HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Coca Cola dissolves meat?
From: derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek Tearne)
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 93 04:28:11 GMT
Organization: Fujitsu New Zealand

In article <1993Jan24.203158.11723@bmw.mayo.edu> tcg@mayo.edu writes:
>   Maybe it's another old hat, but, hey, I'm relatively new to the U.S.:
>there was a "story" I repeatedly heard in the 60's that was meant to illustrate
>the allegedly harmful effects of Coca Cola on the mucous membranes of your
>stomach. It went like:
>"If you put a piece of meat in a bowl of Coke overnight, the meat will dissolve
>completely." Of course I never got around to trying it out ...
>
>   I'm sure it's UL, where did it come from? Anybody else over here ever heard
>this or tried it?

I know a guy in South Africa who uses Coca Cola to marinate meat for Braais<tm>
(barbeques to the rest of us).  He leaves the meat in Coke overnight and it 
becomes very nice and tender.  It tastes surprisingly nice too and not at all
like chicken.  

The meat is very definately still there.

Derek "Will eat for food" Tearne


-- 
Derek Tearne.   --   derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz   --    Fujitsu New Zealand   -- 
 _______
 _______} This is a Usenet Condom<tm>.  Roll the condom over the .signature 
	  file before posting to protect yourself from .sig retro-virii
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.music.misc
From: Gregg Woodcock <woodcock@bnr.ca>
Subject: Re: 54-40..what does their name mean?
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 22:16:52 GMT
Reply-To: Gregg Woodcock <woodcock@bnr.ca>
Organization: Bell-Northern Research; Richardson, Texas, USA

In article <9301252032.AA21973@snowhite.cis.uoguelph.ca>, stevep@snowhite.cis.uoguelph.ca (Steve Portigal) writes:
|>  I just always figured 54-40 was just some stupid band name (although
|> a decent band), when Al Bundy used the phrase "54-40 or fight" (not
|> in context, only as a sample phrase) on Married With Children.
|> 
|> So what the hell does it mean?

Well I'm going to need a little help but I can get the ball rolling.
The phrase "54' 40' or fight" was the battlecry of some PO'ed early
American settlers who were trying to take over the continent.  The
"54" and "40" are degrees of Latitude and Longitude and the phrase
meant that if the Americans/British (don't know when this happened)
did not get the land concession, they were going to go to war to take
it.  This may have even been part of the civil war; I'm not sure.
Maybe the folks in soc.history can help (or go ask your local history
teacher; I'm sure he'd know).
-- 
THANX...Gregg   woodcock@bnr.ca   day 214.684.7380   night 214.530.2495
*CLASSIC VIDEOGAME COLLECTOR BUY/SELL/TRADE PRE-NINTENDO (ARCADE/HOME)*
"If you quote me on this I'll have to deny it; I won't remember because
I have such a bad memory.  Not only that, but my memory is *terrible*."
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: gj156879@alfred.carleton.ca ( gj student 156879)
Subject: Albert Einstein's Brain
Organization: Carleton University
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 15:50:50 GMT

I was reminded by the frozen brain story of a "Ul" that may be true:

Do they have Albert Einstein's brain in a jar somewhere?  From what I
recall (no idea where this came from) Al had his brain in a jar, and
it was "lost" somewhere in the great big world.

That is, they misplaced Albert's brain-in-a-jar and now it could be
out there among a whole mess of other jarred-brains.
 
          Is there any truth to this?
                                                  Nik

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: nolan@twg.com (Nolan Hinshaw)
Subject: Re: Doggie Doo-Doo
Reply-To: nolan@twg.com
Organization: Frendly Neighborhood Federal Freddies
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 18:35:20 GMT


In article <1993Jan21.161626.15333@hemlock.cray.com>, davew@willow03.cray.com (Dave Wagner) writes:
[stuff]
|>No, you've got it wrong.  Horses eat rabbits...

Naw! Rabbits shoot horse!
--
"Your call will be processed when we get a round tuit."
From: phil@rahul.net (Phil Gustafson)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Bambi meets Godzilla.
Date: 26 Jan 93 21:08:25 GMT
Organization: Famed Parquet Floor

In article <lmb6b4INNneo@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> bls@sector7g.Eng.Sun.COM writes:
>In article 29861@midway.uchicago.edu, thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu (Ted Frank) writes:
>>- Deer in idyllic field.  Idyllic pastoral music.
>
>Just for the sake of completeness: the music is the first part of the
>William Tell Overture (not the Lone Ranger part, the other part).

As long as we're completing things:

Around here, B. v. G. was almost always shown with "<mumble mumble>, White
Man",  a Lone Ranger parody narrated by the late Lenny Bruce.

It used the Lone Ranger part.

I once saw them along with "Fritz the Cat".

Phil "Ever make it with an aardvark?" Gustafson

-- 
|play: phil@rahul.net
|work: (Under Construction)              | Phil Gustafson 408-286-1749      |
|         Opinions outside attributed material are mine alone.              |
|        Satirical matter is not necessarily identified as such.            |
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: an8460@anon.penet.fi (The Borg)
Subject: Which side of the road (revisited).
Organization: Anonymous contact service
X-Anonymously-To: alt.folklore.urban
Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1993 18:21:20 GMT

Earlier, there was a big discussion about why people in certain countries
drive on the left side of the road, opposed to the right side that we in
the US use.

Well, I've got the answer!

It has to do to the drive train.  In the US, and several other countries,
the drive train on vehicles, spin clock-wise (left to right).  This spinning
causes torque which forces the driver to be on the right side of the road.
In England, and other countries, the drive train spins counter-clock wise,
thus, they drive on the left side of the road.


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To find out more about the anon service, send mail to help@anon.penet.fi.
Due to the double-blind system, any replies to this message will be anonymized,
and an anonymous id will be allocated automatically. You have been warned.
From: frey@alfheim.actrix.gen.nz (Bruce Clement)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Cuttin' the Rug
Distribution: world
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 93 21:40:10 GMT
Organization: Private System

In article <23JAN199316485427@csa3.lbl.gov> jtchew@csa3.lbl.gov (Ad absurdum per aspera) writes:
>> Factoid, fictionoid, or UL?  Islamic artists and artisans (including rug
>> makers, weavers, knotters, whatever) deliberately include an error in
>> their product in recognition of the fact that only Allah is perfect.
>
>But if only Allah is perfect, does that not imply categorically
>that humans are imperfect, thereby obviating the need to
>deliberately include an error?  In fact, would it not be 
>blasphemy to do so because it implies that you would have 
>achieved perfection otherwise?

Perhaps it is also blasphemy to *try* to create a perfect rug, as that is
saying that you feel as perfect as Allah - so you always end up with
two errors in the rug - the one you intended to show that you weren't 
attempting to compete with Allah, and the one you made because you are
human & fallible?

--
Bruce Clement    (frey@alfheim.welly.gen.nz)
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.urban:34806 rec.music.misc:30989
From: stern6@husc10.harvard.edu (Michael Stern)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.music.misc
Subject: Re: 54-40..what does their name mean?
Date: 25 Jan 93 21:56:13 GMT
Article-I.D.: husc.stern6.727998973

stevep@snowhite.cis.uoguelph.ca (Steve Portigal) writes:

> I just always figured 54-40 was just some stupid band name (although
>a decent band), when Al Bundy used the phrase "54-40 or fight" (not
>in context, only as a sample phrase) on Married With Children.
>So what the hell does it mean?

In the early 19th century, the boundary between the United States and
Canada was not entirely defined. The most disputed section of the border
was the northern part of what is now Washington State. The Canadians
wanted the border to continue along the 49th parallel, but the Americans
wanted our territory to jut north to about where Prince George, B.C.,
now is. This fit the mountainous boundaries better, but was really just
a rallying cry for jingoistic politicians. Specifically, their cry was
"54 (degress) 40 (minutes) or fight", the lattitude of their desired
border.

President Pierce was elected in part on his promise to secure these
advantageous borders, but when the Mexican war became imminent he compromised
at the 49th parallel, and thus ensured that the Brits and Canadians
would not strike from the North while we were busy invading Mexico.

Now you know.

******************************************************************************
         Michael Stern        *  "When I was a boy I was told that anybody
                              *   could become President; I'm beginning to
  stern6@husc.harvard.edu     *   believe it."          -Clarence Darrow
******************************************************************************
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu (Ted Frank)
Subject: Re: AFU EAST
Reply-To: thf2@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 02:54:51 GMT

In article <2459@blue.cis.pitt.edu> infidel@cislabs.pitt.edu (todd j. derr) writes:
>ObUL: Fb. If you skip all of your classes, you get a 4.0.

Worked for me.  The only year at Brandeis I made a 4.0 was my senior year,
when I skipped all my classes.  My best grades in law school are in the
classes I skipped most, while my worst grade in first year was in the class I
went to most often.  Go know.

Ted "averaged one hour of class a week his last semester at Brandeis" Frank
-- 
ted frank                     | thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu 
standard disclaimers          | void where prohibited
the university of chicago law school, chicago, illinois 60637
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Drug Addicted Infants
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 22:09:27 GMT

hatunen@netcom.com (David W Hatunen) writes:
: I apologize for not responding  to billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com ( bill nelson) 
: and his response to my posting sooner. Before responding, I want to pro-
: vide some personal background. Jan & I are foster parents in the San 
: Francisco Program for Medically Fragile Infants. As such, we receive
: babies into our home immediately upon their release from the
: hospital (as early as nine days old). Thus, we suffer through all
: of the drug-withdrawal periods with the child.

I have responded by e-mail. I doubt if we are going to come to any
agreement here.

Bill
From: pjswan@engin.umich.edu (Peter Swanson)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Major scams since 1980
Date: 26 Jan 1993 20:30:12 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: break.engin.umich.edu

In article <IfNKFbi00iV2M2cKAZ@andrew.cmu.edu> "Stephen M. Lacy" <sl31+@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>
>Ok, I was thinking, and here are a few words to get you started:
>"Ultrasonic Humidifier" and "The Back Chair"  It seems to me that these
>
> [stuff deleted]

Ultrasonic Humidifier?  They still sell these, though you can usually
only find them around November, when the weather starts getting cold
and the air dry.  They are usually next to the evaporative and
boiling humidifiers.  In the Great White North, you use these during
the winter to avoid nosebleeds and static electricity.  I, being an
occaisional user of such a beast, don't consider them a scam.  It must
not get cold in Pittsburg if you think they are.

ObJunk:
Ultrasonic bug repellents: yeah, as if roaches and fleas cared.
Chia Pets: cat snacks?


-- 
| Peter J. Swanson                   |  pjswan@caen.engin.umich.edu        |
| PhD Pre-Candidate                  |  controls specialist                |
| Electrical Engineering:Systems     | Fortunately, ah keep muh feathuhs   |
| University of Michigan             | numbahd for just such ahn emergency.|
From: Donald Mackie <donald_mackie@med.umich.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Headlight Dimmer Switch
Date: 22 Jan 1993 22:00:16 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan Anesthesiology
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: 141.214.86.38
X-UserAgent: Nuntius v1.1.1d9
X-XXDate: Fri, 22 Jan 93 23:00:30 GMT

Subject: Re: Headlight Dimmer Switch
From: Geoff Miller, geoffm@purplehaze.Corp.Sun.COM
Date: 22 Jan 1993 19:57:18 GMT
In article <1jpjiuINNclm@jethro.Corp.Sun.COM> Geoff Miller,
geoffm@purplehaze.Corp.Sun.COM writes:
>
 There are too many fools who leave their turn signals on while
>they're sitting in front of me at night in left-turn-only lanes (What
>do they think people expect them to do, go *straight up?*) where a
>signal isn't necessary because their intentions are obvious

Fools they may be but they are outnumbered by those for whom the purpose
of the flashing lights at each corner of the car is a mystery. The fact
that they are in a left turn lane is as likely to mean they will turn
right as anything else Divining their intentions is a gift that is
posessed by old cyclists. The rest of us have to guess where they are
going. 
Another group of fools believe that setting all four flashing lights
going makes their car invisible to the law when they are illegally parked.
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.urban:34817 rec.music.misc:30996
From: ed@wente.llnl.gov (Ed Suranyi)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.music.misc
Subject: Re: 54-40..what does their name mean?
Date: 26 Jan 93 00:02:48 GMT
Followup-To: alt.folklore.urban
Organization: UC Davis Dept of Applied Science at LLNL

In article <9301252032.AA21973@snowhite.cis.uoguelph.ca> stevep@snowhite.cis.uoguelph.ca (Steve Portigal) writes:
> I just always figured 54-40 was just some stupid band name (although
>a decent band), when Al Bundy used the phrase "54-40 or fight" (not
>in context, only as a sample phrase) on Married With Children.
>
>So what the hell does it mean?

I'm a little surprised that you, a Canadian, doesn't know this, since
it refers to a nineteenth century border dispute between the US and
what's now Canada.

In the 1840s the border between what's now Washington state and
British Columbia was a matter of considerable dispute.  The Americans
wanted it to be at the latitude 54 degrees 40 minutes -- hence 
the slogan, "54-40 or fight!"  The British wanted it somewhere near
where the Washington/Oregon border is now.  A compromise was reached,
whereby the border at 48 degrees that had already been established
partway to the Pacific was merely extended all the way.  The border
among the islands off the coast in the Pacific was not settled for
a few more decades.

Ed
ed@wente.llnl.gov
From: de@moscom.com (David Esan)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Washing machine + Moon cycle (was Re: Coriolis)
Date: 28 Jan 93 20:47:01 GMT
Distribution: alt.folklore.urban
Organization: Moscom Corporation, Pittsford NY

In article <SCHNIZER.93Jan27234550@hakobe.kurims.kyoto-u.ac.jp> schnizer@kurims.kyoto-u.ac.jp (Schnizer Ansgar) writes:
>I have made an _observation_ (!) which might be significant
>to the thread which is driven by the Coriolis force.
>
> It's not that my washing machine cycles in clockwise direction. NO.
>My washing machine has another problem - the washing machine 
>keeps wandering while at work. Sometimes more sometimes less. So 

Have you tried reading the machine's instructions?  You may note there that
a washing machine will walk across the floor if the load in it is unbalanced.

Of course it could be the aliens who use your machine for a thrill ride.


-- 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -->     David Esan      de@moscom.com  
 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: russ@bbxrbk (Russ Kepler)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: software kills
Date: 23 Jan 93 15:47:53 GMT
Organization: russ at home in Albuquerque New Mexico

In article <JTCHEW-220193160147@b50-afrd5.lbl.gov> JTCHEW@lbl.gov (Ad absurdum per aspera) writes:
>JP> Any other medical mishaps caused by software?
>
>Indubitably, my dear Jonathan.  Browsing the archives of COMP.RISKS would
>probably turn up a few, along with a dazzling array of other cases in
>which Murphy's Law was enforced with computers.

Not a medical mishap, but I damned near killed (via heart attack) a
controller at a heavy construction company by accidentally "losing" 6
million or so dollars from the ledger while updating their accounting
software.  It was kinda fun in retrospect...

-- Russ "...but not something you'd want to repeat" Kepler

-- 
Russ Kepler, posting from home   russ@bbx.basis.com, bbxrbk!russ@bbx.basis.com
"It's better to be quotable than to be honest" - Tom Stoppard
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 14:09:16 EST
From: <WCE2@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Snapple
 <1993Jan20.202504.11699@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
 <1993Jan21.031951.9376@netcom.com>
 <1993Jan21.215745.19016@galileo.cc.rochester.edu>

A serious inquiry:  does anyone have a copy of the flier that the NYT says
circulated about Snapple?  If so, I'd appreciate having a copy for FOAFtale
News (as comparative material for the Tropical Fantasy/KKK flier).
.
Bill Ellis (wce2 @ psuvm.psu.edu)                 Editor, FOAFtale News
Penn State, Hazleton Campus                       Voice: 717-450-3026
Hazleton, PA 18201-1291                           Fax: 717-450-3182
     "He who affirms the devil, creates the Devil." --Eliphas Levi

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: bml@netcom.com (Brian Leibowitz)
Subject: Re: coriollis effect and Foucalt pendulums (and the UN)
Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest)
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 01:54:00 GMT

Way back in high school, I took a course in history of Science (the physics
teacher had a PhD from Oxford in History of Science and taught this as an
extra course because he wanted to.)  We tried to do a Foucalt pendulum
and found it VERY difficult to get it to work.  We used a 5 foot tripod and
about 10 pound pendulum that came from some scientific supply catalog.
The pendulum always had some spin and the path usually was not straight.
We tried letting the pendulum sit all day to get rid of twist in the string
(we used fishing line) and them carefully pulled it back and tied it with
a thread.  We let that sit overnight to get rid of any swinging or wobbling.
In the morning we burned the string to start the pendulum.  We never got
it to work right (I think the best we did was too fast by about 20%)
We also tried a longer string by tying the line to the ceiling.

I suspect that our biggest problem was that the pendulum was disc shaped
and thus prone to wobbling.  (even though the release thread seemed aligned,
it probably had significant error.)  We wanted to use a hundred pound weight
in the three story high section in the library, but we were told that we
would not be able to get permission.

brian

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: smb@research.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Subject: Re: Coca Cola dissolves meat?
Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1993 02:33:44 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

In article <1993Jan24.203158.11723@bmw.mayo.edu>, tcg@mayo.edu (Thomas Gerber) writes:
>    Maybe it's another old hat, but, hey, I'm relatively new to the U.S.:
> there was a "story" I repeatedly heard in the 60's that was meant to illustrate
> the allegedly harmful effects of Coca Cola on the mucous membranes of your
> stomach. It went like:
> "If you put a piece of meat in a bowl of Coke overnight, the meat will dissolve
> completely." Of course I never got around to trying it out ...

The usual version of that story is that it will dissolve a tooth left
in it overnight.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Jesus' Birthday
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 21:37:44 GMT

nolan@twg.com (Pius X) writes:
: 
: |>>No - Easter was set as the date of his resurrection. It has nothing to do
: |>>with the supposed birth date. 
: |>
: |> Uh, somebody didn't recognize the joke.
: 
: No, you gored Bill's Blessed Bovine. An inquisitor will be knocking on your
: door shortly.

Who? Terry? Derek? Ya wanna watch? It'll cost you two-fifty.

The last sacred cow I had, I ate. 

Bill "Holy Cow! Look at all them Cotton Picking Indians!" - G. Custer" Nelson
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 19:13:58 EST
From: <AXM22@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: ***** ARE YOU GAY ***** ??????

Here's the version I've seen:

  An airline employee surnamed Gay is flying for free but finds that his
assigned seat is taken.  He moves.  The plane is overbooked, and non-paying
customers are asked to leave.  An attendant stops at the seat assigned to
Gay and asks the occupant, "Are you Gay?"  When the startled man nods, the
agent says, "Then you'll have to get off the plane."  Seeing all this, Gay
interjects, no, _he_ is Gay and will exit.  At which point a young man
seated nearby jumps to _his_ feet and angrily says, "I'm gay, too!  They
can't kick us all off!"

This appeared in Patt Morrison's article, "The Mything Link," _Los Angeles
Times Magazine_ (13 Sept. 1992):12.  Morrison attributes it to a fellow
newspaper worker and comments, "Nobody saw it, but everyone swears it's
been on TV, which is enough to pass for dead solid fact in these parts."

Has anyone else spotted the legend?

Alan Mays
AXM22@psuvm.psu.edu
From: kurz.1@ipa.fhg.de (Hermann Kurz)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Computer Writes a Book??
Date: 28 Jan 1993 18:12:45 GMT
Organization: IPA Stuttgart
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: leila1.ipa.fhg.de

In article <1993Jan28.010635.19891@husc3.harvard.edu> 
kubo@zariski.harvard.edu (Tal Kubo) writes:


>Check out the book "The Policeman's Beard is 
>Half-Constructed".  It consists of sentences 
>and paragraphs, composed by a computer program 
>called RACTER (for "raconteur"), designed to hold its
>own in cocktail conversation.  The prose is hilarious:

is RACTER available (preferable in source code) anywhere ? At which cost ?
---
ern
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,soc.culture.japan