To Jeffrey Borinsky:  Thanks, Jeffrey, for the interesting tidbit about
Slough.  I had no idea it was an actual town.

My allusion was to John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, in which the
Slough of Despond is one of the "traps" that poor Christian (not the
brightest of lads!) falls into.  Now, I wonder if Bunyan had it in for
the actual town?  My apologies to any Sloughites or Sloughians on our
List.

In humble contrition, I offer the following (with apologies to
Goldsmith):

  Sweet Slough, fairest village of the plain,
  For thee I'll pen this glad refrain:
  Grieve not the butt of jokes to be,
  For kine and sheep still graze thy gentle lea,
  And all London's urban blight doth surely envy thee!

Now, certainly, that will soothe ruffled feathers without offending
anyone!  I can't imagine there will be any rejoinders to that, can you?

Joe Roesch

 [ I can hear that well-known tune, "Sweet Slough, It's Thou" !
 [ -- Robbie  ;)