(urth) do the Hierogrammates *care* about the megatherians?

[Jerry Friedman]

> From: Sergei Soloviev <Sergei.Soloviev at irit.fr>

> 
> I would like to slow down the growth of one more myth - what is the source of  
>the idea
> that the number of the memebers of Politburo was 17? First of all,  the "norm" 
>changed
> several times. The first one, in 1917, had, as far as I  remember, 7 members.
> Then the number varied - from 8 (in 1920-es) to 25 (in  1970-es). That is, in 
>the
> USSR. In China, it varied as well, between 19 and  25.

Along these lines, Michael Andre-Driussi writes in LU, "The number seventeen 
alludes to the Soviet politburo, which typically had seventeen members (eleven 
to twelve full members and six to nine alternate members)."  So even based on 
that, the connection of 17 to the politburo is a good deal weaker than I thought 
from Robert Borski's article.

> To me the expression
> "group of 17" has somewhat Chinese flavour - like  "gang of four"
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_of_Four (nowadays there is  also a rock 
group
> with this name).

(Formed in 1977, says Wikipedia, and now performing again.)

Jerry Friedman