The rules for DFDF, a small German filk convention, include the
following: "Das Committee ist berechtigt, waehrend der Veranstaltung
Taschenkontrollen durchzufuehren." Their own translation is "The
Committee is authorized to check the attendees bags during the convention."

Has anyone heard of other cons having a similar rule? "Taschenkontrolle"
is an uncommon word in German, meaning "check" in the sense of "search,"
not merely in the sense of leaving one's bags at a holding facility.

This is a small convention (probably less than 50 people) run by friends
whom I highly trust, so it's not a deal-killer, but for most cons it
would dissuade me from attending.

--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com

On Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 12:56:18 PM UTC-5, Gary McGath wrote:
> The rules for DFDF, a small German filk convention, include the
> following: "Das Committee ist berechtigt, waehrend der Veranstaltung
> Taschenkontrollen durchzufuehren." Their own translation is "The
> Committee is authorized to check the attendees bags during the convention."
>
> Has anyone heard of other cons having a similar rule? "Taschenkontrolle"
> is an uncommon word in German, meaning "check" in the sense of "search,"
> not merely in the sense of leaving one's bags at a holding facility.
>
> This is a small convention (probably less than 50 people) run by friends
> whom I highly trust, so it's not a deal-killer, but for most cons it
> would dissuade me from attending.

That's a new one on me. Most big cons are at hotels, which don't require it.

Perhaps they did this at some British Cons during The Troubles - there were
bag checks at all kinds of venues then.

pt

Peter Trei <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote in
news:a900c8aa-7dd9-4505-81bf-aa39a2a0bbden@googlegroups.com:

> On Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 12:56:18 PM UTC-5, Gary McGath
> wrote:
>> The rules for DFDF, a small German filk convention, include the
>> following: "Das Committee ist berechtigt, waehrend der
>> Veranstaltung Taschenkontrollen durchzufuehren." Their own
>> translation is "The Committee is authorized to check the
>> attendees bags during the convention."
>>
>> Has anyone heard of other cons having a similar rule?
>> "Taschenkontrolle" is an uncommon word in German, meaning
>> "check" in the sense of "search," not merely in the sense of
>> leaving one's bags at a holding facility.
>>
>> This is a small convention (probably less than 50 people) run
>> by friends whom I highly trust, so it's not a deal-killer, but
>> for most cons it would dissuade me from attending.
>
> That's a new one on me. Most big cons are at hotels, which
> don't require it.
>
> Perhaps they did this at some British Cons during The Troubles -
> there were bag checks at all kinds of venues then.
>
Comic Con San Diego got picky about costumes that included realistic
looking weaponry (Stargate was popular at the time, and swords are
always popular), but they didn't search bags that I recall. (Of
course, it's been over a decade since I attended, and things may have
changed. On the other hand, they hire bonded professional security,
so it's easier to not freak out over it.)

--
Terry Austin

Proof that Alan Baker is a liar and a fool, and even stupider than
Lynn:
https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/sw-border-migration
(May 2019 total for people arrested for entering the United States
illegally is over 132,000 for just the southwest border.)

Vacation photos from Iceland:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/QaXQkB

On Tue, 11 Jan 2022 12:56:15 -0500, Gary McGath
<garym@REMOVEmcgathREMOVE.com> wrote:

>The rules for DFDF, a small German filk convention, include the
>following: "Das Committee ist berechtigt, waehrend der Veranstaltung
>Taschenkontrollen durchzufuehren." Their own translation is "The
>Committee is authorized to check the attendees bags during the convention."
>
>Has anyone heard of other cons having a similar rule? "Taschenkontrolle"
>is an uncommon word in German, meaning "check" in the sense of "search,"
>not merely in the sense of leaving one's bags at a holding facility.
>
>This is a small convention (probably less than 50 people) run by friends
>whom I highly trust, so it's not a deal-killer, but for most cons it
>would dissuade me from attending.

I don't know about conventions, but museums, and similar ventures, do
it all the time. IME the search is rather cursory, open your bag and
let the guard look into it.
--

Qualified immuninity = virtual impunity.

Tim Merrigan

--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

On 1/11/22 1:43 PM, Peter Trei wrote:

>> This is a small convention (probably less than 50 people) run by friends
>> whom I highly trust, so it's not a deal-killer, but for most cons it
>> would dissuade me from attending.
>
> That's a new one on me. Most big cons are at hotels, which don't require it.
>
> Perhaps they did this at some British Cons during The Troubles - there were
> bag checks at all kinds of venues then.

One of the con organizers told me it's a fairly common thing in Germany,
and they put the clause in to satisfy the lawyers.

--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com

In article <s5rrtgpnk5p3tu119ifradmb4c551quhqd@4ax.com>,
Tim Merrigan <tppm@ca.rr.com> wrote:
>On Tue, 11 Jan 2022 12:56:15 -0500, Gary McGath
><garym@REMOVEmcgathREMOVE.com> wrote:
>
>>The rules for DFDF, a small German filk convention, include the
>>following: "Das Committee ist berechtigt, waehrend der Veranstaltung
>>Taschenkontrollen durchzufuehren." Their own translation is "The
>>Committee is authorized to check the attendees bags during the convention."
>>
>>Has anyone heard of other cons having a similar rule? "Taschenkontrolle"
>>is an uncommon word in German, meaning "check" in the sense of "search,"
>>not merely in the sense of leaving one's bags at a holding facility.
>>
>>This is a small convention (probably less than 50 people) run by friends
>>whom I highly trust, so it's not a deal-killer, but for most cons it
>>would dissuade me from attending.
>
>I don't know about conventions, but museums, and similar ventures, do
>it all the time. IME the search is rather cursory, open your bag and
>let the guard look into it.

Disneyland/World does the same. I understand they confiscate
many more selfie sticks than weaponry.

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/

On 1/11/22 5:38 PM, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:

>> I don't know about conventions, but museums, and similar ventures, do
>> it all the time. IME the search is rather cursory, open your bag and
>> let the guard look into it.
>
> Disneyland/World does the same. I understand they confiscate
> many more selfie sticks than weaponry.
>

As does Regal Cinema. The most popular explanation is they're looking
for food that people sneak in.

--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com

Gary McGath <garym@REMOVEmcgathREMOVE.com> wrote in
news:srl8lp$ca9$1@dont-email.me:

> On 1/11/22 5:38 PM, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
>
>>> I don't know about conventions, but museums, and similar
>>> ventures, do it all the time. IME the search is rather
>>> cursory, open your bag and let the guard look into it.
>>
>> Disneyland/World does the same. I understand they confiscate
>> many more selfie sticks than weaponry.
>>
>
> As does Regal Cinema. The most popular explanation is they're
> looking for food that people sneak in.
>
Given that pretty much all their income is from the concession stand,
I suspect that really is the reason.

--
Terry Austin

Proof that Alan Baker is a liar and a fool, and even stupider than
Lynn:
https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/sw-border-migration
(May 2019 total for people arrested for entering the United States
illegally is over 132,000 for just the southwest border.)

Vacation photos from Iceland:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/QaXQkB

On Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 5:40:19 PM UTC-5, Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
> In article <s5rrtgpnk5p3tu119...@4ax.com>,
> Tim Merrigan <tp...@ca.rr.com> wrote:
> >On Tue, 11 Jan 2022 12:56:15 -0500, Gary McGath
> ><ga...@REMOVEmcgathREMOVE.com> wrote:
> >
> >>The rules for DFDF, a small German filk convention, include the
> >>following: "Das Committee ist berechtigt, waehrend der Veranstaltung
> >>Taschenkontrollen durchzufuehren." Their own translation is "The
> >>Committee is authorized to check the attendees bags during the convention."
> >>
> >>Has anyone heard of other cons having a similar rule? "Taschenkontrolle"
> >>is an uncommon word in German, meaning "check" in the sense of "search,"
> >>not merely in the sense of leaving one's bags at a holding facility.
> >>
> >>This is a small convention (probably less than 50 people) run by friends
> >>whom I highly trust, so it's not a deal-killer, but for most cons it
> >>would dissuade me from attending.
> >
> >I don't know about conventions, but museums, and similar ventures, do
> >it all the time. IME the search is rather cursory, open your bag and
> >let the guard look into it.
> Disneyland/World does the same. I understand they confiscate
> many more selfie sticks than weaponry.

Watched them doing this last time I was there. Noted that they made
zero effort to check the undercarriage and void spaces of the mobility
scooters a large number of people used. Security Theater strikes again.

Pt

Gary McGath <garym@REMOVEmcgathREMOVE.com> wrote:
>As does Regal Cinema. The most popular explanation is they're looking
>for food that people sneak in.

I'm not surprised.

Maybe if they'd actually use butter on their popcorn...
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On another aspect of convention rules: I've noticed lately that more
conventions have rules saying "the right not to be harassed doesn't mean
the right not to be offended," in contrast with the widespread rules of
just a few years ago saying, in effect, "Saying anything somebody
doesn't like is harassment." There's still a lot of the latter, but
there's more of the former.

I've never been in the middle of battles over convention rules, so I
can't claim any great credit, but I'd like to think I've helped a little
in pushing things that way.

--
Gary McGath http://www.mcgath.com

On Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 6:30:17 AM UTC-5, Paul Dormer wrote:
> In article <srn8k2$bcr$1...@panix2.panix.com>, klu...@panix.com (Scott
> Dorsey) wrote:
>
> >
> > Maybe if they'd actually use butter on their popcorn...
> I was amused to discover Americans don't like fruit cake.

My older sister makes delicious fruitcake, though the annual gift of one
has apparently been cancelled by COVID-19. My mother made them
when we were kids. Good fruitcake gets a bad reputation from poorly made,
or often just poorly-stored/shipped commercial versions.

> But they like popcorn! Odd.
>

We USians got popcorn from the folks living here before we white-eyes showed up.

[quote]

......but it wasn’t until 2012 that archaeologists unearthed the first evidence of
popcorn in Peru: 6,700-year-old corn cobs studded with puffed kernels.

[/quote] - https://www.seriouseats.com/popcorn-history-movie-theaters

See also:

https://www.history.com/news/a-history-of-popcorn

Popcorn and the potato! Gracias, Peru!
> Lynne Murphy on her Separated by a Common Language blog discussed
> differences in cakes between the UK and the US recently.
>
> https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2021/12/cake.html

I enjoyed that. Thanks.

--
Kevin R

In article <memo.20220113113015.13008A@pauldormer.cix.co.uk>,
Paul Dormer <prd@pauldormer.cix.co.uk> wrote:
>In article <srn8k2$bcr$1@panix2.panix.com>, kludge@panix.com (Scott
>Dorsey) wrote:
>
>>
>> Maybe if they'd actually use butter on their popcorn...
>
>I was amused to discover Americans don't like fruit cake. But they like
>popcorn! Odd.

Depends on the fruit cake. I have a recipe for fruit cake (which
when sliced looks like stained glass), that once got me a
proposal of marriage.

Mind you, I was already married, and he knew it, and Hal was
standing right there. But it was a gratifying flight of oratory.

(The recipe appears at the end of _The Interior Life_ on my
webpage.)
>
>https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2021/12/cake.html

Ooooh. I did not know this site existed. Bookmarked for further
explanation.

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/

Gary McGath <garym@REMOVEmcgathREMOVE.com> wrote in
news:srp9ke$ogq$1@dont-email.me:

> On another aspect of convention rules: I've noticed lately that
> more conventions have rules saying "the right not to be harassed
> doesn't mean the right not to be offended," in contrast with the
> widespread rules of just a few years ago saying, in effect,
> "Saying anything somebody doesn't like is harassment." There's
> still a lot of the latter, but there's more of the former.

The latter is a two edged sword. Taken to enough of an extreme, and
you can complain that you don't like that someone complained about
you. And some of the codes of conduct are so poorly written that that
would be the only logical interpretation.

--
Terry Austin

Proof that Alan Baker is a liar and a fool, and even stupider than
Lynn:
https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/sw-border-migration
(May 2019 total for people arrested for entering the United States
illegally is over 132,000 for just the southwest border.)

Vacation photos from Iceland:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/collection/QaXQkB

On Thu, 13 Jan 2022 11:30 +0000 (GMT Standard Time),
prd@pauldormer.cix.co.uk (Paul Dormer) wrote:

>In article <srn8k2$bcr$1@panix2.panix.com>, kludge@panix.com (Scott
>Dorsey) wrote:
>
>>
>> Maybe if they'd actually use butter on their popcorn...
>
>I was amused to discover Americans don't like fruit cake. But they like
>popcorn! Odd.
>
>Lynne Murphy on her Separated by a Common Language blog discussed
>differences in cakes between the UK and the US recently.
>
>https://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.com/2021/12/cake.html

If you have comment privileges there, you might respond to:

There's the one set by gelatin (or vegetarian alternatives) that is
traditional at parties served with ice cream (known as jello in the
US, I believe).

That Jello is a trademarked brand, and the generic is gelatin.
--

Qualified immuninity = virtual impunity.

Tim Merrigan

--
This email has been checked for viruses by AVG.
https://www.avg.com

Kevrob <kevrob@my-deja.com> wrote:
> On Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 6:30:17 AM UTC-5, Paul Dormer wrote:
>> In article <srn8k2$bcr$1...@panix2.panix.com>, klu...@panix.com (Scott
>> Dorsey) wrote:
>>
>> >
>> > Maybe if they'd actually use butter on their popcorn...
>> I was amused to discover Americans don't like fruit cake.
>
> My older sister makes delicious fruitcake, though the annual gift of one
> has apparently been cancelled by COVID-19. My mother made them
> when we were kids. Good fruitcake gets a bad reputation from poorly made,
> or often just poorly-stored/shipped commercial versions.

I dearly love American-style fruitcake, but there are some incredibly poor
quality examples sold out there.
We like this one, although it's pricy compared to the (ugh) "Walmart special":
https://collinstreet.com/deluxe-fruitcake
You don't hit "wheat flour" until the fourth ingredient. The top ingredient
is pecans (27%). We're infusing one with rum right now.
Of course it's a bit like beer...better quality only gets you so far. If you
don't like it, you don't like it.

Robert
--
Robert K. Shull Email: rkshull at rosettacon dot com

On Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 12:28:40 PM UTC-5, Paul Dormer wrote:
> In article <65c9e759-cc79-438e...@googlegroups.com>,
> kev...@my-deja.com (Kevrob) wrote:
>
> >
> > My older sister makes delicious fruitcake, though the annual gift of
> > one has apparently been cancelled by COVID-19. My mother made them
> > when we were kids. Good fruitcake gets a bad reputation from
> > poorly made, or often just poorly-stored/shipped commercial versions.
> My mother used to make a good Christmas cake and now my sister does. As
> I couldn't get to visit her this Christmas she sent a sample along with
> my Christmas present. And then the Royal Mail messed things up. Someone
> got the From address and the To address confused and Guildford sorting
> office sent it back to Corbridge, where she lives. It did finally get to
> me, and before Christmas.

In our Irish-descended family, the fruitcake is likely a remnant of the
Christmas cake tradition. The awful ones are infamous in song and
story.

https://mudcat.org/@displaysong.cfm?SongID=3991

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al1n1s3n8-U&ab_channel=MickMoloneyandEugeneO%27Donnell-Topic

--
Kevin R

In article <srpmst$2pa3$1@memoryalpha.rosettacon.com>,
<rkshullat@rosettacondot.com> wrote:
>Kevrob <kevrob@my-deja.com> wrote:
>> On Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 6:30:17 AM UTC-5, Paul Dormer wrote:
>>> In article <srn8k2$bcr$1...@panix2.panix.com>, klu...@panix.com (Scott
>>> Dorsey) wrote:
>>>
>>> >
>>> > Maybe if they'd actually use butter on their popcorn...
>>> I was amused to discover Americans don't like fruit cake.
>>
>> My older sister makes delicious fruitcake, though the annual gift of one
>> has apparently been cancelled by COVID-19. My mother made them
>> when we were kids. Good fruitcake gets a bad reputation from poorly made,
>> or often just poorly-stored/shipped commercial versions.
>
>I dearly love American-style fruitcake, but there are some incredibly poor
>quality examples sold out there.
>We like this one, although it's pricy compared to the (ugh) "Walmart special":
>https://collinstreet.com/deluxe-fruitcake
>You don't hit "wheat flour" until the fourth ingredient. The top ingredient
>is pecans (27%). We're infusing one with rum right now.
>Of course it's a bit like beer...better quality only gets you so far. If you
>don't like it, you don't like it.
>
Well, depending how you put them together, the wheat flour is
*tenth* on my list. This is if you list all the candied fruit
and nuts before starting in on the butter, sugar, and eggs.

--
Dorothy J. Heydt
Vallejo, California
djheydt at gmail dot com
Www.kithrup.com/~djheydt/