HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: proberts@informix.com (Paul Roberts)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,misc.jobs.misc
Subject: Re: Salaries
Date: 13 Oct 92 15:39:58 GMT
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

In article <1992Oct13.083506.136@dcs.qmw.ac.uk> mmh@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach) writes:
>From: hiscrp@nuscc.nus.sg (C R Pennell)
>>Question:
>>       Assume a basic salary of 17,000 pounds a year. Before tax.
>>       Assume that there is sufficient capital to buy house without
>
>17,000 is more than many people with families and mortgages or
>rent to pay earn. It is about the average salary in the UK.

Yesterday's(?) Wall Street Joural carried a comparison of pay scales
in the US, Europe, and Japan. They quotes "total value of pay plus
all benefits" for four groups: manufacturing worker, white-collar
worker, manager, and CEO.

There were a whole lot of numbers and I don't have them in fromt
of me, but this I do recall:

white-collar:

Britain: $74,000

US     : $57,000

In fact pay + benefits in Britain was higher than in the US for all
except the highest level - CEO.

Now, does any of this make sense to anyone? It seems frankly absurd
to me, unless Britain has changed a great deal in my absense. It was
based on April 1 (hey! maybe that's it!) exchange rates, which is
going to boost the UK figures a bit, but even at 15% or so off, it
still seems absurd. Comments, anyone?

Perhaps they are throwing in $50,000 as the fair market value of
living in Britain at all, and adding it in under "all benefits"?

Paul
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: plummer@cs.swarthmore.edu (David Barker-Plummer)
Subject: Re: Driving in UK.
Organization: Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 18:16:11 GMT

In article <26710@castle.ed.ac.uk> jeremy@castle.ed.ac.uk (Jeremy Henderson) writes:

JH> In article <1992Oct8.183036.5681@software.org> antonson@software.org (Todd S. Antonson) writes:
TA> ~Hi,
TA> ~
TA> ~I am going to England for a week in November and plan to get a
TA> ~rental car.  Does anybody know if I need to get an international
TA> ~drivers license 

JH> No.

I am sure that *somebody* knows. -- Dave
From: wilcox@vax.oxford.ac.uk
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Names of naughty politicians
Date: 7 Oct 92 14:01:03 GMT
Organization: Oxford University VAX 6620

>>
>>Profumo
>>Mellor
>>Thorpe
>>Archer
>>Lucan (not a politician but the right flavour)
>>
Parkinson
Nixon (how could you forget him?)
Brookes (Clementine on TV after IRA tragedy; now in the ministry of fun.)
Ridley (nasty remarks about Germans)
Edinburgh, Duke thereof (ditto ditto ditto "slitty-eyed so-and-sos")
Proctor (rent-boys?)
the previous DPP (kerb-crawler)
Paddy Pantsdown

>>There must be more so get out those back numbers of Private Eye (RIP)
> and 
Private Eye is still going strong. It's Punch that has gone to join the great
Newsagent's in the sky.)

-- 

Stephen Wilcox             |   Remember what happened to the dinosaurs!
wilcox@maths.oxford.ac.uk  |    I did---and look what happened to me.
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:14142 misc.jobs.misc:7146
From: proberts@informix.com (Paul Roberts)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,misc.jobs.misc
Subject: Re: Salaries
Date: 15 Oct 92 04:29:53 GMT
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

In article <1992Oct14.090717.3043@osf.org> sp@osf.org (Simon Patience) writes:
>In article <1992Oct13.153958.11186@informix.com>, proberts@informix.com (Paul Roberts) writes:
>> Yesterday's(?) Wall Street Joural carried a comparison of pay scales
>> in the US, Europe, and Japan. They quotes "total value of pay plus
>> all benefits" for four groups: manufacturing worker, white-collar
>> worker, manager, and CEO.
  [...]
>> In fact pay + benefits in Britain was higher than in the US for all
>> except the highest level - CEO.
  [...]
>
>One thing that may have been added in is company cars.  These are worth a
>lot of money in UK terms but not in US terms. If a company car is worth X
>pounds for a UK employee it would not cost US employees that to provide
>themselves with the same car. [...]
>
>Simon. 
>

Yes, I am sure they were adding this in: they said as much in the text.
Having gotten a lot of miles out of a cheap car (I think it would bring
bad luck on the car to mention that actual numbers), I certainly agree
with your statement. Why don't UK employees say "Look, don't give me a
car, just give me the money instead. I can buy and run a car more cheaply
than you can."? Or do you mean that it simply costs more to run a car
in the UK (petrol costs about four times what gas does) ... ?

Paul
From: mlemmerm@nl.oracle.com (Mick Lemmerman Publisher)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: BBC Radio 4 Longwave
Date: 9 Oct 92 14:21:42 GMT
Reply-To: mlemmerm@oracle.nl (Mick Lemmerman Publisher)
Organization: Oracle Europe

:In article <PD.92Oct7184404@herts.x.co.uk: pd@x.co.uk (Paul Davey) writes:
::
::The BBC has announced that the domestic Radio 4 service will no longer
::be broadcast on 198Khz longwave (1500m). That frequency will then be
::used for the proposed BBC 24 hour News service.
::BBC R4 will still be available on VHF/FM.
:
:This all sounds like a great idea to me.......[stuff deleted].............. 
:I would also point out that people outside the UK should not enter the argument
:as they don't pay a licence fee. Remember that the World Service is paid for
:by the foreign office.

I will enter the argument, whether I'm paying a licence fee or not. Radio 4
on long wave provides hours of entertainment, and keeps me in touch
with social, cultural and political developments "at home". I'm going to be
really fed up if and when I can't receive it any more. I'm sure this applies
as much to "native Europeans" who enjoy Radio 4 as to ex-patriots. (I think 
the number of regular Radio 4 listeners outside the UK is estimated at 500,000). 
Anyhow, that's just an emotional response to losing something which has become
an important part of my life in the last few years that I've lived in Holland
(I listen to Radio 4 on average 2 hours a day - I will sorely miss it). But
I suppose practical arguments are needed here:

- The BBC is being very short sighted by choosing to lose half a million  
  listeners at a stroke. If the BBC ever does move towards the threatened
  commercialization (and I hope not), then ratings are going to directly
  affect their income.

- I'm surprised at the strength of feeling against the idea within the UK,
  from people who live in areas with poor or non-existant FM reception.
  These are licence fee payers and you have to listen to them (if you 
  decide that only licence fee payers have opinions that count). Similarly,
  what about fee paying UK residents on holiday in northern Europe?

- The BBC have not demonstrated that there is a need for a 24 hour per day
  news channel on long wave. They will receive little support for the idea
  until they do.

- The World Service argument is a red herring. It may be paid for by the 
  Foreign Office, but where does the Foreign Office get its money from?
  Tax paying UK residents of course, i.e. a small proportion of World
  Service listeners.

If there's anyone from BBC radio out there reading this, why don't you
let us all see if you've got any good arguments for the change.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: nickh@CS.CMU.EDU (Nick Haines)
Subject: That story about an American woman on the Underground
Originator: nickh@VOILA.VENARI.CS.CMU.EDU
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
Distribution: soc
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1992 19:31:32 GMT

Someone locally has asked for more information/comment about the story
earlier this year concerning an American woman who knifed an alleged
mugger on the London Underground and is (was?) being prosecuted for
attempted murder (?). This isn't how I remember the story, but I _do_
remember that we went over it at enormous length in s.c.b.

Anyone else remember it and/or have any specific details? References
to reports in British papers or (better) court proceedings would be
gratefully received. I'm not reading s.c.b at the moment, so please
reply by email.

Nick Haines nickh@cmu.edu
From: fofp@castle.ed.ac.uk (M Holmes)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Currency problems
Date: 12 Oct 92 12:52:27 GMT
Organization: Edinburgh University

riaedwards@halls1.cc.monash.edu.au (AUDREY EDWARDS) writes:

>Since posting the article, I suddenly (gosh I'm quick on Monday mornings!!!) 
>realised that you were wingeing about MIRAS, the tax relief, not the benefit 
>paid for mortgage interest.

Yep.

>Actually, considering the popularity of MIRAS amongst the general 
>population, I wish you luck in trying to get rid of it!!! 

Thanks. Actually, it's going better than folks might expect:

1983:  Mortgage Interest Relief value frozen at 30,000

1988:  Multiple Mortgage Interest Relief on the one property removed.

1991:  Mortgage Interest Relief at the higher tax rate abolished.

1992:  Editorials in the quality newspapers come out against MIR. As
does, the Duke of Edinburgh Housing Commission, and even Building
Society heads. Some Conservative backbench groups ahve also advocated
abolition.

I'd certainly agree that it would be tricky in the current political
situation, but probably less tricky than it has been since the
newspapers would support the move if it included using some of the money
to help the reposessed and homeless. Remember that homeowners have had
in the last year or so, interest rate cuts of 6%, amounting to more than
MIR is worth to them. It'd be relatively easy now to cut MIR as a quid
pro quo for cutting interest rates.

In the end, when the question comes to "which bits of the welfare state
will we cut?" it'll be interesting to see if the middle classes will
really say "Cut the poor, don't touch our mortgage subsidy!"

> (Anyway don't all 
>sorts of undeserving people get tax relief? What about Terry Wogan and the 
>Scottish tree planting scheme!!!)

arrrgghh, don't get me started on farm subsidies....... 

>Regards 

>Audrey.

Cheers

FoFP
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: david@postman.gr.osf.org (David George)
Subject: Re: Currency Problems
Organization: OSF RI Grenoble
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 18:18:17 GMT

In article <1992Oct7.151349.7196@hasler.ascom.ch>, kevinh@hslrswi.hasler.ascom.ch (kevinh) writes:

|> Why do foreign owned car factories get set up in
|> the UK rather than in, say, France?


Last time those industrious Japs set foot here "our" Madame
Croissant told the "slitty eyed worker ants" to sod off
back to Japan.

That said Le Figaro published a table of Japanese investment
in Europe and the Brits, Krauts and Frogs were running pretty
much even stevens.  Chances are the next Japanese car you
"disroyal Eulopeans" buy will have an engine assembled in France,
electrics in Germany and bodywork in Britain.

What about the profits I hear you ask ?  Last I heard it will
take Nissan 30 years to recover their investment in Sunderland.


David.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: cockburn@edieng.enet.dec.com (Craig Cockburn)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Service (or lack thereof)
Date: 8 Oct 92 20:52:37 GMT
Article-I.D.: rdg.1992Oct8.205349.12697
Organization: Digital Equipment Co. Ltd., Reading, England


In article <1992Oct8.172631.3068@netcom.com>, sue@netcom.com (Sue Miller) writes...
> 
>My SO, on the other hand, has completely lost patience with the
>pace and quality of service in the UK, *and* he is completely
>smoke-intolerant.  Luckily we didn't have to eat out together
>very many times.  :-)  He also created quite a ruckus at the
>village whist drive by requesting that the girl at his table
>not inhale in his face.  I wanted to slide under the table.
> 
He should try getting a copy of Eat, Sleep and Drink smoke free
published by ASH UK

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Craig Cockburn, Digital Equipment Co. Ltd, Reading, England.     Suas
  Internet: cockburn@edieng.enet.dec.com                           leis
  UUCP:..!decwrl!edieng.enet.dec.com!cockburn                      a'
                                                                   Gha\idhlig!
  Views here are my own, and are not necessarily those of Digital
From: wilcox@vax.oxford.ac.uk
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Salaries
Date: 14 Oct 92 09:00:05 GMT
Organization: Oxford University VAX 6620

In article <1992Oct12.232336.12072@nuscc.nus.sg>, hiscrp@nuscc.nus.sg (C R Pennell) writes:
> 
> Question:
> 	Assume a basic salary of 17,000 pounds a year. Before tax.
> 	Assume that there is sufficient capital to buy house without
> having to take out a mortgage.
> 	Is the salary enough to live on in S.W. England (husband, wife
> two small children)?
> 	What do people think (restrain yourself, Laurence)?
> 

Enough? Enough? ENOUGH? You jammy little sod.

(BTW, are you sure you've got enough capital to buy a house without a
mortgage---for a two-bed semi you could still be paying 70,000 plus)
-- 

Stephen Wilcox             |   Remember what happened to the dinosaurs!
wilcox@maths.oxford.ac.uk  |    I did---and look what happened to me.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: es_lewis@rcvie.co.at (Stephen Lewis)
Subject: translating email address
Organization: Alcatel - Elin Research Center
Date: Thu, 8 Oct 1992 15:14:14 GMT

Hi, can anyone help me with deciphering a UK email address.  A friend of mine
is supposedly connected to the internet, but I cannot manage to send him
email from here.

his address is:
"cbs%uk.ac.univ.computer::moore_jj at janet"

I have tried:
(1) the original.
(2) moore_jj@computer.univ.ac.uk
(3) moore_jj%cbs@computer.univ.ac.uk
(4) the above with ".janet" appended.

Anyone got any ideas?  Does this machine even exist?

Thanks in advance
Steve
-- 
==============================================================================
            Stephen Lewis                | fax: +431 39 14 52   ~~~~~~~\0~~~
       Alcatel Austria - ELIN RC         | voice: +431 39 16 21 157 ~ c=|=- ~
  Knowledge-Based Systems Applications   |                        ))))))~\~))))
    Ruthnergasse 1-7, A-1210 Vienna      | Kayaking on the edge. /////////////
               Austria                   |                      /////////////
----------------------------- es_lewis@rcvie.co.at ------------/////////////--
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:14183 talk.religion.misc:18382 soc.culture.europe:8954 soc.culture.french:7715
From: alisonjw@spider.co.uk (Alison J Wyld)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,talk.religion.misc,soc.culture.europe,soc.culture.french
Subject: Re: Responding to the Nick and Jon challenge (Re: challenge to DSY...Was
Date: 15 Oct 92 15:54:49 GMT
Organization: Spider Systems Limited, Edinburgh, UK.

In article <k7TmsB3w165w@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca> yadallee@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Dave Shariff Yadallee) writes:
>
>Rome is the only city that I know of that has 7 hills.
>

Edinburgh has 7 hills - Glaswegians may think this is significant !

Alison
From: smckinty@sunicnc.France.Sun.COM (Steve McKinty - Sun ICNC)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Words: American vs English (UK type)
Date: 7 Oct 1992 09:00:00 GMT
Organization: SunConnect
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: hardy.france.sun.com

In article <1asp8uINNoct@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>, ah335@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Richard Banks) writes:
> 
> I notice many British people use the word `sod' when refering to someone.
> It's seems to be used negatively.  What is a sod?  What does it mean?
> When would you refer to someone as a sod?  And finally, what is a 
> `cheeky sod'?

It depends a bit on where you are. In England (possibly Scotland & Wales
too) its an abbreviation of 'sodomite', and is rather offensive.

In Ireland, a sod is a lump of peat (turf), (which an Englisman would
probably call a clod [of earth]). 

An Irishman using 'sod' as a term of almost friendly abuse is therefore
being much less offensive than an Englishman, its usually used as a
half-friendly term, eg 'you silly sod' when someone has done something
daft like absentmindedly put salt in their tea instead of sugar.

It can lead to confusion, as my (N. Irish) Grandfather discovered when
made that remark to my (English) Grandmother not long after they
married...

Steve

-- 
Steve McKinty
SUN Microsystems ICNC
38240 Meylan, France
email: smckinty@france.sun.com	   BIX: smckinty
From: nick@cs.hw.ac.uk (Nick Taylor)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Edinburgh
Date: 8 Oct 92 12:29:11 GMT
Organization: Dept of Computing & Electrical Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Scotland

>>and what about: Alnwick, Alnmouth (careful), Berwick, Norwich, ...

And if you want some real fun ask a Brit to pronounce Shrewsbury or Southwell.
You'll get the oh so clever responses of Shrowsbury and Southall. The natives
of these places pronounce them as they are spelt however.

Nick.
From: adam@castle.ed.ac.uk (Adam Hamilton)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Privatisation snippets
Date: 13 Oct 92 09:09:22 GMT
Organization: Edinburgh University

In article <JIM.92Oct12172829@hunter.cs.strath.ac.uk> jim@cs.strath.ac.uk (Jim Reid) writes:
:In article <1bbnqaINN96v@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM> martin.baines@uk.sun.com (Martin Baines - Sun UK - SE Manager Cambridge) writes:
:
:   In my view the situation is  like (say) BP floating
:   off a subsidiary: I own shares in BP and expect them to
:   get a good price when they sell off the sunsidiary. I then
:   have the right to buy new shares in the subsidiary.
:
:   I don't see any difference in this from the "Government"
:   selling share in (say) BT.
:
:The difference is that the Government has been *deliberately* selling
:off shares in the nationalised industries at artificially LOW prices.
:To continue with your company analogy, the directors (government
:ministers) have deliberately sold company assets for much less than
:they were worth. This is a clear breach of a director's
:responsibilities and duties as defined in the Companies Acts. 
:
	Add the fact that the proceeds of company assets have been
unevenly distributed to the shareholders.
From: jmb@ukc.ac.uk (J.M.Bremner)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Southwell (was Re: Edinburgh)
Date: 12 Oct 92 19:37:26 GMT
Reply-To: jmb@ukc.ac.uk (Mike Bremner)
Organization: Institute of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Kent

In article <1992Oct12.135053.29629@maths.nott.ac.uk> anw@maths.nott.ac.uk (Dr A. N. Walker) writes:
>In article <1992Oct8.122911.7950@cs.hw.ac.uk> nick@cs.hw.ac.uk
>(Nick Taylor) writes:
>>And if you want some real fun ask a Brit to pronounce Shrewsbury or Southwell.
>>You'll get the oh so clever responses of Shrowsbury and Southall. The natives
>>of these places pronounce them as they are spelt however.
>
>	Can't answer for Shrewsbury, but everyone I know [including, if not
>natives, at least residents] pronounces Southwell "Suthle" ["uth" as in
>"other"].  I've *never* heard it pronounced "Southall".

Curiouser and curiouser.  I pronounce "Southall" as "Suthle".  Am I
wrong?
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: cscdc@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (Dan Carpenter)
Subject: Re: Return to UK - Queries.
Organization: Educational Computing Network
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 23:31:56 GMT

In article <riaedwards.1.718095832@halls1.cc.monash.edu.au> riaedwards@halls1.cc.monash.edu.au (AUDREY EDWARDS) writes:
>
>I'm returning to the UK in December (yippie, Ipswich in deepest Winter!!), 
>and would be grateful for anwers to the following queries:-
>
> 1) What are the current duty-free limits, (when one is coming from a non-EC 
>country), particularly for table wine, and general purchases? If one is over 
>the limit, roughly what is the level of duty on table wine?
>
> 2) (as I will be temporarily [hopefully!!] unemployed on my return), can 
>one still get free dental treatment and eye tests whilst claiming income 
>support? BTW (just to depress me further in my contemplation of real 
>life!!), what is the current income support level for a single person?  
>
>Regards,
>
>Audrey. 

Audrey,

Now for your further depression.  =)

I have a penpal in Sheffield;  she wrote to me her Social Security was 
107 pound a week.   Depending on all the other things that relate to
this, it may be enough or it may not.  

I hope this is what you were asking about.

Dan

Just another Bloody Yank



==============================================================================
C. Daniel Carpenter        A  Midwesterner              cscdc@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
NEVER GIVE UP!  Always remember that the mighty oak was once just a little nut
that held its ground.  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TODAY, everything is cordless, except newborn babies.
==============================================================================
From: oi@cs.meiji.ac.jp (Hitoshi Oi)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: U.K. Embassy in Florida ?
Date: 15 Oct 92 15:33:37 GMT
Distribution: soc
Organization: Dept. of Computer Science, Meiji University, Japan.

Dear Folks

	Is there any U.K. embassy in Florida ?  If someone knows, please
	give me the address and phone #

Hitoshi Oi
--
$@$$$o$f$k0l$D$N4FFDI|5"(J
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: dbrooks@penge.osf.org (David Brooks)
Subject: Re: Cities with 7 hills
Organization: Open Software Foundation
	<7366@bigbird.hri.com.hri.com>
Date: 16 Oct 92 17:49:51

burgess@hri.com (Stephen Burgess) writes:
> Bath in Avon is also surrounded by 7 hills, isn't it?

Ah!!!  Now we're getting somewhere.

Consider: Bath is one of the few cities that was probably in existence in
John's time.  It is suspiciously close to Glastonbury, favourite vacation
spot of Joseph of Arimathea.

Its Latin name is Aquae Sulis, an anagram of QUALE IS USA, proving George
Bush will be struck down on November 1 (All Saint's Day) and the
Fundamentalist VP will reign for exactly 100 days (the term runs out on
January 20).

Saddam Hussein, the most fashionable Antichrist, runs the Bath Party.

Avon backwards is Nova, a punning reference to (a) the New Heaven and the
New Earth (b) a cataclysm of thermonuclear proportions.

Well, I'm convinced.
--
David Brooks					dbrooks@osf.org
Open Software Foundation			uunet!osf.org!dbrooks
Three more months!  Three more months!
From: streater@unixjr.SLAC.Stanford.EDU (Tim Streater)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Information needed
Date: 13 Oct 92 03:25:08 GMT
Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center

In article <26813@castle.ed.ac.uk> matt@castle.ed.ac.uk (M P Taylor) writes:
>>
>Errr - the police; just dial 010-44-999 and ask for them.
>
Surely 011-44-999 from where he was?

Yours pedantically - tin.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,soc.culture.celtic
From: darragh@retix.com (Darragh Stokes)
Subject: Re: Irish Rejects Associated (IRA)
Originator: darragh@kirk.retix.com
Organization: Retix, Santa Monica CA
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 23:56:01 GMT

In article <NN1ksB6w165w@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca> yadallee@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Dave Shariff Yadallee) writes:
>They gone on a mass campaign, after the tourist season.  8 Bom attacks within a

>
>Dave Shariff Yadallee (yadallee@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca,
>userLIBE@mts.ucs.ualberta.ca)
>God Save the Queen, God Bless us All! Remember! Jesus Saves!!
>Canadians: send a clear message to the government!  ON Oct. 26, Abstain

Oh SHITE, here he is again.  This gobshite just keeps popping up every know and again with his opinions on subjects he has no knowledge of.  

SCC has been full of enough crap threads ( the *smile* debate, the "anti-americanism 'discussion' " et al ) lets try and prevent another DaveShariffImABollix
sponsored thread.

If you want to reply, do so by email. 

Darragh.