Since I'm going to a Pirate Party tomorrow (and Rob wrote "Arrgggh!!!!" WRT FTL and time paradoxes*), I was told to study this site and be able to 'talk the talk' even though the Official Day isn't until September 19...
http://www.talklikeapirate.com/ "Once upon a time -- on June 6, 1995, to be precise -- we were playing racquetball, not well but gamely...As we flailed away, we called out friendly encouragement to each other - "Damn, you bastard!" and "Oh, jeez, my hamstring!" for instance - as shots caromed away, unimpeded by our wildly swung rackets...On this day, for reasons we still don't quite understand, we started giving our encouragement in pirate slang...Anyway, whoever let out the first "Arrr!" started something. One thing led to another. "That be a fine cannonade," one said, to be followed by "Now watch as I fire a broadside straight into your yardarm!" and other such helpful phrases... "...For seven years we celebrated National Talk Like a Pirate Day pretty much on our own, with our friend Brian Rhodes actually reminding us that the event was coming up...One day in early 2002, John chanced upon Dave Barry's e-mail address...It's a great idea, he said, (actually "very excellent" were his exact words, in case you're keeping score.) But then he asked the fatal question: "Have you guys actually DONE anything about this? Or are you counting on me to carry the ball here?"... [Dave Barry ended up writing a column about TLAPD, and then:] ..."We knew we might be in trouble when the Australian DJ announced his next guests were "a couple of blokes from America who've come up with the craziest idea I've ever heard of." Here are a few snippets from that column: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/columnists/dave_barry/4018055.htm "Every now and then, some visionary individuals come along with a concept that is so original and so revolutionary that your immediate reaction is: ``Those individuals should be on medication." ...Since then, Baur and Summers have made a near-superhuman effort to promote Talk Like a Pirate Day. As Baur puts it: "We've talked like pirates, and encouraged our several friends to, every Sept. 19, except for a couple where we forgot..." "...So I have decided to throw my full support behind Talk Like a Pirate Day, to be observed this Sept. 19. To help promote this important cause, I have decided to seek the endorsement of famous celebrities, and I am pleased to report that, as of today, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Britney Spears, Brad Pitt, Oprah Winfrey, the Osbournes, Tiger Woods, Ted Koppel, the Sopranos, Puff Doody and the late Elvis Presley are all people who I hope will read this column and become big supporters... "...As you can see, talking like a pirate will infuse your everyday conversations with romance and danger. So join the movement! On Sept. 19, do not answer the phone with "hello." Answer the phone with "Ahoy me hearty!"... Iron Morgan Rackham of The One-Trick Pony, Privateer ;) *apparently it's "Arrrr!" not "Arrggh!" in pirate-speak __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
