up for swimming when 
>>> > it was built.
>>> >
>>> > One evening the old farmer decided to go down to the pond, as he 
>>> > hadn't been there for a while, and look it over. As he neared the 
>>> > pond, he heard voices shouting and laughing with glee. As he came 
>>> > closer he saw it was a bunch of young women skinny dipping in his 
>>> > pond. He made the women aware of his presence and they all
>>> > went to the deep end of the pond.
>>> >
>>> > One of the women shouted to him, "We're not coming
>>> > out until you leave!"
>>> > The old man replied, "I didn't come down here to
>>> > watch you ladies swim or make you get out of the pond naked."
>>> > "I'm here to feed the alligator."
>>> >
>>> > Moral: Old age and cunning will triumph over youth
>>> > and enthusiasm every time.


#86 of 93 by asddsa on Wed Sep 10 22:44:37 2003:

re 1 Hi naftee !


#87 of 93 by pvn on Thu Sep 11 06:24:54 2003:

'age and cunning overcomes youth and talent' is the proper quote.


#88 of 93 by albaugh on Fri Sep 12 22:19:59 2003:

Only in the Philippines will you find such amusing names as: 
 
Bread Pitt (a bakery, after the name of Brad Pitt) 

Mang Donald's (a burger joint at the Naga City plaza) 

Candies Be Love? 

Doris Day and Night (a 24-hour eatery) 
 
Miki Mao (a noodle house) 

Tapsi Turbi (a tapa house) 

Cleopata's (a manukan and bakahan) [a chicken & beef place]

Goto Heaven [Goto is a Filipino food pronounced GOT-o]

Cooking ng Ina Mo (a carinderia) and right across from it, 
Cooking ng Ina Mo Rin [this has a sound close to the primary Filipino curse]

Christopher Plumbing (your friendly neighborhood plumber) 

Goldirocks (a gravel and sand shop) 

The Way We Wear (a boutique) 

Curl Up and Dye (a beauty salon) 

Felix the Cut (a barber shop) 

Goldilooks (also a barber shop) 

Saudia Hairlines (a beauty parlor) 

Sylvestre's Salon 

Babalik Karinderia [a play on words for "y'all come back again"]

Holland Hopia (owned by Mr. Ho) and next-door 
neighbor Poland Hopia (owned by Mr. Po) in Chinatown 

The Fried of Marikina (a fried chicken house) 

Wrap and Roll (a lumpia outlet in Quad, Makati) 

Pansit ng taga-Malaboni (a panciteria on Boni Ave., Mandaluyong) 

Side-saki (a side street eatery beside Mandarin Oriental in Makati) 

Let's Goat-Together (a kambingan-cum-beer garden) 

Meating Place (a meat shop) 

Meatropolis (another meat shop) 

Happy Birthday Toyo (a soy sauce brand in the 1970s) 

Isda best, Pusit to the limit, and Hipon coming back 
(entrees on the menu of a seafood restaurant) 

Cinna Von (a laundromat) 

Pier Carding (a tailoring shop in Pier, Manila) 

Bote Nga Sa 'Yo (used bottle shop) 

Fernando Pe's Box Office Hits (a video rental shop in Palawan) 

Leon King Video Rental (in Las Pinas) 

Memory Drug (a clone of Mercury Drug) 

Petal Attraction (a flower shop near UP Diliman) 

Susan's Roses (a flower shop, but of course!) 

Maid to Order (maids placement agency) 

Maruya Carey (a fast-food place selling turon & Maruya in Greenbelt, Makati) 

Caintacky Fried Chicken (an eatery in Cainta, Rizal) 



#89 of 93 by bru on Sat Sep 13 02:33:57 2003:

I have a second cousin who owns a flower shop named 

Flowers, By George!

His name is Bud.


#90 of 93 by tod on Sun Sep 14 06:34:01 2003:

This response has been erased.



#91 of 93 by albaugh on Fri Sep 19 01:01:58 2003:

The governmental agency acronyms are different, but the concepts are the same.
Here are the few definitions that I know:

GMA = Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, current President of the Philippines
BIR = Bureau of Internal Revenue (guessing), equivalent of IRS
NBI = National Bureau of Investigation, equivalent of FBI
PNP = Philippine National Police
DENR = Department of Energy and Natural Resources (guessing)
TRO = Temporary Restraining Order



Subject: Fw: If Noah were a Filipino 

This one is very appropriate. Hope our politicians get to read this! 


It is the year 2003 and Noah lives in the Philippines. 

The Lord speaks to Noah and says: "In one year I am going to make it rain and
cover the whole earth with water until all is destroyed. But I want you to
save the righteous people and two of every kind of living thing on the earth. 
Therefore, I am commanding you to build an Ark." 

In a flash of lightning, God delivered the specifications for an Ark.
Fearful and trembling, Noah took the plans and agreed to build the Ark.

"Remember," said the Lord,
"You must complete the Ark and bring everything aboard in one year." 

Exactly one year later, a fierce storm cloud covered the earth and all the
seas of the earth went into tumult. The Lord saw Noah sitting in his front
yard weeping.

"Noah." He shouted, "Where is the Ark?" 

"Lord please forgive me!" cried Noah. 
"I did my best but there were big problems. 

First, I had to get a Mayor's permit for construction and your plans 
"did not comply with the codes". I had to hire their "engineering firm"
and "redraw" the plans. 

Then I got into a fight with Municipal Fire Safety Inspector over whether
or not the Ark needed a fire sprinkler system and extinguishers. 

Then my neighbor objected, claiming I was violating zoning ordinances by 
building the Ark in my front yard, so I had to get a permit from the municipal
planning office. I had problems getting enough wood for the Ark, because there
was a ban on cutting trees to protect the Monkey-Eating Eagle. I finally 
convinced the DENR that I needed the wood to save the eagles. 

However, the DENR won't let me catch any eagles. So, no eagles. 

The carpenters formed a union and went out on strike. I had to negotiate 
a settlement with the KMU. Now I have 16 carpenters on the Ark, but still
no eagles. 

When I started rounding up the other animals, I got sued by an animal rights
group. They objected to me only taking two of each kind aboard. 

Just when I got the suit dismissed, the DENR again notified me that I could
not complete the Ark without filing an environmental impact assessment on your
proposed flood. They didn't take very kindly to the idea that they had no 
jurisdiction over the conduct of the Creator of the universe. 

Then the DPWH demanded a map of the proposed new flood plan.
I sent them.....a globe. 

Right now, I am trying to resolve a complaint filed with the DOLE that I am
practicing discrimination by not taking godless, unbelieving people aboard! 

The BIR has seized all my assets, claiming that I'm building the Ark in
preparation to flee the country to avoid paying taxes. I just got a notice
from the BIR that I owe some kind of user tax and failed to 
register the Ark as a "recreational water craft." 

The NBI and ISAFP each wanted a piece of the action alleging that the Ark
would be used by the Magdalo soldiers to escape. The PNP on the other hand
insists that Al-Ghozi might use the Ark to flee to Indonesia. 

Malacanang sees the opportunity to use the Ark for GMA's Strong Republic
Nautical Highway presidential campaign sorties. 

Finally the Senate got the courts to issue a TRO against further construction
of the Ark, saying that since God is flooding the earth, it is a religious 
event and therefore unconstitutional. 

"I really don't think I can finish the Ark for another 10 or 16 years!" 

Noah wailed. The sky began to clear, the sun began to shine and the seas 
began to calm. A rainbow arched across the sky. Noah looked up hopefully. 

"You mean you are not going to destroy the earth, Lord?" 

"No," said the Lord sadly. "The government is already doing that." 



#92 of 93 by tod on Fri Sep 19 04:14:13 2003:

This response has been erased.



#93 of 93 by gull on Fri Sep 19 14:09:13 2003:

Lockheed-Martin had a little boo-boo with a $239 million NOAA weather
satellite:
http://www.fuckedcompany.com/images/view.cfm?image=satellite.jpg

The full story is here:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/news/archive/2003/09/09/sta
te163
7EDT0153.DTL

It seems the previous day another crew had removed some bolts from the
cradle holding the satellite, and the crew that tried to rotate it from
vertical to horizontal failed to notice.

Kinda puts any mistakes you might have made this week in perspective,
doesn't it?


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