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                                                                                            copyright © 2002 by Robert L. Blau

    "Hello, yes?"
    "Ah, good morning!  This is Phil calling from Amalgamated Whistle Systems.  To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?"
    "Good morning, Phil.  This is Damian.  What can I do for you?"
    "It's about that order of yours.  The one for three million blast furnaces."
    "Too many?" asked Damian. "If you can't fill the order, we'll understand.  How many can you deliver?"
    "Oh, no, no!  It isn't that," replied Phil quickly. "We can deliver the three million.  It's your company name."
    "Our name?  What about it?"
    "'Terrors of Hell, Inc.?'" ventured Phil hesitantly. "Is that correct?"
    "Yes, it is," said Damian. "Anything wrong with that?"
    "That's what I'm calling to find out.  You see, we have a legal obligation not to sell to terrorists."
    "Oh, we're not terrorists," laughed Damian. "Where would you get that idea?"
    "We look for certain tell-tale words in company names," Phil explained. "Like 'bomb' and 'al-Qaeda' and 'Death to the United States.'  Or, in your case, 'terror.'  If we see one of those words, we have to verify with the customer that they're not terrorists.  A few weeks ago, a company calling itself 'Al Kayeda' attempted to order some thermonuclear devices, but our software checks for variant spellings and kicked it out."
    "Gee, you sure seem to sell a wide range of goods," marveled Damian.
    "Yeah, we sell a heck of a lot more than whistle systems, whatever they are.  But back to the subject.  If you aren't terrorists, what do you do?"
    "Oh, we just torture damned souls," Damian replied. "It's all very legal and above board.  Well, below board, but still legal."
    "And what do you plan to use the blast furnaces for?"
    "Oh, garden variety torture," said Damian. "Maybe a little climate control."
    "Well, that's a relief," said Phil. "Wouldn't want to sell to terrorists."