HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: Adrian.Waterworth@newcastle.ac.uk (Adrian Waterworth)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: British constitution: draft FAQ entry.
Date: 13 Nov 92 08:58:05 GMT
Organization: University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, NE1 7RU

linden@positive.Eng.Sun.COM (Trelford Pinkerton) writes:

>In all humility I offer below a draft s.c.b FAQ entry on the topic of
>"Does Britain have a constitution?".

	[Blah][Blah][Rant][Misunderstand][Misconstrue]

>   Trelford

	A brave attempt sir and most welcome, but, unfortunately, as
one of my old school-teachers used to say :

	"IBBW [*]

	1/10 for effort.

	Try again."
				Ade.

[*] "IBBW" was his acronym for "Inaccurate, Biased, Badly Written"

		\----------------------------------------/
		 |  Adrian.Waterworth@newcastle.ac.uk	|
		/ ---------------------------------------\
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: graham@sees.bangor.ac.uk (Graham A Stephen)
Subject: Re: Bristol (was Re: Phrase)
Organization: University College of N Wales, Bangor
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 11:49:06 GMT

In article <Bx71IE.DxB@scd.hp.com>, tim@hpcpbla.bri.hp.com (Tim Phipps) writes:
> Q) What's a Brizzoleans favourite Italian food?
> A) Lasagnal.
> 

Where did you get that ideal from?  Surely you're forgetting
pastal and pizzal.  I'm sure Asdal's in Bedminster sells them
all. 

--
graham a stephen                    
(e-mail: graham@sees.bangor.ac.uk)        

``One measures a circle beginning anywhere'' -- Charles Hoy Fort (1874-1932)

Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: sue@netcom.com (Sue Miller)
Subject: Re: Split soc.culture.british
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1992 02:49:13 GMT

In article <1992Nov11.205506.29648@rdg.dec.com> cockburn@edieng.enet.dec.com (Craig Cockburn) writes:
>
>The volume of messages in this group is getting very large - has 
>anyone considered splitting the group?
>

Which anyone do you think would be doing this considering?  You're
in this group as much as anyone, have *you* seen signs of anyone
considering "splitting" (how does one do this, one wonders) this
group?

Yours mitotically, or is that meiotically,
sue
Organization: Queen's University at Kingston
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 14:09:17 EDT
From: andy <2893684@QUCDN.QueensU.CA>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Tory succession (was Re: The Maastricht vote)
 <1992Nov6.102130.2990@dcs.qmw.ac.uk> <1992Nov6.114214.6166@infodev.cam.ac.uk>
 <1992Nov9.094914.12365@dcs.qmw.ac.uk>
 <1992Nov9.113341.11242@infodev.cam.ac.uk>
 <1992Nov9.122955.13299@infodev.cam.ac.uk>

In article <1992Nov9.122955.13299@infodev.cam.ac.uk>, rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin
Fairbairns) says:
>
>In article <1992Nov9.113341.11242@infodev.cam.ac.uk>, gdb15@grebe.cl.cam.ac.uk
>(Guy Barry) writes:
>|> >If
>|> >Major had resigned, the likelihood is that an even worse Tory
>|> >would have been put in his place.
>|>
>|> I doubt it.  Who?  There's no obvious right-wing candidate.
>|> We'd probably have had Kenneth Clarke.  I don't exactly warm
>|> to him personally, but I don't think he'd be any worse than
>|> Major as PM.

Actually, that dog in the Commons sounds pretty good:)
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:15396 alt.folklore.urban:27737
From: linden@positive.Eng.Sun.COM (Trelford Pinkerton)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Anglican vs C of E
Date: 8 Nov 1992 19:51:00 GMT
Organization: The Bishop Sandwich Band
NNTP-Posting-Host: positive

I would like to hear what the difference is between
the Anglican church, and the Church of England.  This is in
the context of the Monarch being the Supreme Head of Britain's 
official state religion.

Perhaps it's written in the British Constitution somewhere?

--
   Inventor of the Lambada-Calculus.
From: gilbertl@aludra.usc.edu (Gilbert Man-Fai Lau)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Marketing Research in Europe
Date: 11 Nov 1992 15:21:23 -0800
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: aludra.usc.edu

Hi,
	My friend is working on a marketing research in Europe. I will be
very appreciated if any of you can answer the following questions? 

1. Does any chain-store like Blockbuster exists in Europe?

2. Do Europeans accept American idea and culture?

3. Do Europeans influenced by Americans?

4. How's the entertainment business in Europe compared to America?

5. How's laser disc selling in Europe? (little, moderate or great) If 
   possible, please give me some statistics?

6. How about video game rental business? Do European children like to play 
   video game as American children?

7. How often do you go to video stores or theaters in Europe?

Please reply to my email addr: glau@cory.berkeley.edu
Thanks in advance!!

Gilbert
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: jlloyd@cc.uow.edu.au (Jonathan Lloyd)
Subject: Re: Crime rates in Britain compared
Organization: University Of Wollongong
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 92 21:55:19 GMT

cls@trsvax.tandy.com writes:



>Have any of you ever seen statistics showing crime rates in Britain 
>compared to crime rates in the U.S.?  I've been wondering about this.
>Since there are almost no guns there and since I live near Dallas, 
>which is the murder capital of the U.S., Britain seems like it surely
>must be a wonderful place to live as far as crime is concerned.
>Or could it be that Britain has just as much crime, minus crimes 
>committed with guns?  Even that surely must be much better.

I have not seen statistics but I can assure you that a shooting in the
UK mainland is a major news item. To get hold of a gun legally is not that
easy. Even a shotgun certificate (which must be renewed annually) requires
a statement from your doctor that you are mentally OK. 

A firearms certificate (also renewable annually) is a more difficult matter.
Since the "Hungerford massacre" in 1987 these have become much more 
difficult to obtain. Hence firearms are strictly controlled and are only held
(at least theoretically) by those with  legitamate reasons, who have a safe 
place to use them. You must also satisfy the police that you have a secure 
place to store firearms, and a separate secure place to store ammunition.

Violent crime in UK is unfortunately rising, as is the number of deaths
arising from such crime. But compared to the USA one feels very safe.
The lack of availability of firearms probably has a lot to do with this.

Crime against property in UK cities is getting out of hand.
Car theft and burglary are serious problems. But muggings are not anything
like as frequent as the USA.

I currently live in Australia, where violent crime seems to be at a level
comparable to UK. But guns are more easily available here and do play a
large part in crime. However, crime against property here (burglary and car 
theft) seem to be at a much lower level than in UK.

I spent a few days in Manhattan in June. In the space of 3 days I 
saw 3 muggings (in daylight) and was awoken several times at night by the
sound of gunshots in the street not far from my hotel. There is nowhere
in the world where I have felt more insecure.

I firmly believe that handguns should be totally banned other than for use
by the police and government security forces. This would surely save a 
lot of lives.

********************************************************************
** These views are my own and do not reflect upon the policy *******
** or views of the University of Wollongong, only of a young *******
** welshman in a land down under ---Cymru am Byth ******************
********************************************************************
Phone +61 42 213018     Fax +61 42 213112       Email J.Lloyd@uow.edu.au
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:15198 soc.culture.canada:8298
From: livesey@solntze.wpd.sgi.com (Jon Livesey)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,soc.culture.canada
Subject: Re: In your school?
Date: 6 Nov 92 00:40:32 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.  Mountain View, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: solntze.wpd.sgi.com


In article <dhalliwe.721004691@muskwa.ucs.ualberta.ca>, userDHAL@mts.ucs.UAlberta.CA writes:
> 
>    Of course, we hired a few good Brits, too. Usually the ones that were
> very intelligent, extremely capable, but couldn't get jobs in Britain
> because their great-grandfathers rubbed shoulders with the dustman's great-
> grandfather, and there was no way that the old boys wanted that sort of
> person teaching at their universities.
> 
>   So Britain stands twice-condemned: once for keeping their low-quality
> people because they had all the correct schools on their C.V., and once
> for sending away all the bright ones because of their "lower-class"
> background.

It's a pity that Mr Godfrey's posting is evoking some responses
almost as over-generalised.   I suspect this is what he wanted.

jon.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: ajj@zycor.lgc.com (Andrew Jackson)
Subject: Re: Salaries+cost of living
Summary: Thanks
Organization: Landmark/Zycor   Austin, Texas
Date: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 20:01:59 GMT

Howdy all,

Just wanted to say that I appreciated the numerous responses
about Windsor and vicinity.

I also appreciate the tip about the large medevial stone house
that could be for sale. Unfortunately, I think it is probably
a bit out of Dad's price range and not terribly practical (how
would he be able to get the lawn mowed?).

Thanks!

========================================================================
Andrew J. Jackson                     voice: 512-282-6969
Landmark/Zycor, Inc.                  fax  : 512-280-6731
220 Foremost Dr.                      email: ajackson@zycor.lgc.com
Austin, TX 78745
========================================================================
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,alt.folklore.urban
From: smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin)
Subject: Re: An astonishing Guy
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 1992 12:14:38 GMT
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories

In article <1dklsuINN582@fido.asd.sgi.com>, livesey@solntze.wpd.sgi.com (Jon Livesey) writes:
> Oh, it was a rebellion, was it?   I've heard people describe
> it as an attempt as secession.

Here's what my Webster's says:

re.bel.lion 1: opposition to one in authority or dominance 2a: open
   defiance of or resistance to an established government 2b:  an
   instance of such defiance or resistance

From the point of view of the central government, I think that the
Civil War qualifies.  Look at it this way -- a group of people have
decided to use force to deny that the current central government has
authority over them.

Btw, note that I said nothing about whether or not suspending habeas
corpus was a good idea, simply that it would appear to have been
justified by the Constitution.
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:15591 soc.culture.celtic:7265 soc.history:9286
From: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,soc.culture.celtic,soc.history
Subject: Re: Historical Maps of Edinburgh
Date: 10 Nov 92 19:49:06 GMT
Reply-To: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
Organization: COMANDOS Project, Glesga Yoonie

pobermarck@intellicorp.com wrote:
> I'm looking for maps and descriptions of Edinburgh Scotland in the early
> 1800's.  I am especially interested in the Old Town and waterfront areas.

I assume by "waterfront" you mean Leith (a separate city until the mid-30s
or thereabouts).  There's a book about it called "The Life and Times of
Leith" (by someone called Marshall, I think) that should disabuse you for
good of the idea that it's part of Edinburgh.

> Can anyone direct me to good books or other sources for this material?
> Any mail order shops that deal with this?

Write to the National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, and
ask them for photocopied maps of the period.  They're not very expensive.
As far as I know there isn't a historical atlas of Edinburgh and Leith (I
frequent second-hand bookshops in Edinburgh often enough that I'd have seen
one if it had ever been published).  Another possibility might be the
Planning Department, Edinburgh District Council, Cockburn Street,
Edinburgh.  Most second-hand bookshops in Edinburgh will have something
relevant and will deal by mail order: look up a Yellow Pages in a library
and write to a few.

John Prebble's "The King's Jaunt: George IV in Scotland" is probably the
history book that's the closest fit to what you want.  The early 19th
century isn't as much written about as earlier and later periods.

Didn't you ask this same question before?  (in which case you get the same
advice: you'll get the best information by visiting the place and sniffing
round in person).

-- 
--  Jack Campin    room G092, Computing Science Department, Glasgow University,
17 Lilybank Gardens, Glasgow G12 8RZ, Scotland   TEL: 041 339 8855 x6854 (work)
INTERNET: jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk or via nsfnet-relay.ac.uk    FAX: 041 330 4913
BANG!net: via mcsun and uknet     BITNET: via UKACRL    UUCP: jack@glasgow.uucp
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: cockburn@edieng.enet.dec.com (Craig Cockburn)
Subject: Re: Accent and Dialect, the politics there
Organization: Digital Equipment Co. Ltd., Reading, England
Date: Tue, 10 Nov 1992 07:27:37 GMT


In article <1992Nov9.182020.17980@gssec.bt.co.uk>, cwilson@gssec.bt.co.uk (Colin Wilson) writes...
> 
>Before anyone tells me that the idea of anyone talking Scots with an English
>accent is an absurdity, let me say that I know a Scottish woman who was
>brought up in England and who is learning Scots as an adult, and who does just
>that.
> 
and probably the best known researcher on Gaelic language sociology, speaks
"Ga\idhlig Eilean an cu" , Gaelic from the isle of dogs (London), as that's
where he's from. He is fluent, and has no problem composing speeches in
Gaelic off the top of his head. His name is Kenneth MacKinnon and he wrote 
the excellent book "Gaelic a past and future prospect", published by the
Saltire society and widely available throughout Scotland.

I thought it was funny when I heard Gaelic with a North American accent
for the first time, but there's been native Gaelic speakers in Nova Scotia
for centuries.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  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: fbowles@gssec.bt.co.uk (Frank K Bowles)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: How to insult a Brit (reprise)
Date: 5 Nov 92 11:55:19 GMT
Organization: BT Glasgow Systems and Software Engineering Centre

In article <1992Nov4.200110.25718@menudo.uh.edu>, chem91@Elroy.UH.EDU ("Bill Harrison (713)-743-2789") writes:
|> 
|> Most Merkuns I've met are pretty vague about the difference between British,
|> English etc...  Which leads us into the good old Brit geography thread... 
|> 


Most Merkuns I've met are pretty vague about anything that happens
outside the borders of the United States.  They make even the Southern
English seem positively cosmopolitan... 

Frank


-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Frank K Bowles, BT Glasgow Systems & Software Engineering Centre,
West TEC, 7 Caledon Street, Glasgow G12 9BY, Scotland. 
Tel: +44 41 220 5338     Email: fbowles@gssec.bt.co.uk
Fax: +44 41 220 2438     [GM4KAV]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: livesey@solntze.wpd.sgi.com (Jon Livesey)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Rule Britannia
Date: 6 Nov 1992 19:43:40 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.  Mountain View, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: solntze.wpd.sgi.com


In article <CC.92Nov6094548@arran.dcs.ed.ac.uk>, cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk writes:
> 
> Anyway, the whole thing seems so silly now that it quite amazes
> me that someone should be arguing *for* the ludicrous Victorians...

There you go again.   I don't think  anyone is arguing for
the Victorians lock stock and barrel.    It's simply that,
like everyone else, the Victorians deserve a balanced view.

It's perfectly true that some of them were ruthless
imperialists, but they have many quite serious achievements
to their name in economics, law, government, public
construction and hygene, science and engineering,
exploration and development.   Writing them off as
"ludicrous" seems especially inappropriate as long as - as
the Economist points out - we still live in a world that
shows so many signs of their influence.

I guess that what I am arguing against is this naive, binary,
view of history, where everyone and every group is all one
thing or all the other.

jon.

Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,alt.folklore.urban
From: godfrey@sscvx1.ssc.gov (LAURENCE GODFREY)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,soc.culture.canada
Subject: Re: In your school?
Date: 6 Nov 92 15:54:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: sscvx1.6NOV199209541140
Organization: Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1

In article <6NOV199209234199@sscvx1.ssc.gov>, godfrey@sscvx1.ssc.gov (LAURENCE GODFREY) writes...
>In article <1992Nov6.093238.5475@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu>, migod@turing.toronto.edu (Mike Godfrey)   writes...
>>In article <1992Nov6.115052.19505@cas.org> jac54@cas.org () writes:
>>>In article <1992Nov5.084636.16113@jarvis.csri.toronto.edu> migod@turing.toronto.edu (Mike Godfrey) writes:
>>>>In article <5NOV199203010964@sscvx1.ssc.gov> godfrey@sscvx1.ssc.gov (LAURENCE GODFREY) writes:
>>>					      ^^^^^^
>>>>Mike Godfrey                                "I came so far for beauty,
>>>      ^^^^^^^
>>>	Are you two related (by any remote possibility)?
>> 
>>In a word, no.
>> 
>>-- 
>>Mike Godfrey                                "I came so far for beauty,
>>Dept of Comp Sci, UofT                       I left so much behind."
>>migod@turing.toronto.edu                                -- Leonard Cohen
> 
>C'mon Mike, how do you know - we might be?  I can confirm that you're not
>my alter-ego as some have suggested, but perhaps we have some predecessors
>in common.
> 
>Laurence
> 

Good news for Mike - I can positively confirm that we are in no way related
and have nothing at all in common except our name.  This is an unhappy
coincidence for Mike, nothing more.  My wife is disappointed though, as
she was hoping we could claim to have Canadian relatives if it ever became
necessary to establish residence in a country that is even worse than 
England.

laurence
From: cam@syzygy.DIALix.oz.au (Cameron Newham)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: An astonishing Guy
Distribution: world
Date: Sat, 07 Nov 92 04:56:03 GMT
Organization: Baldrick Fan Club
Reply-To: cam@syzygy.DIALix.oz.au


In article <lfgdnoINN46@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> linden@positive.Eng.Sun.COM writes:

 > I recently learned something astonishing (by reading a serious
 > history book, a practice I commend to all) -- Guy Fawkes was not
 > trying to blow up Parliament at all.   He was trying to assassinate
 > the king.    I'll bet not one Englishman in 100 knows this!

so?  it's only one example of many historical inaccuracies bandied about.

 > James I was always a despotic ruler, and his son Charles I was even
 > worse.  In fact Charles I forced a civil war in England, lost, and
 > was executed.   For 12 brief glorious years England was a republic,
 > from January 1 1649 to 1660.  Then the cup of liberty was dashed from
 > the people's lips when the son of the old king, an even bigger dickwad
 > and dilettante than his father, grabbed the throne back.

Perhaps you should read your history books a bit more.  For a start, Charles I
wasn't soley responsible for the Civil War.  He certainly didn't "force" it.

Secondly, Charles I was executed unjustly and unecessarily.

Thirdly, the future Charles II didn't grab the throne back.  At first he did
plot to regain the throne during the third civil war ('49-'51).
Later he was invited back, essentially.  I guess people got sick of the
Commonwealth, especially under the mis-managment of Cromwell's son.

Ha!  The very people who lived during those "12 brief glorious years" later
exhumed the bodies of Cromwell and Ireton and hung them and beheaded them
to show their contempt.

You speak as though Charles I was a dictator that everyone wanted deposed.
In fact, the country was equally divided - both at the class level and
geographically.  All levels of society were divided.


 > Sort of makes the dirt of a Presidential election fade by
 > comparison, doesn't it?  That's what you get when you don't have
 > a Bill of Rights.

And that is a sweeping generalisation.


Cameron (who would have been for the Royalist cause!)

Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: dj@ekcolor.ssd.kodak.com (Dave Jones)
Subject: Re: Viloence in british military schools (Help for anthro. study)
Organization: Vonnegut Tent Rentals, Inc.
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 92 21:05:17 GMT

Alasdair Grant (A.Grant@ucs.cam.ac.uk) wrote:
> In article <1992Nov9.143029.17635@pixel.kodak.com> dj@ekcolor.ssd.kodak.com (Dave Jones) writes:
> >Private schools run along military lines, in imitation of the real
> >Academies, (with some of the inmates presumably being groomed for said
> >Academies) are an unusual feature of the US landscape.  To the best of
> >my knowledge they have no official sanction, nor do they necessarily boast
> >arsenals of the sort depicted in the movie 'Taps'.
> 
> Is there anything to prevent parents sending their kids to schools run
> along Survivalist or Ku Klux Klan lines?  I know that these groups run
> summer camps etc., but can they be the sole source of a child's education?

As with most such questions about the US the answer is: 
	"It depends which State you live in".

The multiplicity of subcultures in this country boggles the mind.  Some
states aggressively pursue regulation of all education, and step on the toes
of some cultural group as a result.  Occasionally this raises an issue
of fundamental rights, as with the Amish in the East and Midwest.  Other
states are less aggressive (usually western ones).  Then it becomes a matter
of local attitudes: White supremacists finding Idaho congenial, while
Buddhists in Arizona are subject to harassment, and recently, attacks.

Latest subculture to make the headlines: Irish- and Scots-descended 
clan groupings, founding and dominating communities along the East
Coast of the US, allegedly with money obtained by a network of travelling
fly-by-night construction crews ('cowboys' in the UK vernacular).


--
||Halloween Candy: the office snack    |
||from Nov. 1st onwards............... |Puff the Magic Dragon
||-------------------------------------|Lived by the sea
||Dave Jones (dj@ekcolor.ssd.kodak.com)|Who knows what's in the autumn mists
||Eastman Kodak Co. Rochester, NY      |In the mind of Yadallee?
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:15375 alt.folklore.urban:27696
From: livesey@solntze.wpd.sgi.com (Jon Livesey)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Britain doesn't have a Constitution (Re: An astonishing Guy)
Date: 8 Nov 92 06:40:12 GMT
Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.  Mountain View, CA
NNTP-Posting-Host: solntze.wpd.sgi.com


In article <1992Nov6.170011.9982@vax.oxford.ac.uk>, daveh@vax.oxford.ac.uk writes:
> 
> But the UK will have a written Constituion if Maastricht is
> ever ratified :-(

Then we'd better make sure that it's as good as the 'unwritten'
one.

jon.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,soc.culture.canada