HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jmethot@vicorp.com (John Methot)
Subject: Re: cumbers in commercials
Reply-To: jmethot@vicorp.com
Organization: V. I. Corporation, Northampton, Massachusetts
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 18:39:42 GMT

In article <Bs7FLI.F5M@news.udel.edu> derf@ravel.udel.edu (the Greatful Fred) writes:
>	How many people took paricular notice of the car commercials
>	all deciding to change the commercials?  Starting a little over a 
>	year ago,the no longer tell you how many cylinders a car has, but rather
>	the number of valves.  Since there are two valves per cylinder, this 
>	gives you no new information, but it is a larger number, so sounds
>	better.

I'm sure I won't be the only one to point out that you are mistaken.  Many
*new* engines now have *four* valves per cylinder (I think there may even
be a few with three valves per cylinder), producing a sixteen-valve, four
cylinder engine.  These were initially in higher-performance models, but
now are used for increased economy as well, I believe.

What pisses me off is that they no longer mention fuel economy.  Am I the
only one who cares (I drive a Geo Metro - >50 mpg everywhere)?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: szielins@oracle.com (Stephan Zielinski)
Subject: Re: Ed Nilges and Snuff Films?
Organization: Oracle Corporation
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 23:38:50 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by an unauthenticated user
              at Oracle Corporation.  The opinions expressed are those
              of the user and not necessarily those of Oracle.

In article <62588@cup.portal.com> ts@cup.portal.com (Tim W Smith) writes:
>Please be careful with this topic -- you might make it happen!  I've heard
>that there is a group of bored rich people who like to make urban legends
>come true...

	Let me be the first:
	I call for the formation of alt.folklore.urban.folklore.

__
Stephan Zielinski                                   szielins@us.oracle.com
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Subject: Re: NetNews/CD - USENET News Available
Keywords: locksmith door
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 01:26:49 GMT

In article <2328@israel.nysernet.org> warren@nysernet.org writes:
[nice description of the cutout of the CD case deleted]

I assume they serve the same function as cutout records.  Now can someone
explain the business reason why both records and CD's are cut at all?
Apparently, the mechanism that qualifies this is fairly consistent.  Are
any other media cut out for this specific reason?  (45's, Laser-discs?, DAT?
DCC?, sheet music?)

cjl
From: dayrton@eagle.wesleyan.edu
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Kilroy
Date: 28 Jul 92 22:59:10 GMT
Organization: Wesleyan University

In article <0095DEAF.82D49260@abby.chem.ucla.edu>, larry@abby.chem.ucla.edu writes:
> 
>   The story I have heard about Kilroy was that the symbol was
> used in WWII by American troops to indicate a safe area to
> those who were following.  I do not recall whether safe referred
> to no remaining enemy troops or if it meant that the area had
> been checked and cleared of mines, booby traps, etc.

The version I've heard (I missed the original post, so I may be repeating stuff
here...) is that Kilroy was an inspector in a shipyard, inspecting "Liberty"
ships.  He was accused by his supervisor of goofing off and pencil-whipping his
reports, so he took to chalking "Kilroy was here" on each area he inspected.

Or so I'm told....
From: cizrc@unicorn.nott.ac.uk (Roy Candler)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Paris Expo UL - the movie
Date: 27 Jul 92 17:54:04 GMT
Organization: Sth Notts Alternative Folklore Unit (SNAFU)

Someone asked if there was a film based on the famous UL in which
two people (usually mother and daughter) check in to a hotel in
Paris during the Great Exhibition of 1889 and one of them (usually
the mother) disappears, with the hotel staff denying that she ever
arrived.
The film in question has recently been shown on BBC TV.  Entitled
``So Long at the Fair" (1950) it starred Dirk Bogarde, Jean Simmons
and David Tomlinson.

This is a well-documented UL; UK readers can check it out in Rodney
Dale's The Tumour in the Whale (1978) if they can find a copy.  I
don't have one to hand.

Roy Candler (cizrc@unicorn.nott.ac.uk)
Destroy this article after reading it.  You have never heard of me.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: catching bullets with the teeth
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 00:26:55 GMT

slb3y@cc.usu.edu (Punk Rocketeer) writes:
: salantel@dssv01.crd.ge.com (E. L. Salant) writes:
: > 
: > While I believe that these people saw this on tv, I can't believe 
: > that someone can really catch bullets with his teeth.  Anyone
: > got the scoop on this?
: > 
:      Not his teeth exactly.  He held a small metal cup with his teeth,
: and the bullet was trapped by the cup.  I imagine it was still
: painful, as taking a bullet in the mouth ought to be, but it was not
: fatal.  Or is my mind playing tricks when I recall that within the
: last year someone tried this trick and failed?

Actually, with handloaded cartridges, it is not hard to do, at all. I 
would not want the bullet to go through glass first though, too much
chance of it being deflected. Layers of paper would be fine.

It wouldn't even be painful - the velocity of the bullet would be
quite low.

Yes, there are people who try this - without knowing what they are doing.
They tend to be seriously injured or die.

Bill "The real trick would be to catch a water melon with your teeth" Nelson
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: fehr@ms.uky.edu (Jeff Davis)
Subject: Re: catching bullets with the teeth
Keywords: Mandrake gestures hypnotically. Money and whispered offers...
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 20:01:00 GMT
Organization: Loose Affiliation of Millionaires and Billionaires and Baby

First, a couple of members of the audience are asked to mark the
bullets. These are dropped into a cup with a double bottom. The
illusionists helper carries the cup up to the stage.

Second, on the stage the illusionists helper shows "ringer" bullets
to people on stage. In his mouth the illusionist holds bullets which
match the ringer markings.

Third, the bullets are "fired"...the audience sees the bang...the 
illusionist snaps back and spits out a bullet. He puts it into the 
cup and the audience on stage verifies the markings on the bullet.
Repeat if necessary.

Fourth, the helper puts the ringer bullet(s) back in the double 
bottomed cup, returns to the original mark(er)s who upon
getting back their originals "verify" that the illusionist has
caught the bullets in his teeth.

A great trick. Not as good as crushing doves in a top hat,
but pretty spiffy.
-- 
Jeff Davis <davis@keats.ca.uky.edu> Repeat after me:
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: glitto@iastate.edu (Scott M Klabacha)
Subject: Re: Mis-applied physics in advertising
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 01:54:11 GMT

Mother Nature <gaea@zooid.guild.org> writes:
>lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
>>BTW, I have seen another round of Ginsu knife commercials.  No mention of 
>>I or II this time around.
>
>So tell me, what *IS* wrong with the Ginsu knives? I've never bought one but
>I've always wanted to know.
>

Apparently, nothing, really.
My aunt had one. Her comment on the knife:
   "It was the sharpest knife I ever cut myself with!"


***GlittoFern*** glitto@iastate.edu

Xref: sparky alt.folklore.urban:19577 sci.electronics:13183
From: st890270@pip.cc.brandeis.edu (LUCIFER)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: SHOCKING STORIES
Date: 23 Jul 92 16:15:11 GMT
Reply-To: st890270@pip.cc.brandeis.edu
Organization: Brandeis University

The worst electrical shock I have experienced was from a voltage supply in
a Physics Lab (about 5KV (obviously very low current - otherwise I wouldn't
be here chatting about it))
It felt like someone had punched me in the shoulder and kicked me off of the 
stool I was sitting on, both at the same time.

let this be a lesson to all you Physicists - don't adjust the voltage with
a metal screwdriver
From: ghartzog@terapin.com (Garrett Hartzog)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Jimmy the Greek
Date: 28 Jul 92 10:56:18 PST
Organization: BBS

In article <1992Jul27.154617.28108@cs.yale.edu>, smith-jeff@CS.YALE.EDU (Jeff
Smith) writes:
>I'm sure you all remember Jimmy the Greek, the odds-maker for
>CBS (NBC? who cares..) sports.  And of course, you all recall that
>he was fired because of an on-air racist slur.  Recently, some friends
>and I were trying to remember what he said, and we all remembered
>radically different versions of this career-ending quote, so I guess
>it has sort of achieved the status of urban legend.  My question, 
>then, is what *exactly* did he say to get him booted? 
>
>And it wasn't "That'd be in the butt, Bob."
>
>
>                               Jeff
>
he said something to the effect that blacks were physically bigger than their
white counterparts (in terms of football players) because the slave masters
bred the bigger slave together or some sh*t like that.

Garrett Hartzog
ghartzog@terapin.com
From: ceb@dbrus.Unify.Com (Caroline E. Bryan)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Do the Hokey-Pokey
Date: 31 Jul 92 17:03:06 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: /usr/lib/news/organization

In article <l7g8reINNahq@male.EBay.Sun.COM> jimj@cleanplate.EBay.Sun.COM (James D. Jones) writes:
> 
>Put your left foot in
>Pull your left foot in
	Take your left foot out (has to rhyme with the second line down!)
>Put your left foot in
>and you shake it all about
>You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around
>That what it's all about.
	And that's what it's all about. (one thing about this dance -- the
		words are grammatically correct)

Of course it's a dumb dance!  That's part of why it's fun!  Every child in
every public school in the country knows that dance!  It probably was taught
in the first public school established in this country!  It is guaranteed to
be one thing you have in common with the most distant generation (philosophi-
cally speaking) you know!  Bitter enemies can dance the hokey pokey together!
It's part of what makes this country great!

Sheesh.

Tell you a secret:  in Germany they have a dance that is just about like the
hokey pokey.  I forget the first two lines, but the last two are:

Ein fuss hier, ein fuss da,		One foot here, one foot there,
Rum, herum, es ist nicht schwer.	Round, around, it is not hard.
(apologies for mangled spelling)

Now you know why Germany is the one of the most developed countries in the
world, and has one of the highest standards of living:  they have their own
version of the hokey pokey.


Carrie		ceb@rechenau.unify.com	x6244     ----------------------------+
| ... one of those cliches that are always lying in wait to fill a vacuum in  |
| the brain.		- H.W. Fowler					      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: SHOCKING STORIES
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 07:04:00 GMT

dbushong@wang.com (Dave Bushong) writes:
: 
: >In article <7480@public.BTR.COM> grady@public.BTR.COM ( ) writes:
: >>Just to take this thread on a morbid twist,
: >>does anyone know what voltage and amperage
: >>is used in state executions?
: 
: >Dunno, but I've "heard" that a person can be killed using a common 1-1/2V
: >"D" cell battery, some wire, and two needles.

: >No, you DON'T strangle the person with the wire, shove the battery down
: >his throat, and bury him under a cross made from the needles!  :-)

Nope, you stab the needles into the person's chest on both sides of the
heart. The current would easily be sufficient to disrupt the normal 
cardiac impulses. A pacemaker, used for regulating heartbeat, puts out
far less current than this arrangement would.

If course, you have to make sure the current flows through the heart, not
around it. The best way to do that is to insert the needles into the heart.

: >As it was related to me years ago, the point (no pun :-) of the needles
: >was to penetrate the epidermis and present the battery's voltage to the
: >highly-conductive "inner" layers of the person's body; if, say, one
: >needle pierced each arm, the current would pass through the heart causing
: >fibrillation leading to death.

Not necessarily. See above. Also, it probably would not cause fibrillation,
it would probably be cardiac arrest - a stopping of the heart-beat.

: >Probably a 12V car battery and jumper cables (with one clamped to, say, the
: >big toe and the other to one's opposing arm) would effect the same result;
: >'twould probably hurt, too!  :-)

Nope. Not unless the skin was broken, or you somehow otherwise broke down the
resistance of the skin.

: I crossposted this to (and set followup to) alt.folklore.urban, and
: I'm dying to see if this has come up before.  I know that I've heard
: stories about low-voltage electrocutions; wonder if they're just
: wishful thinking......

It has come up before - however, I am not sure it has been here in a.f.u.

Bill
From: jheath@CERIS.Purdue.EDU (Jim Heath)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: "Straight Dope III" ????
Date: 23 Jul 92 21:23:17 GMT
Article-I.D.: CERIS.1992Jul23.212317.15625
Organization: Center for Environmental and Regulatory Information Systems, Purdue University


Does anyone know if there is going to be another Straight Dope
book?  I have the first 2.
-- 
"Land of song, said the warrior bard,           Jim Heath
Though all the world betrays thee.
One sword, at least, thy rights shall guard, (The Minstrel Boy)
One faithful harp will praise thee."         (Thomas Moore)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: stame@emunix.emich.edu (Stewart Tame)
Subject: Re: Anyone heard this one? New UL?
Organization: Eastern Michigan University
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 23:21:44 GMT

In article <1992Jul23.150725.18948@panix.com> fnord@panix.com (Cliff Heller) writes:
>In <1992Jul22.233225.10021@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
>
>[ full quoted original article (not even 1 day old) deleted ]
>
>>The bit about the ambulance attendants dropping the stretcher
>>and injuring the patient is also classic UL. It appears in
>>many forms in many stories.
>
>>bill "Don't snake up on my or I will pit my viper on you" Nelson
>
>What about the bit about the dip-shit usenet user who quotes 100 lines of
>included text only to stick a three line reply after it?
>
>I see that one everywhere.
>
>
>
>-- 
>    / \      Reverend fnord   	            | "King Kong died for your sins!"
>   /   \     fnord@panix.com                | 
>  / <0> \                                   | "Don't just eat a hamburger, 
> /_______\   Church of Obfuscatology, Inc.  |  eat the HELL out of it!"

Don't you just hate it when people do that?
From: Chris.Alexander@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Chris Alexander)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Barefoot in the park, or anywhere else...
Date: 31 Jul 92 04:04:16 GMT
Organization: Extended Bulletin Board Service

In article <1992Jul30.155438.5260@cheshire.oxy.edu> mike_p@cheshire.oxy.edu (Michael John Petterson) writes:
>Here is a topic not in the FAQ that struck me as never being proven completely
>in my mind.  
>
>In science classes across the U.S. (perhaps abroad as well), teachers are
>teaching something along the lines that if one goes barefoot, some tiny worm
>will shoot up you heel into your stomach and probably kill you. (Ok, so I'm
>paraphrasing)
>
>I believe this is simply a plot to keep me in shoes (it'll never work!),
>however many of my friends swear this is true "because my science teacher said
>so".  My science teacher also taught me I'm related to monkeys (JOKE--for the 
>humor-impaired).
>
>E-mail me or follow-up.
>
>Mike "(think I can use a few more parentheses)" Petterson
>mike_p@cheshire.oxy.edu

Yeah, I heard this too. Wasn't it some kind of roundworm? Trichina? No,
that's in red meat, isn't it. Hmmmmmm. I certainly don't know anyone with
this problem. Slightly off the subject, remember that Startrek move where
Khan put those creatures in the people's ears? Nice, juicy brains. Yum.

Chris "No bare feet here" Alexander
--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  bbs.oit.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
From: obrien@netcom.com (Robert O'Brien)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: chow mein sandwich
Summary: same as a "st. Paul" in Saint Louis?
Date: 23 Jul 92 09:24:21 GMT
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest)

I've no idea if the originator of this thread was referring to the
concept of taking chineese food, chow mein, cashew chicken, etc., and
serving it between slices of bread.

A new fad in New England?  Well, when I lived in Saint Louis (MO) in
1985-1986, Chineese food take-out places were very popular and common.
Most had the conventional menu, sweet & sour pork, mu shu chicken, etc.,
and many had a similar list under the heading "St. Paul"
I *never* heard these referred to as "sandwiches" yet that's
exactly what they were by the meaning I understand of "sandwich"

My favorite was egg foo yung, because it was less messy.
Actually, I think some of the other dishes had egg added to form a
sort of 'patty' which held together while being consumed:-)

's makin' me 'ungry! gotta go trow sumptin' on bread;-)  g'night, all!
From: kgg@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Kees Goossens)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Moxie, submarines (was: Re: Prince Albert in a can?!?)
Date: 21 Jul 92 11:38:33 GMT
Reply-To: kgg@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Kees Goossens)
Organization: The Lavatory for the Foundations of Computer Science

In article <1992Jul17.194024.16923@pixel.kodak.com> polvino@ssd.kodak.com (Joe Polvino) writes:
>In article <8079.31878@stratus.SWDC.Stratus.COM> jane@soave.swdc.stratus.com (Jane Beckman) writes:
>
>Does McDonalds DARE to break local tradition????????

Of course. They do exactly this all over the world, so that those American
teenagers which are spending their holiday abroad don't have to eat any
local food. (What a thought! Having to eat _real_ rolls with _real_ meat,
instead of those drab, tasteless objects known as 'McTurds' or wharever.)

Kees
--
Kees Goossens                       Keep in Touch with the Dutch:
LFCS, Dept. of Computer Science     JANET: kgg@dcs.ed.ac.uk
University of Edinburgh, Scotland   UUCP:  ..!mcsun!uknet!dcs!kgg
Wiskunde is bouwen in de geest.	--- Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer.
From: wilcox@vax.oxford.ac.uk
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Mis-applied physics in advertising
Date: 24 Jul 92 09:17:22 GMT
Organization: Oxford University VAXcluster

In article <CINDY.92Jul21215848@solan10.solan.unit.no>, cindy@solan10.solan.unit.no (Cynthia Kandolf) writes:
> Case in point:  Oscar Mayer "Light" Bologna.  1/3 less fat than
> regular.  But the regular stuff is 30% fat by weight, considerably
> more by calories.  This means the "light" stuff checks in at 20%.
> But the moms and dads who buy the stuff are probably convinced they're
> feeding them something healthy.  
> 

Talking of processed meats, can someone confirm or deny the truth of a report 
I heard recently? Ever since health professionals have been warning USAnians of
the need to consume less red meats because of the problems of cholestorol(sp?),
they have been abandoning their lean beef in droves and turning to salami,
pastrami and similar processed delights, which are of course as fatty as hell
and contain vast quantities of noxious chemicals.

My source is a Sunday supplement story about a sociology researcher who trawls
through people's dustbins to find out what they /actually/ eat.
-- 

Stephen Wilcox             |   Remember what happened to the dinosaurs!
wilcox@maths.oxford.ac.uk  |    I did---and look what happened to me.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,sci.electronics
From: styri@hal.nta.no (YuNoHoo)
Subject: Re: SHOCKING STORIES
Reply-To: styri@nta.no
Organization: Bohemians and Globetrotters, Unlimited
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 92 15:02:18 GMT

[stories about RF antennas and microwave transmitters deleted]

Some years ago I was told a story about the people packing the
crisp bread at the Wasa factory (Sweden?). Sometimes they got
ahead of the conveyor belt and grabbed into the oven to top a
pile of bread. The problem was, it was a microwave oven, and
several people cooked their hands from the inside.

You may ask: Wasn't crisp breads too hot to handle? Well, I've
seen shoplifters visiting a glass factory. When cooling, glass
will look normal from 600 Celsius and down. Some shoplifters
manage to slip a glass into their handbag without noticing, and
voila - seconds after they have a burning/melting handbag. Great
fun...

---
YuNoHoo	  "why do you have that marshmallow on top of your cellular phone?"
From: twcaps@tennyson.lbl.gov (Terry Chan)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Bear eats child's face
Date: 29 Jul 1992 23:38:47 GMT
Organization: Jelly Stone National Park
Reply-To: TWChan@lbl.gov (Terry Chan)
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.12.117

In article <1992Jul29.225054.22743@CSD-NewsHost.Stanford.EDU> 
	spg@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Stephen P. Guthrie) writes:
  +
  +Did the kid die? If so this must be a snuff film.

Nah, a fluff film maybe.
  
  +By the way, how did the pictures turn out?

Terry "Blurred" Chan
--
Terry W. Chan                                         Internet:  TWChan@lbl.gov 
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory                               Berkeley, California
Earth, third planet from the Sun                               Milky Way galaxy
From: fehr@ms.uky.edu (Jeff Davis)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: That would be in the Parthenon, Bob.
Keywords: Murderous Dictators On Ice
Date: 22 Jul 92 14:41:28 GMT
Organization: University Of Kentucky, Dept. of Math Sciences

Awhile back we were dismissing famous things famous people may
or may not have said, including the quote of Diogenes to
Alexander to get out of his light. Now, the only thing we
know of Diogenes comes down to us through anecdotal evidence.
In a world where photographs can be made to lie and archives
can be shredded, what constitutes valid evidence is shrinking:
the smoking gun, the smoking bimbo, the smoking bribe etc. Smoke
seems to be required to prove anything. But, like smokeless
tobacco, this is the story of what passed between Diogenes and Alexander.

     A. I am Alexander the Great.
     D. I am Diogenes the Dog.
     A. The dog?
     D. I nuzzle the kind, bark at the greedy, and bite louts.
     A. What can I do for you?
     D. Stand out of my light.

Alexander was the prototype of the vicious, semi-psychotic
dictator, yet the story is believeable. Alexander wanted to
be more than a Macedonian lout in fashionable Athens. He had
been taught by Aristotle, so he knew the identities of the
Big Names. In our own day, one need only remember the slightly
loony fear of Boris Pasternak which gripped Stalin. The story of
Pasternak calling Stalin in the middle of the night to get
Stalin to free one of Pasternak's friends is well known -- Stalin
was apparently greatly superstitious and believed Pasternak
to be a witch/shaman or something. So, semi-psychotic
murderous dictators kowtowing to charismatic philosopher types
is not without precedent. Hitler loved yakking away the
time w/ Nietzche's sister (the woman who invented the proto-Nazi
version of Nietzche.)  And Mussolini made a special effort one
afternoon to listen to Ezra Pound recite on of his more
unintelligible verses. Those crazy, murdering, culture loving
dictators!

It could be true, it makes a good story...it might as well be
true. Write it down!
-- 
Jeff Davis <davis@keats.ca.uky.edu> 
Coach of the Fighting Thundercats 
Member of the Chelsea Clinton Fan Club