{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/2499",
    "note": "Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it.  Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.",
    "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'"
  },
  "archive": "urth",
  "thread": {
    "id": 2499,
    "subject": "A new theory about Napoleon's hand",
    "messages": 1,
    "voices": 1,
    "first": "2000-12-09T00:23:44+00:00",
    "last": "2000-12-09T00:23:44+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<urth-v0030-0184@digest.urth.net>",
      "from": {
        "name": "William Ansley",
        "address": "wansley at warwick.net"
      },
      "date": "2000-12-09T00:23:44+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) A new theory about Napoleon's hand",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "While I hesitate to bring up this old chestnut again, I am still \nfascinated by Weer's remark about Napoleon's hand on page 2 of \n_Peace_. He remarks that he knew why Napoleon kept one hand thrust \ninto his waistcoat, but whenever he told someone the reason, \"the \ninnocent remark invariably offended.\"\n\nWhen we discussed this before, no one could think of a suitable \n\"innocent remark\" that described any of the possible reasons that \nNapoleon might have had his hand in his waistcoat that would \ninvariably offend. Perhaps the remark itself wasn't what offended but \nthe fact that Weer presented it as the one true explanation of why \nNapoleon had his hand in his waistcoat. I think if there was ever any \ngenerally agreed upon explanation of why Napoleon had his hand in his \nwaistcoat, then some memory of it would have survived to the present \nday.\n\nSo Weer is presenting an definite answer to a question asked by \npeople who think it is a question no one knows the answer to. Another \nthing that might make Weer's way of answering the question offend is \nthat he just doesn't seem to have had good \"people skills.\"\n\nI don't doubt Weer himself believed that his explanation of the \nNapoleon's hand conundrum was the correct one."
        },
        {
          "kind": "sig",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "William Ansley"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}