gah! I hate the new string syntax

[John W. Baxter]

In article <G5eq6.47941$ML1.2142034 at e420r-atl2.usenetserver.com>,
 "Steve Holden" <sholden at holdenweb.com> wrote:

> "Aahz Maruch" <aahz at panix.com> wrote in message
> news:98asrq$645$1 at panix6.panix.com...
> > In article <98amlj01sp6 at news2.newsguy.com>,
> > Alex Martelli <aleaxit at yahoo.com> wrote:
> > >"Steve Holden" <sholden at holdenweb.com> wrote in message
> > >news:BcCp6.37817$1D5.1582482 at e420r-atl1.usenetserver.com...
> > >    [snip]
> > >> > | > What about one who is both English and Scots, yet never set foot
> on
> > >> > | > that island ;-)?
> > >    [snip]
> > >> Either you were born in England, or you were born in Scotland, or you
> are
> > >> neither English nor a Scot. Part-either-or-both, maybe, but not fully
> > >
> > >Wrong!  You're talking about people whose seafaring skills and
> > >traditions are (deservedly) legendary.  It's perfectly acceptable
> > >for either an English or a Scot to be born aboard a ship...!!!
> >
> > Since when are *women* allowed aboard ships?
> 
> Women were allowed aboard British ships in the eighteenth and nineteenth
> centuries, I believe. The phrase "shake a leg" (meaning to stop lazing about
> and start work) is held to have been used by ships' mates to get the seamen
> out of their bunks. A woman would show her leg to let the mate know she
> should not be rousted out to work.
> 
And at least one of the US Clipper ships finished a New York to San 
Fransicso voyage under the command of the Captain's widow.  The captain 
died en route.  The wife was aboard as navigator (being better at the 
task than the mate), and the crew made it clear that things would go 
much better with her in command than with the mate in command.  Sorry, I 
don't have a reference handy (and the right Google search for this one 
could be a bit tricky to create).

   --John

-- 
John W. Baxter   Port Ludlow, WA USA  jwbnews at scandaroon.com