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From our Mailbag 04/11/01 - 04/18/01

Mercy Buckets...

From Irwin D., (No City Provided,) USA:

SUBJECT: Robert Philip Hanson

What did Robert Hanson do before he became an FBI agent? Did he ever teach school? If so, Where?

Thank you.
Irwin D


ROD RESPONDS: Irwin,

Thanks for visiting G21 and for writing. Before Mr. Hanssen joined the FBI, he worked for the police department. No, to my knowledge, he was never a school teacher.

Regards,
Rod


From Ron L. (No City Provided,) AUSTRALIA:

SUBJECT: Good Work Lloyd

Great piece of work Lloyd, enjoyed reading it. I now waiting for the next issue................. Ron


From Cath J., Detroit, MI, USA:

Subject: hey Rod

Glad to see you took a vacation! I did too It was great! I went to Colorado and Arizona and smelled the trees and the sand. Hershey sounds like a better smelling vacation and I am glad you had a break. Do not give up. Your paper is a good one and if you need help, I offer mine. I just took a vacation and am ready to "kick butt" how about you? Cath


From Ed C., Bloomfield, MI, USA:

SUBJECT: VOX POP 4 Dialetric SWE

She-it, even our editor talks a mean SWE ...... I mean, I've done ear-to-ear with him, and I'd swear that he is some white guy in pinsripes that graduated from Harvard.HAHAHAHAHAHAH!

This definately explains all those times I called a household and could hear the child answering the phone whispering,"it's some white guy askin fo ...".

IMHO, most intentional usage of anything other than SWE is a result of a true lack of proper SWE, or an intention lack of cooperation with of the [presumed] power structure. Often both conditions apply. [Some "folks" carry this so far that they will purposely not display their name or affiliation at say,a trade show, just to see if salespeople will treat them like the small time yokels they are acting like - of course, then it is the salesperson's fault. Right?]

Ashamed to join in with the majority who are interacting in SWE (due to its clarity and consistency no doubt)? Worried about too much sameness in our speach? Afraid you wouldn't be able to recognize your friends on the telephone? Yeah, I resent standard measurement systems, standard money systems, standard electrical systems, standard screw and nail sizes - and that thing of having to adopt the VHS video standard STILL has me pissed off!

My guess is that only about 1/3 of black America thinks "Ebonics" (that IS what we are talking here) is a defendable mode of speach, leaving the other 95-96% percent of the USA population muttering in SWE, "God, I wish I could understand them, it's kinda embarressing having to keep saying "What was that" and "could you please spell that".

The myopia/near-sightedness of this journalistic and editorial approach is fraught with folly - something along the lines of "preaching to the choir" comes to mind.

Uncle Eddy

P.S.: Yeah, I like how I can finally understand the weather report when I am "down south".

Does anybody bitch about the consistancy of other dialects, in other countries, or is this an primarily American problem?


RAHEEM RESPONDS: Well, Homes, I stand by my idea -- supported by Mr. Wallace in the essay that inspired it --- that there are a number of dialects and subdialects which are just a relevant as SWE. The argument could even be made that Internet written communications (as in your e-mail) are a subdialect of SWE, IMHO. As to your "Ebonics" crack, that ain't the point. What is the point is that writers of fiction are not dragged onto the carpet for employing dialects to make a point -- think of Mark Twain or Elmore Leonard -- so why should nonfiction writers have to carry the cross of SWE? (That's why I reference our fellow G21 writer Thomas Hart, who also employs a dialect and one that is NOT Ebonics but "Southern Drawl" for want of a better name.) Think about it. Peace out.


From Tom B. (No City Provided,) USA:

SUBJECT: What does the word "hoonish" mean?

Hi,

What does the word "hoonish" mean? I attempted to look it up in a number of American-English Dictionaries (e.g., Merriam Webster, American Heritage, etc.), but was unable to get a definition.

Having taught linguistics in a prior life (now I'm in hi-tech marketing), my curiosity is peeked.

Looking forward toyour help in increasing my vocabluary.

Regards,
Tom


LLOYD MORCOM RESPONDS: Hi Thomas

The word "hoonish" is an adjective derived from the word "hoon", which is Australian for one who drives a car with no fenders and panels of several shades, with wide tyres and no muffler, and who delights in spinning his wheels in town at midnight in residential areas.

Cheers Lloyd


From Alida J., Pittsburgh, PA, USA:

Dear Rod,

Why do you feature so little work from women writers at your Web site? I just wanted to know.

ALERTS, ACTION, STUFF PEOPLE THINK WE SHOULD KNOW

From Timothy M., (No City Provided,) USA:

Another humorous piece my attorney sent me, I thought you might get a chuckle.


America has engaged in some finger-wagging lately because California doesn't have enough electricity to meet its needs. The rest of the country seems to be just fine with letting Californians 'dangle in the breeze' without enough power to meet their needs. They laugh at Californians' frivolity.

Well, everybody, here's how it really is: California ranks 48th in the nation in power consumed per person. California grows more than half the nation's fruit, nuts and vegetables. We're keeping them. We need something to eat when the power goes out. We grow 99 percent or more of the nation's almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwi fruit, olives, persimmons, pistachios, prunes, raisins and walnuts. Hope you won't miss them.

California is the nation's number one dairy state. We' re keeping our dairy products. We'll need plenty of fresh ones since our refrigerators can't be relied upon. Got milk? We Californians are gonna keep all our high-tech software in state. Silicon Valley is ours, after all. Without enough electricity, which you're apparently keeping for yourselves, we just plain don't have enough software to spare.

We're keeping all our airplanes. California builds a good percentage of the commercial airliners available to fly you people to where you want to go. When yours wear out, you'd better hope Boeing's Washington plant can keep you supplied. There isn't enough electricity here to allow us to export any more planes than we need ourselves. And while we're at it, we're keeping all our high-tech aerospace stuff, too, like the sophisticated weapons systems that let you sleep at night, not worried you might wake up under the rule of some foreign kook. Oh, yeah, and if you want to make a long-distance call, remember where the satellite components and tracking systems come from. Maybe you could get back in the habit of writing letters.

Want to see a blockbuster movie this weekend? Come to California. We make them here. Since we'll now have to make them with our own electricity, we're keeping them. Even if we shot them somewhere else, the labs, printing facilities, editing facilities, and sound facilities are all here.

Want some nice domestic wine? We produce over 17 million gallons per year. We'll need all it to drown our sorrows when we think about the fact that no matter how many California products we export to make the rest of America's lives better, America can't see its way clear to help us out with a little electricity. You can no longer have any of our wine.

You all complain that we don't build enough power plants. Well, you don't grow enough food, write enough software, make enough movies, build enough airplanes and defense systems or make enough wine.

This is your last warning, America. Lighten (us) up before it's too late.

Love,
The Californians


Timothy M.


From Carlton Enoch, Toledo, OH, USA:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: A True Life Story. Book Title: "Eye See Me."
Book Genre: Non-fiction - Bio.
Author's Name: Carlton Enoch
Publisher: iUniverse.com
Daytime Phone: 419-243-8463
E-mail address: onece@juno.com
ISBN # 0-595-13936-1
Paper back
Barnes & Noble

"Eye See Me" A true-life story: One time Professional Thief, and one time Bounty Hunter for the FBI and US Marshals, Carlton Enoch tells his life story. "Eye See Me" A true-life story, an autobiographical work in which the author traces the events of his life, ranging from childhood experiences through several major changes that made him into the person he is today.

"Eye See Me"- is about the life and times of a Man who suffers from his episodes of life's ups and downs. From almost being murdered at age 3, molested at age 12 and in prison at age 16. Divorced, 5 kids. His work history consisted of owning the 10th largest minority contracting business in New York to being a Bounty Hunter for the FBI and US Marshals, even a professional thief, "Eye See Me" is the first of a five book saga. Written in a synopsis style as an introduction to four books to come.

Utilizing a conversational format, the author dictates the traumatic events that marked his childhood, including experiences with his mother's abusive boyfriends, getting caught stealing a toy from a store at a young age, and his first experiences of a sexual nature. Also revealed is the deep love for animals that was formed in those years, indicating a more sensitive side of his personality. Experimentation with drugs and stealing eventually led to a first contact with prison, after which the author relates the business that he began with a partner selling drugs. A moment of enlightenment led to his exploration of the Bible one night, but this was in conjunction with a continued involvement with illegal activity. A relationship with a girlfriend becomes more serious, and they eventually marry and have children together. His spiritual convictions also led to involvement with God, but eventually the marriage and his spiritual convictions collapsed and he began anew. He closes this work with a description of how he came to find work as a respected bounty hunter after meeting Stan Rifkin and working with him.

"Eye See Me" is a candid text intended to underscore the hardships and accomplishments that was experienced throughout the author's life, and he seeks to make the material more accessible to the reader by utilizing a personal approach to his narrative style.

Editor, Eva Randles: " This man's life is like a fiction from Stephen Spielberg's imagination. But it's all true. Reading his life story is like riding a roller coaster for the first time. The book is like reading in 3D it comes to life. It will make you laugh and cry. It's almost as though the book is breathing with you. The heart of his true-life story beats on every page."

English Professor and Editor, Kevin Jett: "If this true life story doesn't touch you nothing ever will."

Editor, Beth Patrilla: "A truly amazing writing from the heart. A book for all people to read and experience."


From Ric W., Austin, TX, USA:

SUBJECT: my easter poem

i am finding my way slowly through the mazes following torches dropped by buddah rumi hillman
blake jesus mohammed a thousand men and women who knew no more than i did when they
crawled on all fours when they felt the pain of mortality sting their childish heart fill them with
anguish beyond the power of their knowledge to express the depth of their knowledge
they must have felt the terror tightnen in their chest the choking tears catching in their throat
the crushing weight helpless on their shoulders the utter uselessness of their words to convey
the enormity of their sorrow
the magnificence of their promise
yet they continued
heroes of the soul
not slaying dragons or giants or evil men for dragons and giants and evil men still roam the land
what they revealed was a relentless belief in the secret the secret message behind the terror
the tears and the helplessness the secret message hidden everywhere and always in plain sight
the secret message we all share jesus jew hindu buddha glaring cynic you and these secret
torches still burn as brightly and as secretly as ever i see them in every child
in every bum hand upturned under every city bridge in every evil man brutish giant and dragon
filled with revenge i feel them quivering in my soul
lighting my slow way down a tunnel whose end is as empty as jesus's tomb just another torch
slowly burning away in the sun burn brightly
you are wise
you are eternal
you are slowly crawling to glory amazed

Đ Richard Lance W.


From Francois Bodin, (No City or Country Provided):

Hello!

I found your address on a site about wine and spirits, cigar and good living and I thought that you would be interested by the services that our site offers.

Wine Alley is a virtual Club for all those interested in wine in both a professional and personal capacity. You too can be among our 7085 members to receive our free weekly bulletin which commits you to nothing but presents an excellent overview of our site. http://www.chez.com/winenews/

We now have more than 4900 members, both amateur and in the trade who use our site to discuss wine, buy and sell it and tell us about the best sources.

Club members use the Newsgroup of Wine Alley to exchange information and experiences. Only the other day someone asked how much a certain rare wine was worth, I asked for more information about the grape variety, which doesn't grow in France. This week alone there have been more than 1019 questions and replies.

There are also for sale and wanted ads and a section giving the market value of wines.

Among the 14 ads placed this week there have been some really good deals including a magnum of 1945 Pichon Lalande and a 1947 Cheval blanc! We also provide a particularly useful service with our Wine Pricing Guide encompassing 4800 different wines and based on auction sales of 150000 lots sold worldwide.

Let me make it clear - Wine Alley itself does not sell or buy wine: we simply offer our members the facilities for making their own arrangements.
http://www.chez.com/winenews/

Wine Alley is also a site supplying information in real time, particularly the latest news from winegrowers and makers via the French Press Agency (AFP). We also have a database of more than 21,000 wines with information supplied directly to the site by winegrowerĖs co-operatives and specialist magazines.

I should be delighted if you would come and join us. At Wine Alley you will find similarly-minded people who just want to share their love of wine.

Kind regards
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Manager of the Online Club http://www.chez.com/winenews/


From Ric W., Austin, TX, USA:

PRESS RELEASES
Black Leaders Outraged By President's Withdrawal Of Judge Roger Gregory

Contacts: Dr. Yvonne Scruggs-Leftwich, 202/789-1940;
Dr. Joseph E. Lowery, 404/653-1199;
Audrey Hoffer, 202/296-2426

Washington, DC-- The Black Leadership Forum, Inc. (BLF) strongly objects to the resegregation of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, brought about by President Bushžs withdrawal of the nomination of interim Judge Roger Gregory.

"Judge Gregory is a distinguished, qualified jurist who is the first African-American ever to sit on the 4th Circuit bench in the shameful history of that Circuitžs segregation," said BLF Chairman Dr. Joseph E. Lowery. "After centuries of waiting for the 4th Circuit to finally be desegregated by the nomination of an African-American jurist, that process is being scuttled by the President," said Lowery.

Judge Gregoryžs nomination was enthusiastically supported and his recent swearing-in was attended by members of the Black Leadership Forum.

With great consternation Dr. Lowery called upon Virginiažs Sen. John Warner, who previously committed to the support of Judge Gregoryžs nomination, and also upon members of the Congressional Black Caucus, friendly Senate Democrats and Republicans and President Bush to renominate Roger Gregory without delay.

Efforts are underway by African-American leaders across the country to emphasize the destructive message this nominationžs withdrawal sends to the Black community. Dr. Yvonne Scruggs-Leftwich, BLFžs executive director, spoke directly with the offices of Virginiažs Senators Warner and George Allen, conveying Black leaders genuine disappointment that President Bush once again appears to discount African Americans.

BLF is a confederation of the 26 most prominent national civil rights and equal rights leaders. The 23-year-old organization seeks to advocate for equal justice for the African American community as well as across non-partisan racial, ethnic and religious lines.

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