Gotcha'ism, Oneupmanship & Plagiarism

[RascalPuff]

DROWNED?

"Yes. Immersed in water until dead."

"What an interesting way to die."

"The interesting thing about this man was the wounds on his shoulders - made by another fishermans's clawboots. This fisherman was one of several in a boat that foundered and sank. Another fisherman recovering the body said he'd seen wounds like this man's before. They meant another drowning fisherman had tried to stand on this poor fellow's shoulders in an attempt to reach the surface for air."

"Why is this interesting?" The banker said.

"Because of a worthy and revealing sentiment that was expressed at that time. It was said that the drowning man who climbs upon and stands on another's shoulders to elevate and save himself is understandable...except when it happens in the drawing room and - I should add - except when it happens at the dinner table."

- Excerpt from Frank Herbert's, DUNE.

[mkirkpatrick]

You have a flair for drama Rascal,I can identify with that,I actually have been in the situation of a boat sinking,we were nearing the coast of a island in the south china sea
when a huge wave swamped the boat,stalled the twin outboard motors which caused the boat to flounder about 50 yards off the beach,it was advised we swim ashore,while the crew of three,try and rescue our overnight bags(we were staying just one day to see turtles hatching)all was calm and fairly orderly(no standing on any shoulders here)that
is until one of the other passengers asked if there were any sharks in these waters!
When she was told "yes" there were,it was every man/woman for his/her self.!

Keep up your excellent posting Rascal mate.



regards michael.

[labelwench]

Do we not all, 'stand on the shoulders' of all who have gone before?

We may be unique in being the species which can best hand on the learnings of past generations through our mediums of culture, history, language, music and art.

Other species may actually be more suited to survival than are we, yet this ability to proliferate and learn from shared experience appears to be exclusive to us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalopod

Nervous system and behaviour
See also: Cephalopod intelligence and squid giant axon

Cephalopods are widely regarded as the most intelligent of the invertebrates and have well developed senses and large brains; larger than the brains of gastropods. The nervous system of cephalopods is the most complex of the invertebrates,[citation needed] and their brain to body mass ratio falls between that of warm and cold blooded vertebrates.[5]:14 The giant nerve fibers of the cephalopod mantle have been a favorite[vague] experimental material of neurophysiologists for many years; their large diameter (due to lack of myelination) makes them easier to study.[citation needed]

Cephalopods are social creatures; when isolated from their own kind, they will take to shoaling with fish.[6]

Some cephalopods are able to fly distances up to 50 m. While the organisms are not particularly aerodynamic, they achieve these rather impressive ranges by use of jet-propulsion; water continues to be expelled from the funnel while the organism is in flight.[citation needed]

[RascalPuff]

Do we not all, 'stand on the shoulders' of all who have gone before?

We may be unique in being the species which can best hand on the learnings of past generations through our mediums of culture, history, language, music and art.

Other species may actually be more suited to survival than are we, yet this ability to proliferate and learn from shared experience appears to be exclusive to us.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cephalopod

Nervous system and behaviour
See also: Cephalopod intelligence and squid giant axon

Cephalopods are widely regarded as the most intelligent of the invertebrates and have well developed senses and large brains; larger than the brains of gastropods. The nervous system of cephalopods is the most complex of the invertebrates,[citation needed] and their brain to body mass ratio falls between that of warm and cold blooded vertebrates.[5]:14 The giant nerve fibers of the cephalopod mantle have been a favorite[vague] experimental material of neurophysiologists for many years; their large diameter (due to lack of myelination) makes them easier to study.[citation needed]

Cephalopods are social creatures; when isolated from their own kind, they will take to shoaling with fish.[6]

Some cephalopods are able to fly distances up to 50 m. While the organisms are not particularly aerodynamic, they achieve these rather impressive ranges by use of jet-propulsion; water continues to be expelled from the funnel while the organism is in flight.[citation needed]

Dear Label Wench:
Were it not for the willful and inadvertent teachers by whom we are preceded, we could neither read nor write, for example; whereas, drowning them in a panic for survival is not the issue.

On the other hand, have you ever read 'Creature', by Peter Benchley - its about a huge cephalopod who preys on people; sort of a sequel to 'Jaws'.
Best regards,
- RP