HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban

In alt.folklore.urban hugh@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Hugh Grierson) writes:

>I thought the new "stiff" penalties introduced in France for driving offences
>where amusing.  Apparently if you accrue 6 points then you lose your licence.
>Offences range from 1 to 3 points: 1 for speeding, running red lights, that
>sort of thing, and 3 points for killing someone.  So, essentially, you have
>to kill _twice_ before losing your licence.

$DRIFT ON

Similarly, sinking a ship in a foreign harbour and killing people gets you
a tropical holiday for a little while - right?

$DRIFT OFF

>Hugh Grierson          Fujitsu/ICL New Zealand - Software Development Centre
>hugh@nezsdc.icl.co.nz                Speaking for myself only.  See figure 1.

Steve South.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: me@csri.toronto.edu (Daniel R. Simon)
Subject: Re: Gold coins (Was: Re: You are humble and loveable.  CHOMP!)
Organization: CSRI, University of Toronto
Date: 26 Aug 92 19:15:56 GMT

In article <956eqvq@Unify.Com> ceb@dbrus.Unify.Com (Caroline E. Bryan) writes:
>In article <1992Aug25.103546.12825@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu> me@csri.toronto.edu (Daniel R. Simon) writes:
>>
>>...  Gold coins haven't been in 
>>common circulation for a very long time (if they ever were)
>
>You speak of geological time, I take it.
>
>Gold coins in circulation in 850 A.D. have been found in archeological digs
>in Great Britain, where gold coins *were* rare in ancient times.  (I'd give
>the source if this weren't a.f.u.)  They were much more common much earlier
>in Europe, North Africa, the Mid-East, etc.  In the USA gold coins were
>common in circulation before and after 1837 (the date on the $10 gold coin
>my great-great-aunt Callie left me).  Gold coins in the US were recalled only
>when the USA went off the gold standard.  In geological time this is only a
>flash in the pan (as it were), but then so is all the rest of human history.

It appears my statement was slightly ambiguous.  What I meant to say was that
I doubted that gold coins had been in *common* circulation at any time in the
*recent* past.  As far as I know, fairly trustworthy government-backed 
currency of low intrinsic material value (paper money, for instance) has been 
the norm for quite some time (certainly in North America, and also in Europe, 
with rare, short-lived exceptions).  Gresham's law would therefore dictate that
any coin made of an intrinsically valuable material such as gold would rapidly
have exited from common circulation, even if given the status of legal tender.
Was the ten-dollar gold coin really in *common* use as legal tender in 1837?  

Disclaimer:  "Gresham's law of NetNews--'bad postings drive out good.'"


"There *is* confusion worse than death"		Daniel R. Simon
			     -Tennyson		(me@theory.toronto.edu)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: schroede@bnlux1.bnl.gov (gary l. schroeder)
Subject: Re: I Love Lucy Forever?
Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1992 13:34:03 GMT

In article <l986mbINN2fl@male.EBay.Sun.COM> jimj@cleanplate.EBay.Sun.COM (James D. Jones) writes:
>In article <1992Aug20.213700.23504@unislc.uucp> dw@unislc.uucp (Dan Wright) writes:
>>
>>Despite the huge number of broadcasts in all the nations around the world
>>each day, I wager there are certain moments when Lucy briefly disappears.
>
>Yeah, but what about in other star systems? The Earth's been radiating 
>"I Love Lucy" for decades.  The first signals are 40 lightyears out by now and 
>maybe still readable.  When Lucy leaves the airwaves here (briefly), who's
>to say someone's still receiving it out near Beta Centauri? 


An intriguing thought, to be sure.  But, I think that our friends out at
Beta Centauri will need one hell of a signal amplifier to get a viewable
image of our dear Lucy.  If the signal strength drops off as 1/(4 pi
r^2), it probably wouldn't be distinguishable from the "cosmic
background" at an "r" of 40 LY!



Not an expert, but I play one in my head.

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gary Schroeder	                |  Warning: prolonged exposure to this
schroede@bnlux1.bnl.gov         |  .sig may cause retinal damage and 
Brookhaven National Laboratory  |  blistering skin rashes. 
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: barth@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (barth.richards)
Subject: Re: Counterfeiting
Organization: AT&T
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 19:53:59 GMT

In article <MEISSNER.92Aug28181106@tiktok.osf.org> meissner@osf.org (Michael Meissner) writes:

>Last week, on the commuter rail train I go on (Boston - Fitchburg
>line), the conductor had been given a phony $1 (it didn't have the
>small serial numbers and some other marks), and he passed it around.
>Nobody on the train could believe that somebody would be smart enough
>to be able to produce a reasonable conterfeit bill, but would be dumb
>enough to make one's.

When you say "small serial marks" do you mean the green serial numbers or
the plate numbers in the corners?  If you mean the green serial numbers, it
is likely that the bill was genuine.  US currency is printed in three
steps (not necessarily in this order): the green backs, the green parts of
the front (Treasury Department seal and serial numbers), and the black
parts of the front.  Occassionally, bills get left out of one or more of
the three steps and still get out into circulation, and the most common
type of these errors seems to be the missing seal and serial numbers
variety.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: IQTI400@INDYCMS.IUPUI.EDU (macphil)
Subject: Re: Viruses: was(Re: aids started by cia?)
Organization: IUPUI
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 03:17:58 GMT

In article <1992Aug27.211759.13809@acuson.com>
lawson@acuson.com (Drew Lawson) writes:
 
>In article <1992Aug25.160703.10475@news.cs.brandeis.edu> st890270@pip.cc.brandeis.edu writes:
>>>Has a virial infection ever been *CURED*?
>>
>>close enough - the small pox virus is now extinct.
>
>Only because all its victims are dead.
>
 
this is providing you believe the old wive's tale that everyone
contracting smallpox died...not so.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG (Phil Gustafson)
Subject: Re: Gold coins (Was: Re: You are humble and loveable. CHOMP!)
Organization: Famed Parquet Floor
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 05:07:17 GMT

Until 1964, U.S. coins from dimes to half dollars were made of 90%
silver, 10% copper or other stuff.

Shortly before then, the price of silver was such that Mexican
counterfeiters could make 100% silver quarters at a profit.

Things are different now.

Phil "Check out those WWII silver nickels" Gustafson

-- 
|play: phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG; {ames|pyramid|vsi1}!zorch!phil                |
|work: (Under Construction)              | Phil Gustafson                   |
|         "Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile."                     |
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: What makes an urban legend work?
From: rocher@husc8.harvard.edu (Jean-Marc Rocher)
Date: 29 Aug 92 17:58:34 EDT
 <1992Aug26.174142.29091@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> <1992Aug28.193831.17920@news.cs.brandeis.edu>
Organization: Harvard University Science Center

In article <1992Aug28.193831.17920@news.cs.brandeis.edu> st890270@pip.cc.brandeis.edu writes:
>The there was the UL that for each can of Coors you buy, the company would
>purchase a bullet for the KKK.

  This is similar to the UL that Junior Mints were invented by the President of
the John Birch society. This one is actually true, though he sold the company
before starting the organization (see: Rumor!, by two people whose names elude
me for the moment)

					...Jean-Marc "first time I've written
anything in the middle of my name" Rocher
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Tom Lehrer (was Re: Mnemonics)
From: rocher@husc8.harvard.edu (Jean-Marc Rocher)
Date: 23 Aug 92 20:14:13 EDT
Organization: Harvard University Science Center

In article <1992Aug23.202809.25902@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> wb8foz@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu (David Lesher) writes:
>A friend insists that T.L. gave up performing because Werner Von
>Braun had sued him & won. Anyone else ever hear of such a suit?

	According to political comedian Mark Russell, Lehrer said upon 
retiring that "I knew satire was dead when Henry Kissenger won the
Nobel Peace Prize", I have never heard any mention of a lawsuit.

	Speaking of the NPP, which TV newsperson said "and this year's
winner of the Nobel peace prize for medicine is...."?

					...Jean-Marc Rocher

"If we took the bones out it wouldn't be crunchy, would it?"
From: pashley@sdcc13.ucsd.edu (Montykins)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Mnemonics
Date: 30 Aug 92 00:24:21 GMT
Organization: University of California, San Diego

In article <1992Aug29.173058.15215@husc3.harvard.edu>, rocher@husc8.harvard.edu (Jean-Marc Rocher) writes:
>
>	Speaking of novas, that reminds me of a story from several years ago. It seems the marketing bigwigs at Chevy couldn't figure out why sales of the
>Chevy Nova were so poor in Latin Amreica. Finally, an advertising executive who

  [Rest of post deleted out of a fit of passion]

This brings up the question: Why do people bother to post cascades
to afu when the normal fare is so repetitive anyway? Hmm?

 -Paul "Monty" Ashley
   (It's sad when one gets passionate about deleting lines)
   (The normal fare, btw, is twenty-five zlotys per line. Pay on
your way out.)
   (On advice, I've whapped rn around so it puts in a comma up in
the attribution line. I'm grammatical now! Joy! Tears of joy!
Unbounded happiness!)
   (Five points to anyone who knows where the "Joy! . . . happiness!"
quote is from)
-- 
  "Windle shook his head sadly. Five      | pashley@sdcc13.ucsd.edu
exclamation marks, the sure sign of an    |  [Not a UCSD employee]
insane mind."                             |
     --Terry Pratchett, _Reaper Man_      |
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: fielden@spot.Colorado.EDU (j.a. fielden)
Subject: Re: mouse in Coors can 
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 16:02:23 GMT

>[...]
> story of mouse in can of coors beer deleted
>

 I have been on the canning floor at Coors and it can't happen because
the cans are washed out _UPSIDE DOWN_ filled at high pressure and capped. 
I was part of a five person vip(a friend of my family know some high muckety
muck at Coors) tour and got to see alls kinds of places that aren't part of 
the regular tour. It was very interesting.

Anyway, it must be a new semester because I've answered this question in 
this group before.


Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: csuah@warwick.ac.uk (~WISP at CU~)
Subject: Re: Faces of death
Organization: Computing Services, Warwick University, UK
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 14:31:20 GMT

In article <1992Aug28.221733.23961@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
>snopes%club33@stlth.enet.dec.com (snopes) writes:
>:
>: In article <c28nbpbc@csv.warwick.ac.uk>,
>:   csuah@warwick.ac.uk (~WISP at CU~) writes...
>:
>: >> Yes, and never mind the cited articles written by career linguists who have
>: >> spent years and years studying eskimo languages, that explain just how and
>: >> why this claim is balderdash.  If the evidence doesn't fit your theory, just
>: >> ignore it.  You can "prove" anything that way.
>:
>: >You should know...
>:
>:  Ha ha.  Somebody would actually have to provide evidence before I could
>:  ignore it.  Perhaps you'd like to break tradition and cite a reference
>:  or do some research or something.
>
>Yep. It would be interesting if he could - seeing that none of the police
>forces in the world have been able to do so.

Hold on a second, Bill. The response you are quoting was a mild dig at snopes
for his perpetual "that's what *you* say" method of debunking. The subject
thread had nothing to do with snuff (it was about eskimo words for snow by
then), and was entirely immaterial in any case: I just couldn't resist it.
Apart from which, it was weeks ago...

For the record, I'm a snuff agnostic: it's almost impossible to prove it
doesn't exist (we're in NP-complete territory, here) and very difficult to
prove that it does. So who knows (or for that matter cares? I don't).

Later,

The Wisp.
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Chris Williams <csuah@uk.ac.warwick.csv> aka <csuah@csv.warwick.ac.uk>
"Tony Greig in the slips, legs apart, waiting for a tickle"
                                      Brian Johnson (thanks to A. Simha 8^>)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: glitto@iastate.edu (Scott M Klabacha)
Subject: Highest Channel
Organization: Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 18:40:14 GMT


All this talk of TV channels beyond 54 has gotten me wondering...

What's the highest-numbered channel that has been used? Has any station
ever really been Channel 83? The highest station I know of in Chicago is
Channel 66, but somebody mentioned a 68 in Boston (or something like that).

And, similarly, how high have people's cable channels gone/how many channels
have they received? Out here in Iowa, the channels dry up with number 36 
(unless I've mis-hooked up something and that's all I'm receiving)...back
in Orland Park, Illinois, we get cable up to channel 53 (and I think all 52 of
them have something on them, even if it's nonsense like bulletin boards).

Hmmm....


***gLITTOfERN*** glitto@iastate.edu
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Cellular Frequencies
From: mcirvin@husc8.harvard.edu (Mcirvin)
Date: 27 Aug 92 21:28:06 GMT

geoffm@purplehaze.Corp.Sun.COM (Geoff Miller) writes:

>Huh?  If memory serves, I've never seen a television UHF dial that went
>beyond 60 in the first place.  And I know for a fact that I've never
>heard of a UHF station higher than 54 (the local UHF PBS affiliate).

[in Nigel Tufnel voice]  My TV goes up to 69.

In Boston, WQTV (the Monitor Channel, now dying a slow death in
the midst of the Christian Science church's financial troubles)
is UHF channel 68.  That's the highest I've seen.

-- 
Matt McIrvin, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA 
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: cindy@solan10.solan.unit.no (Cynthia Kandolf)
Subject: Re: Peter? What Peter?
Organization: /home/ludviga/cindy/.organization
	<1992Aug24.205448.7833@acuson.com> <1992Aug26.124958.6530@nntp.nta.no>
Date: 26 Aug 92 20:19:46

YuNoHoo writes:
>In article <1992Aug24.205448.7833@acuson.com>, Drew Lawson writes:
>>
>> Have you ever heard about what happens if you chant "Churchill is
Disraeli"
>> in front of a mirror in a dark room?
>
>Why would anybody have a mirror in a darkroom?

So they could chew wintergreen Life Savers in front of it, of course.

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

Xref: sparky alt.folklore.urban:22576 rec.arts.tv:17119
From: unknown@ucscb.UCSC.EDU (tuu)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.arts.tv
Subject: Re: Kimberly Dunning, or "Whatcha talking about?"
Date: 31 Aug 92 22:25:17 GMT
Organization: University of California; Santa Cruz
NNTP-Posting-Host: ucscb.ucsc.edu


In article <1992Aug29.091555.22533@news.columbia.edu> lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
}In article <1992Aug25.195848.12212@cci632.cci.com> adw@cci632.cci.com (Allen Williams (co-op)) writes:
}> What was this actresses name? What possesed her to hold up a convenience
}>store?
}Danny Bonaduce?

Yes, Danny Bonaduce had a sex change and held up a convenience store..

sheesh.. heh heh heh..
-- 
/unknown@ucscb.ucsc.edu   used ADB trackball WANTED          Apple II Forever!\
\Mail me:Get INFOCOM GAMES RERELEASED for //s, ULT VI GS done,for UNIX GS info/
What the world needs now is another folk singer like I need a hole in my head.
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.urban:22534 rec.arts.books:15286 rec.arts.sf.misc:2766 rec.humor:27413
From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.misc,rec.humor
Subject: Re: Agnostics and Athiests
Date: 31 Aug 92 09:12:07 GMT
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University

In article <l9q755INN949@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> thief@kimura.Eng.Sun.COM (Greg Kimura ) writes:
>                      REPUBLICAN DANCE MUSIC
>
>by Greg Kimura
>
>After the Wynonna Judd debacle at the Republican Convention (thousands
>of white people clapping out of beat to a disconcerted Judd singing
>"Why not me?") many commentators, columnists and political pundits have
>knocked Republicans about their inability to dance.  These knocks are 
>pretty much in the same vein:
>
>>Most Entertaining Part of the Republican Convention:
>>Watching an auditorium full of white people make idiots out of
>>themselves, trying to keep time to Waynona Judd.
>
>This politically incorrect obsdervation is an offense to all fair minded
>Americans, and must not go unchallenged.  In LeVon Lee's ground
>breaking article in the Journal of Endocrinolgy titled "White
>Republican Dancing: Genetics or Culture?" found that this type of
>arhythmic movement to popular music is perceived by 9 out of 10 white
>Republicans as "funky."
>
>Lee suggests that the rhythmically challenged be presented more
>prosodic and metrical forms of music, e.g. polkas, before graduating up
>to more complex rhythmic forms such as the aforementioned Wynonna
>Judd.  Lee maintains that with our patience and committment, these
>people are "even capable of dancing to the Republo-Latin beats of
>Gloria Estefan."  Tragically though, he notes that the Pointer Sisters
>and Michael Jackson are far beyond their primitive capabilities.  "We
>must foster an atmosphere of tolerence and understanding for these
>people," he said.  Lee calls for Americans to support nothing less than a
>full-scale rhythmic affirmative action program.
>
>In support of this program I humbly submit the following song to Rich
>Bond of the Republican National Committee:
>
>
>        THE KENNEBUNKPORT HILLBILLY 
>
>(sung to the Beverly Hillbillies)
>
>Let me tell you bout a story bout a man named Bush
>   A rich Yale Grad whose life was always cush
>But then one day as he ran for chief exec
>   He hung Willie Horton 'round Mike Dukakis neck
>Crime that is.  Black Gold.  Texas Tee...
>
>Well the next thing you know ole George is president
>   But he chose Dan Quayle to his party's great lament
>He named Clarence Thomas to be Justice of his Court
>   Pissed off the women with an Afro-Bob Bork
>No choice that is.  Back in the kitchen!  Cookies...
>
>Well 4 years later his campaign is on the rocks
>   He said don't they know how I bombed 'em in Iraq!
>Now he blames all his problems on a congress he abhors
>   And the voters tell the polls they want Clinton and Gore.
>Bill that is.  Sax playing white boy.  Uppity wife.  And no Perot...


Maybe you should get Don "No Soul" Simmons to sing it?

cjl
From: sweeney@Ingres.COM (Tony Sweeney)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: QWERTY
Date: 2 Sep 92 16:25:54 GMT
Reply-To: sweeney@Ingres.COM (Tony Sweeney)
Organization: Ask Computer Systems Inc., Ingres Division, Alameda CA 94501

In article <17n6lhINN7g8@darkstar.UCSC.EDU> carolo@cse.ucsc.edu (Carol Osterbrock) writes:
>In article <1992Aug28.010427.26089@midway.uchicago.edu> thf2@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
>
>>ObULInFAQFormat: 
>>   F: The QWERTY keyboard was designed to slow down typists.  
>
>Well, so what *was* the reason for the design?  I think I was told
>that it was so that common letter combinations were unlikely to cause 
>the machine to jam.  To me this means that it forces you to type more
>slowly, since a jam is caused when one key is returning when another
>one is striking.
>

Since no-one's mentioned it this time round, I'd like to point out that
it is probably no coincidence that all of the letters of "typewriter"
are on the top row.

>-carol "hunt & pecker" o
>-- 
>=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
>Carol Osterbrock       *       Such a long, long time to be gone
>carolo@cse.ucsc.edu    *         And a short time to be there...
>===============================================================================

Tony.
From: lawson@acuson.com (Drew Lawson)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Apples and the Bible (was: apples to teachers - idea why)
Date: 24 Aug 92 21:08:57 GMT
Reply-To: lawson@aldia.UUCP (Drew Lawson)
Organization: ACUSON, Mountain View, CA

In article <1992Aug21.200442.10908@crd.ge.com> salantel@wsqtb9.crd.ge.com writes:
>dheisler@CERIS.Purdue.EDU (Dave Heisler) writes: 
>>i think i got an answer.
>
>>      let's see, the christian bible tells about eve
>>       eating an apple from the tree of knowledge.
>
>Since when is this in the christian bible?  It is in the old testament,
>which is 
>of Jewish origin.

I wasn't going to quibble over the phrase, since it is common and not
entirely wrong.  The Old Testament is of Jewish origin, but it is not
the "Jewish Bible."  The selection of canonical works differs greatly.
In fact it differs within the Christian community depending on how
close a denomination is to the Catholic Church in its selection.  This
revolves around a group of books (pseudo-epigrapha?) which are included
by some but not all.  First and Second Macabes are the only ones I
recall specificly.

In addition, I'm told that the Jewish organization of books is
different.  I believe it falls into three groups:  law, history and
prophets.  I could be wrong about that.

-- 
Drew Lawson                      If you're not part of the solution,
lawson@acuson.com                you're part of the precipitate
From: jrs@zippy.unet.com (John Switzer Frame 3.0)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Abandoned/Booby Trapped Aircraft hangars
Date: 4 Sep 92 15:08:07 GMT
Organization: Network Equipment Technologies, Redwood City

In article <Bu1K8D.E4E@egsner.cirr.com> datri@egsner.cirr.com (Anthony Datri) writes:
>As I understand it, the Arizona is *still* leaking fuel | oil.

That's true - you can see the small stains if you go to the Pearl Harbor 
Memorial. Since that happened over 41 years ago, though, I have my suspicions
that an ultra-fancy, time-released mechanism has replaced the Arizona's tanks
which *must* be depleted by now. Perhaps Navy SEALs go down every week to 
refill it? Maybe we can start a new UL?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban