I was on another listserve some time ago that had a similar problem--we digressed easily and often. But I realized the digressions were a natural part of talking about this guy's work. He wrote about everything from spirituality to dogma to philosophy (both formal and a commentary on the philosophy behind our everyday lives) to human nature--the purpose of his writing was, in part, to spark dialog in these areas. By talking about his writing, we entered into a broader dialog of which his writing was a part. So, even though the digressions weren't technically part of the purpose of the list, they certainly were the purpose of this man's writing. I think Salinger is similar in some ways. Now, for those of you who missed out on the Scottie/Malcs war, here's a recap: Scottie: You aren't really a man until you've gone to war. Malcs: Yes you are. Scottie: No you aren't. Malcs: Yes you are. Scottie: No you aren't Malcs: Yes you are. Scottie: Faggot. Malcs: Nazi. There's a bulletin board call alt.flaming.scottie.malcs.everyone on Cornell's server now. :) Mabye we could all go there since it's been taken off list? Jim _____________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com Or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]