HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: bill.dehaan@rose.com (bill dehaan)
Subject: Possession of secrets
Organization: Rose Media Inc, Toronto, Ontario.
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 06:03:54 GMT
X-Gated-By: Usenet <==> RoseMail Gateway (v1.70)


Date Entered: 01-04-93 00:50
In message <1992Dec30.184650.3808@julian.uwo.ca>,
jdnicoll@prism.ccs.uwo.ca (James Davis Nicoll) writes:

JDM>        My favourite government organisation, emergency services canada,
JDM>prints some publications which are supposed to be distributed  on a
JDM>'need to know' basis.  Being underfunded and undermanned, they don't
JDM>want to bother chasing down people who have mistakenly been supplied
JDM>with  restricted documents (As I  was), so one way of  demonstrating
JDM>need-to-know is possessing a need-to-know document. The logic is that
JDM>no-one would bother acquiring the documents unless they had a need-
JDM>to-know what was in them.


Speaking as someone who's dealt with the DND, the DoD, and many other
such organizations, I can say that for the lower echelon stuff, you're
right, but not for the _really_ secure stuff (ie. things that actually
_should_ be classifed, which is probably only 10% of what actually is).

In Canada, the zaniest things are classified, including such oddities
as the House of Commons restaurant menu. Although the odd security grunt
has been been known to be so anal-retentive as to care, the majority
don't worry about the little stuff.

It's sort of like getting a licence for dynamite. It used to be (don't
know about today) that the feds decreed that dynamite was a dangerous
substance (surprise), and that from now on, a licence would be required.
Of course, the demolition and construction companies freaked, since it
would complicate their business tremendously, so the goverment changed
the act so that the bill of sale was considered the licence, and
everyone went on doing what they had always done before.

----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------
Deus Ex Machina                   | Internet:   bill.dehaan@rose.com
Software Consulting and Gator Pit | Eradicate Hunger - Eat the homeless
----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------
---
   SLMR 2.1a   Vegetarians eat vegetables. Beware humanitarians.
   RM 2.00 : RoseNet<=>Usenet Gateway : Rose Media 416-733-2285
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: kutcha@eos.acm.rpi.edu (Phillip Rzewski)
Subject: Re: Man pays for college with pinball
Organization: The Voice of Fate
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 04:03:34 GMT

In article <1993Jan11.032506.28776@Princeton.EDU> datepper@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (David Aaron Tepper) writes:
>It's worse than that. You know those "for entertainment purposes only"
>blurbs on the cabinets of pinball machines? What that means is, if
>you've been playing for hours and get 10 credits, and the place of
>business then closes, the operator doesn't have to (or can't--I'm
>a tad fuzzy on the proper modal here) pay you for the credits you've
>earned.                                 

Now wait a second here. I'm just as skeptical on this one as anyone else, but
I get the feeling that the "for entertainment purposes only" is to say "you're
not allowed to gamble on it". So 5 guys in a bar couldn't put down $20 on
whether or not a guy could score a million. Whatever.

But if an arcade felt like paying its customers, there's certainly no law
against it.

--
Phillip "I dare you to accept $10 from me" Rzewski
From: neil@robots.ox.ac.uk (Neil Townsend)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: 1984 (was Re: kpix SCREWS UP (was Re:    Skyscraper FALLS DOWN.))
Keywords: 1984, George Orwell
Date: 7 Jan 93 11:08:14 GMT
Organization: None evident here.
Originator: neil@ulysses.robots

In article <1993Jan7.032437.2106@samba.oit.unc.edu> Bruce.Tindall@launchpad.unc.edu (Bruce Tindall) writes:
>In article <726360869.AA00304@csource.oz.au> Terry.Smith@f870.n800.z3.fidonet.org (Terry Smith) writes:
>>     I'll duck 'coz I can't give citations, but I believe the book was
>>originally titled '1948', but the publishers wanted it changed.
>
>I hadn't heard that, but I had heard that Orwell's original title for
>_1984_ was _The Last Man in Europe_, which doesn't have the right ring
>to it at all, and is doubly un-PC to boot.

The (as yet incomplete) online library catalogue only lists the 1984
reprint, but I recall hearing an interview with some publishing person
in 1984 in which he said that the book, which was published in 1948
(Orwell died in 1950) wasn't originally titled `1984' by Orwell. The
publishers didn't like the original title and `randomly' selected
`1984' by inverting the last two digits of the year (1948) to give a
year sufficiently far enough in their future to be a plausible setting
for the technologically supported fascist governments described in the
book by Orwell.

Note: 1948 would be the date of publication in the UK. 

ObUL: `1984' was required reading in the USSR at universities.

Neil "`8491' was too far" Townsend
-- 
--
Neil Townsend | neil@uk.ac.ox.robots | 'nuff said
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: PAPAI@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (Jonathan Papai)
Subject: Re: You dissapeared my Battleship!
Organization: The Ohio State University
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 05:42:15 GMT

canevit@utkvx3.utk.edu (Canevit, Craig Eugene) writes:
>	According to the last time I saw it, this was NOT FAQ, so here
>goes: I saw in the 2nd Straight Dope book (by Cecil Adams, of course)
>that the "Philadelphia Experiment" was part of THREE 'city projects,'
>including the obvious Manhattan Project. What was the THIRD project?
>or is this just an UL?
>Craig "wonderin' about this since 1988" Canevit

The FAQ says about something almost unrelated:
>U. Lots of places are supposedly either 3rd or 22nd to be bombed in WWIII.

In that vein, it must have been the 'Columbus Project'.

ObUL:  The Columbus project involved creating cloud cover 90 % of the time
in the winter over Nazi Germany.

Jon "Seasonal Affects Disorder, we love it" Papai
From: popec@unkaphaed.gbdata.com (William C. Barwell)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: No US President Ever Survived an Energy Crisis
Keywords: Duck, Martha, the cow's in the barley again!
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 93 03:10:25 GMT
Organization: Unka Phaed's UUCP Thingy, Houston, TX

fehr@ms.uky.edu (Jeff Davis) writes:

> In article <106508@bu.edu> mgelman@bu.edu (Michael Gelman) writes:
> >Steve Masticola (masticol@cadenza.rutgers.edu) wrote:
> >: An interesting fact for y'all:
> >: 
> >: No U.S. president who had an energy crisis on his watch has ever made
> >: it through the end of a second term.
> >:
> >: Bush:	Third Energy Crisis, 1990. 	Defeated for second term, 1992.
> >
> >Admittedly, I was kind of busy in 1990, but I think I'd recall an
> >energy crisis.  What happened?
> >
> The Bush juggernaut ran out of gas.
> -- 
> Jeff Davis <davis@keats.ca.uky.edu> 


What happened was the utter collapse of the oil drilling business in the 
United States, both continental and offshore.  A lot of unhappy oil 
industry CEOs out there.  Bush is the first Republican Cndidate in 60 
years not to have the whole hearted endorsement of the oil industry.




--
popec@unkaphaed.gbdata.com (William C. Barwell)
Unka Phaed's UUCP Thingy, Houston, TX, (713) 481-3763
1200/2400/9600/14400 v.32bis/v.42bis
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Subject: Re: Rush!Rush!Rush!
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1993 01:20:22 GMT

In article <28268@dog.ee.lbl.gov> TWChan@lbl.gov (Terry Chan) writes:
>RE  Terry "Does anybody know the name of some BAD groups?" Chan
>  
>phil@rahul.net (Phil Gustafson) writes:
>
>  +Blue Cheer. Vanilla Fudge. The Electric Prunes, who win the pretention/talent

How about Shocking Blue.  Or Kenny Rogers and the First Edition (I just dropped
in to see what condition my condition was in; yeah, yeah, oh yeah!)

Status Quo (Pictures of Matchstick Men)

Dred Zepellin featuring TortElvis.

>
>Terry "How about BTO?" Chan

cj "well yyyyyyou ain't hhhhheard nnnnnnothhin' yet, bbbbbbbbbaby  yyyyyyyou
ain't hhhhhhhhhheard nnnnnnnothin' yet" l

X-Control: newgroup alt.sewer
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: tjw@vms.cis.pitt.edu
Subject: alt is a sewer
Organization: J. Random Misconfigured Site
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1993 00:01:44 GMT
X-Posted-From: architty.imag.fr
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

welcome to the sewer
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: lmh@world.std.com (Larry M Headlund)
Subject: Re: Animals Bombs?
Summary: Other sighting of flipper kamakaze  
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 00:59:31 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.194327.226@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> ashall@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Andrew S Hall) writes:
>
<deleted>
>
>I have heard about Skinner's pigeons and all sorts of stories
>about porposises. In fact, my friend and I got kicked out of
>8th grade science class for laughing out loud when the teacher
>told the class about hooking bombs to porposises.
>
	I have been deluged (well,  relatively) lately with people
OUTRAGED with the thought of flipper being used as a weapon of war,
as opposed to gullible 18-year olds.   The most interesting objection
was
	"How do we know they're American dolphins?"

Larry "wouldn't want them to give their lives for a foreign country" Headlund
-- 
Larry Headlund  lmh@world.std.com    Eikonal Systems (617) 482-3345
From: de@moscom.com (David Esan)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: African-American-top
Date: 4 Jan 93 21:14:14 GMT
Organization: Moscom Corporation, Pittsford NY

In article <C09FJK.K7r@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> bjackson@mentor.cc.purdue.edu (Ben Jackson) writes:
>The only thing I could think of was making all nouns neuter.  Other
>languages don't have neuter nous; everything is masculine or feminine.

Not true.  Russian has neuter nouns as well.  
-- 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 -->     David Esan      de@moscom.com  
 
 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: richha@microsoft.com (Richard Harrington)
Subject: Re: Cats bursting into flame (WAS: Re: Cars Bursting into Flame)
Date: 09 Jan 93 00:47:57 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corp.
Distribution: usa


Heard on news today: woman sprays hair with hairspray,
bends over candle to light cigarette, becomes a
crispy critter.

Perhaps there ought to be a surgeon general's warning?
From: ltf@ncmicro.lonestar.org (Lance Franklin)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re:    Machine Gun TV CAMERAS
Date: 6 Jan 93 22:53:59 GMT
Organization: NC Microproducts, Inc.

In article <1993Jan5.194936.9362@ulysses.att.com> smb@research.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes:
}In article <93005.071413MIWHC@CUNYVM.BITNET>, <MIWHC@CUNYVM.BITNET> writes:
}>      My questions: What was the beach sand for? (I was thinking to look
}> for the footprints, but that sounds kinda dumb.)
}
}That's probably it.  In Israel, they sweep the ground along the border
}fences, so they can see if anyone has come in.

Nah...it makes the mine field easy to reconfigure every so often without
having to relandscape to hide the points where they're buried.

Did you have fun playing in the sand?  They probably had more fun watching
the sensors on the (temporarily) disabled mines light up whenever you
stepped on one!



Lance 
-- 
Lance T. Franklin            +----------------------------------------------+
(ltf@ncmicro.lonestar.org)   | "You want I should bop you with this here    |
NC Microproducts, Inc.       |    Lollipop?!?"                 The Fat Fury |
Richardson, Texas            +----------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu (Ted Frank)
Subject: Re: Amusing Street Name Consequnces
Reply-To: thf2@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 02:29:26 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.151104.11840@hemlock.cray.com> davew@willow03.cray.com (Dave Wagner) writes:
>In article <1993Jan8.202941.1132@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>, PAPAI@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (Jonathan Papai) writes:
>> ObUL: Even though Columbus, Ohio is the largest Columbus in the world
>> by a large margin, everybody still appends ",Ohio".
>> 
>But Columbus, Indiana has Cummins Engine and Columbus, Ohio has ???

Whaddya mean?  It has the very first Wendy's.

>Umm, well, actually, I don't think it has anything of note.  

Yeah, I'd like to see you say that to Dave Thomas's face.

Ted "why isn't there an alt.wendys?" Frank
-- 
ted frank                     | thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu 
standard disclaimers          | void where prohibited
the university of chicago law school, chicago, illinois 60637
never shout movie in a crowded firestation
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: wma@sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu (Wei Z. Ma (~{Bm~}))
Subject: Re: May you live in interesting times...
Organization: San Francisco State University
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 12:00:47 GMT

In article <1ie3gaINNh85@agate.berkeley.edu> chuahl@ocf.berkeley.edu (Chua HakLien) writes:
>Does anybody out there actually know the Chinese wording of this
>alleged Chinese curse? My friends and I have never heard of such
>a curse at all, and we think it might just be another American 
>invention, like the fortune cookie.
>
>Any info would be greatly appreciated.
>
>Chua
>+==+
>[ Followups to alt.folklore.urban ]
>
>Obquote: 
>	Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans.
>						- John Lennon

	Is that what we mean ~{WgVd~} for Chinese curse?  I hope I did 
not pick up a wrong word.
	Actually I am a guy who is living in an interesting time now.  You 
would get a clue from my holidays' fortune cookies.
	Hope you guys have an interesting time too.

	--Wayne's World--
From: walsh@optilink.COM (Mark Walsh)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: origin of which side of the road to drive on
Date: 11 Jan 93 18:57:18 GMT
Organization: Optilink Corporation, Petaluma, CA

When we took our car off of the boat that goes from
Calais, France to Dover, England, the customs officer
asked us a few questions about our itinerary, and then
launched into this diatribe:

Him:  "...and you see, in America and Europe you
drive on the right side of the road..."

Us:   "...yes, yes, we know..."

Him:  "...and in England and Scotland you drive
on the left side of the road..."

Us:   "...yes, yes, we know..."

Him:  "...and in Ireland you drive in the middle!"
-- 
Mark Walsh (walsh@optilink) -- UUCP: uunet!optilink!walsh
AOL: BigCookie -- Amateur Radio: KM6XU@WX3K -- USCF: L10861
"What, me worry?" - William M. Gaines, 1922-1992
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: pjdm@chmeee.enet.dec.com (Peter Mayne)
Subject: Re: Extreme place names (was: Amusing street names)
Reply-To: Peter.Mayne@cao.mts.dec.com
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 06:46:41 GMT


In article <1993Jan6.083132.25529@sq.sq.com>, msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader) writes:
>> Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysililiogogogoch is merely the
>> longest place name in Europe. BTW it's not official any more ...
>
>I suspect it was the longest single-word official name ever used for
>a railway station, though.  A recent BR timetable shows it as just
>Llanfairpwll.
>
>> The longest placename in the world supposedly is Taumatawhakatangihangako-
>> auotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahua in New Zealand.
>
>Close, but the spelling the 1992 Guinness gives is Taumatawhakatangihangako-
>auauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, differing
>in 2 places.  They say it is the longest placename "now in use", but also
>that it too is unofficial.  An older edition gives the official version as
>Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu, formerly
>Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauatamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu (until 1959),
>and shows a sign with the old spelling.

Of course, Kenny Everett fans will recognise that one.

PJDM
--
Peter Mayne                     | My statements, not Digital's.
Digital Equipment Corporation   |
Canberra, ACT, Australia        | "AXP!": Bill the Cat

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: neufeld@helios.physics.utoronto.ca (Christopher Neufeld)
Subject: Re: Microwave Fun
Organization: University of Toronto Physics/Astronomy/CITA
Date: Sun, 10 Jan 1993 06:19:44 GMT

In article <1993Jan7.231912.12795@nezsdc.icl.co.nz> derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek Tearne) writes:
>In article <1993Jan6.221754.22052@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
> 
>>1) Microwaves are not airtight.
>
>So true.  After all the average microwave is somewhat smaller than the 
>average air molecule!
>
   Ummmmmmmm, define "average".
   In the microwave oven I have in my kitchen the microwaves come out at
2.45 GHz. This corresponds to a wavelength of about ten centimetres.
   The air molecules I have in my kitchen are significantly smaller than
this. Perhaps they're bigger in New Zealand?

   EM radiation with wavelength comparable to the size of an air molecule
(about 4 angstroms) is in the thousands of eV range, X-rays.


-- 
 Christopher Neufeld....Just a graduate student  | Entropy isn't what it
 neufeld@helios.physics.utoronto.ca    Ad astra  | used to be.
 utzoo.utoronto.ca!generic!cneufeld              |
 "Don't edit reality for the sake of simplicity" |
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: smb@research.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Subject: Re:    Machine Gun TV CAMERAS
Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1993 19:49:36 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

In article <93005.071413MIWHC@CUNYVM.BITNET>, <MIWHC@CUNYVM.BITNET> writes:
>      My questions: What was the beach sand for? (I was thinking to look
> for the footprints, but that sounds kinda dumb.)

That's probably it.  In Israel, they sweep the ground along the border
fences, so they can see if anyone has come in.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu (Ted Frank)
Subject: Re: SNAFU list
Reply-To: thf2@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 15:08:22 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.045431.15391@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> PAPAI@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (Jonathan Papai) writes:
>datepper@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (David Aaron Tepper) writes:
>------
>>If you wake up and don't want to smile, if it takes | Dear Lord, give
>>just a little while, open your eyes and look at the | me chastity...
>>day, you'll see things in a different way. Don't    |    but not yet.
>>stop thinking about tomorrow.       --Fleetwood Mac | --St. Augustine
>
>Speaking of bad popular music, I saw in today's newspaper
>that F.M. is going to perform this and other songs at one of the
>Inaugural functions in DC.  

I didn't know Fleetwood Mac did St. Augustine covers.

Ted "what about Fleetwood Windows?" Frank
-- 
ted frank                     | thf2@ellis.uchicago.edu 
standard disclaimers          | void where prohibited
the university of chicago law school, chicago, illinois 60637
never shout movie in a crowded firestation
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: phil@rahul.net (Phil Gustafson)
Subject: Re: general hooker and wh
Keywords: you cant post to afu unless you read books sometimes
Organization: Famed Parquet Floor
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 02:19:20 GMT

In article <1993Jan11.338.26373@execnet> "al sorhaindo" <al.sorhaindo@execnet.com> writes:
[I'm not the one who munged the attributions]
>|> >>Tb.US Civil War Gen. Hooker is the source for a common term for streetwalkers.
>|>
>|> Probably F, unless you have a citation.  The Oxford English Dictionary
>|> has a quotation from 1845 using the term.  
>
>The way I heard it, General Hooker was from the revolutionary war,
>which would explain it.

My little dic (don't have to unsheath my big one) says:

  Hooker, Joseph, 1814-1879, Am. Army Officer

A bit young for the revolution, I would say.

My slang dic (_American Slang_, Robert L. Chapman, Ph.D, ISBN 0-06-09610-0)
says:

  hooker 1 ..A prostitute... [apparently fr a resident of Corlear's
  \fIHook\f0 in New York City, in the 19th century the site of many 
  brothels, esp frequented by seamen]

Phil "Did I spell that right?" 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: kutcha@eos.acm.rpi.edu (Phillip Rzewski)
Subject: McDonaldland fun!
Summary: spooking employees
Keywords: excrement
Organization: The Voice of Fate
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 09:10:24 GMT


Ok, I'll start off by coming clean. This isn't QUITE an urban legend as I'm
quite sure in advance that it really happened (the guy who told it to me was
involved). But he's not here so I'll pretend that he's an unreliable witness
and you're welcomed say "Aw come on that didn't really happen."

Car full of guys pull up to McDonald's, get out, and go inside. A guy from
the bunch orders one (1) hamburger. He then proceeds to the bathroom where
he unwraps the food item in question and removes the beef patty. Then he
(*blunt mode on*) takes a shit (*blunt mode off*) onto the bun, closes
and wraps everything up so it's just like when he got it.

Then they go back to the car and pull around to the drive-thru. The driver
pulls up to the window and when the employee opens up he tosses the burger
onto the ledge and announces "this isn't cooked!". Just as the employee looks
down and acknowledges the existence of a food item, the car driveth off.

This is, of course, time release humor. The guilty parties didn't get to
see the REAL FUN, but the knowledge that IT HAPPENED was enough, I'm sure.

--
  Phillip Andrew Rzewski                      Internet: kutcha@acm.rpi.edu
             "Don't wait; while you're waiting, you're dying."
                          --- Peter Hammill
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: rhuss+@EDRC.CMU.EDU (Robert Huss)
Subject: Microwave Fun
Keywords: microwave, explosion, danger
Organization: Carnegie Mellon University
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 17:29:24 GMT

	I know there were many microwave stories on this group
not too long ago, but I didn't follow them, so this may have already
been mentioned:

	Someone recently told me about a neat trick done in a Steven Segal
movie. (probably the one where he's a tough, nasty, good guy, who does
all it takes to get the bad guys... which one is that?)  
	He took a cup, put some steel wool in it, filled it with alcohol,
put it in the microwave, and turned it on.  A while later, a bad guy opens
the microwave, and BOOM! 
	I think this would actually work, but boy is it nasty.  The steel 
wool would get very hot in the microwave, but it wouldn't burn if it was
immersed in alcohol. ( no oxygen)  The alcohol would also heat up, and
would boil out, but if you have an air-tight microwave, the pressure would
build up inside, so all the alcohol wouldn't boil.  This way, the steel wool
would stay immersed.  However, when the microwave was opened, the alcohol
would flash into vapor, letting oxygen to the wool, and igniting the whole mess.

Bob "don't try this at home" Huss