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- From: <oracle-request@cs.indiana.edu>
- Subject: Usenet Oracularities Digest #499
- Message-ID: <1992Nov12.080103.23546@news.cs.indiana.edu>
- Followup-To: rec.humor.oracle.d
- Reply-To: oracle-vote@cs.indiana.edu
- Organization: Computer Science, Indiana University
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 08:00:34 -0500
- Approved: oracle-mod@cs.indiana.edu
- Lines: 564
-
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 07:59:58 -0500
- From: "Steve Kinzler" <kinzler@cs.indiana.edu>
- Subject: Usenet Oracularities Digest #499
-
- To find out how to participate in the Usenet Oracle, send mail to:
- oracle@cs.indiana.edu or {ames,rutgers}!iuvax!oracle
- with the word "help" in the subject line.
-
- Let us know what you like! Send your ratings of these Oracularities on
- an integer scale of 1 = "not funny" to 5 = "very funny" with the volume
- number to oracle-vote on iuvax (probably just reply to this message).
- For example:
- 499
- 2 1 3 4 3 5 3 3 4 1
-
- 494 40 votes 7b994 33be9 5ce54 09dg2 28h76 8ia31 d6d53 17df4 9be51 f8854
- 494 2.9 mean 2.8 3.6 2.8 3.3 3.2 2.3 2.5 3.4 2.5 2.4
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 08:00:13 -0500
- From: Usenet Oracle <oracle-vote@cs.indiana.edu>
- Subject: Usenet Oracularity #499-01
-
- Selected-By: RICH MCGEE <MCGEE@nic.CSU.net>
-
- The Usenet Oracle has pondered your question deeply.
- Your question was:
-
- > Oh mighty and tempestuous Oracle, who sees all, knows all, hears
- > all, whose workstation makes a Cray look like an Timex Sinclair,
- > whose secondary storage takes up a whole other planet, who knows
- > *both* Cadbury secrets, who has determined who the 6th replicant
- > is, who knows how many angels can dance on the head of a pin, and
- > exactly (to the nearest boardfoot) just how much w*** a w***c****
- > could c**** if a w***c**** could c**** w***, but for the good of
- > all mankind, wants that kept a secret, who knows that the right
- > answer *isn't* 42, whose can move mountains (and Mohammed), whose
- > InterNet address is 1.1.1.1 (or was that 255.255.255.255?), who
- > has never had a cavity, or pimple, or dandruff, or the hiccups,
- > or even a hangnail, who knows Ross Perot's ultimate plan, every
- > blond and lighbulb joke, who knows why I got only an A- on the
- > systems part of the course, why stars go nova, and the meaning of
- > "It's all in the wrist!", and who never has to go out to buy a
- > newspaper, who has two copies of Superman #1, pictures of the
- > Grassy Knoll, and Madonna's home phone number, who could leap
- > over speeding trains at a single bound, who has the results of
- > the human genome project, who uses cold fusion to prepare those
- > wonderful meals for Lisa, who has friends amoung all the deities,
- > who engineered the sun-moon-apparent-size equality which gives us
- > those astonishing solar eclipses, please answer me this:
- >
- > Was that grovel good enough??
-
- And in response, thus spake the Oracle:
-
- } Dear Supplicant,
- } In the name of truth and fairness, *I'm* answering this one. Now,
- } I know Orrie likes to hear humans squirm and squiggle "'neath his
- } mighty toes" or whatever, but I just wanted to fill you in on some of
- } the _less_ praiseworthy aspects of your pal and mine, the Oracle:
- }
- } - he's atrocious with leaving his underwear everywhere. What a slob.
- } - he farts in bed. Without warning. Nasty ones, too.
- } - he really doesn't remember creating the platypus or Stockdale: *he*
- } swears that they were intentional, but *I* know they were the result
- } of some "business meeting" he went off to a few eons back. Orrie
- } can't hold his liquor, and I just *know* that one of those other
- } dieties took advantage of him while he was under the table --
- } probably dared the lug to do it. Men.
- } - he never sends flowers.
- } - he's a hazard in the kitchen. I won't even let him near the ice
- } maker 'cause he sets off the smoke alarms every time he makes a
- } drink. (I don't know how, but trust me, he just *does*.)
- } - he's got all the fashion sense of a cucumber salad. I've got scads
- } of Christmas scarves from him hidden away (still in the boxes.)
- } UG-LY. I'm still trying to figure out what to do with them all.
- } Maybe sew them together in a balloon and fly to Kansas.
- } ...
- }
- } Oh, supplicant, the list goes on. (He's also real anal-retentive and
- } won't let me touch his computer. Go figure. It's like I'm three
- } years old or something.) Remember, next time you want info., go ahead
- } and ask Orrie, but next time you want the *facts*, you just write to
- } me.
- } - Lisa
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 08:00:15 -0500
- From: Usenet Oracle <oracle-vote@cs.indiana.edu>
- Subject: Usenet Oracularity #499-02
-
- Selected-By: nolan@helios.unl.edu (Harold the Foot)
-
- The Usenet Oracle has pondered your question deeply.
- Your question was:
-
- > Please?
-
- And in response, thus spake the Oracle:
-
- } No! I am not going to paddle your bare behind again until you get those
- } hemorrhoids treated... oh... dear.. this isn't Lisa?
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 08:00:17 -0500
- From: Usenet Oracle <oracle-vote@cs.indiana.edu>
- Subject: Usenet Oracularity #499-03
-
- Selected-By: Carole Susan Fungaroli <csf7m@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU>
-
- The Usenet Oracle has pondered your question deeply.
- Your question was:
-
- > Oh great and wise Oracle, who has more raisins per scoop than any
- > cereal on the market, who has had better ideas than nut covered
- > raisins, and often has entire breakfasts consisting of things other
- > than fiber and raisins... Please answer this humble supplicant's
- > question.
- >
- > I was eating some cereal, and it came free with raisins, aparently.
- > However, the box said nothing about them, and some seemed to move
- > occasionally. Is this bad?
-
- And in response, thus spake the Oracle:
-
- } It depends on your point of view. If you were one of those little
- } critters about to get eaten, you'd be a little upset. But as a
- } superior being, weilding your SPOON OF DESTRUCTION over the helpless,
- } cowering beings ... it's a different story.
- }
- } I mean, really. You could just put one on the table and
- }
- } *** SQUISH ***
- }
- } it with the round part of your spoon, watching it's guts spew all over
- } the place. Then you could flick a few of them across the room and
- } make them stick to the wall. Drown a few in milk. Force feed six or
- } eight of them to your dog!
- }
- } Do they have legs?
- }
- } You could pull them off one by one ... yeah yeah yeah yeah!
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 08:00:19 -0500
- From: Usenet Oracle <oracle-vote@cs.indiana.edu>
- Subject: Usenet Oracularity #499-04
-
- Selected-By: CLHP19@VAXB.STRATHCLYDE.AC.UK
-
- The Usenet Oracle has pondered your question deeply.
- Your question was:
-
- > Okay Orrie,
- >
- > This planet isn't big enough for the two of us. I'll meet you in front
- > of Delphi at High Noon tomorrow.
- >
- > Thor.
-
- And in response, thus spake the Oracle:
-
- } The sence is Delphi. The cheering crowds are composed of Vikings
- } warriors armed with battle axs, spears, broadswords, daggers, maces,
- } slingshots, ect. and computer science students armed mostly with a WAN
- } network of UNIX machines and several cases of Jolt. The referee steps
- } into the ring. He is small energetic man from Chicago.
- }
- } "Ladieees and Gentlmen..."
- }
- } The Vikings boo. Someone throws a mace.
- }
- } "...iiin This Corna! The boy from Valhalla, the weilder of
- } Mojllinier.. THOR, God of Thunder !"
- }
- } A heavily muscled god (I mean we are talking he has muscles on his
- } muscles) stands up and waves a very large hammer.
- }
- } The Vikings cheer and go wild. Three monitors and a laser printer are
- } smashed. The Vikings are amply stocked with mead and begin to drink
- } heavily. Most of the Vikings suddenly have their credit ratings
- } DRASTICALLY reduced in in computer files around the world. This does
- } not appear to worry them.
- }
- } "Iiiiiiin This Corna! The local champion! The Omnicient, Omnipotent
- } Uuuuuuusenet Oracle!"
- }
- } A wise, and good looking god wearing a toga stands and raises his
- } hands. A bueatiful godess looks on in adoration. The CS students seem
- } to cheer more for her then the Oracle. A Viking standing behind her
- } does something rude. He recieves a quick knee to the groin, goes down
- } and does not get up again. The Vikings give Lisa a little space.
- }
- } "Awright boys, come here and shake hands." Thor blows snot on the
- } ring. "Now you know the rules, no hitting below the belt, no rabbit
- } punchs and no destroying the world in your struggle. Now go back to
- } your corna and come out fighting."
- }
- } The ref jumps out of the ring and gets behind some heavy lead
- } shielding.
- }
- } (ding)
- }
- } <ZOT>[RUMBLE]<ZOT><ZOT>[CRASH][BOOM]<ZOT>[BOOM][Cr-aaa-ks][BOOM]
- } [THUMP]<ZOT><ZOT><!!ZOT!!>[rumblerumblerumblerumbleB O O M]<duck>
- } <ZOT><ZOT>[Ka-BOOM!><zot>[BOOM][!!BOOM!!][CHRUSH][GRIND]<zot>[B O O M]
- }
- } (ding)
- }
- } Several hundred of the Vikings are incinerated. The CS students had
- } politly "allowed" them to get ringside seats. Thor goes to his corner
- } and drains a keg of mead. The Oracle stagger back to his corner and
- } collapses onte his stool. He is bleeding from his nose and both ears.
- } "Orri, you idiot! You are fighting his kind of fight. Don't let this
- } Nordic redneck from the iceage kick your butt!". Gasp, pant "Your
- } right Lis'. Okay."
- }
- } (ding)
- }
- } [rummmbleBOOM]<rm -r /dev/Mojllinier> "Hey! vot are you doing?"
- } <cntl-C> "I vill get you!" <kill -9 T...> [lighting bolts all over the
- } world rain down on computer centers everywhere. California is
- } devastated, as is other localized areas such as New York and Boston.
- } Surge protectors everwhere kick in but in most cases they just melt.
- } Many hard disks are crashed. Much of the backbone connections for
- } internet are wiped out. IBM declares a fire sale.]
- }
- } (ding)
- }
- } The Oracle is seriously burnt. Lisa doses him with a bucket and puts
- } out his toga. Thor does not look well either, he is pale and glassy
- } eyed. "Orri, koff, koff, you got to do something!" The Oracle manages
- } a nod.
- }
- } (ding)
- }
- } "How much wood co.." Thor craftily kicks the Oracle in the stomach.
- } The two foes circle warily, looking for a hold. The CS students start
- } chanting "Thor is obsolete. He is a great big geek." The surviving
- } Vikings rush them but are repelled with great losses. This give the
- } Usenet Oracle an idea. Pointing his finger "You are old Thor. You're
- } out dated. That what this is all about!" Thor screams "Shuten Upen!"
- } and rushes. The Oracle step one side and sticks out his foot. Thor,
- } the towering mountain range of muscle that he is, does a face plant.
- } The Oracle jumps on his back.
- }
- } (ding)
- } "shit"
- }
- } Both fighters go to their corners. Thor drains two kegs of mead. Lisa
- } rubs the Oracles shoulders. "Orri, keep up the attack. I have an
- } idea."
- }
- } (ding)
- }
- } Thor looks dangerous. He makes slow pawing motions with his hands as he
- } circles. "Admit it Thor, supermarkets confuse you. You like M-TV
- } but only heavy metal. You can't fill out a tax form." Thor rallies
- } "Der Viking live un looten und pillagen." "An old idea based on an old
- } system. Free market economics prevail today." "Girly Mun!" "You
- } are old fasioned and quaint." "Real mun don't eat quiche!" Suddenly
- } Lisa stands up waving a cellular telephone. "Yoo hoo Thooooooor.
- } I have a phone call for you." Thor looks suspisious. "It your wife."
- } Thor looks scared. He cradles the reciever. "Um, goodenmuning
- } dukinshin.. NO! I...I vork late....No i din't get fired again....
- } ...yes I know dur economy is not that good...no..but..but...no..
- } awcomon...no." He sighs and absently crushes the phone. Without
- } looking the Oracle in the eye, Thor climbs out of the rings and head
- } home.
- }
- } Disappointed and sobered Vikings (which amount to the same thing)
- } trail after him, dragging broadswords and battleaxs in the dust. The
- } CS students let out a cheer. The ref sticks his head up.
- } "The winner and still champiiiooon, the Usenet Oracle!"
- }
- } [Much later after a very large party]
- }
- } The Oracle leans back back with hands on his head. "Ya know Lis'
- } I guess family values are good for something after all."
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 08:00:20 -0500
- From: Usenet Oracle <oracle-vote@cs.indiana.edu>
- Subject: Usenet Oracularity #499-05
-
- Selected-By: nolan@helios.unl.edu (Harold the Foot)
-
- The Usenet Oracle has pondered your question deeply.
- Your question was:
-
- > bit biiiii bi bit biiiiii bi byte bit byte byyyyyyyyyyyyyyyte
- > byte biiiiiiiii tttttttttt ti ti ti ti ti tiii titi
-
- And in response, thus spake the Oracle:
-
- } Nibble,nibble,nibble <SQUASH>
- } floooooooop, miiiiiips, miiiiiiiiiiiips <SQUASH, SQUASH>
- }
- } You owe the oracle another Don Martin cartoon
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 08:00:21 -0500
- From: Usenet Oracle <oracle-vote@cs.indiana.edu>
- Subject: Usenet Oracularity #499-06
-
- Selected-By: Todd Radel <radel@bach.udel.edu>
-
- The Usenet Oracle has pondered your question deeply.
- Your question was:
-
- > What drugs what George Bush taking, anyway? And where can I get some?
-
- And in response, thus spake the Oracle:
-
- } Who's George Bush? And why are you wearing that marshmallow pie?
- } Wow man, like, this is REALLY far out, dude...
- } Can't you get it? It's a beauuutiful sunshine and it's all like, THERE!
- }
- } You owe the Oracle. But he loves you anyway.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 08:00:23 -0500
- From: Usenet Oracle <oracle-vote@cs.indiana.edu>
- Subject: Usenet Oracularity #499-07
-
- Selected-By: buck@sunyit.edu (Jesse Buckley)
-
- The Usenet Oracle has pondered your question deeply.
- Your question was:
-
- > Oh mighty and artistic Oracle,
- > both gifted in arts and science, please tell me:
- >
- > If they were to make a new sequel of "Indiana Jones", would it play
- > in the White House, which title would it have, and which parts would
- > Dan Quayle and George Bush play?
-
- And in response, thus spake the Oracle:
-
- } INDIANA QUAYLE
- } AND THE
- } SEARCH FOR THAT DARN DOG MILLIE
- }
- } Scene 1
- }
- } The sound of papers shuffling restlessly nearly drowned out the
- } voice of Professor Quayle as the class bell approached with its swift
- } and final mercy. "Now we see by definition two that we can prove
- } theorem three--but I haven't given you the second definition, have I?
- } The theorem is trivial anyway, I'll let you prove it on the next exam,
- } maybe. You can see that this theorem has many applications, that is,
- } um, well, you will see the applications in your other classes. Let me
- } write down your assignment...<scribble> Show how 'Red Storm Rising'
- } proves that we should develop anti-satellite weaponse. That word
- } doesn't look right."
- } "It's spelled without an 'E,'" a student suggested.
- } "Oh, right," Quayle nodded. "Waponse."
- } As the bell rang and the class lunged for the door, an older man,
- } the chairman of the department, slipped in and approached the
- } professor. "Indy, there are some men here to see you. They are from
- } the Republican Party."
- } Quayle set down his eraser, a serious glint in his eyes. "Show
- } them in," he said.
- } The group of men sat down in the classroom and some papers and
- } photos were passed to Quayle. He glanced through them and immediately
- } dropped them to the table. "You can't be serious. When were these
- } photos taken?"
- } "Yesterday," said the Republican.
- } "Ah, think of it," Quayle rubbed his chin excitedly, "the
- } President's dog Millie, lost after all these days, and it turns out she
- } might still be on the White House grounds. Do the Democrats know?"
- } "Yes, that's why we're here. Herr Furher Clinton has ordered
- } searches for her three shifts a day. He's obsessed with finding her
- } first. Will you help us find the Lost Dog of Bush?"
- } "Of course, it would be a vice president's dream," Quayle
- } answered. "It won't be easy. You know what Millie means to our Party.
- } If Clinton's cat Boots finds her--we MUST succeed."
- } Quayle nodded sagely, "If we do not succeed, we run the risk of
- } failure."
- } The Republican looked relieved. "Are you ready? Is there
- } anything you need from us?"
- } Quayle looked the Republican in the eye and replied, "One word
- } sums up probably the responsibility of any ex-vice president, and that
- } word is 'to be prepared.' I'm ready, all right."
- } The Republican clapped his hands together. "I knew he would be
- } our man! Do you know what to do, Indy? Do you have a plan of action?"
- } "Certainly," the professor answered, "I would know what to do, and
- } when I ah Vice President--and I will be--there will be contingency
- } plans under different sets of situations and I tell you what, I'm not
- } going to go out and hold a press conference about it, I'm going to put
- } it in a safe and keep it there! Does that answer your question?"
- } Satisfied, the Republicans left Quayle to stare wonderingly into
- } the picture of a little lost dog named Millie, lost since the day Bush
- } moved out of the White House.
- }
- } Scene 2
- }
- } "Hello, Marilyn," Indy said.
- } Marilyn whirled around from her seat at the country club bar.
- } "Well," she intoned coldly, "what brings you out to this little piece of
- } heaven?"
- } Indy clearly felt the chill in her words, but would not be put
- } off. "When we were at the White House, your father used to play a lot
- } with-- Bush's dog."
- } "You mean M--"
- } "Shh!" Quayle interrupted. "There's--Democrats--everywhere these
- } days. It's like a disease, like the country has lost its mind. What a
- } terrible thing to have lost one's mind. Or not to have a mind at all.
- } How true that is." And he fell silent.
- } Marilyn casually downed a shot of vodka. "You were saying?"
- } "I remember that when your father played with--Bush's dog--he had a
- } rubber bone. Whenever he had it, Millie--darn!--the dog would follow
- } him everywhere. I know you kept it, Marilyn. I'd like to borrow it
- } for a while."
- } "Get your own bone, you bastard," she snapped. "I had plans.
- } Plans to be the first, FIRST lady, and you just--just--you didn't even
- } apologize!"
- } "I can only say I'm sorry so many times, Marilyn."
- } "Well, say it again."
- } "I'm sorry." He paused. "Do you have the bone? I'll pay you ten
- } thousand for it. That's a lot of money."
- } Marilyn reached down into her bra and pulled out a large, white
- } rubber bone, the word 'Hartz' nearly chewed into illedgability.
- } But just then the bar door opened and a blast of arctic air
- } savagely blew through the room. A shadow fell across the floor and
- } moved along it, curling across tables and chairs, feeling its icy way
- } toward the couple. It halted.
- } "Gore," Quayle said as if the name made him wretch, "I knew it was
- } only a matter of time before I ran into you again."
- } "In ze flesh," Gore replied. To Marilyn, he said, "Zis man is
- } goot, but he has all ze wrong friends."
- } "What are you going to do to her?" Quayle demanded.
- } "Zey don't call me 'Gore' for nozzing you know. I tink for ze
- } beginning, I vill make you vead my book--"
- } "NO!" Marilyn screeched in terror.
- } "Und zen ve vill discuss ze matter of ze Millie's bone. You vill
- } tell me it's location. Ve have ze vays of getting ze information.
- } Vhat do you say to zat, Indiana?"
- } Cool as ever, Quayle put on his rose-colored glasses and simply
- } said, "We'll let the sunshine in and shine on us, because we're happy
- } and tomorrow we'll be even happier."
- }
- } WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO INDY AND MARILYN?
- } WILL OUR HEROES BE SAVED BY BUSH IN TIME?
- } OR WILL WE NEED TO CALL IN THE GIPPER?
- } HOW WILL INDY GET BACK ONTO THE WHITE HOUSE GROUNDS?
- }
- } FIND OUT IN NEXT WEEK'S EXCITING EPISODE OF
- } INDIANA QUAYLE AND
- } THE SEARCH FOR THAT DARN DOG MILLIE!
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 08:00:24 -0500
- From: Usenet Oracle <oracle-vote@cs.indiana.edu>
- Subject: Usenet Oracularity #499-08
-
- Selected-By: asbestos@nwu.edu (Michael A. Atkinson)
-
- The Usenet Oracle has pondered your question deeply.
- Your question was:
-
- > Oh Oracle most parallelized:
- >
- > Rumour and scuttlebutt has it that Kinzler wrote you in... perl!!! Is
- > this true? Wouldn't you rather be written in something more chic,
- > like Prolog?
-
- And in response, thus spake the Oracle:
-
- } ERROR IN STATEMENT
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 08:00:25 -0500
- From: Usenet Oracle <oracle-vote@cs.indiana.edu>
- Subject: Usenet Oracularity #499-09
-
- Selected-By: David Sewell <dsew@troi.cc.rochester.edu>
-
- The Usenet Oracle has pondered your question deeply.
- Your question was:
-
- > Wonderful, wise, and witty one:
- > Since: I could give a shit = I don't give a shit
- > Then: shit = not shit
- >
- > Simularly: I could care less = I couldn't care less
- > and: care less = not ( care less )
- >
- > Therefore: x = not x
- >
- > It follows that boolean logic is a crock of shit ( or not shit as shown
- > Therefore devices that operate on boolean logic cannot be trusted.
- > And since your universe is composed intirely of boolean logic devices
- > then you are obviously in deep shit and cannot be trusted.
- >
- > It is left as an exercise for the Oracle to show that:
- > Oracle = not Oracle
- >
- > ZOT me If you must. I no longer fear for I know that ZOT = not ZOT
-
- And in response, thus spake the Oracle:
-
- } Of course I can't be trusted. Do you think a Being as Omnipotent as
- } Myself would stoop to being trustworthy to a supplicant such as
- } yourself? However, you've made several fatal errors which I, in My
- } Infinite Wisdom, will point out to you.
- }
- } 1> I am _not_ binary based. In fact, I haven't even been ternary
- } based for about 17,000 years.
- } 2> Basic syllogistic logic is an outdated experiment of a dead Greek
- } Empire. In fact, the only valid reminder of that Empire is the
- } inescapable wealth of "We Are Happy To Serve You" Greek coffee
- } cups. In other words, logic is a lemon.
- }
- } 3> Since ZOT = not ZOT,
- }
- } <NOT-ZZZZZZOTTTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>
- }
- } You owe the Oracle a chicken gyro platter and an excluded middle.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- Date: Thu, 12 Nov 92 08:00:27 -0500
- From: Usenet Oracle <oracle-vote@cs.indiana.edu>
- Subject: Usenet Oracularity #499-10
-
- Selected-By: Todd Radel <radel@bach.udel.edu>
-
- The Usenet Oracle has pondered your question deeply.
- Your question was:
-
- > Oh Great Oracle, I can't understand my lime! What shall I do? Can you
- > help?
- >
- > Yours faithfully,
- > Uncomprehending.
-
- And in response, thus spake the Oracle:
-
- } That is because your lime has transmuted into a frog and hopped away
- } into the night in a flurry of slime and warts. The lime you have now
- } is an alien replacement, which speaks only the Martian dialect.
- }
- } Fortunately, if you understand the speech of watermelons, you can
- } translate between the two fairly easily. Just grease the watermelon
- } fluently and make sure it's happily snuggled between two bananas.
- }
- } You owe the Oracle the Mandelbrot set in COLOR.
-
- ------------------------------
-
- End of Usenet Oracularities Digest #499
- ***************************************
-