HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: Geraint.Jones@comlab.oxford.ac.uk (Geraint Jones)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Why only ONE british olympic team
Date: 28 Jul 92 21:16:19 GMT
Organization: The Aesthetes of Relevance

Quoth david@postman.gr.osf.org (David George):
(  -- with the emerging countries of eastern Europe.
 ) |> Particularly vulnerable is the Welsh team 
(  
 ) Come on, South Wales may resemble Silesia but it's 
(  hardly emerging from the yoke of communist control.

Well now, it's funny you should say that, but the Communist
Party did used to do rather well in the local government
of South Wales, and I think the only (or at least, the    /
first) Communist mayor in Britain was in Wales.          /
Shame on me, I cannot remember her name.                / g



... Or did you think that they were staying under the yoke?
From: matt@castle.ed.ac.uk (M P Taylor)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Derogatory fanny pack
Date: 28 Jul 92 08:23:55 GMT
Organization: Edinburgh University

In article <37796.glh@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu> glh@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu (, Gene A. Heyler) writes:
>    Some friends of mine recently visited the UK and were told the phrase 
>"fanny pack", used to describe the strap-on around-the-waist carry pouch,
>was a derogatory racial term, so should use the term "bum bag" instead. 
>They were not given an explanation, so perhaps someone could enlighten us 
>as to whom this is offensive and why.
>
Well the thing is Gene in the UK 'fanny pack' or 'fanny pad' is a slang
term for sanitary towels as used by females etc

So to walk around with one tied round your waist would be deemed to be
mighty strange, as would talking about the same activity.

Yours etc
	Matt
	Business Studies
	University of Edinburgh
From: geoff@hpkslx.mayfield.HP.COM (Geoff Badger)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Americanising of the UK
Date: 28 Jul 92 16:52:20 GMT
Organization: HP Response Center Lab

>Does anyone think that the all pervading Amercanisation of the world
>had really gotten out of hand. 
            ^^^^^^^

One of the first things that my girlfriend and I noticed about the "use
of language" when we came to live in the US is how commonly the word 
"gotten" is used: in conversation, in books/newspapers and even in 
so-called "formal" documents.

Though this word may not be strictly-speaking an "Americanism", I couldn't
resist picking up on it's use in this posting. Maybe there is a lot of
subliminal influencing going around ???

- Geoff

PS - You are lucky. No US TV station even shows "Danger Mouse".
From: mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,uk.misc
Subject: Re: Americanising of the UK
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 92 13:37:10 BST
Distribution: uk
Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK.

jac54@cas.org () writes:
> In article <3655@keele.keele.ac.uk> cla04@seq1.keele.ac.uk (A.T. Fear) writes
> >From article <6497@pharaoh.cyborg.bt.co.uk>, by ian@pharaoh.cyborg.bt.co.uk 
> >> Isn't it sad that many British people worship the Americans.  Just look at
> >> all the filthy scum who wear New York Yankee baseball caps for instance.
> >
> >Especially those who wear them backwards - this bizarre dress code
> >really gets up my nose.
> 
> 	When you're detasselling corn and the sun is at your back it's
> 	eminently sensible.

The idiots I see in Oxford Street wouldn't recognize a corn field if they
were dumped in one by a UFO.


mathew
-- 
"Even the most bizarre of the unions (probably that between a cat's gall
 stone and a single note 'G' from CNN's ident theme) managed to convey a
 sense of rampant impropriety."  -- 'Fortran Five', Simon G. Lawrence Leonard

From: scrl@otter.hpl.hp.com (Simon Lewis)
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 11:47:30 GMT
Subject: Re: Help Me Find My Way around London!!!!
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, UK.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british

In soc.culture.british, yep@wam.umd.edu.hpl.hp.com writes:

> Their address is:          
> Pavilion Hotel
> 37 Leinster Gardens
> London W2
> Tel: 258-0269

> can someone PLEEEEASE help me find out where it is in
> London..that is, can i get from Heathrow Airport onto the
> Underground and get off a stop near the Hotel?

Pardon me, but you have the hotel's phone number.  Why don't you call them
and ask them the best way to get there?  Most hotel staff can understand
American, and are very willing to help foreigners. Just a thought...

Simon.

PS>  The full number (from the US) will be 011 44 71 258 0269.
From: matt@castle.ed.ac.uk (M P Taylor)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: WANTED: how much does a bicycle cost in Cambridge, England?
Date: 21 Jul 92 10:07:50 GMT
Organization: Edinburgh University

In article <1992Jul21.085000.20646@cl.cam.ac.uk> mrw@cl.cam.ac.uk (Michael Warner) writes:
>(probably to the people who stole they're last bicycle the week before).
				   ^^^^^^^
>
I'm sorry for sounding like a Cabinet Minister but maybe they are right.
Maybe standards are dropping when an academic from Cambridge can't even
get as simple a piece of grammar correct, as this.

Given Mike is mailing from the Computer Lab, given this is supposedly
friendly chat, but even so this is soc.culture.british, and I would like
to think that even in the most casual of situations a true devotee of
British culture can make the effort to get THEIR English grammar
correct.

Thank you.

	Matt
	Business Studies
	University of Edinburgh
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Truth with a capital T
From: Aengus Lawlor <RBYAML@rohvm1.rohmhaas.com>
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 14:16:05 EDT
  <4769@sumax.seattleu.edu><1992Jul23.141015.21412@dcs.qmw.ac.uk>
Organization: Rohm and Haas Company

In article <1992Jul23.141015.21412@dcs.qmw.ac.uk>, mmh@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Matthew
Huntbach) says:
>
>"1066 and All That" ends with a sad little note that since World War I,
>America had become Top Nation and History had come to a.

Come to a period? That's how this thread got started again!
Lurkers who don't speak the same language as the rest of us.

Aengus
--
RBYAML@ROHMHAAS.COM                    Aengus Lawlor
RBYAML@ROHVM1.BITNET                   (who used to be ALAWLOR@DIT.IE)
"How about some of that famous Dublin wit, Barman?"
"Certainly, sir. Would that be Dry or Sparkling?"
From: sandee@Think.COM (Daan Sandee)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Why only ONE british olympic team
Date: 29 Jul 1992 15:55:13 GMT
Organization: TMC
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: telecaster.think.com

In article <KILLER.92Jul29174245@robocop.hut.fi>, killer@niksula.hut.fi (Kalle Kivimaa) writes:
|> In article <4139@inca.comlab.ox.ac.uk> Geraint.Jones@comlab.oxford.ac.uk writes:
|>    killer@robocop.cs.hut.fi (Kalle Kivimaa) wrote:
|>     ) Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England are NOT countries.
|> 
|>    assumption that English is not your first language?                 / g
|> 
|>                                   ......  On the other hand, my
|> Random House dictionary says that country == nation, so your point
|> is somewhat moot.

Now *my* Random House dictionary (on the computer) says, among other things:
country (coun try; kun tr <y3>) n., pl. - tries, adj.
4 n.
        a state or nation: What European countries have you visited?
3 n.
        the territory of a nation.
8 n.
        the land of one's birth or citizenship.
2 n.
        any considerable territory demarcated by topographical conditions,
        by a distinctive population, etc.: mountainous country; the
        Amish country of Pennsylvania.
7 n.
        a tract of land considered apart from any geographical or political
        limits; region; district.
(etc.)
(Don't ask me what those numbers mean. I'm just quoting the computer.)

Seems there's plenty of possibilities there for calling Scotland a country.
Anyway, I would rather accept a Scot's (or a Welshman's) opinion than
yours.

|> Toisaalta, voisinhan min{ vastailla teid{n kirjoituksiinne
|> suomeksikin, muutei minua silloin kukaan ymm{rt{isi eik{ vastauksia
|> varmaankaan h|yry{v{n{ kymen{ satelisi.  :)

That, I don't deny. In fact, I'm sure you're right.

Daan Sandee                                           sandee@think.com
Thinking Machines Corporation
Cambridge, Mass 02142                                 (617) 234-5044
From: Christopher.Carne@brunel.ac.uk (Christopher J Carne)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Metric System (was: New banknotes)
Summary: Men & Holes
Date: 27 Jul 92 14:30:59 GMT
Organization: Brunel University, West London, UK

In article <1992Jul24.134833.2322@ibmpcug.co.uk> dylan@ibmpcug.co.uk (Matthew Farwell) writes:
>In article <BrvyJ6.1sD@brunel.ac.uk> Christopher.Carne@brunel.ac.uk (Christopher J Carne) writes:
>>PS If it takes a man and a half a day and a half to dig a hole and a half,
>>how long does it take five men to dig five holes?
>
>You can't have half a man, or half a hole for that matter.
> 

Which is exactly the point. This is an old chestnut used by maths
masters to see if their pupils are awake.


>Dylan (pedants of the world unite)
>-- 
>It is no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase 'As
>pretty as an Airport' appear -- Douglas Adams

Chris
From: sharder@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Soren Harder)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Why only ONE british olympic team
Date: 28 Jul 92 18:25:06 GMT
Organization: Centre for Cognitive Science, Edinburgh, UK

ajc@philabs.philips.com (Alec Cameron) writes:
>  There is only one GB team in cricket.  It's called England,
>but a good enough player from Glamorgan (sp?) can still be selected.
>If anyone in Scotland was good enough to play Test cricket I expect
>they'd be selected for England too.  (Corrections welcome.)

I believe that in cricket terminology Scotland is a 'minor county' :-),
can anyone confirm or disconfirm this? I guess this would mean that
they can be selected for the English team.

Soren

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Soren Harder, (MSc student)
Centre for Cognitive Science, 2 Buccleuch Place, Edinburgh
E-mail: sharder@cogsci.ed.ac.uk
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
From: jsamuels@lawlab_2.vill.edu (Jeffrey Samuelson)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,uk.misc
Subject: Re: Americanising of the UK
Date: 31 Jul 92 16:42:09 GMT
Organization: Villanova University Law School

In article <Bs8wtn.2G5@exnet.co.uk> dhd@exnet.co.uk (Damon) writes:
>In article <1992Jul30.063812.22391@informix.com> proberts@informix.com (Paul Roberts) writes:
>>I think it is kind of touching how, deep in their hearts, Americans
>>know that all things British are better than all things American.

There are two constants in life..

1.  The pompousity of certain Picts/Angles etc...

2.  The inablility of British transportation devices to hold their oil...

3. :) The lack of viable central heating systems in most British homes...
      How the hell did you manage such a tremendous empire without
      learning how to keep your feet warm.

But seriuosly. :) I admire you all, have lived there, but I thank the Lord 
that our cuisine diverged from yours.  Ask me about eating Kidney
pie at my girlfriend's mother's house in the middle of Lancashire
on a dark & stormy night.....

Makes you almost love America.



---------------------------------------------------------------------
|  Jeffrey D. Samuelson                 "Esoteric - It ain't        |
|  Audio Visual Services                            no good         |
|  Villanova Law School                             cause           |
|  Villanova, PA. 19085            o                                |
|  U.S.A                           o                   people       |
|  jsamuels@lawlab_2.vill.edu  <XXXX>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>  don't        |
|                                  o                   understand"  |
|                                  o                                |
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,soc.culture.canadian,soc.culture.australian,soc.culture.new-zealand
From: barth@cbnewsd.cb.att.com (barth.richards)
Subject: Re: New banknotes
Organization: AT&T
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 17:48:41 GMT


In article <BrpAx2.18r@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca> cbs@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca (Chris Syed) writes:
>In article <5355@mccuts.uts.mcc.ac.uk> zzassgl@uts.mcc.ac.uk (Geoff Lane) writes:
>>In article <1992Jul16.060203.22591@athena.cs.uga.edu> mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) writes:
>>
>>
>>Does anyone remember the chewing gum packets which included reproductions of
>>Confederate paper currency 30 odd years ago?
>>thousand dollars in the end.  At about the same time we went on a school
>>holiday to Morocco where certain of the less honest of the children in the
>>group discovered that both the fake Confederate AND Monopoly notes were
>>accepted by the street vendors!  

I have to assume that they've wised up, else one person with a xerox
machine and some colored paper would go in and clean up.

>   Yes, those Confederate bills were sold in Canadian bubble gum packs too.
>   
>   We also have a large hardware/automotive supply store chain here called
>   Canadian Tire, which prints its own very official looking coupons. 

There are other chains that do this as well (Wycliffe Gas Bar comes to
mind), though none of the others that I've seen look nearly as good as
CTC's old ones.
From: srvylab1@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: VAX Account
Date: 30 Jul 92 14:21:02 CDT
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services

In article <1992Jul29.154816.8103@dscomsf.desy.de>, hallam@zeus02.desy.de (Phillip M. Hallam-Baker) writes:
> In article <153b6rINNjnq@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM>,
> martin.baines@uk.sun.com (Martin Baines - Sun UK - SE Manager Cambridge)
> writes:

> 
> What you meant that there arn't enough things in the US that suck? 

> Phill

Interesting word, "arn't".   Is that another term for ain't?

			Mascen
From: cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Chris Cooke)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Mellor: The establishment will again r
Date: 29 Jul 92 08:43:53 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh, Scotland
In-reply-to: martin.baines@uk.sun.com's message of 28 Jul 92 12:16:23 GMT

In article <153dqnINNjnq@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM> martin.baines@uk.sun.com (Martin Baines - Sun UK - SE Manager Cambridge) writes:

   Didn't the vote for talk.politics.british just pass? 

There's a Call For Votes going on NOW in news.groups, about renaming
talk.politics.british to talk.politics.europe.british.  I urge you to vote
NO, because it's such an unmanageably long name.
--
	-- Chris. 	cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk   (on Janet, cc@uk.ac.ed.dcs)

		
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: dbrooks@osf.org (David Brooks)
Subject: Re: Metric Humor? was Metric System
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 15:26:11 GMT

Girish Harshe <GRH6@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
|>     I wonder, if there is a horse pulling some weight in pounds
|> with a specific velocity (in ft/sec) to have a standard for one
|> horsepower?

If dim memory serves me well, Watt did the measurement.  He used a
carthorse borrowed from a nearby farmer, measured the power it developed
lifting some standard weight up a well...

...then he doubled it.  He didn't want some wiseguy repeating the
experiment and saying "My horse can pull more than *your* horse!"
-- 
David Brooks					dbrooks@osf.org
Open Software Foundation			uunet!osf.org!dbrooks
Six more months!  Six more months!
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,rec.games.empire,alt.war
From: Trevor.Kirby@newcastle.ac.uk (Trevor Kirby)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Metric System (was: New banknotes) now plumbing
Keywords: bilge water
Date: 21 Jul 92 10:27:23 GMT
Organization: Computing Laboratory, U of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK NE1 7RU.


In article <1992Jul21.044151.17048@athena.cs.uga.edu>, mcovingt@athena.cs.uga.edu (Michael A. Covington) writes:
>
>   Britain, in fact, still makes plumbing fittings in exactly the same
>   sizes as before, but now measures them (inaccurately) in mm instead
>   of inches.
>

Oh no they don't. Do your plumbing with new pipe in an old house on a day when the
shops are shut and you will rapidly discover that an imperial to metric connector
is needed and that your wife don't love you no more.

 Trev
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:10867 rec.arts.books:13336
From: Geraint.Jones@comlab.oxford.ac.uk (Geraint Jones)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,rec.arts.books
Subject: Re: Biggles Books
Date: 29 Jul 92 11:33:34 GMT
Organization: The Thames Valley Retirement Home for Superannuated BCPL Hackers

zzassgl@uts.mcc.ac.uk (Geoff Lane) wrote:
(  In article <1512sfINN6kh@seven-up.East.Sun.COM> geoff@tyger.Eng.Sun.COM (Geoff Arnold @ Sun BOS - R.H. coast near the top) writes:

geoff@tyger.Eng.Sun.COM (Geoff Arnold @ Sun BOS - R.H. coast near the top):

(  >However, the new editions will be edited for political
(  >correctness:  no alcohol, no romantic involvements...

zzassgl@uts.mcc.ac.uk (Geoff Lane):

(  My God, it's no longer PC to be romantically involved!

No, no; it's ``no kicking the cat, /new/ romantic involvements''.  There   
was only one romantic involvement in the whole canon, Ginger.  I do   /
distinctly recall the kicking of the cat, though, in one of the      /
early volumes out in France. Scarred me for life, it did.           / g
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: andyw@aspen32.cray.com (Andy Warner)
Subject: Re: WANTED: how much does a bicycle cost in Cambridge, England?
Originator: andyw@aspen32
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Date: 21 Jul 92 10:26:48 CDT


In article <92203.004310DXH107@psuvm.psu.edu>, <DXH107@psuvm.psu.edu> writes:
>    I am going to school there starting in October.
>    I am debating on selling my bike here and buying one there, or
> simply mailing my bike to the UK.  So I would like to know what is
> the range of average buying prices for a bike?
>    I currently have a Ross Grand Tour II (10 speed), and will either
> look at similar bikes or mountain bikes.  If anyone is selling
> around then, I'll even consider your offer first.

I've got no idea what the life-expectancy of your bike would be
in Cambridge.. but the cheapest way to get it there is to pay
excess baggage when you fly. Last time I did that it cost a whopping
$25. It costs an arm and a leg to send it unaccompanied (and you
have to pick it up from Customs etc etc etc..).

One drawback is figuring out how to get it from Gatwick/Heathrow to
Cambridge - that's an excercise left to the reader....
-- 
andyw.	N0REN/G1XRL

andyw@aspen.cray.com	Andy Warner, Cray Research, Inc.	(612) 683-5835
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,rec.games.empire,alt.war
From: nigel@rs733.GSFC.NASA.Gov
Subject: Re: BBN II -- Murk-o-Vision World Update (Mau Mau)
Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md, USA
	<1992Jul24.050033.18743@dscomsf.desy.de>
	<1992Jul24.054503.27801@usl.edu>
	<1992Jul24.123429.21819@dscomsf.desy.de>
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 19:28:56 GMT

In article <1992Jul24.123429.21819@dscomsf.desy.de> hallam@zeus02.desy.de (Phillip M. Hallam-Baker) writes:

[lots deleted]

>|>
>|>   Yup.  And who had the highest rate of lost planes in the allies theatre
>|>  of operations??  Well, I'll give you a hint.    They build Tornados and
>|>  Harriers, the most unsurvivable plane designs in use today.

>The operations that most lives were lost in (GB that was) were in flying
>low over the runways cratering them. Rather more tricky than buzzing
>arround at the edge of the stratosphere in an Aiwacs eh? If you leave
>all the work for other people it's none too surprising that your
>casalties were low. 

Really...I guess not one of all those US F16, F15, A10, F18, F14, A6,
AV8, F111, B52, and F117s went into harms way.  Yep, the RAF had all
the tough combat sorties in the Gulf war...we had all pushover
missions like Wild Weasle missions...in fact SAM supression is such
cake walk I'm surprised we didn't have the Argentinians fly those
missions...they seemed to do a bang up job against Rapiers...

>Phill Hallam-Baker

Nigel

--
Nigel Tzeng
.sig under construction
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: dj@ssd.kodak.com (Dave Jones)
Subject: Re: Americanising of the UK
Organization: :noitazinagrO
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 92 17:39:51 GMT

In article <1992Jul31.122459.14360@husc3.harvard.edu> koumis@husc4.harvard.edu (Anthony Koumis) writes:
>
>I will tell you what really causes me to laugh.  The jackets or shirts
>that are supposed to be American but are not.  For instance,
>I saw a jacket in London that said American Super Cup and had two guys
>playing American football.  Well, it is the Super Bowl not Cup. The
>jacket was probably sold in Britian and masquerading as American.
>Ive seen quite a few like that and it makes me laugh and laugh.  The
>poor people buying them, they got ripped off!
>

Its worse than that.  Years ago on a long trawl for a genuine British T-shirt
to send back to the US, I found that the ones with some kind of "British" 
motif on were made in Spain, Portugal or (!) the US.  You can probably add a
few more unlikely countries to that list now.

Maybe the "Super Cup" jackets were originally intended for Japan.  
Japanese taste in sloganwear seems to run to any English words that 
look or sound good to them, regardless of how strange they seem to 
English speakers.

-- 
||))) If you build it                          )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))|
||))) They will cancel it   - Field of Dweebs. )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))|
||))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))|
||Dave Jones (dj@ekcolor.ssd.kodak.com) | Eastman Kodak Co. Rochester, NY   |
From: jackson@soldev.tti.com (Dick Jackson)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Pronounciaton of Three-Syllable Words
Date: 22 Jul 92 15:18:05 GMT
Organization: Transaction Technology Inc.

(Jon Livesey) writes:
>|> jackson@soldev.tti.com (Dick Jackson) writes:
>|> > 
>|> > One of my best friends is from the lower classes. Poor chap actually had
>|> > to work while he was going to school (he served behind the counter
>|> > in a tobacconists I think).
>
>Well, I had a job while I was in Grammar School.   I worked
>in a store on Putney High Street.    What does that make me?
>I have no idea, and care less.

It obviously makes you a member of the class of people who worked
while in school.

It also reminds me of the story whereby a psychology lecturer stated to
his audience that some people took general remarks personally, and
someone shouted out "Well, *I* don't!"

I also think some of the responders to my humble anecdote (naming no
names) made an elementary error in logic. You cannot infer that because
someone worked while in school he or she was a member of the lower class.
It is however true that people (in England at least) who work while in
school are more likely to have come from privilege challenged backgrounds.

Dick Jackson
From: saustin@bbn.com (Steve Austin)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: WANTED: how much does a bicycle cost in Cambridge, England?
Date: 23 Jul 1992 18:36:09 GMT
NNTP-Posting-Host: bbn.com

sanjiv@projtech.com (Sanjiv Gossain) writes:

>Once you have used it (if you
>are there for a limited time) you can always sell it second-hand (and probably
>still get a reasonable amount of money back..considering you bought it
>in dollars).

Sorry, maybe I was being a bit oblique.  I meant that you should only
spend #400 on a bike, unless you want to have it carted away at
2am on a truck.

(Things are a little easier if you are not living in a college.)

Actually, I have seen some people manage to hang on to their
expensive bike.  Common techniques are to disguise it (as a crummy
bike - hard to do) and also to sleep with it (affects your personal
life).

Sanjiv is correct -- it seems that bike are cheaper in the states. 
I got a cheapo 10-speed here for $70 and a cheapo 18-speed mountain
bike for $140.  Both would be fine for Cambridge, although I'm not
quite sure how they would stand up to the general abuse (from
elements and people) in Cambridge.

	Steve Austin