HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: twcaps@tennyson.lbl.gov (Terry Chan)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: little girl embedded in grille (was: Re: I Live to FAQ!)
Date: 20 Dec 1992 16:16:15 GMT
Organization: Department of Redundancy Department
Reply-To: TWChan@lbl.gov (Terry Chan)
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.12.117

PAPAI@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (Jonathan Papai) writes:

  +>	In reading the FAQ, I noticed an ommision in the
  +>automotive section.  A story comes to mind:

    [details deleted]

  +>I suggest this be investigated before the following addition:
  +>
  +>F.  Drunk driver finds small child plastered to grill of car next morning.

Then, jfurr@polaris.async.vt.edu (Joel K. Furr) writes:

  +I'm surprised that one's not already in the FAQ.  It's in one of
  +Brunvand's books and is debunked thorougly.

Yeah, well, it's largely because no one's really mentioned it up
to now.  Along the same lines is the one where the drunk guy's
wife receives a call the next day from the police because he drove
the police car home.  

Terry "Hey, I want to give people a chance to actually read the book" Chan
--
Energy and Environment Division   | Internet:  TWChan@lbl.gov
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory      | 
Berkeley, California  USA  94720  | Carpe Per Diem
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: PAPAI@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (Jonathan Papai)
Subject: Re: Tidings from the Moon (was Soda Bottle Warning Source)
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 21:02:46 GMT

billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:

>The height of the tide, when it gets to land, has nothing to do with how high
>it is in the open sea.  As an illustration, on the coast of Oregon, it only
>varies a few feet - in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, it varies 15 feet or more.
>The tide range is even higher in the Bay of Fundy - which I believe is the
>greatest in the world.

>Bill

	I would think the Bay of Bengal is greater than the bay
of Fundy.  Ohh - you meant the tides are the greatest.  I agree,
the guiness book of world records says about 50 feet (15 meters
for the unit impaired) at times.  It has something to do with the
time for a wave to travel from the bay to boston being about 13
hours, and adding to the normal tide effect by "resonance", at
least according to Scientific American sometime 1986-1990.

Jon "Scientific-American, is that a new oppressed minority" Papai
From: csa09@seq1.keele.ac.uk (Paul Singleton)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Amusing signs
Date: 16 Dec 92 18:42:34 GMT
Organization: Keele University, England

From article <1992Dec15.052926.6819@microsoft.com>, by leecr@microsoft.com (Lee Crocker):

>>But you seem to be correct that there is not one in "Connecticut" [sic].

Don't you mean

>>But you seem to be correct that there is not one in "Connecticut" [sic] [sic].

Could this cascaded metasic(k)ness be a new net art form?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.arts.startrek.misc
From: gr2a@quads.uchicago.edu (david rolfe graeber)
Subject: Re: Sex, the Final Frontier?
Reply-To: gr2a@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 02:19:05 GMT


In article <28014@dog.ee.lbl.gov> TWChan@lbl.gov (Terry Chan) writes:
>One day, my friend's friend noticed one of her sister's stories,
>and was curious about her sister's writing style.  When she
>read the story, she was shocked because it was pornographic.
>It turns out that there is a huge segment of the trekkie
>subculture that meets and shares stories where the characters
>from the old series are in egaged in much racier stories (the 
>one that stuck in her mind was Kirk and Spock's homosexual 
>relationship) than those commonly associated with the series.
>Can anyone provide any further enlightenment on this point?

As a matter of fact I've read two different (I think they were
different) essays on this sort of literature, one in Camera Obscura
volume 16 (a feminist film criticism journal's special SciFi issue)
from 1986, and one in a compendium just called "Cultural Criticism" 
(1990) - if memory serves. 

Apparently there are dozens of 'zines put out by and for Star Trek
fans, mostly full of fiction. There are all sorts of sub-genres - for
instance, series just dedicated to the further adventures of Nurse
Chapel, or Uhuru, etc - ranging from standard science-fiction style to
romance-novel type plots to straightforward porn, of which the writers
are overwhelmingly, BTW, women. The graphic stuff is all written by
women, but it's always men who are getting it on with each other - 
particularly Kirk and Spock who have this longstanding passionate 
affair. (I think there's a special series called the S/K series, or
something like that, entirely dedicated to Kirk-Spock romantic episodes.

Oh, yeah, and they come with illustrations - at least, one article
provided a couple of extremely explicit examples of...I think it was
supposed to Spock buggering Kirk and not vice versa but it wasn't the
greatest likeness in the world (actually both of them looked more like
someone's idea of a Tolkein elf, with lots of ornamental curlicues and
leaves all over the page too.)

That's about all I can remember, but I must say for my own sake that
it makes me feel sort of happier about the world to know that somewhere
in it teenage girls with rapidographs are spending hours and hours
on delicate, intricately drawn pictures of the crew of the Enterprise
having carnal relations with one another.

	David Graeber
	(gr2a@midway.uchicago.edu)
	Department of Anthropology
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.arts.startrek.misc
From: quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Quetzal)
Subject: Re: Mnemonics
Organization: Monash University, Melb., Australia.
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 03:05:13 GMT

In <Bz9Mno.Msv@cs.dal.ca> craig@ug.cs.dal.ca (Ryan Craig) writes:

>That is the case at the current time and will, I believe, be the case for
>some years to come, the outermost planets taking as long as they do to make
>an orbit of the sun.  It is still correct to say that Pluto is farther away
>than Neptune, however, as long as you're comparing the average distance
>of each from the sun, and not the maximum distance of one to the minimum
>distance of the other.  I know that there is terminology for this, but I
>can't remember it.

Closest to the sun is called "perihelion", from the Greek.  This would
mean that most distant from the sun translates as "aphelion" (not sure
how that one gets pronounced).  The mean distance is called the mean
distance.  Since these orbits are elliptical, they also have a
semi-major axis and semi-minor axis, which are respectively the
distances from the centre of the ellipse (not where the sun is, BTW) to
the most and least distant parts of the ellipse.  I am not sure if the
mean distance is necessarily the same as the semi-minor axis.
Naturally, perihelion distance plus aphelion distance equals the
semi-major axis (some people probably say "radius" instead of "axis" and
I suppose it's more correct).

Applying all this to the question at hand, Pluto, at aphelion is a damn
long way away, but at perihelion, it is closer than Neptune is at any
part of its orbit.  Pluto's mean distance from the sun is still quite a
lot bigger than Neptune's.

(If you are wondering if there is the possibility of the two colliding
when their distances from the sun are the same, the answer is no, as the
two planets' orbits are inclined to each other at about 17 degrees.
They don't get close at all.)

Always ready to provide some free drivel.

Tim Pickett

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: chrstie@ccu.umanitoba.ca (William John M. Christie)
Subject: Re: Deer Season in PA - 6 wounded
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1992 06:30:12 GMT

You know I recently remember another form of 'unbiased' journalism with
respect to firearms.  Both incidents were from our local paper and dealt with
the increase of violent crime in our country with an automatic pistol
prominent on the front page behind statistics over the past decade.  Guns
weren't mentioned in the article _anywhere_.

The second was dealing with the increase of juvenile crime (around the
same time) with a snubby revolver as a background picture to the stats. 
Again I don't remember seeing any details of firearm use.
-- 
==========================================================================
  Any opinions expressed above are usually made with some thought which   
  is my own and is not intended to represent the University in any way.
==========================================================================
From: jfurr@polaris.async.vt.edu (Joel K. Furr)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.food.misc,alt.fan.fruitcake
Subject: Re: Fruitcake
Date: 19 Dec 92 23:00:15 GMT
Organization: Escape from Blacksburg, VA

In article <doctor.06at@k9.UUCP> doctor@k9.UUCP (Paul Broe) writes:
>In article <BzG7zM.D97@polaris.async.vt.edu> jfurr@polaris.async.vt.edu (Joel K. Furr) writes:
>
>[Stuff deleted. Chomp!]
>> >
>> >I've decided to post this right away, just in case what it really is,
>> >is a secret fruitcake society.  If I should suddenly dissappear
>> >without a trace...  well, you on AFU know what to do:
>> >    Immediately post to alt.conspiracy!!!!!
>> >
>> 
>> I eat them.
>> 
>> Send your fruitcakes to:
>> 
>> Joel Furr
>> P.O. Box 601
>> Christiansburg, VA 24073
>
>I can see it now: Man gets in Guinness book of records for most fruitcakes
>received from around the world. He might become to fruitcakes what Craig
>Shergold is to get well/business cards.
>
>Paul 'But will we send them COD?' Broe

I'd just as soon you didn't... I'd just refuse them and then the loyal
government employees at the Christiansburg post office would probably just
eat them.  They look like they don't get enough exercise as it is.

If you want to send the fruitcakes by Fed Express or UPS or something that
can't deliver to a post office box owned by the U.S. Postal Service, you
can also send them to E-50, 1210 University City Blvd, Blacksburg VA
24060-3052.

Joel "I'll take any leftover (and unopened) bottles of Christmas brandy
you want to get rid of also" Furr
jfurr@polaris.async.vt.edu
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: ldoering@engin.umich.edu (Laurence Doering)
Subject: Re: Amusing signs
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 92 19:03:22 EST
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor

In article <j!h2m9p@rpi.edu> kasprj@rpi.edu writes:
> 
> Here in lovely Troy, there are signs at some of the traffic lights 
>saying "Wait for Green Light". I guess the people around here would
>just keep going otherwise. (Considering how some RPI students drive,
>I wouldn't be surprised.)

I noticed some weird street signs last summer when I was in Berlin.  
It was odd, but about one out of every three streets seemed to be
named "Einbahnstrasse."  I have no idea how Berliners find their
way around.  Even stranger, the same thing was true in Naples
and Brindisi, except the common street name seemed to be "Senso Unico."

What's the deal?  Is this some European conspiracy to confuse foreigners,
or what?

Larry "clueless" Doering
From: mcirvin@husc8.harvard.edu (Matt McIrvin)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Counterclockwise Twisters
Date: 11 Dec 92 20:59:08 GMT

jane@soave.swdc.stratus.com (Jane Beckman) writes:

>Recently, a series of small tornados touched down in Northern
>California, ripping up greenhouses and roofs as twisters are
>wont to do.  But what got to me was that the commentator on
>the radio mentioned that they were revolving counterclockwise,
>"As is characteristic for tornados in this part of the world."
>So, do they revolve clockwise in Australia?  Or did he mean
>that they revolve clockwise in the Great Plains?  

I'm not sure about tornadoes, but *hurricanes* certainly do revolve
in a hemisphere-dependent direction.  The Coriolis force is not
insignificant on scales much, much larger than a bathtub.

-- 
Matt McIrvin
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.urban:31698 alt.folklore.science:4426
From: MIWHC@CUNYVM.BITNET
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,alt.folklore.science
Subject: Re: Dead Pigeons (was: Electric Field Question)
Date: 20 Dec 92 05:05:11 GMT
 <1992Dec17.201405.5881@acuson.com>
Organization: City University of New York/ University Computer Center


 (excuse me, I'm a moron who still hasn't figured out how to use netget)

Some guy followed this posting up saying that all the dead and slow
pigeons are eaten by rats, cats and crows. That answer is far from complete.

The problem is that too few pigeons are taken out of circulation before they
die and too few are eaten by rats. NYC building maintenance people have a huge
problem with finding ventilation ducts, roofs and the like stuffed with
hundreds of decaying pigeons. It turns out that very few pigeons die on the
ground in the populated city. (If you can fly, why get posthumously steeped
on by some fat guy with bad breath?)

Many pigeons that die do so on some of the islands surrounding New York
City. Abandon slots of land like Mill Rock, South Brother Island, Shooter's
Island, Hoffman Island, Swinburne Island and others are literally caked with
dead pigeon carcasses, with only a few lonely rats eating the remains. The
one time that I kayaked to North Brother Island (between Riker's Island and
the Bronx) just after a long winter freeze, I saw about 6000 dead pigeons,
waiting for the warmth to bring over the rats from the Bronx. Just walking
across the once used streets and through the once used buildings of this
island felt like I was crushing pigeon potato chips.

                        -- Rick Yukon, the Adventurer
From: spok+@cs.cmu.edu (John Ockerbloom)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Guess what's not in this dictionary?
Date: 18 Dec 92 18:12:04 GMT
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon

jeffh@pisces.sps.mot.com (Jeff Heilner) writes:
>[I wrote:]
>> Sure enough, the word "gullible" was not defined in the dictionary.
>
>The word can also be spelled "gullable". 
>Maybe it was defined under this spelling?

Nope.  They had 'gull' (with no adjective forms given), 'gullet', and
'gully', but neither 'gullible' nor 'gullable'.

For the record, the dictionary was the _New Webster's Dictionary_,
published in 1990 by P.S.I. Associates (with original copyright 1988),
ISBN 0-938261-80-X.

John (waiting for more Jeff Davis followups) Ockerbloom
-- 
==========================================================================
ockerbloom@cs.cmu.edu                4209 Murray Ave., Pittsburgh PA 15217
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: warren@nysernet.org (Warren Burstein)
Subject: Re: Amusing signs
Reply-To: warren@nysernet.org
Organization: Mail to News Gateway at Wang Labs
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 11:28:02 GMT

In <1gdsg3INNi8h@bigboote.WPI.EDU> bdsm@fermat.WPI.EDU (Billy Don McConnell) writes:

>I don't know about Unknown Street, but in Austin, Texas, there is a street
>called "Nameless Road".

Tel Aviv has two small streets called "Simtat Plonit" and "Simtat
Almonit", which sort of translate as "Someone-or-other's Alley" and
"Anonymous Alley".  Another pair of small streets are "Where To? A"
and "Where To? B"
-- 
/|/-\/-\       In real life, the Vice President chastises Murphey Brown
 |__/__/_/     for her morals.  Bill Clinton plays the sax on "Arsenio
 |warren@      Hall."  Though "Batman Returns" is fiction, it's not too
/ nysernet.org much stranger than truth - Caryn James, The New York Times
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: warren@nysernet.org (Warren Burstein)
Subject: Re: Chelsea Clinton
Reply-To: warren@nysernet.org
Organization: Mail to News Gateway at Wang Labs
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 08:03:27 GMT

In <1992Dec11.091842.12014@ringer.cs.utsa.edu> sbooth@lonestar.utsa.edu (Simon E. Booth) writes:

    I've got a sense of humor, but that sort of thing is a: not funny, and b:
    a criminal offense

So watch Lost in Space.  It's better, anyway.  And only a misdemeanor.

Warren "I'm not Tiberius and you're not, either" Burstein
-- 
/|/-\/-\       In real life, the Vice President chastises Murphey Brown
 |__/__/_/     for her morals.  Bill Clinton plays the sax on "Arsenio
 |warren@      Hall."  Though "Batman Returns" is fiction, it's not too
/ nysernet.org much stranger than truth - Caryn James, The New York Times
From: jane@soave.swdc.stratus.com (Jane Beckman)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Another University Exam One
Date: 15 Dec 92 18:55:15 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc., San Jose, CA

This sparked a memory of a grade six science teacher
>: that told us naive eleven year olds to always remember to read the entire
>: exam because when he was in university they once had this really long 
>: exam that went on for over ten pages. And when he turned over to seventh
>: question on page six it started by saying "IGNORE ALL QUESTIONS BEFORE
>: THIS ONE"
>: Anyone else heard this one?
>
>Yep - many times. I wonder if anyone has ever turned up an actual exam
>that had this "feature"?

Must be something about sixth grade teachers.  We had a math quiz
in sixth grade that started with the instruction: "Read
complete quiz before starting."  Question 23 (of 30) said "Do
questions one and two.  Skip all questions between 2 and 23.
Resume with this one."  Of course, everyone had just wasted 20
minutes on the unnecessary 21 questions.  And no one finished,
because the time allowed was for answering ten questions.  He
told us it was to teach us to FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS more than to
test our math.

It was pretty effective.  I know that I never forgot that one.


--
  Jilara   [jane@swdc.stratus.com]

"The field of pseudo-science hasn't progressed much in ten
years, except to gain access to the net." --from ca.earthquakes
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: schumach@convex.com (Richard A. Schumacher)
Subject: Re: Crazy as a $2 bill
Organization: CONVEX Computer Corporation, Richardson, Tx., USA
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 00:38:53 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.

Better get used to those $2 bills, though. The $1 bill will
be phased out in 1995 after the introduction of a new dollar 
coin.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.arts.startrek.misc
From: cep@taligent.com (Christophe Pettus)
Subject: Re: Sex, the Final Frontier?
Organization: Taligent, a little subsidiary of two really big companies.
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 18:50:04 GMT

In article <28031@dog.ee.lbl.gov> TWChan@lbl.gov (Terry Chan) writes:
>So Christope, are you saying that TNG is inferior to the TOS 
>because it doesn't inspire the same sort of quivering of the 
>loins of its followers?  What do you attribute this outcome
>to?  The contrast in uniforms?  Dull and unimaginative plots?
>Inconsistent use of technology and basic laws of physics?
>Lousy makeup?

Well, I would never seek to compare the quality of New Trek to Classic
Trek, mainly because I would offend some group of Trekkies (sorry,
Trekkers) who would take the law into their own hands.

Personally, I only watched the first season of New Trek to see if
Deanna Troi would pop out of her uniform.  About half way through, I
realized that this was prime-time television, so she wouldn't (this
being pre-"Civil Wars"), so I stopped.

As far as "inconsistent use of technology and basic laws of physics,"
that's most of the charm!
--
-- Christophe

"I draw the line at Styrofoam packing kernels, you sick pervert."
From: bierbach@guvax.acc.georgetown.edu
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: 'Springfield' is NOT a city in all states!
Date: 16 Dec 92 20:47:00 GMT
Organization: Georgetown University

In article <BzC287.LG1@world.std.com>, moroney@world.std.com (Michael Moroney) writes:
> bobm@Ingres.COM (Bob McQueer) writes:
> 
>>But you could claim that any given atlas is not definitive.  There generally
>>are "towns" that are not listed in the atlas.  Fr'instance, the state of
>>Pennsylvania insisted that the rural crossroads my parents house sits near
>>is "Shelmadine Springs" - a road sign proclaims it as such, I suppose making
>>it official.  Very likely not listed in your atlas.  And the handful of
>>people living there insist that the name of the place is "Bethel", since
>>the main feature at the crossroads is the "Bethel Methodist Church".
> 
> "Town" is a legal definition in most states, the states are divided into
> counties, and the counties are divided into towns, cities, villages,
> townships and/or boroughs, depending on what they're called in a particular
> state.  Some rural counties are not fully subdivided, being largely
> unincorporated areas.  There are also "place names" with no legal
> definition (other than being the 'official' name of that crossroads) such
> as what "Shelmadine Springs" probably is, "Grooms Corners" as the name of a
> crossroads, etc.

In the state of Pennsylvania, the state is divided into counties, and 
the counties are divided into cities, townships, and boroughs.  There 
are, to my knowledge, no areas that are unincorporated. This means 
that "Shelmadine Springs" probably sits in the middle of a large rural 
township (the seats of which more often than not are located in 
somebody's shack or basement).  So the road sign will probably say 
"Village of Shelmadine Springs", where a village is not at all a legal 
definition and just an unofficial name.  "Town" is not a legal 
definition in Pennsylvania-- but what we would call a town would 
usually be a borough. 

Fact: There is a borough in Pennsylvania with the official name of 
"SNPJ".

-- 
Jeremy Bierbach                                          Georgetown University	
                     bierbach@guvax.acc.georgetown.edu
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.arts.startrek.misc
From: quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Quetzal)
Subject: Re: Mnemonics
Organization: Monash University, Melb., Australia.
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 05:24:37 GMT

In <1992Dec9.081306.28966@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> franklir@helium.gas.uug.arizona.edu (Ryan J Franklin ) writes:

>And isn't it just a UL that Americans put the knife down and switch the
>fork when eating?  I know I don't, and I've never even been out of the
>country.  Seriously, I would think at least as many people in the US 
>*don't* switch the fork and knife around while eating as do.  Sort of a 
>toilet-paper-over-or-under thing.

UL = urban legend, right?

good.  Just to back up your point, of the 10 or so people who I have
actually studied with regards to this, I know two who put the knife down
and change the fork over.  One is a person who was raised in the US and
now lives here in Australia, and the other is me.  I've been nowhere
near America, indeed I've never seen the Pole star, and I get out a lot
at night.

I suppose it's just whatever you find more comfortable.

Tim Pickett
quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au
Organization: Junior, Math/Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,alt.folklore.science
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 11:50:34 -0500 
From: "Stephen M. Lacy" <sl31+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Re: Dead Pigeons (was: Electric Field Question)

Excerpts from netnews.alt.folklore.science: 17-Dec-92 Dead Pigeons (was:
Electric.. by Drew Lawson@acuson.com 
> That is because NYC (no, I'm not using MSWord) also has millions of
> flies, cats, rats, crows and other things which will gladly eat a dead
> or slow pigeon.

Ok, so where are the pigeon bones?  Surely, they don't eat the bones
too.  Where are all the dead rats, cats, crows, etc (I know, flies
virtually turn into dust when they die) 

Steve


"At some point, someone decided we all had to wear clothes...now who
says we still can't have fun?" -Paraphrase from a Fruit of the Loom
commercial.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban