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Greetings, Quotaholics:
The Internet has changed the way we live. Or maybe, it’s just changed
the way I live. I got online in 1995 when I got my first computer with
a modem. Our previous computer was running Windows 3.1 and did not have
one of the newfangled pieces of equipment. But the new computer did. And
I was online.
We had recently moved away from a neighborhood with all the families pretty
similar in nature. We were all young families with kids at home. Most
of the moms were either stay at home moms or worked part time at various
jobs. Our kids played together and the parents socialized together.
The new neighborhood wasn’t quite the same. And with my new computer and
now grown kids, it was easier to just play online. I joined AOL and found
chat rooms. Since I was a fast typist, I was able to converse with a group
of people and maintain some sense of community. I no longer am a member
of AOL, but now I have forums instead of chat rooms.
We have faux connection via the ubiquitous cell phone, as well. People
dining out together with each of the diners in separate conversations
on their respective cells. There seems to be less and less face-to-face
interaction, at least in the technologically advanced parts of the world.
But what is this doing to us? According to John
Cacioppo, it is harming us. He presented his research findings at
the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement
of Science and told the attendees just how much we were hurting our health
by our newfound isolation. Professor Cacioppo is from the University of
Chicago and authored "Loneliness: Human Nature and the Need for Social
Connection."
The difference between a social butterfly and an isolated loner isn’t
just evident by the number of invitations to various parties. Isolation
or loneliness increases blood pressure, increases stress which results
in increased cortisol levels, and can lead to obesity. It also increases
the risks of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Cortisol is released when the body is under stress. So isolation induced
stress leads to all the effects from the troubling hormone. The cardiovascular
system as well as the immune system are adversely affected. The hormone
interrupts sleep patterns which in turn leads to greater incidences of
depression, which in turn leads to greater isolation.
Professor Cacioppo likened the health differences between isolated and
connected individuals to the difference between a smoker and a non-smoker.
The lonely make poorer health choices, exercise less, eat more – especially
fats and sugars, and abuse alcohol to a greater degree.
According to the Professor, in times past, survival was a group effort.
It took the entire clan working together to get the next generation raised
to adulthood. Today, we are much less group dependent, are having smaller
families, and living longer.
Self reporting also shows that we are claiming fewer close friends than
even a generation ago.
Has your social interaction changed with your use of the computer? Do
you find yourself in more isolated settings? Do you think the Professor
is just making a mountain out of a molehill? Do you believe that isolation
is detrimental to your overall good health?
Have you noticed a drop in the face-to-face contacts you encounter with
your friends or associates? Do we rely too heavily on email and cell phones,
let alone social networking websites? Are we hurting ourselves with our
MySpace, Facebook, and Twitter pages or do we expand our connections?
Are many superficial connections as satisfying as the deep bond found
with our closest friends?
Socially,
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it worth $1 a month to you to keep RGQ going? Please click the
link and direct your contribution to reallygoodquotes@gmail.com.
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“Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all
others because you were born in it.” - George Bernard Shaw
“You can observe a lot by watching.” - Yogi Berra
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You Might Be a
Technician if…
[Thanks to Dora
in Denver]
- you have ever
tried to repair a $15.00 radio.
- you think of the gadgets in your office as "friends."
- you think your computer looks better without the cover.
- you have ever purchased an electronic appliance "as is."
- you have ever saved the power cord from a broken appliance.
- you think jokes about being unable to program a VCR are stupid.
- the salespeople at Circuit City can’t answer any of your questions.
- the microphone at a meeting doesn’t work and you rush up to fix
it.
- you have a neatly sorted collection of old bolts and nuts in your
garage.
- you own a set of itty-bitty screwdrivers and you actually know where
they are.
- you just don’t have the heart to throw away the 100-in-1 electronics
kit you got for your ninth birthday.
- you have never sat through an entire movie without having at least
one device on your body beep or buzz.
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“You can close your eyes to reality but not to memories.” - Stanislaw
Jerzy Lec, Polish writer, poet and satirist (1906-1966)
“There never has been a war yet which, if the facts had been put calmly
before the ordinary folk, could not have been prevented. The common man,
I think, is the great protection against war.” - Ernest Bevin, British
labor leader, politician, and statesman (1881-1951)
“I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph
them.” - Diane Arbus, American photographer (1923-1971)
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Cooperating
with your neighbors
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E-Mail
the Imp
There are some things that are associated with or peculiar to a country
that help define that country. If you think of Cowboys, you think of
the USA. If you think of yodeling you think of Switzerland. If you think
of wine you think of France.
People often embrace activities that for all intents and purposes help
them define themselves as a people, and further define their country.
They may only be regional activities like The Running of the Bulls in
Spain or Clog Dancing in the USA.
Even if the association can be made to another country, initial relationships
are made to one country in particular. Traditional identification is
probably the best way to explain it. Should anyone not follow tradition
they’re usually looked upon with scorn.
Australians are no different but they sometimes go a bit overboard when
traditions are not adhered to. For Amador
Bernabe, not following tradition cost him his job. The Townsville
Bulletin in Townsville, Australia carried an article about how Amador,
a machine operator on a working visa from the Philippines, was sacked
for being a water wiper.
He was fired for using water instead of toilet paper. He claims his
foreman followed him into the bathrooms questioning his toilet hygiene,
and then sacking him for not going to the toilet the Australian way.
I wonder if there’s any Australian tradition as to whether wadding,
bunching, or folding is preferred when wiping? Could there be restrictions
on wiping front to back or back to front? Are you restricted to wiping
with only the left hand or is an ambidextrous approach to potty cleanliness
accepted? And what about those last few drops when urinating? Is there
an accepted shake off procedure? Is there a line that separates potty
neatness from masturbation?
What do Australians do when on a European vacation and find only a bidet
and no toilet tissue? I suppose they could waste luggage space and carry
their own, or they could follow the new “Green” approved method of
cloth wiping.
I’d hate to think about Crocodile Dundee dragging his ass across a shag
rug!
The Bad Sied 
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Speak
right up!
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On
this day in history, February
18, 1983: Seattle, Washington is rocked by the largest robbery-motivated
mass-murder in the US. Many large cities have an area called Chinatown.
They are found worldwide – any place outside mainland China – where
a large number of Chinese reside. Sometimes these areas are shunned
and seen as ethnic ghettos full of crime. They can be centers of commerce
and tourism or are a combination of both. Some Chinatowns were established
by traders hundreds of years ago. Others, especially in North America,
are of more recent origin. .
The Wah Mee Club’s membership included many wealthy business owners
from the area. Security for the illegal club was maintained in a traditional
fashion. There were several successive entries to pass through before
one was actually in the club. Kwan Fai "Willie" Mak, Wai-Chiu
"Tony" Ng, and Benjamin Ng were all known to the security
forces at the successive doors. They were permitted entry to the club,
since they were known.
Since they were known, their robbery could be easily traced. Therefore,
they restrained and then gunned down all 14 people in the club. While
the three hoped to steal at least $60,000 and up to $200,000, their
actual robbery was ˜ $6,000. They fired 30 shots and killed 13 of the
14 victims. The dealer survived and lived to testify against the three
young men. Mak, the purported ringleader, received the death penalty
for 13 counts of murder. That ruling was overturned and he now serves
life in prison. Benjamin Ng was convicted of 13 counts of murder and
was sentenced to life in prison. Tony Ng, who purportedly tried to back
out of the robbery, was finally captured in Canada in 1984. He was acquitted
of murder but found guilty of 13 counts of robbery. He may be eligible
for parole in 2010.
Murder is always a mistake - one should never do anything one cannot
talk about after dinner. - Oscar Wilde
One must never set up a murder. They must happen unexpectedly, as in
life. - Alfred Hitchcock
Every unpunished murder takes away something from the security of every
man’s life. - Daniel Webster
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Email Kirsten
“Cock
your hat - angles are attitudes.”
~ Frank Sinatra ~
Once upon a time there was a little boy with a hat. It was a cool
blue one that his Granny had given him. He was very attached to his
hat, the way other kids are attached to their blankets and teddy-bears.
The only time he did not wear his hat was at school, and even then,
he always knew it was close by. Several times during the school day,
he would look in his bag to make sure his hat was still there. As
soon as he got onto the school bus at the end of the day, he would
put the hat on.
When the little boy was at home, he wore the hat at all times. He
wore it at mealtimes, and to watch TV. He wore it when he was playing
and jumping. From time to time, his Mom or Dad would take the hat
and run away from him, and he would laugh and chase them. He never
minded them taking his hat, because he knew it was just a game and
that he would get his hat back. He even wore his hat at bathtime unless
he was getting his hair washed. And when it was time to go to bed,
the little boy would take his hat with him and put it on his pillow.
Sometimes his Mom would wait for him to go to sleep, and then she
would wash and dry the hat and make sure it was back on his pillow
before he woke up.
One night, the little boy was fast asleep in bed. His hat was on the
pillow next to him, and he was clutching a lidded cup that still had
a little bit of milk in it. As the little boy rolled over in his sleep,
he rolled over onto the cup. The lid popped off the cup, and the milk
leaked out all over the pillow, the hat, and the little boy’s pyjamas.
He woke up crying, put the hat on, and ran into his parents’ bedroom.
He often went there when he woke up in the middle of the night; he
knew that he could always go to his parents when he needed them.
The little boy’s Dad saw that the pyjamas were wet, and he went and
got him a clean, dry pair. The little boy’s Mom saw that the hat was
wet, and she knew that she would have to take it away to rinse the
milk out of it and then throw it into the dryer. She fetched the back-up
hat, a little yellow hat that the little boy had worn before he got
the cool blue one. She took the blue hat and tried to replace it with
the yellow hat in one seamless motion. But the little boy knew that
he had the wrong hat, and he got very upset. He started screaming
and crying for his hat. The hat represented security, and without
it, he felt a bit lost and afraid.
The little boy’s Mom went to the laundry room, and as fast as she
could, she rinsed the hat. Then she put it into the dryer, all the
time hearing the cries of her heartbroken child who had had his hat
taken away from him. She went back to her bedroom, where the little
boy’s Dad was holding him tight and trying to comfort him. Bit by
bit, the little boy quietened down, but he would not feel secure enough
to go back to sleep until he had his hat back.
His Mom knew that she would have to stay up until the hat was ready,
so she turned on the computer and spent an hour writing emails and
playing games. Every fifteen minutes or so, she went to check on the
progress of the hat. Finally, the hat was dry. The little boy’s Mom
got it out of the dryer, took it back to her bedroom, and gave it
to the little boy. He did not have the words to say “thank you”, but
he rewarded his Mom with a great big hug. He had been so upset, though,
that it took him another hour to get back to sleep.
An hour after going back to sleep, the little boy’s Mom had to get
up, drop his little brother off at daycare, and go to work. She somehow
got through the day, sustaining herself on reports of what a great
day the little boy was having at the therapy centre. When she got
home at the end of the day, though, she was so exhausted that she
could barely think. She hugged her family, and instead of writing
a normal article for her e-zine, she wrote a third-person account
of her little boy and his hat.
The end.
Kaleidoscopically yours,
Kirsten
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I’m perplexed. Well, I was perplexed, but I figured out what happened.
You see, I didn’t get RGQ on Monday. Well, at least I didn’t think
I did. I wasn’t sure what happened. I thought that because Monday
was a National Holiday here in the US (and I guess now in Canada —
hope you enjoyed your day off, Kirsten), we had decided not to publish
RGQ. I know we agreed that we wouldn’t publish on certain holidays,
to give us all a little break. We have stuff to do for the holidays
too, and sometimes there just isn’t enough time to put an issue together.
I have no idea what those days are, but I know they exist. (Mike,
how ’bout posting them on the web page?)
But I knew that wasn’t it when a comment was submitted by “replying”
to an RGQ issue. That’s okay, but we prefer you just click the Submit
a Comment link at the top of RGQ. Anyway, since I got a comment
on Monday’s issue (a few of us get the reply e-mails), I knew the
issue went out. I checked the group web page, and sure enough, it
was there. So I started thinking spam filter, but I’m real careful
about that.
So I thought and I thought and I thought some more, and remembered
that one of my e-mail service providers had a problem with their POP
service. I figured they might have bounced it, so I checked the RGQ
bounce list. I had forgotten about it, but I checked, and there are
535 entries in there. So I looked through them and my e-mail address
wasn’t on the list. I should have gotten it.
I only told you that so I can tell you this: I’m an idiot. But I’m
a pretty smart idiot. I use MailWasher
so I can delete things like reply notifications from My
Writers Circle. They have a bar there, and if I’m in the bar,
I still get notified that there is a new message. They can add up,
so I use Mailwasher to delete them without actually downloading them.
They are of no use to me. RGQ was in that list, and MailWasher was
able to keep it in the recycle bin.
But I only told you that so I can tell you this: If you don’t receive
an issue, it could be because your ISP had a problem. Yahell might
stop accepting e-mail from you, so using the Submit
a Comment link at the top of RGQ sends it to a Gmail account.
Just thought I’d let you know, in case it happened to you. Okay,
I had nothing else to write about because I’m still gloating about
my free Vista license. 
Tim a’Musing
Having a Ball with Microsoft (and Yahoo)
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Uses
For Old Newspaper
Occupy
children by letting them color and paint the cartoons. - NorCalKat
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We’re on a roll with Julian’s lines. Try this one.
Next opening line…
He dated a woman called Jane…
Hints:
Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool. http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules. http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm
Submit
Opening Line
Submit
Limerick
A
young English fellow called Al
Always wanted to become a gal
So he went to the Doc
Who removed his cock
And now he dates his best pal. - Bonnie |
A
young English fellow called Al…
Though he meant to call his gal Sal
What’s the odds on the chances
Someone always answers
Wrong numbers misdialed et al? - sied |
A
young English fellow called Al
Was in love with ‘a jolly nice gal’
But she’d cheerfully declare
(As she ruffled his hair)
‘I think of you just as a pal’ - Julian, England |
A
young English fellow called Al—
found that he needed a new pal—
he bought a computer
and then started to purr
"I think that I will call you Hal". - Cassandra
in New York |
A
young English fellow called Al
Took a date to a Venice canal.
But it is her antic
To be just plutonic
For she only wants to be his pal. - Anne Onimous |
A
young English fellow called Al
Traveled to a distant locale
“Though I hate to roam
And would rather be home,
I like seeing this Martian Canal.” - Anne Onimous |
A
sloven, singing cowboy called Al
Tried out to sing at the horse corral.
He didn’t get the job
For the voice of that slob
Was just too hoarse for the chorale. - Anne Onimous |
A
young English fellow called Al
Once jumped horses at the corral
But now he’s forlorn
Our saddles have a horn.
He now sings soprano in a chorale. - E. Cole Aye |
A
young English fellow called Al
Who met a cute and curvaceous gal.
Though he called her honey
She loved just his money
For she’s nothing but a femme fatale. - E. Cole Aye |
A
vice president called Al
Preached that carbon usage was fatal
“Global warming’s on track
You all must cut back!”
Yet flies private jets to each locale. - E. Cole Aye |
A
young English fellow called Al
Picked up a cute Mexican named Val
When he reached for her knee
She said she ‘twas a he
He said, “¡Para mí esto va mal! - E. Cole Aye
(“For me, this goes badly!”) |
A
young English fellow called Al
Picked up a lawyer from southern Cal.
With her he wanted his way
This she did thus say:
“Not only may you, but you shall!” - E. Cole Aye
(“Shall” in lawyer speak means it’s a requirement) |
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Re: Kindle 2
As it is now, with the Kindle 2, A blind person cannot use the speech
feature to read the book aloud without sighted assistance. At least,
that’s what I am hearing from the blind community. If I have to have
sighted help to access speech, then I’d not get one, since I live alone
and don’t wish to run around looking for someone to choose the speech
for me every time I want to read. So although the capability for speech
exist, it really doesn’t help totally blind people
- Phyllis
I am the proud owner of a
Kindle, the older version. I have had it for over a year now and completely
totally love it! I have seen the new version & think I would like
to have that as well. I also work as a technician in an ophthalmology
clinic. Many of my patients have seen my Kindle & have gone on to
buy one for themselves. The fact that the print can get larger is an
inviting feature for them.
However, for those whose sight is worse & cannot even read that
large print, for those who miss reading so much, I think the feature
of having it read to you is one of the best so far! It is in essence,
the same as someone reading the book aloud. With the new version of
Kindle you can go back & forth between reading the text & having
it read aloud to you. Maybe those with sight problems have a partner
who would like to read as well & would choose to read themselves
versus having it read to them.
I know that god forbid I ever lost my sight, I would want the Kindle
2 over any audio books! - Teresa
What in the world could they possibly be thinking here? We’ve been having
our first graders sit in reading circles for years, to encourage their
ability to read out loud to grow. We’ve had books from the Libraries
For The Blind for years, and now all of a sudden they want to say that
reading a book or something is an infringement on copy rights? Did I
read that correctly? Don’t want to mess up this comment cause if this
is correct and they’d like to push that crud, I’ll be happy to take
them on.
I’ve been reading books by recording as far back as Vinyl records. I
saw the age of cassettes take place, and now I’m coming up in to the
digital age. Never before has there been a question of copy righting.
The Libraries For The Blind, always read the words, Copy Written in…!
and then they add what ever date is there. The audio books I get on
CD now, seem to have no problem, and what about the e-books? This burns
me a new one let me tell you, but if I’m even a teeny bit off please
correct me, cause like I said I don’t want to mess this one up at all.
It’s a whole lot more important than just one of my normal rants.
This one could literally give me cause to contact the ADA if I’m understanding
right. This is just the dumbest of the dumb as far as I’m concerned.
Any more blind people out there want to join my questioning of this?
What about you who depend on audio books because you can’t for what
ever reason hold a book, or turn a page? There are allot of people who
depend on audio books. What about you who are in school, but you have
to be on the road allot? Don’t you want to be able to stick a disk in
your car’s CD player and study while driving? The list of need for audio
goes on and on, and before this turns in to a Fifteen Minutes of Fame,
I’ll let it go and see what I get in response.
Remember, I never ask for any one to agree, only to consider, and in
this case I’ve written and asked to have some one correct my perception
if it is not correct. -
Signed, Tazz, Totally Frustrated With Stupid People!
[The
way I understand it Tazz, the audio rights to a book are sold separately
therefore the Authors Guild feels the Kindle should not be using sound.
Audio books are a different matter. In that case the audio rights
were purchased from the author before the book was recorded. I’m
sure The National Library For The
Blind And Physically Handicapped (NLS) has an agreement with the
publishers before they are allowed to record books. I think the
book publishers are being a little too picky in this case. An
audio book, read by the author or an actor, is completely different
than a book that is electronically read by a computer in my opinion.
Maybe you’re right, if enough people complain maybe the Authors
Guild will back off.
The Authors Guild must be catching some heat already. An article at
their website included this paragraph;
"Reading to your kids note: A Wall Street Journal article quoted
a portion of an interview with Authors Guild executive director Paul
Aiken regarding the Kindle 2. The remarks have been interpreted by some
as suggesting that the Guild believes that private out-loud reading
is protected by copyright. It isn’t, unless the reading is being done
by a machine. And even out-loud reading by a machine is fine, of course,
if it’s from an authorized audio copy. Others suggest that challenging
Amazon’s use of this software challenges accessibility to the visually
impaired. It doesn’t: Kindle 2 isn’t designed for such use. The Guild
continues to support efforts to make works truly accessible to the visually
impaired."]
Re: Short Slutty Skirts
L&K,herm, you are absolutely
correct. I really don’t think it’s okay for the teacher to speak that
way to a student. My biggest problem with the story was the kid acting
like it was SO upsetting to her and the mother backing that up and making
sure it got more attention that it deserved….I’m not so much defending
the teacher as I am being realistic about how "upsetting"
this really was for the girl.
I think everybody involved should have gone into a conference room somewhere
and worked things out reasonably, but the fact that this story is being
picked up by us here indicates that it’s most likely been blown up way
beyond what common sense would dictate. And did you notice that both
the mother and daughter seemed more upset about the cellulite comment
than the slut comment….? I predict mom and daughter will be on Jerry
Springer soon…..lol. - Marsha in Michigan, where it’s too damn cold
to wear skirts of ANY length…..
Re:
Bad Photo Background
I was looking
through the back issues of RGQ, and happened to catch the 2/9 Image’n
That entitled “Bad Photo Background” and was a little disconcerted.
I have seen the others in the series of bad backgrounds, with nudity,
and “dog antics” shall we say – and so was a little
bothered that the only thing “bad” I could see in this picture
was that behind the couple there were a couple of men sharing a romantic
moment.
This is of the same caliber as nudity or defecation!?
I wonder if it would have been a bad background if one of the men had
been a woman, because to me it was an endearing moment accidentally
caught on film. - Bear
[Bruce
supplies the images for RGQ. I won’t try to answer for him, but
I’m sure he didn’t mean any offense. Looking at the image, it
would be my opinion that the same caption would apply to anyone kissing
in the background.]
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Disclaimer- All quotes printed in this publication are believed to be accurately
attributed, but no guarantees are made that some incorrectly attributed,
or even outright false quotes won’t get in here from time to time.
I assure readers that I will do my best to weed out incorrect quotes, and
will print a retraction as soon as I become aware of any errors. |
Click here to see the archives of past issues, or go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/reallygoodquotes/messages.
If you run across something really outstanding when perusing the archives,
I’d appreciate it if you’d mail me at TheBestOfRGQ@yahoo.com
and point it out to me. I’m in the process of compiling an e-book
called, not surprisingly, The Best of RGQ, and I’d like to hear from you
which pieces impacted you the most. |
| Questions?
Comments? Want to contribute a joke or a quote or an image? Feel free
to e-mail
at reallygoodquotes@gmail.com.
We’d love to hear from you! We’ll even publish your comments, if they
make any sense! 
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