HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: zjsg12@hou.amoco.com (Jeffry S. Gracey)
Newsgroups: soc.couples
Subject: Re: Engagement Rings (Where to buy)
Date: 16 Oct 92 17:50:36 GMT
Reply-To: zjsg12@gsb.hou.amoco.com
Organization: Amoco

>Clarity.  Diamonds have little marks in them.  The higher the
>grade the fewer and smaller the marks.  My jeweler referred to
>this as "how much pepper is in the diamond".  I don't recall the
>official classification for this aspect.  To be honest, the

>effect of this was much less apparent to me than the colour.  Of
>course, he didn't have any really bad diamonds on display...

It's called Inclusion. There are several classifications:

        I = Included    (Lots of pepper)
	SI = Slightly included
	VSI = Very Slightly Included
	VVSI = Very Very Slightly Included (Almost No pepper)

Don't buy from anyone who doesn't use this scale. Some stores make there
own scales and my experience has been that they are attampting to deceive
the buyer. All appraisers and honest jewelers use this

Within each classification there are also numbers (i.e. - I1 is less included	
than I2, etc.)

You can tell a difference to the eye between I and SI, but beyond that you
need a microscope to tell. SI diamonds appear much clearer and sharper to 
the eye than I which are cloudy and flat. You can see it (I could and if I
can anyone can). If money is important to you I wouldn't waste it on anything 
more than an SI diamond, though. You can always upgrade at a later date if you 
desire. 




________________________________________________________________________
 _______
|   |   |  Gig 'Em Aggies !! Class 0f 91. Once an Aggie, always an Aggie
    |      -------------------------------------------------------------
    |      Jeff S. Gracey        E-MAIL ADDRESS zjsg12@gsb.hou.amoco.com
    |      Amoco Production Co.
  A | M    Houston, Texas
   ---
________________________________________________________________________
Newsgroups: soc.couples
From: mrawson@deimos.ucc.umass.edu (MARK A RAWSON)
Subject: Re: Birthday Present
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 19:29:00 GMT

In article <1b1s20INNo9k@oak45.doc.ic.ac.uk>, cs5@doc.ic.ac.uk (Nick) writes...
> 
>You seem like a very helpful lot. Perhaps you could help...
>My girlfriend's birthday is coming up soon. Sure, I'd love to take her out to a
>romantic dinner and all that but she lives thousands of miles away (sigh!). I
>had a dozen roses delivered to her last year so she'll be expecting something 
>else this year! Any suggessions? The wilder, the better!
>--
>Nick

Dear Nick

Why not send over a bear or something like that from one of those singing 
telegrams.  That should be different.  It is hard when someone is thousands
of miles away.  You could also send a present via federal express with a
card saying how sad you are that you will not be there for another birthday.

I hope I could help...

Mark
IRC Omegaman
Newsgroups: soc.couples
From: wcaceres@lonestar.utsa.edu (Wendy K. Caceres)
Subject: Re: children
Organization: University of Texas at San Antonio
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 03:52:35 GMT

In article <aTXJsB1w165w@waffle.sns.com> knute@waffle.sns.com (Thomas Knutson) writes:
>
>I never thought about having kids - or not having them.
>but looking back at it - I don't know what I'd do with out them.
>Kids have tought me a LOT about life that I could not have learned
>from any other source !!
>
>
hear hear!  when i got pregnant, it was not planned, but it seemed
completely natural to keep the child and marry the dad and all that
regular stuff.  it wasn't something we anguished over it was just
something we did and it worked out terrific!

to the folks who didn't understand why anyone would want kids -- i
didn't really think i wanted them either.  the older i get, the more
i think there are some things that we shouldn't intellectualize too much
because we can't understand them anyway.  i had kids because i had kids.
i can't imagine my life having gone any differently, and i certainly
can't imagine things being much better than they are right now.
wendy (no sig)



Newsgroups: soc.couples
From: kapa@cbnewsc.cb.att.com (k.a.perkins)
Subject: Re: Procreation?
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 02:59:26 GMT
Summary: that's not equal parenting

In article <1992Oct11.185724.6922@infonode.ingr.com>, greg@cherokee.b23b.ingr.com (Greg Moritz) writes:
> I was having a bit of a chat with my sister recently.  I was saying that
> in my social circle, most men were not particularly interested in having
> kids, and the ones who had them, had them (in part) due to the insistence
> of the woman.  However, my sister said that most of her friends who had
> kids had them at the insistence of their husbands.  Furthermore, those
> men were happy to take care of the kids (all aspects) anytime that they
> were home and available to do so (suprising).

I wonder how that sentence would read if you said that the mothers were
happy to take care of the kids anytime that they were home and available
to do so.

While it is commendable that these men take care of
their kids during their free time, it's only commendable by comparison
to scumbags who don't do even that.  These aren't just the women's
children, they are also the men's children, and it's their job to take
care of them, too.

Newsgroups: soc.couples
From: sheehan@pagosa.scd.ucar.edu (Tim Sheehan)
Subject: Re: Procreation?
Organization: NCAR/UCAR
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 17:05:41 GMT

In article <1992Oct11.185724.6922@infonode.ingr.com>, greg@cherokee.b23b.ingr.com (Greg Moritz) writes:
> just that I don't.   I could see myself participating in a big brother
> type of thing, 

Being a big brother is a great way to help the next generation without
having children of your own.

>but if I can avoid it, I would like never to have one of
          ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^    
> my own.

"Avoiding it" is quite simple :).

> 
> My feelings have been described as immaturity by some, but I'd like to
> feel that I am not alone here.  Others say that I will someday change my
> mind, but they have been telling me that since I was 20 (thirteen years
> ago).

It seems to me that insisting that there is something wrong with
you because you don't have these feelings is immature. People are
different with different drives and needs, including when it comes
to having children.

It would be immature to bend to the pressures of those that say
you should have children when you don't feel a need to. This world
is crowded already and if someone chooses not to have children, we
all benefit.

Personally, I love children. I don't know if I will ever have any
of my own. It may happen, it may not. I do hope to get involved with
kids one way or another when I finish my education, though.

-- 
-Tim-

sheehan@ncar.ucar.edu
Organization: Queen's University at Kingston
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 22:17:02 EDT
From: K. Roper <ROPERK@QUCDN.QueensU.CA>
Newsgroups: soc.couples
Subject: Re: Wedding anniversary
 <1992Oct6.192544.21411@eff.org>

1) Cookies!!!!

2) A chauffeur, as in, "The limosine awaits, madam".  Hire a limo and
    driver and pick her up at work for an evening of fun, fun, FUN!

3) An ice cream cake and a towel (use your imagination).

4) Satin sheets (or if she's like me and has "thin blood", nice fuzzy
     flannelette sheets).

Kim
From: costello@cs.umd.edu (Lisa A. Costello)
Newsgroups: soc.couples
Subject: Re: Procreation?
Date: 12 Oct 92 17:29:25 GMT
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742

In article <1992Oct11.185724.6922@infonode.ingr.com> greg@cherokee.b23b.ingr.com (Greg Moritz) writes:
> [stuff deleted]
>Also, on a related note, are there many folks out there who don't desire
>children ... ever?  I just don't understand the instinct to have one (or
>more).  I realize people *do* have that instinct.  I accept that.  It's
>just that I don't.   I could see myself participating in a big brother
>type of thing, but if I can avoid it, I would like never to have one of
>my own.
>

Yes, Greg, there are others in the world like you.  Me, for instance. :)
I have never wanted children, and was always told I would grow out of it.
So much for that theory; I had my tubes tied last year at the age of 29.

I was lucky enough to find a man who felt like I did about having kids,  
and I married him.  I, too, envision myself as "big sister", in my case
to my friends' kids, since almost all of my friends are having them.

Don't feel alone, and don't let people try to talk you out of your beliefs.
The worst thing you (or I) could do is to have kids when we don't want
them.  Why add more miserable kids to the world?

Lisa
From: jclark@sdcc3.ucsd.edu (John Clark)
Newsgroups: soc.couples
Subject: Re: Interfaith marriages????
Date: 12 Oct 92 22:41:01 GMT
Organization: University of California, San Diego

In article <1ba3tgINNoom@agate.berkeley.edu> jbuck@forney.berkeley.edu (Joe Buck) writes:
+In article <92284.135543IK20050@MAINE.MAINE.EDU> <IK20050@MAINE.MAINE.EDU> writes:
+>hi!
+>I was wondering of all you netters out there....
+>Do interfaith marriages work?  (I mean, between different
+
+more important than similar denominations.  For more devout people, the
+problem depends on how different the two branches of of Christianity are;
+some are only slightly different (e.g. Catholic and Episcopalian), some

Uh, which 'Catholic' Eastern or Western...

+are radically different (your typical liberal mainline Protestant vs
+strict fundamentalist).  You also need to talk about how you will raise
+the children; sometimes interfaith marriages sail along fine until the
+issue of which faith the child is brought up with rears its ugly head.
+
+>What if your spouse is intolerant of any religion but his own, and
+>bashes your church and refuses to allow you to attend it?  What do
+>you do then?

It's probably to late but this sort of stuff should have been worked
out before hand. On the otherhand, if one 'suffers' a conversion
midstream, the parties usually find either a compromise or divorce.
In some instances the 'divorce' disallows the parties or one of the
parties from remarrying and so is even more of a catastrophy than
just the separation brings. This of course is one of the 'primary'
reasons why religion should not be taken so seriously, at least for
the minute details of human relationships.

In the good old days the situation would have been handled by
declaring one of the parties a heretic and there by voiding the
marriage (the heretic often being handed over to the secular
authorities for execution). In these modern enlightened times
however, one must deal with the anathema party's continued existence
and possible objection to the beliefs of the other. All is 'well' if
both parties recognize the 'separate but equal' paths to the
eventual happy hunting grounds. All hell breaks loose if there is no
such recognition.

Gawd hasn't been inclined to write things in stone or strike people
dead and so it has been difficult these past 2000 years to determine
whether this or that branch of X-ian belief is the 'true and
correct' narrow path to salvation or which is the 'broad road' to
distruction. And then there's the problem of the rest of the world.
What's god to do with those 'heathen' that never heard the 'plan' or
even those whan-a-be's that find religious solis in verious forms
non-Judao-X-ian belief systems.
-- 

John Clark
jclark@ucsd.edu
Newsgroups: soc.couples
From: hudel@waterloo.hp.com (Chris Hudel)
Subject: Re: Couple seeking couple for fun times
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 12:47:39 GMT
Organization: Hewlett Packard (Panacom Division)
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1.4 PL6]

7011_5620@uwovax.uwo.ca wrote:
: I'm looking for a couple to spend some interesting moments with me and my
: girlfriend.I'm 24 and my girl friend is 19.Call Jim at (519) 439-1652
:
Ummm, what exactly do you mean by "interesting moments"?
--
                                                         Chris Hudel
business: hudel@waterloo.hp.com                         519/883-3080
pleasure: chudel@watarts.waterloo.edu             
(Pleasure forwards to business...)       - all comments are mine, not HP's - 
Newsgroups: soc.couples
From: J074870@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM
Subject: Re: 12 [Question] How many of you let your partner ...
Organization: Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc.
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 92 21:02:32 GMT

------------------------- Original Article -------------------------
A situation has just cropped up in my relationship and I was looking for
some feedback.

Q. How many of you are happy to let your partner go out alone with a previous
   partner?

A. If you can't trust her....You have nothing going for you in the first place.
   My wife is still in touch with old boy friends...There is that primal ' ugh.
..my woman' thought but you just have to learn to deal with it.  If she was
   going to cheat on you, she would not have told you.

   Hang in there man, you might find she will like you better for it.
   Matt
Newsgroups: soc.couples
From: knute@waffle.sns.com (Thomas Knutson)
Subject: children
Organization: Systems'n'Software, Fremont, CA  94539-6669
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 92 15:03:57 PDT


I never thought about having kids - or not having them.
but looking back at it - I don't know what I'd do with out them.
Kids have tought me a LOT about life that I could not have learned
from any other source !!


----
knute@waffle.sns.com  (Thomas Knutson)
Systems'n'Software Free Public Access BBS --- (510)623-8652
From: rfelix@netcom.com (Robbie Felix)
Newsgroups: soc.couples
Subject: Wedding "parties"
Date: 16 Oct 92 15:40:46 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

I am getting married in February. We are confined to 75 guests for the
wedding because the site we chose has a strict limit. I am actually
somewhat grateful for a limit because I would like to keep the wedding
size manageable !

I work in a department of about 11 people. I socialize with about half
of the group outside of work. I cannot invite the whole department (
they would be 22 people with a guest each and my whole "allottment is
only 37 people) because of the strict limit. I hate to invite half and
leave out the other half though!

I am thinking of having a luncheon at my house for my department to
celebrate the marriage with me and my fiance. I would make it clear
that it is absolutely NOT a solicitation for gifts but that because I
had to the limit the wedding size so severly ( and because I consider
them all my friends) I wanted an oportunity to celebrate with them.

I wonder if anyone has done anything like this or how people deal with
this problem. I really hate to hurt anyone's feelings and feel that
there must be someway to include them without inviting them to the wedding.

Any ideas, suggestions, experience or comments on my idea?

rf
From: scottk@cs.umd.edu (Scott King Walker)
Newsgroups: soc.couples
Subject: Karla Helps with a present
Date: 10 Oct 92 22:10:34 GMT
Organization: U of Maryland, Dept. of Computer Science, Coll. Pk., MD 20742

In article <1992Oct10.183340.6364@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> bwwoodco@nyx.cs.du.edu (bryan woodcock) writes:
[ Bryan asks for a GOOD present for his girlfriend, on a limited budget.]

First, it is not the present itself as much as it is the thought that
counts... however in our society it is not very easy to give something
without spending ANYTHING.  Let me suppose for the moment that you will
spend SOMETHING, and will find the money somewhere.

I would reccomend something that will become more special every time that
your girlfriend sees it, and something that will stay around long enough
to be seen a lot of times.  Towards the end of August, my girlfriend got
ME something very special, and perhaps this would work for you all.

It is a gold (colored) bracelet with her initials engraved on it.  She
had a similar (more feminine) one engraved for herself with my initials.
This immediately became very special to me.  

At first, it was just very special... now, it is a part of me.  Two weeks
ago when I found out by a phone call that Karla had died, I put the
bracelet back on.  It hasn't come off since.  I was able to see that the
other half of the set was buried with her, and it has been of comfort
to me knowing that she still has it.

If this present doesn't seem appropriate right now, keep it in mind for
the future.  It is wonderful to feel that you have a tangible manifestation
of the love that someone feels for you.

>I really love this girl, and I want to surprise her, please please help
>me!!!!!
>
>Bryan wayne Woodcock

Bryan, Beleive me, I know how you feel.

Sad, and happy at the same time,
Scott King Walker

$----------------------------------------------------------------@
The Name is King, but "Your Majesty" will do just fine, thank you!
Scott King Walker  <--  scottk@cs.umd.edu  <--  scottk@eng.umd.edu
Blessed Be the World.  Merry Meet,  Merry Part,  Merry Meet Again. 
And just WHO is this "Merry" person anyway?  Blessed Be the Earth.
#----------------------------------------------------------------!
Newsgroups: soc.couples
From: ilana@kiowa.scd.ucar.edu (Ilana Stern)
Subject: Re: [Question] How many of you let your partner ...
Organization: NCAR/UCAR
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 20:05:49 GMT

[I have followed up to only soc.couples because I think that is the
most appropriate place for it.]

In article <1992Oct16.090908.19088@gdr.bath.ac.uk>, ccsmh@gdr.bath.ac.uk (Mark Harding) writes:

> A situation has just cropped up in my relationship and I was looking for
> some feedback.
> 
> Q. How many of you are happy to let your partner go out alone with a previous
>    partner? 

I am glad that you recognize that "let" is not an appropriate word in a
relationship:
 
>My own initial reaction was No. Then I thought about it and decided that I
>couldn't object - I trust Julie; It's not my place to tell her who she can see;

Whether you are "happy" about it is another matter!

> ... So I said I didn't
> mind but that I was concerned about his motives. Should I suggest the three of
> us go out? Am I wrong to not want my girlfriend to be in an intimate situation
> with another man, especially a past boyfriend?

You said that you trust her.  Now, believe in that trust.  She and her ex
are still friends, and can have a friendly exchange and conversation with
no intimate overtones;  if you are not a friend of his as well, why invite
yourself along just to be a fifth (third?) wheel and make them uncomfortable?  

> I was a bit upset about this but didn't say anything.

It's understandable to feel a bit miffed, but you don't have the right,
really to object, nor the reason to (unless they go out together often!)

I am still on good terms with my most-recently ex-boyfriend (we broke
up 3 years ago) and see him occasionally because we live in the same
city.  My husband theatrically grumbles a bit, but he knows that my ex and 
I are just friends, as we were before we dated.

-- 
/\     It's not denial.  I'm just very selective about the reality I accept.
  \_][ <--NCAR Ilana Stern dod#009 r.b. cliff swallow ilana@ncar.ucar.edu    
      \______________________________________________________________________
From: peri@cco.caltech.edu (Michal Leah Peri)
Newsgroups: soc.couples
Subject: Re: Birthday Present
Date: 8 Oct 1992 19:26:27 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena
NNTP-Posting-Host: sandman.caltech.edu

cs5@doc.ic.ac.uk (Nick) writes:


>You seem like a very helpful lot. Perhaps you could help...
>My girlfriend's birthday is coming up soon. Sure, I'd love to take her out to a
>romantic dinner and all that but she lives thousands of miles away (sigh!). I
>had a dozen roses delivered to her last year so she'll be expecting something 
>else this year! Any suggessions? The wilder, the better!

OK, he're a wild idea:  There's a place in Pasadena called Burrito
Express that will express-mail fresh-frozen burritos anywhere in the US.
I bet *that* would surprize her.

Their phone number is (818)798-0844.

Mucho gusto!
						--  Michal


						
Newsgroups: soc.history
From: cb@tamarack13.timbuk (Chris Brewster)
Subject: Re: Thomas Jefferson?
In-reply-to: cramer@optilink.UUCP's message of 6 Oct 92 18:47:44 GMT
Organization: pubs
Date: 7 Oct 92 12:29:53 CDT

Clayton Cramer writes:

   If I refer to "a thousand points of light,"
   no one will consider that I am plagiarizing George Bush.  
   (Where the heck did he get this phrase?)
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

From Peggy Noonan.

Chris Brewster
cb@cray.com
From: patrick@cs.arizona.edu (Patrick T. Homer)
Newsgroups: soc.history
Subject: pre-WWI book opinion sought
Date: 16 Oct 92 19:29:19 GMT
Distribution: usa


While browsing in the local B. Dalton's last weekend, I came across the
book:
	Dreadnought
	by Robert K. Massie
There was also a sub-title, but I don't remember that precisely.  From
the book cover, it's subject matter is the events leading up to WWI, 
mostly among the British and the Germans.  As this was an area I know
next-to-nothing about, I was intrigued.  However, before shelling out
the bucks for the book, I thought I'd tap the net's wisdom about this.
Has anyone read the book?  How accurate is it?  Is it easy/difficult to
read?

Thanks!!

	Patrick Homer
	Ph.D. student
	Computer Science
	U. of Arizona
	patrick@cs.arizona.edu
From: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Newsgroups: soc.history
Subject: Re: Books on Chinese science & technology (was: World Culture . . .)
Date: 15 Oct 92 15:39:44 GMT
Reply-To: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Organization: COMANDOS Project, Glesga Yoonie

reiher@ficus.cs.ucla.edu (Peter Reiher) wrote:
> About five or six years ago, I heard about a series of scholarly books
> examining in detail the progress of science and technology in China
> throughout its history.  As I remember it, the books were written by
> a single Western (possibly American) author.  Does anyone know the titles
> and the author?  Thanks.

Joseph Needham: Science and Civilisation in China (several zillion
volumes).  Cambridge University Press (also available in pirated editions
in Taiwan if you know where to look).  He's English; the last few volumes
have been with a Chinese collaborator.  He's about 90 now and shows no sign
of slowing down; it's an amazing achievement.  He's written a couple of
dozen other books including a standard history of embryology.  I think
Scientific American has occasionally printed reviews or spinoff articles
of his work.

-- 
--  Jack Campin    room G092, Computing Science Department, Glasgow University,
17 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ, Scotland   TEL: 041 339 8855 x6854 (work)
INTERNET: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk or via nsfnet-relay.ac.uk    FAX: 041 330 4913
BANG!net: via mcsun and uknet     BITNET: via UKACRL    UUCP: jack@glasgow.uucp
Newsgroups: soc.history
From: carlos@garfield.cs.mun.ca (Carlos Borges)
Subject: Re: What does BC really mean?
Organization: CS Dept., Memorial University of Newfoundland
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 20:50:15 GMT

de@moscom.com (David Esan) writes:
>In article <1992Oct8.130423.8057@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> rrothaus@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Richard Rothaus) writes:
>>used a new dating system that paralleled the A.D. system except backward.  He
>>introduced this in a French textbook in the 17th century using a.C.  (apres
>>Christ) which was adopted by English speaking scholars as B.C.

>My French is a little rusty, but apres means after (as in "Apres moi, le deluge"
>of Louis XV).  a.C. would correspond to AD, not BC.  

Unless A.C. stood for "avant Christ", which IS "Before Christ"
-- 
   ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
  // C. Miguel Borges               A.K.A.                Carlos M. Borges //
 // an630@cleveland.freenet.edu                 carlos@garfield.cs.mun.ca //
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////