HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: seawasp@vm2.cis.pitt.edu (Sea Wasp)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Professor has class unknowingly interpret a non-poem?
Date: 22 Nov 92 19:45:31 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh
Originator: seawasp@unixd2.cis.pitt.edu

In article <1992Nov22.143111.9055@ac.dal.ca> egilmour@ac.dal.ca writes:
>One of my Profs told a story about a Professor somewhere who wanted to
>make a point to a class about how unreliable literary criticism is.  
>The Prof asked his class to give their interpretations of a "poem" 
>that was on the board.  After an hour of the students interpreting 
>the meaning of the "poem" and coming to their various
>intellectual conclusions, the Prof revealed to the class that it
>wasn't really a poem at all but just a bunch of words and names that
>were left over from a class that had come before.
>Is this a UL or is it a true and cruel joke played by an actual Professor

	I've heard similiar stories... But no proof.

	However, your last line intrigues me. Why is it a "cruel" joke?

	Because the professor wasted the students' time? But that's 
hardly cruel; heck, in a lot of classes, it's routine.

	Or because it shattered their illusions about literary 
criticism?

	Personally, I think it's a marvelous joke. Especially if it
deflated some of the more pompous Lit students I've encountered.
When I was put into similiar situations (I.e., told to interpret
some particular story) I took great pride in defending the literal
interpretation (which, in the case of your exemplar, would mean
that I'd have looked at the board and said, "Gibberish")). 


				Sea Wasp

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Subject: Re: Those whacky, flakey, Satan worshippers
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 04:49:32 GMT
Distribution: world,local
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

In article <1992Nov22.190030.1@violet.ccit.arizona.edu>, f67700241@violet.ccit.arizona.edu (Greg Franklin) writes:
> In article <1992Nov22.234515.434@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu>, vkochend@nyx.cs.du.edu (Vance Kochenderfer) writes:
> > SATAN-WORSHIPPING BOY SENT HOME FROM SCHOOL
> > 
> > COLORADO CITY, Ariz. - A 14-year-old boy was sent home from school for
> > wearing a "Batman Returns" Penguin T-shirt.
> 
> To our international audience:
> 
> Colorado City is in the far north of Arizona, right next to the Utah
> border.  It is heavily Mormon, heavily inbred, and polygamous.  In fact
> its claim to fame is that it has successfully thumbed its nose at state
> and federal officials who have tried to enforce anti-polygamy laws.

Indeed.  The AP wire story, as I recall it, implied that the boy's
mother thought that they were being targeted for harassment because
they'd broken with the polygamous sects.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.nude
From: datri@egsner.cirr.com (Anthony Datri)
Subject: Re: Driving without shoes
Organization: Central Iowa (Model) Railroad, Dallas, Tx.
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 18:01:35 GMT

>her foot stuck, nor of starvation either, but because she was unable to
>stop or slow down

As far as I know, all Beetles have manual or effectively manual transmissions.
She shifts into neutral and slows to a stop.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Snuff film UL broken?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 01:34:13 GMT

mjenkins@alfred.carleton.ca (Michael Jenkinson) writes:
: A local DJ here in Ottawa was arrested for peddling obscene videos out
: of his house. 
: 
: According to one report I read, police siezed a number of tapes,
: "including at least one snuff film."

Only problem is, if Ontario is like BC - an obscene video would be one
which showed naked bodies. Canada has some of the most restrictive
"pornography" laws in the world. Who knows wat a news reporter would
call "snuff".

I will wait for further information.

bill
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: mfriedma@uucp (Michael Friedman)
Subject: Re: AIDS and the CIA (was Question)
Organization: Oracle Corporation
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 02:54:07 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 <9706@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP> pmmst8+@pitt.edu (Paul M Mweene) writes:
>In article <1992Nov10.222416.5113@engage.pko.dec.com> moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com writes:
>>Ummmm, don't know if this was mentioned, but the "AIDS is biological warfare
>>created by the CIA to wipe out Africans/whoever" story is Soviet propaganda/
>>disinformation _designed_ to make the US look bad in the eyes of the world
>>(particularly Africa).
>>-Mike

>Your story is half true. Infact the Soviets picked this story from two French
>scientists who did studies on the virus. They showed that there was no way 
>the Simian (green monkey) virus could ever evolve into HIV. They felt that a
>more likely source was combination of the luekemia causative agent and the
>visna virus found in sheep. I happened to read this report way back in '87
>or '86.

>Similarly, German researchers debunked the monkey virus myth in 1988 (I will
>bring the date of the New Africa magazine which has the story). Further more
>an high powered group of German scientists undertook a trip to the Ituri rain
>forest where models had 'shown' the aids virus to have originated. 

What models?

>Having nailed the source of the virus to village in Zaire where the virus had
>to have begun, they proceede to test all 15000 pygmies they found there for
>the virus. They zero (0) infected with it.

Any model based on epidemiology that tracks AIDS back to a single
village is pure science fiction.

Also, based on current rates of infection, the idea that they could
test 15,000 people anywhere and find no infections is totally
ludicrous.  

>According to Frenc hypothesis. AIDS was created at Ft. Detrick Maryland. The
>powers that be elected to conduct tests on long term prisoners at a nearby
>prison. They promised them freedom if they survived the test. 

Why?  Also, why should htey have kept the promise?  Finally, why did
none of the prisoners talk?

>Six weeks after infection, the prisoners suffered a mild flue which however
>disappeared. The powers therefor released them. These people who were drug
>addicts and homosexual subsequently infect others in the population, especia
>lly in the New York area.

>The dates all reconciled and this story seem to be true.

What dates?  You haven't given any.  You also haven't explained how on
erath you found out aabout a program that would have been totally
secret if it really existed.

-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I am not an official Oracle spokesman.  I speak for myself and no one else.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,sci.skeptic,sci.med.aids
From: sheaffer@netcom.com (Robert Sheaffer)
Subject: Re: AIDS and the CIA (was Question)
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6461
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 05:20:19 GMT

In article <97197@netnews.upenn.edu> mrice@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Matt Rice) writes:
>I don't know anything about Soviet propoganda, 

The "CIA created AIDS" fable most certainly *was* a staple of Soviet
propaganda for a while. From OMNI, July, 1987, p. 97:

   In September 1986 the Soviet magazine New Times reported that
   AIDS had been created by American germ warfare labs.... (goes
   on to explain how researchers at the Emory School of Medicine
   in Atlanta found one HIV+ sample of blood plasma taken in
   Africa in 1959).

From the New York Times, Nov. 5, 1987:

   Soviet Disavows Charges that U.S. Created AIDS

   WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (AP) - Soviet scientists have disavowed charges
   in the Soviet-sponsored press that the AIDS virus was artificially
   cultivated at a secret American military base....

   Charles Redman, a spokesman for the State Department, said the
   United States welcomed "this authoritative Soviet denial of the
   false charges that the U.S. is responsible for the creation of the
   AIDS virus."

In this country, probably the best-known proponent of the "CIA AIDS"
line has been the late Mae Brussell, the famous conspiracy theorist.
She was also one of the primary supporters of the claim that the CIA
killed JFK, Marilyn Monroe, etc.

Jeremy Rifkin had a crackpot theory all his own, something about how
the AIDS virus evolved from "cattle viruses," which allegedly placed
the public in great danger of catching AIDS from cows. (New York Times,
July 7, 1987).
-- 
  
        Robert Sheaffer - Scepticus Maximus - sheaffer@netcom.com
  
 Past Chairman, The Bay Area Skeptics - for whom I speak only when authorized!

       "Beware when the great God lets loose a thinker on this planet.
        Then all things are at risk. It is as when a conflagration has
        broken out in a great city, and no man knows what is safe, or
        where it will end."
                               - Emerson: Essay, "Circles"
From: kubo@zariski.harvard.edu (Tal Kubo)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Child Molestors - internationally organized?
Date: 16 Nov 92 04:20:09 GMT


In sci.crypt, an interesting discussion is going on, in which
the following claim is attributed to a law enforcement official:

>
>   In  response,  and  I  draw  from  memory  of the conversation
>   [with the police officer],  Child molestation   and  pedophiles   are
>   a   well-organized  group   both  nation-wide  and internationally.

The message ID is <1271.517.uupcb@grapevine.lrk.ar.us>,
the thread is called "new encryption problem".

Do readers of  AFU  have any light to shed on this bold claim?
Inquiring minds want to know.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: sasbmt@jjoyce.unx.sas.com (Bruce Tindall)
Subject: Re: Stupid Quote
Originator: sasbmt@jjoyce.unx.sas.com
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 23:14:30 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: SAS Institute Inc.


In article <1992Nov19.164525.12119@ncrcae.ColumbiaSC.NCR.COM>, barry@ute.Columbia.NCR.COM (Barry Shelton) writes:
>Is the following fact or folklore?  If it's fact, can anyone supply a
>reference?
>
>   When asked why he opposed bilingual education in the Houston
>   public schools, the mayor replied: "If English is good enough
>   for Jesus, it's good enough for our children."

I've always heard that it was Texas Governor Miriam "Ma" Ferguson's 
stated reason for opposing an appropriation for foreign-language
teaching in the public schools in the 1920s.

I don't have a reference for that (yet), but I do have one for this:
Ma Ferguson "ordered the elimination from state schools of textbooks 
upholding Darwinism: ... she declared, 'I am not going to let that 
kind of rot go into Texas schoolbooks.'"  -- G. Tindall, "America: 
A Narrative History" (okay, okay, the ISBN is 0-393-95680-6).  

Bruce "What kind of rot? Rot-13?" Tindall
-- 
Bruce Tindall, Core Testing Mgr., SAS Institute Inc., Cary, N.C. 27513
From: fred@page6.pinetree.org (Fred Ennis)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Snuff film UL broken?
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 92 22:25:16 -0500
Organization: Page 6, Ottawa, Ontario +1 613-729-9451

> >The one report was Frank magazine, a gossip rag not known for its
> >veracity.

Actually, he wasn't a DJ, he was a newscaster, a fellow by the name of 
Jim McGrath (pron: Mcgraw). He and his wife originally faced charges of 
producing, distributing, and selling films which the OPP claimed were 
obscene under the Criminal Code of Canada. 

Most of the films dealt with some rather peculiar sexual activities, many 
of them scatological, and the titles were somewhat amusing. Jim and his 
wife pleaded guilty only to the charge of selling the videos and the 
crown, anxious to avoid a trial, withdrew the other charges.

Interesting enough, Jim McGrath was hailed as a hero just a few months 
prior to the arrest.  He and his wife were operating a downtown specialty 
grocery store, and he singlehandedly disarmed a would-be robber.

As for the "snuff" films, I took a look at some of the titles, and I 
think it might be far more accurate to suggest that these were more 
"sniff" films if you'll pardon the expression.

The Ontario Provincial Police have suffered severe manpower cuts to the 
point where several communities have no police protection at all from 11 
pm until 7 in the morning, yet they still maintain their fully staffed 
"Project P" anti-porn squad, which laboured so dilligently to bring the 
McGraths to justice.

That is probably more than you ever wanted to know about this story.


--
Fred Ennis, fred@page6.pinetree.org

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Child Molestors - internationally organized?
From: rmk@rmkhome.UUCP (Rick Kelly)
Organization: The Man With Ten Cats
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 21:34:19 GMT
Reply-To: rmk@rmkhome.UUCP (Rick Kelly)

In article <Bxz164.GC9@news.cso.uiuc.edu> berger@atropa (Mike Berger) writes:
>rmk@rmkhome.UUCP (Rick Kelly) writes:
>>>contact with other child molesters on "computer bulletin boards." Now
>>>we're worse than the "hackers" they're always reporting on, we may just
>>>be child molesters too. Hide your modem!
>
>>Just around the corner from me, earlier this year, they arrested a child
>>molester who was meeting his victims through BBS systems.  As I remember
>>there were at least two accounts of rape of a child against him.
>>-- 
>This sounds awfully perjorative.  An arrest doesn't mean he's guilty,
>and in most states, sex with somebody below the legal age of consent
>is rape, even when willful informed consent is present.

Well, he's now in jail, waiting trial.  Area BBS systems have closed out
all his accounts, and have searched all their picture areas for stuff that
he might have uploaded.  When they arrested him they found a large collection
of child pornography both in printed form and on his computer.  They also
found a lot of drugs.

I know the sysop of one local BBS who was getting complaints from his users
that this guy was sexually harassing them.

-- 

Rick Kelly	rmk@rmkhome.UUCP	unixland!rmkhome!rmk	rmk@frog.UUCP
From: pynq@quads.uchicago.edu (George Jetson)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Carry on feuds in public that really belong in email is such fun!
Summary: (Was: Re: Tomorrow's Conspiracy Theory, brought to you today.)
Date: 24 Nov 92 03:45:13 GMT
Reply-To: pynq@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: D. J. Dougherty & Associates

In article <1992Nov23.205731.19293@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
>pynq@quads.uchicago.edu (that's me!) wrote:
>: 
>: You're wrong about this, Bill.  One of the standard maxims is that
>: people hate congresscritters in general, but love their own.
...
>: In fact, after his most recent tussle with the law, there was a pretty
>: big debate here about whether we could afford to lose him...
... Note this paragraph well, William! ...
...
>So, maybe he does, for some select part of your population. For the bulk of
>the voters, you can bet that he does little, or nothing - unless it is just
>incidental to helping those who make campaign donations.

I just don't understand how you can say this.  I mean, I am obviously no
defender of Dan - I'm not a defender of any pol (like you, I suspect,
I'm convinced that they are all scum and we could better results at
much lower cost by flipping coins)

But, I don't understand how somebody who is apparently intelligent can
make a blanket statement like that, on a worldwide public forum, no less,
on a subject that he clearly knows nothing about.  But then again, I
have noticed a tendency on your part to continue to say the same thing
over and over (e.g., about snuff) when a) You've made your point, and
b) Those who haven't been convinced never will be.

I think it is entirely reasonable to assume that if we replaced Dan with
some fresh-faced kid, who, God forbid, was ethical, the Chicago area
would be worse off.  We would get less pork.  And pork is what it's all
about.  (& we can use all we can get)

************************************************************************
... And malt does more than Milton can
To justify God's ways to man
		-- A. E. Housman

	- pynq@quads.uchicago.edu, who is still costing the net
	  hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, every time he posts -
************************************************************************
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: smith+@cs.cmu.edu (Sean Smith)
Subject: Re: alt.skeptical.inquirier
Followup-To: alt.folklore.urban
Keywords: CSICOP
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 16:06:01 GMT

In article <BxzJ90.KoK@rahul.net> phil@rahul.net (Phil Gustafson) writes:
>In article <16NOV199221354710@csa3.lbl.gov> jtchew@csa3.lbl.gov (Ad absurdum per aspera) writes:
>>
>>No, that's "The Courgette" -- it's a ladies' lap dog (properly
>>the Welsh Courgette) and you don't EVEN want to know why its owner
>>was admitted to the hospital.
>
>Didn't Catherine the Great have one?
>

Didn't hers have three sides?

--Sean ``and cost two fifty'' Smith

******************************************************************************
                         sean.smith@cs.cmu.edu
                     carnegie mellon computer science

          posting from PITTSBURGH, the center of the AFUniverse!
******************************************************************************










Xref: sparky alt.folklore.urban:28895 rec.arts.startrek.misc:11745 alt.religion.kibology:4753
From: thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu (Ted Frank)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.arts.startrek.misc,alt.religion.kibology
Subject: Re: Origin of Calvin & Hobbes WAS:Calvin/Hobbes diagnosed as clinical schizophrenic
Date: 17 Nov 92 22:10:28 GMT
Reply-To: thf2@midway.uchicago.edu
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations

In article <1992Nov17.181250.99384@watson.ibm.com> yozzo@watson.ibm.com (Ralph Yozzo) writes:
>Does anyone know if Calvin & Hobbes was named after the historical
>figures "John Calvin" and "Thomas Hobbes"?

Actually, it's named after the famous law firm Calvin, Hobbes, Emack,
and Bolio.  The firm split up in the early eighties.  Don't know what
they ended up doing.

And it's "Tiberius Hobbes."

Ted "Beans and" Frank
-- 
ted frank                     | thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu 
standard disclaimers          | void where prohibited
the university of chicago law school, chicago, illinois 60637
From: jtchew@csa3.lbl.gov (Ad absurdum per aspera)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Child Molestors - internationally organized?
Date: 16 Nov 1992 17:34 PST
Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory - Berkeley, CA, USA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.254.198
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

>The FBI, amoung other investigative bodies, has denied finding any evidence
>of any such groups [in the US] - Child molesters, pedophiles...

There are persistent reports in the popular media of a "North American
Man-Boy Love Association" (NAMBLA) whose materials, including some
kind of a newsletter, are sometimes found among pedophiles' effects.
If I recall correctly, this came up a year or a year and a half ago
when a group of such people claimed their right as taxpayers to use 
some facility of the San Francisco Public Library to hold meetings. 
As they say in chess, "?!?"

Fact or folklore?  I don't know, and frankly I don't care to associate
with the kind of people who *would* know, with the guarded exception of
the enforcement officials who catch 'em and put 'em in the slammer.  
Sorry, folks.  Consenting adults can do what they please, but children
need protection.

Joe "Can't really think up a lighthearted witticism for this one" Chew
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: cindy@solan10.solan.unit.no (Cynthia Kandolf)
Subject: Re: Billiard Ball UL
Organization: /home/ludviga/cindy/.organization
Date: 15 Nov 92 21:01:41

>I heard that if you put a standard billiard ball in your oven at
>500 degrees Fahrenheit, it will explode.
>
>Has anyone else heard/tried this?

No, but i do know for sure that putting things in a 500F oven can
cause interesting problems.

Chicken wings in a paper tray, for instance.  Makes a mess of the
kitchen.

-Cindy Kandolf
 cindy@solan.unit.no
 Trondheim, Norway

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: fehr@ms.uky.edu (Jeff Davis)
Subject: Re: Origin of Calvin & Hobbes 
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 19:24:19 GMT
Organization: Austerlitz, Gershovitz, and Carmichael

Ralph Yozzo writes:
>Does anyone know if Calvin & Hobbes was named after the historical
>figures "John Calvin" and "Thomas Hobbes"?
>
Since Calvin is solitary, nasty, brutish, and short is there really a 
need to ask?
-- 
Jeff Davis <davis@keats.ca.uky.edu> My bad.
From: saxe@pooh.cs.unc.edu (Eddie Saxe)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Child Molestors - internationally organized?
Date: 18 Nov 92 22:46:33 GMT
Organization: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

In article <1992Nov18.011441.13871@thelema.uucp> STella@thelema.uucp (STella) writes:

>I too would like the age-of-consent laws to be loosened.

[Stuff deleted in case you couldn't tell]

The age of consent here in North Carolina (at least according to a newspaper
article yesterday) is currently *13*.  How low do you want it?

[Note:  the article mentioned that the Chapel Hill D.A. outlined what he
would like the State Legislature to do to make it easier for him to get con-
victions for date rape.  One of these suggestions was to raise the age of
consent in NC from 13 to 16]

Eddie "I'm *really* not making this up" Saxe
-- 
saxe@cs.unc.edu          Posted from the Chapel Hill Zoo (fence not included).
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Tomorrow's Conspiracy Theory, brought to you today.
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 20:38:50 GMT

vince@cadence.com (Vince Gibboni) writes:
: 
:     While this is true, it's more of a happy coincidence then something
:     what was achieved by design.
: 
:     The reason we select the president by electoral college rather than
:     through a direct vote is the same reason that we have a congress to 
:     vote on laws rather than having them voted on directly by the people
:     (the republic vs. democracy thing): because it was felt that the
:     general populace should not be entrusted with this sort of decision
:     directly. Remember, "democracy" was high-tech back then and they
:     weren't all that sure how it would work, and, when it came right
:     down to it, they weren't really sure that the common people could be 
:     entrusted with self-government. Of course to us this seems silly,
:     two hundred years later, with the benefit of hindsight, we can see
:     without question that the general populace should never be entrusted
:     with anything more complicated than buying a vowel. But, of course,
:     the founder fathers had no way of knowing that (most of them didn't
:     even have cable). Anyway, that's why we have an electoral college, 
:     as a an intermediate body standing between the masses and actual power, 
:     prepared, should the masses get out of line, to snatch the cup of 
:     liberty from there lips and bludgeon them with it repeatedly. 
: 
Of course, there is also ample evidence that the members of congress should
not even be entrusted with the difficult task of "buying a vowel". It is
funny that people, having voted these congress creatures into office, think
that those creatures are actually going to look out for the voters' interests.

Bill
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: mjenkins@alfred.carleton.ca (Michael Jenkinson)
Subject: Snuff film UL broken?
Organization: Carleton University
Date: Mon, 16 Nov 1992 20:04:30 GMT

A local DJ here in Ottawa was arrested for peddling obscene videos out
of his house. 

According to one report I read, police siezed a number of tapes,
"including at least one snuff film."

Hmmm....
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,sci.med