MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1583 Topics covered in this issue include: 1) Re: Reading v Television by "John E Morris" 2) Can we stop this debate?Reading v Television by 95662014-+AT+-mmu.ac.uk 3) Re: Can we stop this debate?Reading v Television/WELCOME Shadowfire by SEANSQ 4) new topic by Aramina2 5) My 2 cents on Magic/Technology by Divine Knight Ámp 6) Heyla All by StarFire 7) Re: new topic by "Abigail Laughlin" 8) Re: Heyla All by DragonFriend-+AT+-webtv.net 9) Re: new topic by "Khera Bastis" 10) Re: new topic by "Khera Bastis" ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 02:43:21 -0400 From: "John E Morris" To: Subject: Re: Reading v Television Message-ID: <01bd7bde$ec3fc400$7a109cd1-+AT+-default> > Yet I also love watching "mind numbing programs on T.V. [I've sat through entire episodes of >Xena because it was on. No that I'm saying it is terrible just that it is >not what you'd call intellectual] Hey, I love mind-numbing television as much as the next guy - I am a dedicated fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and others, but I am still, first and foremost, a reader. Given the choice between the two I would give up television before books. >Children are not stupid!!!!! I have worked in schools, at summer >camps and as a nanny for over 10 years so I think I can speak with >some authority here. Most children know what is real and what it not, >they know Disney films are entertainment and love them because of it. I have to disagree with you here, for the reasons I have already mentioned. It has been my experience that the average child of average parents in the United States are far more interested in playing video games and watching cartoons than they are in reading books. Countless studies have shown that critical areas of the brain develop in critical ways during the first few years of life - if children's minds are not stimulated through reading in those formative years, the likelyhood is (this isn't definitive, you understand, only likely,) that those children will never learn to love reading, and the best way, bar none, for us to improve intellectually is through reading. And finally, in response to all of the other vituperative remarks: One) In reference to the person who asked exactly when the critical window of mental development was - this has been clinically defined as lying generally between birth and the age of eight or nine. During this period, the brain forms, to use a Misty metaphor - channels that will remain for the rest of the individuals life, channels that determine how information is processed. So, there you go. Two) Lack of social life caused by too much reading. - Yeah, it's a really bummer when you're a teenager, but trust me, when you get to college, you'll find a social life. It gets better as you get older. I know. Three) Disney as entertainment, being aware of Disney as entertainment, awareness of the books as books and not movies, general comparison between visual and written medium - You're all forgeting that this group is not truly reflective of the general populace. If a large portion of us are as familiar with books as with the movies its because we were attracted to the list becaue we are all readers. The majority of the population, however, is not. Why does the US have one of the worst educational systems in the world? It's because most people don't read. How many of us remember High School, when almost everyone in our English class read the Cliff Notes version of Tess of the D'Urbervilles instead of the book? I'd be willing to bet that it was seventy-five percent or more. How many checked out the movie from the local Blockbuster instead of reading the book? Four) Power Rangers - the violence isn't the issue here, though that is a problem. The problem is the horrendous production values - lousy script, terrible acting and shallow, one-dimensional characters. Five) To wrap it up - I will repeat once again that I do not have anything against television - far from it. I love television, I even enjoy quite a few of the Disney movies (though I hated Pochohontas and Huntchback) I watch huge amounts of violent television. I'm not finding fault with televsion, I am finding fault with the inundation of children by television before the love of books is taught. This is my ultimate complaint. It's the old saw; One has to know the rules before one can break them. See the tie-in? Six) The BeastWars tie-in - The point I was illustrating was this: That a three-year old child was so familiar with a cartoon aimed at much-older children that he would recognize and be positively reinforced by a licensed toy from that series. It was a commentary on the oveuse of television by many parents. We won't even go into what I think about non-creative toys. I will not change my initial stance. I think this country is afflicted by a slow decline of culture. Does the phrase "Harrison Bergeron" mean anything to anyone? I think that television as it is often used today, to occupy kids when parents are too busy to look after them every moment, or to simplify our "Great Books" is appaling. I certainly do not think that television and reading are mutually exclusive, or even at odds with each other. It's only the much higher rate of television viewership as compared to the rate of reading that I find fault with. And the grammar crack was, as you have said, innappropriate, and I appologize. John E. Morris John's Favorite Programs - (just so you can see I'm not an anti-tv guy) The Simpsons King of the Hill Buffy the Vampire Slayer The Pretender Homicide South Park (Yeah, South Park) Law and Order Brooklyn South NYPD Blue Seinfeld Deep Space Nine Highlander Are You Being Served? Friends Voyager Millenium Babylon 5 (especially) Enough hours of Weekly tv for ya? ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 14:10:51 +0100 From: 95662014-+AT+-mmu.ac.uk To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Can we stop this debate?Reading v Television Message-ID: <19D0EF84874-+AT+-ghondr.mmu.ac.uk> People I ask politely for this to stop. I know I added a somewhat lengthy post on the subject but now feel that I shouldn't have. I have been a member of this list on and off since my first year at university[3 years]. I have seen what this kind of topic can do to the list. In my first year somebody made what was taken to be a derogitory comment about the gay community and may people got flamed and a number of people left the list as a result of the unpleasantness that followed. Let us not take the list in that direction again, we have people on this list from very different social settings, countries, age groups and beliefs. What we have in common is the love of Misty and Fantasy books in general. Let us celebrate what we have in common and enjoy the list for what it is for. Misty. [with a little fluff thrown in for good measure ; ) ] [Takes bow, and retires to he bed after such a speech] ****************************************** The significance of 42 unveiled: SPAM the answer to any question *POOF* If you take the numeric values of the letters in SPAM (19, 16, 1, 13) you find that three are prime numbers, and the remaining number, 16, is a perfect square. Adding the prime numbers yields 33. Sixteen is 2 squared squared, that's 8 two's added to make 1 number. Eight plus one is 9 (3*3), which when added to 33 is, you guessed it, 42 Jason Stokes 95662014-+AT+-mmu.ac.uk uthro-+AT+-hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 17:11:36 EDT From: SEANSQ To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Can we stop this debate?Reading v Television/WELCOME Shadowfire Message-ID: In a message dated 5/10/98 9:46:40 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 95662014-+AT+-mmu.ac.uk (also known as Jason) writes: >People >I ask politely for this to stop. I know I added a somewhat lengthy >post on the subject but now feel that I shouldn't have.<> > What we have in common is the love of Misty and Fantasy > books in general. Let us celebrate what we have in common and enjoy > the list for what it is for. Misty. [with a little fluff thrown in > for good measure ; ) ]<< Jason, I think you have a very good point here. Hey, guys, I think after the last few days of posts, the verdict is in on this. TA,DA, We must agree to disagree. &*&*&&*&&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&&*&*&&*&*&*&*&*&*&*&*& Now:>>>Heyla, greetings to all. To introduce myself, I am Khera Bastis (AKA Shadowfire) Anyhow, I must admit, I'm a newbie. <<< Welcome, Shadowfire to the madne ahem....fun of the Misty List. As you see, sometimes the topics run amok, but most of the time we just have fun with them. Since you asked so nicely for old/new topics, I assume (o, dear) that you are aware that there is always netiquette associated with a list of this type. The web site that you need to go to is: HTTP://www.ling.udel.edu/hyde/pers/misty/newbiefest.html This should give you most of what you need, or lead you to other sites that will. You can always mail privately to any of the members on the list with Councilor of Mist in their signature, and we will be happy to lend a hand. You can reach me at: SEANSQ-+AT+-AOL.COM Happy posting to all, Meg Councilor of Mist ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 18:59:19 EDT From: Aramina2 To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: new topic Message-ID: <3f0e8dbe.35563148-+AT+-aol.com> Along with alot of others on the list I am mighty sick of the Disney and TV vs. reding debate and I want to start oanother one. Does anyone else think that it's possible that there could be personal heartstones? Firesong seemed suprised that the one in Haven was a crystal globe instead of a craggy rock. But wouldn't it be interesting if the mages could trap a few of the smaller ley lines in a globe that could be carried around with them? It would certainly cut down on the drain that building gates and other draining spells if a mage could have a minature heartstone to help replenish their strength. What do you think? ~Aramina~ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 19:24:15 -0700 From: Divine Knight Ámp To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: My 2 cents on Magic/Technology Message-ID: <3556614F.5DA2-+AT+-bscn.com> Hey all, just my little bit of thought on the ongoing discussion...I think that if things were allowed to go on as they would, technology would advance, but slowly...after all, in many places, people have used magic to accomplish certain things that could be done with machines, it would never occur to them to do otherwise...plus there are probably a lot of things that it would simply be easier, faster, cheaper, and/or cleaner to use magic for. And I agree, I don't want Velgarth to get TOO advanced...but I've always been facinated with magic and technology combined...part of the reason I love the Final Fantasy series. (Chung chung chung! Magitek Armor!) It'd be interesting to see what turns up, now that the engineers and mages are working together..this could be either really good, or really bad.....just depends on your outlook. What do you think...magicaly powered calculators with solar backups? *L* ~Ámp Official Member of the "I Hate Algus" Club World Famous Courtesy Clerk Divine Knight of Laoghaire Professional BSer Holder of the Sacred Floating Dude ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 17:51:21 -0700 (PDT) From: StarFire To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Heyla All Message-ID: <19980511005121.16413.rocketmail-+AT+-send1c.yahoomail.com> Heyla, I'm back at long last. My email got really screwed up, so I'm way behind and sad I've missed a lot but anyway. I wanted to say I just finished TLHM series. I've read all the other Valdemar books, but I think MPawn has got to be my favorite. The story and portyal of a strong gay character is amazing. I'm not gay myself, but I think that Misty's characters are great. I loved Van and I cried when Tylendel died. Hmm, I don't remember who mentioned this, but I htought it was weird that Stef never like knew he was 'Lendel reincarnate. Maybe he did after he died, but it just didn't mention it. I guess that's all. Wind to thy wings, listsibs. Starfire Fire Mage _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free -+AT+-yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 18:03:48 PDT From: "Abigail Laughlin" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: new topic Message-ID: <19980511010348.5626.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> Aramina wrote: <> So far, all of the Heartstones we've seen have been rooted deeply into the earth, even the one at Haven and the one in Lineas (over the fault). Also, moving ley-lines has been described as rerouting a river--I'm not sure that it would be feasible to tie a ley-line to something that was not fixed in place. It might, however, be possible to store mage-energy temporarily in an object and carry *that* around. Didn't the evildude in The White Gryphon do something similar? Zha'hai'allav'a, Raven Darkblade, Holy Hand of the Goddess of Elves, Card-Carrying Bitch, Member of the Mistic Circle, Knight and Founding Member of the Order of Unsung Heroes, Advocator of Eldan and Champion of Kethra and Hyllarr; and Mor the raven, her familiar. "What's the matter? Am I too tall and muscular for you? You want a skinny elven wimp, right?" --Jarlyn the red-robe abbykat-+AT+-hotmail.com http://www.angelfire.com/ky/Ashke/ http://dragonlance.justbecause.org/ ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 20:57:04 -0500 From: DragonFriend-+AT+-webtv.net To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: Heyla All Message-ID: <199805110157.SAA10169-+AT+-mailtod-102.iap.bryant.webtv.net> Starfire when yo said it was weird Stef didn't know he was 'lendel it was because the gods did not wish it. If he had of known it might have caused problems. Wind to your wings Vanisa ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 19:13:16 PDT From: "Khera Bastis" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: new topic Message-ID: <19980511021317.180.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> Heyla to all. I'm finally ready to start putting in my 2 cents on Misty List topics, so here goes. Aramina wrote: >Does anyone else think that it's possible that there could be >personal heartstones? Firesong seemed suprised that the one in Haven >was a crystal globe instead of a craggy rock. But wouldn't it be >interesting if the mages could trap a few of the smaller ley lines >in a globe that could be carried around with them? I agree, that would definitely make life easier for the mages. I think it would be possible for the mages to create their own heartstones...with a lot of effort...but I don't think making "mobile" heartstones would be possible. As I recall (and I don't have textevd available at the moment), the heartsones were created a specific area where several of the larger ley lines met. To create a "mobile" heartstone would have a smaller node that the mage would end up dragging everywhere. It seems to me that doing that would wreak havok on the other nodes and ley lines, which would cause a few (slight exaggeration) problems. Otherwise, that would be a really good idea. Who knows? With enough experimentation, a way might be found. Well, I'd do braiding, but as of yet I have no idea how to do it on Hotmail, so off to the next subject! Zha'hai'allev'a, Khera Bastis titles will hopefully be coming soon :) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 10 May 1998 19:15:19 PDT From: "Khera Bastis" To: mercedes-lackey-+AT+-herald.co.uk Subject: Re: new topic Message-ID: <19980511021520.8622.qmail-+AT+-hotmail.com> Heyla to all. I'm finally ready to start putting in my 2 cents on Misty List topics, so here goes. Aramina wrote: >Does anyone else think that it's possible that there could be >personal heartstones? Firesong seemed suprised that the one in Haven >was a crystal globe instead of a craggy rock. But wouldn't it be >interesting if the mages could trap a few of the smaller ley lines >in a globe that could be carried around with them? I agree, that would definitely make life easier for the mages. I think it would be possible for the mages to create their own heartstones...with a lot of effort...but I don't think making "mobile" heartstones would be possible. As I recall (and I don't have textevd available at the moment), the heartsones were created a specific area where several of the larger ley lines met. To create a "mobile" heartstone would have a smaller node that the mage would end up dragging everywhere. It seems to me that doing that would wreak havok on the other nodes and ley lines, which would cause a few (slight exaggeration) problems. Otherwise, that would be a really good idea. Who knows? With enough experimentation, a way might be found. Well, I'd do braiding, but as of yet I have no idea how to do it on Hotmail, so off to the next subject! Zha'hai'allev'a, Khera Bastis titles will hopefully be coming soon :) "He who laughs last, thinks the slowest." ~Anonymous ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ End of MERCEDES-LACKEY Digest 1583 **********************************