HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: smckinty@sunicnc.France.Sun.COM (Steve McKinty - Sun ICNC)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,soc.culture.canada,soc.culture.british,alt.usage.english
Subject: Re: cans and ring-pulls (was: List of words in American and British English)
Date: 8 Sep 1992 12:07:51 GMT
Organization: SunConnect
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: hardy.france.sun.com

In article <TSOS.93.715951355@uni-duesseldorf.de>, TSOS@uni-duesseldorf.de (Detlef Lannert) writes:
.
> 
> Not necessarily. Some people (<- gender-neutral!!) have developed a
> can-opening technique whereby they remain dry while the by-standers
> get soaked. After having experienced this myself (as a member of the
> latter group) I started practising and achieved some proficiency as
> well. You are welcome to join a tutoring lesson (free of charge,
> because I've been restricted to aiming at inanimate targets so far).

Reminds me of a time in school (in the pre-ringpull days, I was about 10)
when one of my friends put on her best "I'm only a poor little girl" face
and asked the teacher to open her coke can. In his best fatherly
manner (and unaware of how hard she had just shaken the can) he took the
can & the opener and pushed....

I would never have throught coke could travel so far. I think it got the
ceiling as well as teacher & the wall behind him. 

My friend, of course, just stood there with her best 'shocked-innocence'
expression while the rest of us rolled about the floor with laughter.
I wonder what she's doing now...?

> 
> In case your budget for travel expenses is a bit tight, you can start
> your own experiments, but remember to turn the can by 180 degrees.
> (Not upside down! Doesn't work either.)


OK, lets see, :click:, <whoosh>. Hmm, it worked. 

Anyone got any screen cleaner?
From: carl.camurca%travel@wugate.wustl.edu (Carl Camurca) 
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
Subject: Swedish flag
Date: 7 Sep 92 22:24:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: Travel Online, St. Louis, MO
Reply-To: carl.camurca%travel@wugate.wustl.edu (Carl Camurca) 

RC>> >I can't imagine it doing much good, since I suspect that most Americans
RC>> >wouldn't recognize the Swedish flag when they see it.
RC>>
RC>> Yellow cross on a light blue background, right?

RC>I think so...

Rrrrrrright!

greetinx, Carl.

RC>--
RC>------------------------------ END OF MESSAGE ------------------------------
RC>Robert Claeson                Internet: robert@sys.sweden.dg.com
RC>Data General AB                         robert@sys.dg.se
RC>Box 28                             CEO: robert@sys.sweden.dg.com:dg-smtp
RC>S-164 93 KISTA                     Tel: +46 (0)8-92 55 00
RC>Sweden                             Fax: +46 (0)8-751 36 22

 * OLX 2.1 TD * Bad officals are elected by good citizens who do not vote
                                  
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,talk.politics,alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
From: brian@quake.sylmar.ca.us (Brian K. Yoder)
Subject: Re: Health Care & Jobs (Disappearing) was: Re: Stupidity of Am. Masses
Keywords: GM sells out American workers! 
Organization: Quake Public Access
Distribution: na 
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 03:58:08 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.170756.1318@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca> golchowy@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Gerald Olchowy) writes:

>Canadians pay 9% of GDP in public and private dollars for our health
>care system.  

Which doesn't provide service of quality as high as that available in the US.
It is also important to consider factors beyond the monetary ones.  I consider
that the factors of morality and individual rights are important too.  By what
moral principle should I be required to pay for the medical care of someone
else?   By what moral principal does a bureaucrat have a right to tell a doctor
what he may charge a patient, or what a patient may pay?  People who have the 
audacity to tell me how I must spend the money I have earned, and how to care
for my health make me sick...what's the cure for that?

>The US pays 13% of GDP in public and private dollars.

Indeed, I think that flow of public dollars should stop.

It is also important to remember that one must adjust these numbers for 
age demographics.  Older people need more care, even at the same level
of efficiency.

I do think though, that having a mixed system is inefficient, and I propose
that we eliminate that inefficiency by getting rid of the socialized medicine 
system we already have.

>The Canadian system is the second most expensive in the world, next
>to the US that is...and the difference in cost is almost entirely
>in administrative overhead...so in dollars spent on actual health
>care rather than on health care bureaucracy, we spend about the same.

OK, let's cut the overhead.  We can start with Medicare and Medicaid.

--Brian

Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,talk.politics,alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
From: golchowy@alchemy.chem.utoronto.ca (Gerald Olchowy)
Subject: Re: Health Care & Jobs (Disappearing) was: Re: Stupidity of Am. Masses
Keywords: GM sells out American workers! 
Organization: University of Toronto Chemistry Department
Distribution: na 
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 17:07:56 GMT

In article <1992Sep9.165141.25414@dg-rtp.dg.com> crosmun@crosmun.rtp.dg.com (William Crosmun) writes:
>
>This is a result of our Santa Claus Congress that desperately wants to shower
>gifts on us to buy our votes but is desperately afraid of asking us to pay for
>them.  Instead, they force businesses to pony up.  In Canada, on the other
>hand, the people pay the taxes to support their health system.  Can you blame
>any business for moving to Canada if they have the opportunity?  This doesn't
>mean, however, that health care is cheaper if it's nationalized.  It's still a 
>question of who pays for it.
>

Canadians pay 9% of GDP in public and private dollars for our health
care system.  The US pays 13% of GDP in public and private dollars.
The Canadian system is the second most expensive in the world, next
to the US that is...and the difference in cost is almost entirely
in administrative overhead...so in dollars spent on actual health
care rather than on health care bureaucracy, we spend about the same.

A Canadian style system means tax rates are nominally higher since
the costs to the tax system are not hidden as well as they are in
the US.  In the US, health care shows up as a business expense,
and as an untaxed benefit (untaxed income) for most Americans.  
In Canada, health care is paid for mostly through the general
corporate and individual tax system, although some provinces still
have health insurance premiums, and some have dediciated payroll
taxes.  The US system puts a tremendous burden on business which
will slowly give Canada and other countries a competitive advantage
as health care costs skyrocket and real reform in the US does not
take place.

Gerald
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,soc.culture.canada
From: clamen+@CS.CMU.EDU (Stewart Clamen)
Subject: Re: Health care, my final words
Originator: clamen@BYRON.SP.CS.CMU.EDU
Reply-To: clamen+@CS.CMU.EDU
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 03:57:49 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.151114.4036@desire.wright.edu> demon@desire.wright.edu (Stupendous Man) writes:


	   Below is the main reason I do not want to see the US
   government involved, in any way, in health care.  I will no longer
   voice objections to the US adopting a Canadian style system, but do
   reserve the right to post "I told you so" when it goes bad.

	   Top reason why the US government should have nothing to do
   with health care:

	   Abortion gag rule.

That's actually a wonderful reason to be against socialized medicine,
as practiced in say, the United Kingdom, or as Medicare in the US is
managed.  Would your opinion change if there was an Abortion Rights
Amendment to the (US) Constitution? 

	   There, I feel better now.  I feel better than James Brown.

I do hope you are not euphorious enough to not reply to my question.

--
Stewart M. Clamen			Internet:    clamen@cs.cmu.edu
School of Computer Science		UUCP: 	     uunet!"clamen@cs.cmu.edu"
Carnegie Mellon University		Phone: 	     +1 412 268 2145
5000 Forbes Avenue			Fax:	     +1 412 268 5739
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891, USA
Xref: sparky soc.culture.usa:7264 alt.folklore.urban:23424
From: jberger@novell.com (John Berger)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: What time is it at the North Pole?
Date: 11 Sep 92 19:21:05 GMT
Organization: Novell, Inc.

In article <jyc.716012295@Leland> jyc@leo.Stanford.EDU (Jon Corelis) writes:
>From: jyc@leo.Stanford.EDU (Jon Corelis)
>Subject: What time is it at the North Pole?               
>Date:  9 Sep 92 04:18:15 GMT
>   I've thought of a more precise way to pose this question:
>
>   When it's twelve noon in Greenwich, what time is it at the North
>   Pole?
>
>   It seems to me that this is a very rare example of a question that
>demonstrably has no answer -- that is, it isn't just that we don't know
>the answer, but that we can prove no answer exists.  But maybe someone
>can show I'm wrong.

Sure!  You've just [surfaced in your submarine/jumped from an airplane/
stared into the south end of a northbound dogsled team for 60 days/flown in 
a dirigable], and you've finally reached the north pole.  It's 90 degrees 
north, and -10 degrees Celsius.  And now,.....
	IT'S MILLER TIME!
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,talk.politics,alt.fan.rush-limbaugh
From: mwilson@ncratl.AtlantaGA.NCR.COM (Mark Wilson)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
Subject: Re: Loud irritating ... tourists ENOUGH!
Date: 11 Sep 92 13:51:41 GMT
Organization: NCR Engineering and Manufacturing Atlanta -- Atlanta, GA

In <117480038@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> reykja@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Reykja Sigurdsson) writes:

>Don't flame me!!!!
>I'm Icelandic!

Why, would you melt. ;^)
-- 
--Mark
My opinions are mine, all mine.  Unless someone else claims them first.
From: jyc@leo.Stanford.EDU (Jon Corelis)
Subject: Re: What time is it at the North Pole?
Organization: DSO, Stanford University
Date:  9 Sep 92 15:26:44 GMT

cbuckley@unix1.tcd.ie (Colm Buckley) writes:

>In <jyc.716012295@Leland> jyc@leo.Stanford.EDU (Jon Corelis) writes:


>>   I've thought of a more precise way to pose this question:
>I seem to remember an article or essay or something which said that, within
>a certain radius (500km?) of the poles, GMT is used as "watch time".

   Well, actually I suppose you could use the sun as an objective,
observable time reference at the poles.  That is, you could tell by
observation when, say, the summer solstice occured, and then define
polar time as so many hours after it.  Presumably you could do the same
thing with sidereal time.  So in a sense this would be "real" time. 
Xref: sparky soc.culture.usa:7282 alt.folklore.urban:23445
From: chenowet@rd1632.Dayton.NCR.COM (Steve Chenoweth)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: What time is it at the North Pole?
Date: 14 Sep 92 13:14:52 GMT
Reply-To: chenowet@rd1632.Dayton.NCR.com (Steve Chenoweth)
Organization: NCR Technology & Development, Dayton, Ohio

In article <jyc.716012295@Leland> jyc@leo.Stanford.EDU (Jon Corelis) writes:
>
>   I've thought of a more precise way to pose this question:
>
>   When it's twelve noon in Greenwich, what time is it at the North
>   Pole?
>
>   It seems to me that this is a very rare example of a question that
>demonstrably has no answer -- that is, it isn't just that we don't know
>the answer, but that we can prove no answer exists.  But maybe someone
>can show I'm wrong.

You also cannot say what day it is at the poles, although, interestingly,
you usually can say the week, month, or larger units of time.

Of course, if you were being scientific about it, you could say something
like "It's 5 PM GMT" or the like, and nobody could argue with that, even if
you were standing at one of the poles.

A related goofy thing is directions.  For example, you can go South a mile,
then East a mile, and then North a mile, ending up where you started (at the
North Pole).  This logic is the source of the "What color was the bear?"
riddle.




-- 
Steve.Chenoweth@Dayton.NCR.com
From: rnt@druwa.ATT.COM (Bob Thomas)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
Subject: Let's Turn Up the Flames on the Barbee!
Date: 9 Sep 92 20:03:12 GMT
Distribution: soc


in article <1992Sep9.005400.28508@usage.csd.unsw.OZ.AU>, 2120158@hydra.maths.unsw.EDU.AU says:

>   3) And I must admitt even though I think most Americans are loud-mouthed
> egotistical BARSTARDS, without their help, it would've been unlikely that
> Britain (and her allies) would've been able to open a second front in France.
> 
> Matthew-Uni of NSW.
> Australia.

I tried to post a follow-up to this, but something just didn't want to
work on my machine.  So, here it is under a new heading:

Matthew,

As an American, I can scarcely hope to achieve the level of urbane
sophistication exhibited by all walks of life in Australian society.
Refined, dignified behaviour (yes, I can spell it with a ``u'') is a
timeless tradition that has made Australia the cultural Mecca that
it is today.  You must be bristling with pride.

Although we Americans may be loud-mouthed egotistical people of
questionable lineage, at least our animals aren't UGLY!  As anyone
who has ever watched a documentary on Australian wildlife knows,
Australia is home to the ugliest animals on the planet.  Some of
these bug-eyed abominations are absolutely hideous.  And whose idea
was it to stick pouches on them?

Bob Thomas
Denver, Colorado U.S.A.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,alt.folklore.urban
From: cel@nsscmail.att.com (clayton EDward LEIHY iii)
Subject: Re: What time is it at the North Pole?               
Followup-To: alt.folklore.urban
Organization: NCR Systems Support Center - New Jersey
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 00:57:21 GMT

In article <jyc.716012295@Leland> jyc@leo.Stanford.EDU (Jon Corelis) writes:

>   When it's twelve noon in Greenwich, what time is it at the North Pole?

Here's my choices for an answer:

1)  Look at my watch!

2)  Ring up the telephone operator & ask her/him.

3)  Build a sundial.

Yr welcome.
From: rahman@ces.cwru.edu (Rahman A. Soomro)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
Subject: Rain Relief Fund
Date: 9 Sep 1992 19:57:40 GMT
Organization: Computer Engineering and Science, Case Western Reserve University
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: easy.ces.cwru.edu


Dear friends,

Recent rains in Pakistan have caused devastating effects on the 
daily life of the Pakistani people. Scores of people have lost there
lives and more than a million have been homeless.

	I appeal to you to help our brothers and sisters in need
and donate some money to help them. Please send your contribution
(tax deductible) with your name and also I request you to collect 
donations from any source -- your colleagues at work, friends, business
associates, customers, persons from any nationalities and backgrouds
to help people in trouble. 

	We are tying you help suffering peoples, who are suffering
from disease and malnutrition.

Please mail your contributions to:

Pakistan Rain Relief Fund
4105 Providence drive
St. Charles, MO 63304
USA


From: reykja@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Reykja Sigurdsson)
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 00:29:57 GMT
Subject: Re: Loud irritating ... tourists   ENOUGH!
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa

> Aussies are broke
> Canucks are frozen yogurt
> Chinks  are constipated
> Frogs   are snooty
> Hunkies are goofy
> Japs    are loaded
> Krauts  are oafish
> Limeys  are hotheads
> Paddies are sots
> Polacks are smelly
> Sabras  are rude 
> Spics   are sly
> Wops    are cantankerous
> Yanks   are boorish
> 
> Although it's an equal-opportunity thread, I think we've all had 
> enough of it!
> 
> -- Ariel
  
          You forgot that Icelanders are always drunk. ;-)

-reykja sigurdsson


Xref: sparky soc.culture.usa:7244 alt.flame:12763
From: rorschak@daimi.aau.dk (Jesper Lauridsen)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,alt.flame
Subject: Re: Loud irritating obtrusive American tourists, er, USENETters
Keywords: obnoxious loudmouthed bigotted culturally impaired USAian disgrace
Date: 12 Sep 92 01:52:48 GMT
Organization: A mythological place called Bramming

2120158@hydra.maths.unsw.EDU.AU writes:

>  1) Roosevelt knew that war was coming- otherwise why the massive program
>of shipbuilding and laying the groungwork for war (ie the naval and air base in
>Iceland and Greenland).

Ehh.., those bases were builded _after_ the war had started.
-- 
I neither can nor will at this or any other (previous or coming) moment
in time respect anyone or anything wearing a baseball cap and/or a pair
of boxershorts, unless the wearing of these artifacts is an important
part of a contract giving said individuals or creatures an income of more
than 10 times the average for people with similar educational background.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
From: patt@squid.tram.com (Patt Bromberger)
Subject: Health Care & Jobs (Disappearing) was: Re: Stupidity of Am. Masses
Organization: Tramway Unix Systems
Distribution: na 
Date: Sat, 5 Sep 1992 20:04:51 GMT
Followup-To: soc.culture.usa 
Summary: Watch for Bush's October 1992 surprise (Kuwait/Iraq)! 
Keywords: GM sells out American workers! 

In article <168558166.KGODDEN@cmsa.gmr.com> KGODDEN@cmsa.gmr.com writes:
>There was an article on the front page of the Detroit-area newspaper about
>how Al Taubman is getting involved in improving education in the U.S.  For
>those of you who have no idea who AT is, he's a local billionaire (yes,
> [deleted]

Gee, Kurt - I wonder if we're thinking about the same guy:  isn't
Alfred Taubman a real estate an auction house magnate in New York City
or does he just have offices there?

Since you, Kurt, are connected with GM, I thought you and the folks on
the net would be interested in the latest GM development for taking
jobs away from Americans and exporting them to Canada so General
Motors doens't have to contribute to the health care of its American
workers:

reposted from misc.handicap:
From: Patricia.Bregman@f24.n3602.z1.fidonet.org (Patricia Bregman)
Subject: Health care and jobs
Date: 4 Sep 92 20:28:29 GMT

Another sign in California that the "cost" of a national health
insurance system may be less than the "cost" of the current
system.  GM announced today that they are closing a 45-year old
plant in Van Nuys, employing 2500 people, because it is more
efficient and cost effective to move the manufacturing to its
plant in Quebec.

Despite the fact that Canadian wages tend to be somewhat higher
than the US, and taxes may be somewhat higher, one of the
reasons that the Canadian plants are able to be competitive is
the fact that the company does not have to pay health insurance
premiums for the employees.  This was cited by the GM executives
as a significant factor in the move.  This was also apparently a
factor in the decision to keep two other Ontario GM plants open
while closing others.

In addition, GM announced that they would not longer pay health
insurance premiums for its employees, other than those protected
by a collective agreement.

In 1991 when it was making decisions about its plants, the
company did a survey which showed a great disparity between the
health care costs in different US cities. They said that health
costs for workers in Youngstown, Ohio were twice the medical
bills in Grand Rapids Michigan, 200 miles away.  The costs in
Ohio added $1.00 per hour to labour costs.  GM in fact told the
Youngstown plant that if these costs were not controlled it may
result in the plant closing.  On average, health insurance costs
$3100 per employee.

According to a Fortune magazine article in July 1991,medical
bills for US companies grew at twice the rate of inflation in
1989. That amount, $173 billion, equalled 100% of their net
profits.

** sigh **




-- 
Patricia Ann Bromberger                     -       patt@squid.tram.com
Tramway Unix Systems 
"Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty." (Anne Herbert)
From: tim@treff.GUN.de (Tim Landscheidt)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
Subject: Laws against sexual methods?
Organization: TREFFpunkt Krefeld, Germany
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 92 20:04:00 +0200

Hello,

here in Germany it is rumored that some sexual  methods  are
'forbidden' in some parts of the USA. For our  next  history
lesson I need some more information  about  this  topic:  In
which state is which sexual method (my dictionary  does  not
contain a direct  translation  for  'Stellung'  ;-))  (posi-
tion?)) forbidden? And *how* does  the  Police  check  this?
;-))

Tim

P. S.: My English is bad, I know, sorry :-((. And because  I
       do not know why this topic should belong  to  culture
       please reply by eMail.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
From: eugene@wilbur.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)
Subject: Re: Separatists...
Organization: NAS, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 21:53:18 GMT

>>There are movements in both Alaska and California to break away from the
>>US.  Alaska's movement is stronger as the movement to break California
>>into two states is more immediate than the California seccessionist
>>movement right now.  (Personally I'm against CA leaving--if we have
>>to keep our current state government that is!)

>    How strong are these movements? On what grounds want they to
>    split/secede California?

The movement to break CA has existed since 1875.
For some fictional literature read Ernest Callenbach's Ecotopia and
Ecotpia Emerging as utopian literature.  The current CA movement has breaking
the State into 2-3 (yes 3) states.  Why?  What else?  Taxation without
representation: if you look at the map, you see the majority of the population
resides in the South and the Coast of the States.  This contrasts to lands
in the interior and North which have proportionally less power in the
State legistature.  Recent referendi had akin to 80+% support for a split in
those Norht areas, but this was non-binding and strictly a tally of opinion.
The movement is made popular by comparisons (economic and Olympic: that if CA
split off it would be the 6th most powerful country, etc.) that if CA were to
break off it would be a major world power (proportionally) to the US.
The first Callenbach book in fact used high tech to defeat a helicopter
assault by the rest of the US Army to keep CA (and Oregon and Washington)
as part of the US.  Other more serious works exist about splitting the State.
Try a library.

CA is certainly an interesting state to have grown up in, but I took it for
granted until I travelled back to the East coast for work.  No thanks.

CA: The country is on a tilt, and all the lose nuts roll to CA.

"Do you want to sell fizzy water, or do you want to change the world."

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@orville.nas.nasa.gov
  Acting Associate Editor, Software and Publication Reviews
  Scientific Programming
  {uunet,mailrus,other gateways}!ames!eugene
Ref: Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning, vol. 1, G. Polya
Lines: 9
Date: Sat,  5 Sep 92 13:42:39 MDT
From: gritton@montana.et.byu.edu (Jamie Gritton)
Organization: Brigham Young University, Provo UT USA
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
Subject: Re: CALL OF THE QUR'AN TO THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK
Reply-To: gritton@byu.edu
Distribution: usa

irfan@maxwell.ece.wisc.edu (Irfan Alan) writes:

> THE CALL OF THE QUR'AN TO THE PEOPLE OF THE BOOK   
> (Especially for Christians)
> STATEMENT OF INTENTION

Um, there *are* religion groups you could post this stuff to...
--
James Gritton - gritton@byu.edu - I disclaim
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
Subject: Guesthouses, inns in Chicago
From: tan_k@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Date: 10 Sep 1992 02:49:53 GMT
Reply-To: tan_k@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz
Organization: Wellington City Council, Wgtn, NZ
NNTP-Posting-Host: kosmos.wcc.govt.nz

Can anyone help with tel no, addrs, fax no of any guesthouses or inns
of reasonable price, say around $40 per night near the conrad hilton on 
720 S Michigan Ave ? Have one Calleed
the Ascot House on 1100 S Michigan Ave but the tel no etc seems to be 
out of date as the guidebook is a 1983 edition.
Near means about 15 mins by wheels or 30 mins plus on foot.
Am from new zealand going to a bookfair at hte Hilton. 
Thanks in advance.
Xref: sparky soc.culture.usa:7202 alt.folklore.urban:23211