Humpty Dumpty

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Ed. Please start by including the Humpty Dumpty story in a few words, you'll be surprised how many people don't know what you're talking about, or don't remember the egg on the wall.Braulio

-- Braulio Busquiazo (Braulio@Juno.com), August 11, 1999

Answers

Braulio,

Wow, that never occurred to me! I'll have to find a nursery-rhyme book to make sure I get the words absolutely correct, but it goes something like this:

Humpty Dumpty (an egg-like creature) sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall, All the king's horses, and all the king's men Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Ed

-- Ed Yourdon (HumptyDumptyY2K@yourdon.com), August 11, 1999.


I think it would be great to include the words....but then you'll need to address the fact that in the nursery rhyme they _couldn't_ put him together again. Since you are obviously taking the position that somehow we _can_ put society back together you will have to address the discrepency.

-- dhg (dhgold@pacbell.net), August 11, 1999.

I believe the point is that, if things go to a major depression or worse, things will *not* go back exactly as they were.

Given the idea of a rebuilding, what will we make of the pieces?

-- Jon Williamson (jwilliamson003@sprintmail.com), August 12, 1999.


Humpty Dumpty? Like all nursery rhymes, this almost certainly has a dark tale of medieval horror or calamity behind it. I forget what it was...Henry XIII or something...? I don't know. It would be interesting to see what the historical parallels between post-y2k and the Real Humpty Dumpty might be.

At least this forum isn't titled after "ring around the rosie." That nursery rhyme was about the bubonic plague which ended up thinning the population of Europe by 1/3 to 1/2 by the end of the fourteen century!

-- coprolith (coprolith@rocketship.com), August 13, 1999.


Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King's horse and all the King's men Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again....

But Mr. Ed Yourdon had a very good plan. He would appeal to every good woman and man. To plan Humpty Dumpty's return from the grave... And possibly our civilization to save.

Concerning the future we all want a look. So let's all help Mr. Yourdon to write this book. If we all pitch in and work very steady.. Humpty Dumpty can come back tanned, rested, and ready.

-- M. Hawkins (hawkeye@iamerica.net), August 13, 1999.



I think the original full version goes

Humpty Dupty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the King's horses and all the King's men Couldn't put Humpty together again.

They called a doctor from the town To come and fix poor Humpty's crown. He put a stitch in Humpty's leg And bandaged up poor Humpty's egg.

He used some tape and then some glue, And Humpty's now as good as new.

There is also at amazon.com

Whatever Happened to Humpty Dumpty? : And Other Surprising Sequels to Mother Goose Rhymes by David Greenberg, S. D. Schindler (Illustrator)

And there is a h-d home page (no kidding) at http://www.nwlink.com/~amwatson/ scroll to bottom for links.

-- Douglass Carmichael (doug@tmn.com), August 14, 1999.


Coprolith,

I think 'Ring around the Rosie' describes the Y2k saga perfectly! Politicians and corporate leaders dancing around an enourmous festering pustule that's due to burst in five months....

"The headlines are rosie The public is dozy Jan-1! Lights out! We all fall down"

-- JQ (onca@hotmail.com), August 17, 1999.


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