Fort Wayne officials refuse to slap Harry Baals on public building
Officials in Fort Wayne Indianna have balked at naming the city's latest civic building after its most successful mayor – Harry Baals. The city had thrown open the choice of moniker for its latest erection to the people. A campaign to name the building after Harry Baals soon gathered steam, with citizens eager to commemorate his …
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I wish politicians
would listen to the voters and maybe grow some balls in the process.
Re: I wish politicians
Yes, but you have to wonder at the validity of the vote in this case.
Put it this way. If I were given some candidate names for a new building to put all the local government types in and one of them was the "Hairy Balls Center", I know where my vote would be going.
Unless of course the "Richard Head Building" and "Gareth Hunt Offices" were on the same ballot. Then it would be a tough call.
Jim Balls^H^H^H^H^HBaals
".....I've gotten through it. I think everybody else can, too."
Yes, but you weren't gifted with a first name that may be easily misread or pronounced as "Hairy". That's the bit that moves it from the sniggering category to the gales-of-laughter-spraying-coffee-everywhere one.
They're worried about Baals...??
Because there's a Gobblers Knob, Indiana, and a French Lick, Indiana that they ought to worry about first.
But sadly no Paris, Indiana, that I know of.
But there *is* a Paris, Indiana...
...about 100km east of Gobblers Knob and French Lick (which, of course, are next to each other...)
Forget the Baals
The descendants of Hr Wanker aren't afraid of puerile comments. https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Wankers_Corner,_Oregon I think he set up the original country store as a newly arrived settler having reached the end of the Oregon trail.
Americans and Wanker
Americans don't seem to get a lot of British dirty words. I always laugh during the titles of Buffy the Vampire Slayer where, in various series, we get to see Brian Wankum and Thomas Wanker.
Re: Americans and Wanker
Yeah but in return they find any British 'Johnson' hysterical.
Wanker
I won't speak for the entire USA, but in my part of the country -- mid-Atlantic East Coast -- "wanker" is actually getting fairly popular. I think a lot of it has to do with the Internet exposing us to British slang. I actually prefer a lot of specifically British slang because it sounds so much edgier and nastier somehow: "wanker", "bleeder", "tosser", "snogging", "git", etc.
I was also introduced to a lot of British slang via Monty Python as a teenager: "I'd like you to meet Mr. Sniveling Little Rat-Faced Git, and his wife, Mrs. Dreary Fat Boring Old..."
Johnson
Actually, I always thought the British term "John Thomas" was a real hoot. I first heard Graham Chapman use that one in "The Meaning Of Life".
Wanker
Surely 'Wanker' has been around in the US for a while. I seem to recall Kelly LeBrock in Weird Science saying "why do you have to be such a wanker, Chet". In fairness she was from NY but raised in London so thats probably why that line was added, but come on, who can forget anything she said or did in that film!
I think I actually learned the word "Wanker" from that film.
Worried about Harry Baals?
That's what razors are for surely...
Anon for obvious reasons.
Re: Team Register
No, actually. And not me either. So there.
The populist Hoosiers are loud in their wails
And the plaques are removed with the name of Mayor Baals
And the fame of poor Harry, unmatched on this earth,
Has melted like snow in the tempests of mirth.
I think I remember Harry,...
wasn't he married to Jenny Taylor?
Think about how Ed Balls must feel
I mean, he's a potential future prime minister, isn't he?
"Say, what was your prime minister's name again?" - I can't see it somehow.
Jack Straw
I'm an old Deadhead from way back, and I have to confess that, while listening to Iraq War news in the mid '00s, I always snickered loudly every time the announcer mentioned the name of your ex-Foreign Secretary, a guy named Jack Straw.
Sorry about that.
Does Ed Balls have an ex-girlfriend....
That persists in calling him "Dead Balls"??
Ah, the possibilities....
So funny :)
"The city had thrown open the choice of moniker for its latest erection to the people"
Won't rename one building
but happy to rename the whole state to "Indianna"...
Heh, there's a town in Virginia
called Licking Hole. Seriously. We also have a Bumpass.
Gotta love this place.
Pennsylvania wins
They have a town called Intecourse, with the tourist slogan "Virginia may be for lovers, but only Pennsylvania has Intercourse." And it is in Leacock, near Blue Ball, just north of Paradise.
Bumpass may be nice...
...but you absolutely must visit Whorehouse Meadows, Oregon.
and there's a townland in Tipperary...
There's a townland in Tipperary called Hymenstown.
Title Needs Moooorrreeee Powwwerrrrr!
That was on Top Gear on BBC America last Monday, as a matter of fact.
No, Austria wins
Austria has Pennsylvania beaten by a large margin. A google image search will sort that out for you.
"please not so fast"
Sorry, you all lose
Next time you're in Canada, go visit the lovely town of Dildo, Newfoundland. It's just down the road from Goobies
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dildo,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador
Bah humbug
Crapstone, in Devon. Just try growing up in a place called Crapstone. Must be pretty much the only village in Devon not to have at least one pub.
Also: Shitterton in Dorset, and Pratts Bottom in Kent.
Travel News
And you can go from Intercourse PA to Climax MI riding freeways most of the way. I have lived in or near Fort Wayne for many years, and remember when they changed the name of one of the park roads to "Harry Baals Drive." Visitors loved it, and said it gave them a reason to respect the town when they could not think of any others.
Amateurs
Tickle Cock Bridge in Castleford. And yes, it is for exactly the reason you're thinking about.
I live there
I hate this place. The city of churches, more churches percpita thant any other city in america. It is also the city of strip clubs.
The current administration
Clearly have no Baals at all.
argh
there is a Wankum in germany in the n/west
best one i know of is a chinese restaurant on the old coast road nr Denia in Spain called... Wan-Kee-Long
genuine!
lol, re: this story, it's prolly funnier to yanks cos of their pronunciation. I remember when i was at school stateside as a kid and there was this kid called 'harry' in my class.. i remember the teacher repeatedly correcting this pronunciation in our class.
"No Todd!! (or whoever said it) his name is HARRY, not 'Hairy'... is he covered in hair?"
and we'd all roar with laughter.
lovebird
If they didn't want suggestions they shouldn't have asked. Only an idiot wouldn't have for seen the former mayor's name nominated AND the most popular. This is a teaching moment for our city. Embrace our history, of which Harry Baals was a big part of. People voted for him 4 times for a reason and I doubt if it had anything to do with his name, at least after the first election.
Coffee County, Alabama
And what would be wrong with Coffee County, Alabama? I am a resident of that county and it's a beautiful place to be! :) Don't poke fun in our direction please! Lol!
Harry's wife?
I was at a funeral yesterday and learned from a couple of ladies there that Harry's wife was named Minnie. This must be a (sub)urban legend.
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