HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: r2d@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (richard.del monaco)
Subject: Re: Stupidity of Am. Masses
Organization: AT&T
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 14:21:27 GMT

In article <168558166.KGODDEN@cmsa.gmr.com> KGODDEN@cmsa.gmr.com writes:

>Anyway, it seems that some time ago he decided to offer 1/3 pound hamburgers
>at a price only slightly above McDonalds' 1/4#er, thinking that people would
>see the obvious value.  NOT!!  The 1/3 pounder was a huge failure, so Taubman
>hired some analysts to find out why.  It seems that J.Q. Public thought that
>the 1/3 pound burgers were SMALLER than the 1/4 pounders...after all, 3 is
>smaller than 4.  (I'm not making this up.)  When I first read this I had
>to laugh loud and long--

Thank you.  This story made me laugh as well.

>until the depression set in.  Now I'm sickened.

Don't be too depressed.  It's probably healthier not to eat so much.

>I'll bet that most Americans think it's out of the realm of possibility that
>the U.S. would break up as did the FSU (Former Soviet Union).  I'm not so
>sure.  We've got some MAJOR problems that our Great Leaders won't even
>admit in public.
>-Kurt

I agree that there are major problems in the US.  I doubt that dissolution of
the union is one of them.  (Of course we'd finally resolve the problem of
whether George Bush is a Texan or not).


Richard Del Monaco		rdelmonaco@attmail.att.com
The Republic of New Jersey	    r2d@cbnewsg.cb.att.com
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,rec.travel
From: jdnicoll@watyew.uwaterloo.ca (James Davis Nicoll)
Subject: Re: Loud irritating obtrusive American tourists.
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Sun, 30 Aug 1992 19:36:23 GMT

In article <8ecAyK200iQ5M4g1U2@andrew.cmu.edu> bc2r+@andrew.cmu.edu (Bill Chan) writes:
>
>In article <1992Aug29.081247.28321@samba.oit.unc.edu>
>Nigel.Allen@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Nigel Allen) writes:
>>Canadians travelling outside North America are usually advised to display
>>a Canadian flag prominently on their clothing or backpack so that they
>>won't be mistaken for "loud irritating obtrusive American tourists".
>
>I've met lots of Canadians proudly displaying that maple leaf thingy on
>their packs......strangely enough, most had Americain passports. heh 8^)
>
>So what's the penalty for impersonating a Canuck...eh?

	Manditory participation in debates on the merits of the constitution,
an EEE senate and whether or not QE II is the queen of Canada.

							James Nicoll
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
Subject: Hurricane relief contacts
From: demon@desire.wright.edu (Stupendous Man)
Date: 27 Aug 92 13:07:13 EST
Organization: Demonic Possesions, Inc.

	Here are the places to send money for hurricane relief.  Local pickups
of food/supplies are being done by Red Cross/Salvation Army/etc.

	The Salvation Army
	Hurricane Andrew
	PO Box 270848
	Tampa, Fla. 33688

	The American Red Cross
	Disaster Relief
	PO Box 37243
	Washington, D.C. 20013

	Catholic Charities USA
	Disaster Response
	1731 King Ave., Suite 200
	Alexandria, Va. 22314

	Caritas International Inc.
	PO Box 10-0179
	Brooklyn, NY 11210

	Church World Service
	PO Box 968
	Elkhart, Ind. 46515

	Episcopal Church Center
	Presiding Bishop's Fund for World Relief
	815 Second Ave.
	New York, NY 10017

Brett                                                      
_______________________________________________________________________________
Proconsul Computer Consulting                                        CHA-CHING!
Better, Cheaper, Faster					       (Pick any two :)
Disclaimer:								   NOT!
From: phd85@seq1.keele.ac.uk (D.H. Holden)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
Subject: Re: (american tourists was ( L.I.O. American tourists.)
Keywords: history
Date: 31 Aug 92 20:36:39 GMT
Organization: University of Keele, England

Hi,
  I've have a friend who went to Cambridge university, and he
  was standing outside the grounds once, when an American 
  couple approached and asked,
  " Is that there university old?"
  I think my friend replied "Yes, quite old."
  I don't think he had the heart to tell them that
  it was several hundred years older that the USA!

  Although this is neither L.I. or O. I thought it was
  amusing.

  Ps.
  As a brit' i'm not in a position to criticise foreign tourists
  thanks to a minority of our 'friendly' soccer fans, hopefully
  they'll behave for the world cup which is in the USA 1994, although i
  can't think why.
  PPs.
    I was in france recently on a course, it's amazing how many Germans
    , Norwegians, Danes etc, who claim to be English, or Canadian or any
    other English speaking nation when they offend the locals. 

    Cheers,
	    Dave.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
From: tmiller@camms2.caos.kun.nl (Todd M. Miller)
Subject: Re: Stupidity of Am. Masses
Organization: University of Nijmegen
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 15:39:06 GMT

etxmow@garboc34.ericsson.se (Mats Winberg) writes:

>julie@eddie.jpl.nasa.gov (Julie Kangas) writes:

>>There are movements in both Alaska and California to break away from the 
>>US.  Alaska's movement is stronger as the movement to break California
>>into two states is more immediate than the California seccessionist
>>movement right now.  (Personally I'm against CA leaving--if we have
>>to keep our current state government that is!)

>    How strong are these movements? On what grounds want they to
>    split/secede California? Why should any sane USian want a European
>    situation on American soil?

At least I can SPECULATE on why Americans might want seccession:

1)  Usurpation of State governments by the federal government

Unaccountable state governments that work on federal governments
programs because that's where the money comes from. (first to Washington
and then back to the states for major projects).  That way the state 
government can do what it wants and only have to answer to the federal 
government when it is time to renew funds.

2)  Limited representation of the state's interests in the federal government.

Too little representation on the Federal level in government.  The
federal government makes laws for the entire country, many of which
people in various states disagree with.  Examples abound!  Abortion,
drugs, the death penalty.  Who's the judge?  People of the state or 
untouchables in Washington D.C.?

3)  Adverse association with the federal government.  

Let's face it, the American federal government is really screwed up. 
They have made us the biggest debtor nation, policemen of the world,
they declare wars that aren't declared wars (Persian Gulf, Panama,
Grenada) and they are trampling our constitutional rights.


Still, it usually takes more grievances than this to produce a Declaration 
of Independance.  

						
						Todd M. Miller

--

Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
From: crosmun@crosmun.rtp.dg.com (William Crosmun)
Subject: Re: Re: Privacy: R.I.P., 1992
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 92 16:41:57 GMT
Organization: Data General Corporation, RTP, NC.

In article <117480034@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> reykja@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Reykja Sigurdsson) writes:
>> 
>> If you are really a Libertarian, you'd better be _DAMN_ careful about
>> voting for the oppressive minority represented by the Republican Party.
>> You may think that guns are the only thing that matters, but I am
>> equally or more concerned by the "secret war" against our civil
>> rights being waged by the Republicans (consider that charade called
>> the "war on drugs", for example).
>> 
>> I will not elaborate on this statement; there have been literally
>> dozens of threads on this topic.
>
>          A hardy AMEN to the abover statement. Supporting a party which
>has the ultimate objective of running your life from cradle-to-grave, 
>determining your value set for you and eveyrone else is hardly what 
>I would call 'libertarian"! 

Sadly, it's not clear from this description which party you are talking about.
Could you be more specific?
 

===============================================================================
William Crosmun
crosmun@dg-rtp.dg.com

===============================================================================
The primary difference between George Bush and Bill Clinton is that George
Bush will have to fight his party in order to mess things up, while Bill
Clinton will have the full support of his.

===============================================================================
"As to guaranteeing bank deposits, the minute the government starts to do that
... the  government  runs  into a  probable loss.  We  do not wish to make the 
United  States Government liable  for the  mistakes and  errors of  individual
banks, and put a premium on sound banking in the future."
                                      Franklin D. Roosevelt (1933)
===============================================================================
Xref: sparky soc.culture.usa:7037 rec.travel:12730
From: bc2r+@andrew.cmu.edu (Bill Chan)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,rec.travel
Subject: Re: Loud irritating obtrusive American tourists.
Date: 1 Sep 92 18:24:24 GMT
	<1992Aug31.013041.28877@omrongw.wg.omron.co.jp>
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

In article <1992Aug31.013041.28877@omrongw.wg.omron.co.jp>
Andy Krantz writes:

>But on the other hand, it has been rare that I have seen an American flag on
>a backpack.

Gee, I wonder why?? 

>Now that I actually think about it: a large portion of identifying flags that
>I have seen recently on backpacks (or what not) have been Canadian, followed
>by Australian and New Zealand. ....

Exactly my point. The above three countries are all politicallyBut I
guess there are not that many other
>foreigners, than the above mentioned ones, around here.  neuter
(err...I mean neutral) 8^)  So identifying yourself as a citizen of one
of those countries would be safe. Travelling through the Middle East
with a great big Stars and Sripes , hmmmmm....would not be wise?

OhOh!!! Now I've done it!

ChanBillR600F2
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
From: klee@wsl.dec.com (Ken Lee)
Subject: Re: Hurricane Andrew
Reply-To: klee@wsl.dec.com
Organization: DEC Western Software Laboratory
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 92 22:18:36 GMT

|> I have about 40 family members in the greater New Orleans area and may
|> not be able to communicate with them for a few hours or even days after
|> the storm passes through there. Thank you for any suggestions.

If you're interested in news, the newspapers and TV stations will have good
info.  If you're interested in friends and relatives, your best bet would be
to have them call you, since in-bound calls will likely be severly restricted
after a natural disaster.

Here in California, the earthquake folks recommend that everyone have one
designated out-of-state person to call.  All other out-of-state friends and
relatives can then call that person.  This system is probably also a good
idea for other semi-predictable disasters.

-- 
Ken Lee
DEC Western Software Laboratory, Palo Alto, Calif.
Internet: klee@wsl.dec.com
uucp: uunet!decwrl!klee
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
From: sgccpgs@citec.oz.au (Paul Salanitri)
Subject: Metric! 100km/h $4.00/kg $0.62/Litre!
Organization: CITEC
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 01:21:32 GMT

So!  I hear that by 1996 you will have to go METRIC!!!!!!
It's not so bad, REALLY!
BTW. When you get those (100) signs up, that doesn't mean you can go
160km/h (100 mph).  But I'm sure some will try!

Does anyone have any pet hates about the change?

Did you know that only two countries in the world still use imperial,
U.S.A. and Liberia.

BTWBTW  When we talk property in Australia, we still talk in Acres and
(god help us) perches, but when it comes to plans and signing it is in
ha (hectares).  It's funny because lots of people sell 0.4ha lots which
seems strange until you realise it is an acre.

I'm not old enough to have been a imperial person myself, but I find it
much easier to say:  [E.G. when taking a picture] "Move a foot to the left"
(small children look at their feet and move about about 10cm though)
And if something is smallish but not to smallish - an inch is a good unit
to specify. 
Alot of people shorten names to mean something else: For example
Yesterday a brake repairer said I had 2 or 3 "mills" left on my brake pads
I said "MY GOD! Only 2 thousands of an inch left!"  And the girl said no,
"millimeters"  This is my pet hate.  
Also, a fall from 5 metres is alot better than a fall from 15 feet :-)
--

==========================================================================
 Paul Salanitri                               sgccpgs@citec.oz.au
  P.O. Box 12702, Elizabeth Street, Brisbane QLD 4002, AUSTRALIA
   Committee for the Liberation and Intergration of Terrifying 
         Organisms and their Rehabilitation Into Society
             E quindi uscimmo a riveder le stelle.  
==========================================================================
Xref: sparky soc.culture.usa:6987 rec.travel:12610
From: jewell@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Larry Jewell)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,rec.travel
Subject: Re: Loud irritating obtrusive American tourists.
Date: 30 Aug 92 15:52:28 GMT
Organization: Purdue University

In article <8ecAyK200iQ5M4g1U2@andrew.cmu.edu> bc2r+@andrew.cmu.edu (Bill Chan) writes:
>I've met lots of Canadians proudly displaying that maple leaf thingy on
>their packs......strangely enough, most had Americain passports. heh 8^)

>So what's the penalty for impersonating a Canuck...eh?

 You have to move there and learn to speak French :-).

>--ChanBillR600F2

 (Anyone want to quote me the flame odds on this one ;-)?

Larry J


-- 
#Larry W. Jewell (ex-USN)     WWII-L Listowner    jewell@mace.cc.purdue.edu # 
#"Sunday's horoscope is noteworthy because of its strange, sudden and wholly#
#unpredictable and inexplicable occurrences, affecting all phases of life." #
#--"Your Horoscope," L.A. Evening Herald Express, Saturday, Dec. 6, 1941.   #
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
From: gerard@caliban.soest.hawaii.edu (Gerard Fryer)
Subject: Re: list of words in American and British Englis
Organization: Scum Of the Earth and Senile Tenured
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 18:39:05 GMT

In article <6P3gqB1w165w@cultnet.ch>, cubsfan@cultnet.ch (wrobel) writes:
|> I am American teaching English out of an English book.  The differences 
|> are many and varied.  My favorite (favourite) was "thumb tack" (Amer.), 
|> which in England is "drawing pin".  There are also the following:  the 
|> last letter of the alphabet (zed vs.zee), defence vs. defense, lorry vs. 
|> truck, etc.  Trying to decipher the British meanings, I have had to 
|> resort to a foreign dictionary, which usually notes the distinction. (in 
|> my case, I used Italian-English dictionary).
|> 
Soon after I arrived in the U.S. from England I was working on a figure
for a paper and asked a draughtsman for help (oh, excuse me, draftsman,
or perhaps I should use the P.C. term: technical illustrator).  I
amused her no end when I asked for a rubber.  She finally figured out
what I wanted to do and said "Oh, you mean an eraser."

-- 
Gerard Fryer  (g.fryer@soest.hawaii.edu)
School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology
University of Hawaii at Manoa
From: emolinar@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Elizabeth Molinaro)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
Subject: Re: North vs. South:  An American Cultural Paradigm?
Date: 14 Aug 92 12:31:56 GMT
Organization: Stakeholder Relations, NCR Corp in Dayton,OH

<1992Aug11.223803.3384@desire.wright.edu>
Reply-To: emolinar@stake.DaytonOH.NCR.COM (Elizabeth Molinaro)
Followup-To: 
Distribution: 
Organization: Stakeholder Relations, NCR Corp in Dayton,OH
Keywords: 

In article <1992Aug11.223803.3384@desire.wright.edu> demon@desire.wright.edu
(Stupendous Man) writes:
>In article <1992Aug11.214226.6791@leland.Stanford.EDU>,
paulf@w6yx.Stanford.EDU (Paul Flaherty) writes:
>> In every state in which I've resided, there has always been a rivalry or
>> series of disputes between those in the Northern Half of the state, and
>> those in the South. 
>>  Are there any states out there which have more even
>> population distributions, but similar flamage?
>> 
>
>       Ohio is pretty evenly settled.  The two major rural areas being
western
>Ohio from north of Dayton to the Michigan border (over to Springfield/Toledo)
>and southern Ohio from east of Cincinatti along the Ohio river.
>

        Actually, Ohio was settled with two distinctive type of 
        "cultures", thus though there isn't really much of a rivalry
        (except EVERYONE makes fun of Toledo ; )!), that may be
        because Ohio isn't a state in which people talk to each 
        other due to these differences!

        The North and East (east all the way to Columbus) was 
        settled by Easterners, most predominantly Pennsylvania
        Germans (first or second generation).  Thus, cities like
        Cleveland, Akron, and Columbus has a strong "Northern"
        identity.

        The South and West (really this is just Dayton and Cinci and
        areas in between and west) were settled by southerners, up
        from Virginia and the Cumberland (?) Gap.  Thus, Dayton and
        Cinci are "Southern" - or think of themselves as such -.

        And we pretty much leave each other alone! (So far, but I'm
        new to Ohio.)

        EM
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
From: pjm@cshl.org (Pat Monardo)
Subject: Re: Fanatics?
Organization: Cold Spring Harbor Labs
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 19:25:20 GMT

In article <18347.2aa35db2@ecs.umass.edu> vigneswa@ecs.umass.edu writes:
>	Last night, at Kentucky, more than 5000 people were waiting around a
>church. Someone, an un-named priest, predicted that Virgin Mary would appear

i think the Catholic Church is desparate. it can only appeal to
people with IQ of less than 25. that used to be all people < 12
and > 60. but now with improved health care and education,
the range is < 8 and > 70. so they are in trouble.

-- 
-- Pat Monardo
-- pjm@cshl.org
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
From: patt@squid.tram.com (Patt Bromberger)
Subject: Aid to Floridia & Louisiana (was: Re: 1-800-682-3362 )
Organization: Tramway Unix Systems
Distribution: world 
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 20:30:08 GMT
Followup-To: soc.culture.usa 

In article <1992Aug27.163507.25497@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com> lundby@comm.mot.com writes:
>The number to provide assistance to Dade County Relief:
>
>    1-800-682-3362  (number reported on Night Line [ABC] last night)
>
>
>Hurricane Andrew has devastated south Flordia (USA).
>This is the largest ($$) natural disaster in US history!
> [deleted]

President Bush inspects Homestead, Florida on Monday and no military
aid arrives until Friday - what a guy!  I can hardly wait to get to
the voting booth in November ** sigh **

Now we get to see what ** friends ** President Bush has made for the
USA - keep all that foreign aid coming in to Florida and Louisiana
-- film at 11!  :-)



-- 
Patricia Ann Bromberger                     -       patt@squid.tram.com
Tramway Unix Systems 
"Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty." (Anne Herbert)
From: ewartd@emu.insted.unimelb.edu.au
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa
Subject: USA - Originators of Father's Day?
Date: 26 Aug 92 12:59:56 GMT

G'day.  Needed to find out origin of Father's Day for a radio piece
of consumerism.  Somewhere deep in the old mind comes hte notion that
its definitely a Yankee Doodle concept created by some on-the-ball
marketers early this century.  Anybody know for sure?

Thanks

Don


-- 
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
| ewartd@emu.insted.unimelb.edu.au  SECS, Inst. of Ed.       _--_|\  |
|                                   University of Melbourne /      \ |
|                                   Priv. Bag 10            \_.--.!/ |
|                                   KEW  VIC  3101 Australia      v  |
   - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,rec.sport.baseball
From: drsmith@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Donald R Smith)
Subject: Re: [baseball] baseball is difficult to evolve
Followup-To: soc.culture.usa,rec.sport.baseball
Summary: Baseball is difficult to evolve
Keywords: baseball
Organization: The Ohio State University
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 15:03:05 GMT

In article <9208202138.AA06248@efi.com> chungdan@leland.stanford.edu writes:
>
>     Baseball is difficult to control.  You throw and you hit, and
>everyone else runs.  With basketball, you have better control of
>where the ball (or whatever is the concentration of the game) goes.
>
>     As a result, it is difficult to learn from previous moves.  And also,
>there is much less interaction between different players. ...
>
>                             *Zhong* Qi-Iao, U.S.A.
>

Hello Qi-Iao!
This is NOT meant to be a flame, but perhaps your lack of enthusiasm for 
"America's Pastime" stems from a lack of familiarity with its subtleties (of 
which there are many!)  If you have time for a little reading, I'd suggest 
George F. Will's "Men at Work."  I think it's one of the finest baseball books 
(from a technical standpoint) ever written.  Perhaps it would shed a little 
light on some of the game's nuances (why such-and-such happens, when, how, 
etc.)  I gave my wife (formerly a lukewarm baseball fan) a copy as a Christmas
gift last year, and she says she's NEVER enjoyed a baseball season as much as
this one, now that she understands more of what's going on.  If SHE can become 
a superfan, ANYONE can!

Baseball is indeed much slower-paced than some other sports (basketball, ice
hockey) but it gives the fans a little time to reflect on some of what's
happening in front of them.  Part of the game's attraction for me is that every
time a pitcher releases the ball something truly SPECTACULAR can happen.
Baseball's history is rich with images of mammoth home runs, great defensive
plays, etc.  I don't think there's a fan anywhere who doesn't have a
particular favorite memory, a truly transcendent moment when all he could do
was jump to his feet shouting, "Man, did you see that!?!?  Yaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Give "Men at Work" a read Qi-Iao, I think you'll enjoy it!  PLAY BALL!

Donn Smith
An unabashed Cleveland Indians fan - 3 years old the last time they won a
pennant!  8=(
Newsgroups: soc.culture.usa,alt.society.civil-liberty