HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: hallam@zeus02.desy.de (Phillip M. Hallam-Baker)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Balmoral and beyond
Date: 29 Aug 92 23:57:23 GMT
Reply-To: hallam@zeus02.desy.de
Organization: DESY ZEUS Central Data Acquisition

In article <BtoqLD.C9s@scd.hp.com>, apm@hpopd.pwd.hp.com (Andrew
Merritt) writes:

|>Ceri Hopkins (cah@cs.bham.ac.uk) wrote:
|>: >>>>> On 27 Aug 92 16:45:50 GMT, mlo@dcs.qmw.ac.uk (Mike Osborne) said:
|>: 
|>: Mike> So if the Queen wants to drive around the West End in her Roller
|>: Mike> with an Uzi in one hand and a spliff in the other, picking off
|>: Mike> innocent American tourists whilst having her toes sucked by a
|>: Mike> Texan financial adviser, she can. She does not have to apply to
|>: 
|>: It would be considered "bad form" not to pass the spliff round, of
|>: course. 
|>: 
|>Does one pass it to the left or to the right?

To the right of course. Lady Troubridge is quite adamant on that point.

If she shot he financial adviser in that position she would of course
run the risk of shooting herself in the foot.

Phill
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: esh2@po.CWRU.Edu (Evelyn S. Hlabse)
Subject: Re: QE I (WasWRe: QE2/QE II)
Reply-To: esh2@po.CWRU.Edu (Evelyn S. Hlabse)
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 92 15:46:11 GMT


The Queen Mary is in Long Beach not the Queen Elizabeth.

>
--
From: matthew@ntl02.decnet.nokia.fi (Matthew Faupel)
Subject: Re: U.S./British school grades, was Re: Why I read the Economist
Organization: Nokia Telecommunications, Cambridge, UK
	<PLUMMER.92Sep3203528@nutmeg.cs.swarthmore.edu>
	<1992Sep4.134405.16334@pixel.kodak.com>
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 14:50:15 GMT

DJ: David Jones in article <1992Sep4.134405.16334@pixel.kodak.com>
DB: David Barker-Plummer in article <PLUMMER.92Sep3203528@nutmeg.cs.swarthmore.edu>
MJ: Miriam Jackson in article <1992Sep3.191453.15053@cco.caltech.edu>

MJ: The other main difference is that most British kids leave school
MJ: at 16, although many of these go on to do further education .

DB: Which reminds me of a question that I have been meaning to ask for
DB: yonks.  What percentage of Britons go on to university, or tertiary
DB: eduction generally?  What is the analogous figure for the US?

DJ: Something like 15% of Brits go to University (meaning the old kind of
DJ: University).  Add in Polytechnics (old name) and other "further
DJ: education" institutions granting qualifications lower than a degree, and
DJ: I'd guess about 30% get some kind of education beyond age 18.  Just a
DJ: guess, mind.   Meantime in the US, figures in my desk reference indicate
DJ: that while 57% of students get some kind of education past 18, only
DJ: about 21% go the full four years of a University degree.  The total
DJ: number of "students" in college in 1990 was over 13 million, quite a
DJ: number when you consider a national birth rate of around 3 million a
DJ: year when these students were born.  Obviously it's more than just
DJ: a lot of people doing 4-year degrees.

From the 1990 General Household Survey (as reported in today's Telegraph):

38% of people aged 16-69 have no qualifications, 22% have O-levels and 8%
have degrees, however twice as many people in their 30s have a post A-level
qualification than those in their 60s, perhaps indicating an increase in
education levels in recent years.  Annoyingly, this is all the information
the paper gives on this subject.


Matthew
--
---* Amnesiac the Wizard *------------------* matthew@uk.tele.nokia.fi *---
 Opinions expressed here are not those of my company.    | NB. ntl02 is EN
 They're not even my own; I plagiarised the lot of them! | TEE EL ZERO TWO
---* matthew@ntl02.decnet.nokia.fi *------------------* Matthew Faupel *---
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: lskinner@emr1.emr.ca (Lauren Skinner)
Subject: Re: Do I pay VAT & Duty on US goods
Organization: Energy, Mines, and Resources, Ottawa
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 14:54:55 GMT

In article <21780612@otter.hpl.hp.com> sjmz@otter.hpl.hp.com (Stefek Zaba) 
writes:
> ... Last week I carried a Mac LC-II over from the US ... I paid duty
> in the Red Channel agreed on 4.9% for this machine.
> ... (Aside: at the end of my call, they asked me for my postcode.  
> I didn't ask why, but wish I had.  Informed speculation, anyone?)

Customs always asks for a postal code whenever I come back into Canada,
either by air or by car.

I think it is for statistical information gathering purposes.
[ Our federal government likes to moan about all of the cross-border
shopping we Canadians do, supposedly to the detriment of the economy
(but certainly not to our own persoal pocketbooks). ]

Lauren
From: limey@hri.com (Craig Hughes)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Toilet paper [was Re:  royal family]
Date: 27 Aug 92 18:59:15 GMT
Reply-To: limey@hri.com
Organization: Horizon Research, Inc.

In article <1533@eagle.ukc.ac.uk>, jmb@ukc.ac.uk (J.M.Bremner) writes:
|> In article <25237@castle.ed.ac.uk> erck03@castle.ed.ac.uk (John Wexler) writes:
|> 
|> >it's common to say that something is "government property" if it's owned
|> >by the crown and controlled directly by a ministry or government agency.
|> >This applies to all kinds of things, from army bases to toilet rolls,
|>                                                          ^^^^^^^^^^^^
|> 
|> Ah, yes.  Do they still produce special rolls of the hard stuff
|> imprinted with the magic words "Government Property"?

We used to get this stuff when I was a young(er) lad at school. It was
like grease-proof paper on a roll. Very nasty if used improperly. Only
in the land of my youth can you get paper cuts on your bum.

--craig

================================================================================
| Horizon Research, Inc.		E-MAIL:   limey@hri.com
| 1432 Main Street			PHONE:	  (617) 466-8300
| Waltham, MA 02154			FAX:	  (617) 466-8323
================================================================================
From: mark-r@ee.man.ac.uk (Mark Robinson (JO PhD))
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Chortle and the Wheelies
Date: 1 Sep 92 14:17:27 GMT
Reply-To: mark-r@spec0.ee.man.ac.uk (Mark Robinson (JO PhD))
Organization: Dept Electrical and Electronic Eng, Manchester University, UK

In article <f3hv02UP1fLB01@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com> czl30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Chris Lee) writes:
>Isn't it actually Chorlton and the Wheelies. I think it was named after
>the Manchester suburb where the series was made.
>
>Chris Lee

Absolutely right Chris, the headquarters of Cosgrove-Hall are
sited in Chorlton, SW Manchester, near to Sale and Stretford.
it's not famous for anything except Cosgrove-Hall, Chorlton
Water Park and the fact that I used to live there.

Mark
mark-r@spec0.ee.man.ac.uk
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: evansg@uproar.enet.dec.com (Gwyn Evans @ IME)
Subject: VNS: Thu 27-Aug-1992
Keywords: VNS,sport
Organization: Digital Equipment Service Industries Solutions Company Ltd
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 11:41:16 GMT


<><><><><><><><>  T h e   V O G O N   N e w s   S e r v i c e  <><><><><><><><>

 Edition : 2649             Thursday 27-Aug-1992            Circulation :  7777

        VNS UK SPORTS REPORT ..............................   29 Lines

VNS UK SPORTS REPORT:                            [Ken Merrick, VNS Sports Desk]
=====================                            [Valbonne, France            ]

||| CRICKET
    Alan Lamb has been fined an unspecified "maximum sum" and suspended for two
    weeks following the publication of an unapproved article in the Daily
    Mirror. In the article, Lamb accused the Pakistan bowlers of cheating.

||| FOOTBALL
    World Cup qualifier : Latvia ...... 0  Denmark ..... 0
    Friendly Matches    : France ...... 0  Brazil ...... 2
                          Roumania .... 2  Mexico ...... 0
                          Norway ...... 2  Sweden ...... 2
                          Poland ...... 0  Finland ..... 0

    FA Premier League
    Arsenal ....... 2  Oldham Athletic .... 0
    Chelsea ....... 0  Blackburn Rovers ... 0
    Coventry City . 0  Queen's Park Rangers 1
    Manchester City 3  Norwich City ....... 1

    Barclays League First Division
    Leicester City  3  Derby County ....... 2

    Skol Cup 4th Round
    Falkirk ....... 1  Aberdeen ........... 4
    Dundee Utd .... 2  Rangers ............ 3 (aet)
    Hearts ........ 1  Celtic ............. 2

||| MOTOR SPORT
    Ferrari have confirmed that Gerhard Berger will drive for them in 1993.
    The Austrian has signed a three-year contract 


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><>   VNS Edition : 2649    Thursday 27-Aug-1992   <><><><><><><><>
--
+======================================================================+
| Gwyn Evans  | evansg@uproar.enet.dec.com |  Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK  |
| DESISCo - Digital Equipment Service Industries Solutions Company Ltd |
|  Views expressed and statements made are mine and not those of DEC   |
+======================================================================+
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,rec.arts.tv.uk,rec.arts.drwho,alt.tv.prisoner
From: nickh@CS.CMU.EDU (Nick Haines)
Subject: Re: Americanising of the UK, Now: British TV in North America
Originator: nickh@VOILA.VENARI.CS.CMU.EDU
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
	<1992Aug28.182604.23445@enterprise.rdd.lmsc.lockheed.com>
	<1992Sep01.041814.12172@admiral.uucp> <1992Sep2.061058.21842@osf.org>
	<BCR.92Sep2143519@hpl3sn02.cern.ch>
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 14:41:43 GMT

In article <BCR.92Sep2143519@hpl3sn02.cern.ch> bcr@cernapo.cern.ch (Bill Riemers) writes:

   In article <1992Sep2.061058.21842@osf.org> sp@osf.org (Simon Patience) writes:
   >  Well... it's an abbreviation for smegma.

   Thanks for that enlightenment.  Now, what in the hell does "smegma" mean?

What, they don't have dictionaries at cernapo.cern.ch? Reaching for
the Random House one on this desk, I find:

"a thick sebaceous secretion, consisting chiefly of desquamated
epithelial cells, that collects beneath the foreskin or around the
clitoris."

[Sorry about the choice of dictionary, it's not my office]

Alternatively known (in American) as "head cheese".

Oh, and I believe it's the only English noun that starts with `SMEG'.
So anyone with a quality dictionary could have told you this.

Nick
From: steinly@topaz.ucsc.edu (Steinn Sigurdsson)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Kipling [was Prince Edward]
Date: 27 Aug 92 23:25:00 GMT
Organization: Lick Observatory/UCO
NNTP-Posting-Host: topaz.ucsc.edu
In-reply-to: wombat@physics.Berkeley.EDU's message of 25 Aug 1992 23:32:45 -0500

In article <9208260431.AA27324@physics.Berkeley.EDU> wombat@physics.Berkeley.EDU (Gene P. Ledbetter) writes:

   Steinn Sigurdsson's .sig:


   >* What do they know of England who only England know  - B.B. 1991 *

   That rang a bell.  Part of Kipling's The English Flag goes:

     And what should they know of England
	 who only England know?--

   Well, Steinn, that's probably the source of your quote.  Damned fine
   sentiment, too.

Actually the source is Billy Bragg's "Don't try this at home" I think
the song is "the few" though I could be wrong... being a well sound
chappie, Billy undoubtedly used the phrase as quoted as a deliberate
play on Kipling, he's pretty good as that sort of thing - I use it
as a rather elaborate in-joke that is occasionally appropriate.

Thanks for reminding me, it was time to pop it on the stereo again!

*  Steinn Sigurdsson   			 Lick Observatory     	*
* steinly@helios.ucsc.edu		"standard disclaimer"  	*
*  Help save the youth of America				*
*  Help save them from themselves   				*
*  Help save the sun-tanned surfer boys				*
*  And the California Girls					*
*  				- BB 1986			*
From: martin.baines@uk.sun.com (Martin Baines - Sun UK - SE Manager Cambridge)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Water quality - a new money-saver?
Date: 26 Aug 92 15:39:37 GMT
Reply-To: martin.baines@uk.sun.com
Organization: Sun Microsystems Ltd
NNTP-Posting-Host: bottomdog.uk.sun.com

In article 92Aug26132018@arran.dcs.ed.ac.uk, cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Chris Cooke) writes:
>In article <17fnd1INNfoa@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM> martin.baines@uk.sun.com (Martin Baines - Sun UK - SE Manager Cambridge) writes:
>
>   What goes around, comes around. This is exactly what used to happen
>   *before* the old water authorities were privatised: they combined
>   the roles of water supply, sewage collection *and* pollution control,
>   hence they had the job of prosecuting themselves! (And there was
>   no OFWAT to regulate their price structure)
>
>Sure, but they didn't have strong reasons to save money by cutting the
>pollution control, because they were judged, if at all, by water quality
>rather than by shareholders' profits.

And the tooth fairy leaves a silver 6d	under my pillow after a
visit to the dentist!

They had all sorts of reasons not to behave: pressure from government
to return larger "surpluses" so the tax take appeared lower; presure
from unions for higher pay, shorter hours; lazy management...

In fact being measured by water quality was actually a pressure
to misbehave: as they were being judged on the figures they
supplied all they had to do is falsify the data: who would know?

Incidently, none of this is an argument for/against privatisation
of the industry: I just object to the idea of the same organisation
regulating itself, be it public or private.

Incidently, before privatisation the water quality for Cambridge
was significantly better than for the surrounding area: at least
one reason being I suspect that it was (still is) served
by a small (private) statutory water company, with its quality
being monitored (even then) by a separate body. It is often
forgotten that pre "privatisation" about 25% of the English
water supply industry already was privately owned.

Martin

---
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"You might say that, but I couldn't possibly comment"

Martin Baines, Sales Support Manager,
Sun Microsystems Ltd, 306 Science Park, Cambridge, CB4 4WG, UK
Phone: +44 223 420421                 Fax: +44 223 420257
JANET:     Martin.Baines@uk.co.sun    Other UK:  Martin.Baines@sun.co.uk
Internet:  Martin.Baines@UK.sun.com
X.400:     g=martin s=baines prmd=sunir admd=mci c=us
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:12123 soc.culture.celtic:5781
From: skaamjm@ucl.ac.uk (Matthew Moore)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,soc.culture.celtic
Subject: Re: The Celtic Cross
Date: 3 Sep 92 17:28:40 GMT
Organization: Bloomsbury Computing Consortium

reese@vax.oxford.ac.uk writes:

>In article <92242.163858IO20402@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>, IO20402@MAINE.MAINE.EDU writes:
>> Please, could someone tell me the origins of the Celtic Cross, I have worn one
>> for some time, and I am fed up with people continually asking me if I am
>> Catholic. Does the cross have religious ties? Or is it just a pagan symbol?
>> 
>>       Thank you,
>>               Tak Car loves,
>>                      Kerry

>I presume you mean the cross with the circle intersecting all the
>"arms".  That is a very early Irish and, I think, Scottish Christian
>symbol. It combines elements of both Christianity and paganism to make
>it more "palatable" for Christian converts.  The cross is obvious, the
>circle around it represents either the circle of life, or of the world,
>united in the symbol of the cross. Very often the large stone crosses
>you still see all over Ireland would have pictures from local legend
>carved in them.  So, the celtic cross was all things to all people!
>Such a refreshing change from the dogmatic approach the church had
>later on in its history.

oh yeah? I was under the impression that the saints 'n scholars could
be pretty dogmatic about quite a few  things, like their attitude to
women, fer instance. There's a song 'The Glendalough Saint' about how
how one St Kevin was pursued by a young woman. Eventually she crept into
his 'bed' (a rocky ledge above the lake) one night, and what did the
ould sod do? He pushed her into the lake. Dangerous, these women.
From: dam@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (David Morning)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: QE2/QE II
Date: 2 Sep 92 14:29:21 GMT
Organization: Glasgow University Computing Science Dept.

cbenson@bazooka.amb.org (Christopher Benson) writes:


>Sorry to intercede so late, and answer the original question, but...
>The Ocean Liner Queen Elizabeth was named after the husband of King
>George VI (1936? - 1951?),                          ~~~~~~~

WOW!!!

Does the Sun and the Mirror know about this revelation??

Get the scanners out!!

Dave

-- 
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:11919 rec.travel:12437
From: czl30@duts.ccc.amdahl.com (Chris Lee)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,rec.travel
Subject: Re: Stansted or Gatwick
Keywords: london traveler
Date: 26 Aug 92 23:39:30 GMT
Reply-To: czl30@DUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Chris Lee)
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

You will be knackered by the time you get off the plane in Stanstead. Why
not go by train to Leatherhead? There are fast, frequent trains from
Stanstead Airport to London (every 30 minutes, I think). I can't remember
if they go to King's Cross or Liverpool Street, that service didn't run
when I moved over the Atlantic, but it doesn't matter. Get a taxi to
either Waterloo or Victoria, I think both stations have trains to
Leatherhead (the Underground is great, but not if you're carrying luggage).

Rent a car locally in Leatherhead. It should be cheaper than at thee
airport!

Good Luck......Chris Lee
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:12114 rec.arts.tv.uk:5219 rec.arts.drwho:5761 alt.tv.prisoner:1279
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,rec.arts.tv.uk,rec.arts.drwho,alt.tv.prisoner
Subject: Re: Americanising of the UK, Now: British TV in North America
From: ace@kryton.UUCP (Catherine Beckstead)
Date: Thu, 03 Sep 92 00:21:34 PDT
Organization: Paradox Alley F&SF BBS 805-492-8789

bcr@cernapo.cern.ch (Bill Riemers) writes:

> In article <1992Sep2.061058.21842@osf.org> sp@osf.org (Simon Patience) writes
> >  Well... it's an abbreviation for smegma.
> 
> Thanks for that enlightenment.  Now, what in the hell does "smegma" mean?
> 
>                                    Bill

I'm too ladylike to describe it, (ahemm, ahemmm) but I suggest you look it
up in a dictionary.  OOOO yucky....oooooo....icky, yuck, yuck, yuck!


-------------------------------------------------------------------
Catherine Beckstead                    ace@kryton.uucp
"Do you want to argue with a can of deodorant that registers
NINE on the Richter scale?"        --Ace, in "Dragonfire"
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: evansg@uproar.enet.dec.com (Gwyn Evans @ IME)
Subject: VNS: Wed  2-Sep-1992
Keywords: VNS,news
Organization: Digital Equipment Service Industries Solutions Company Ltd
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 10:44:19 GMT


<><><><><><><><>  T h e   V O G O N   N e w s   S e r v i c e  <><><><><><><><>

 Edition : 2653            Wednesday  2-Sep-1992            Circulation :  7804

        VNS MAIN NEWS .....................................   31 Lines


VNS MAIN NEWS:                                   [Andy Payne, VNS UK News Desk]
==============                                   [Fareham, England            ]

    Here is the News at 08:30 BST on Wednesday 2nd September 1992
    -------------------------------------------------------------

    UK News
    -------

    Serious doubts about the validity of the GCSE examinations taken by
    3.25 million 16-year-olds over the past five years were raised for the
    first time yesterday by Her Majestys Inspectors. In a report which
    ministers privately described as "explosive", the inspectors said that
    they had evidence that "could point to a gradual erosion of standards"
    since the exam replaced the O-levels in 1988.

    House prices fell for the third sucessive month in July, but the number
    of transactions in some of the worst hit regions has risen slightly.

    The pound closed above $2 for the first time in a decade yesterday as
    the wide gap between American and German interest rates put further
    pressure on the US currency.

    World News
    ----------

    Alexander Dubchek, leader of Czechoslovakia's 1968 "Prague Spring"
    reforms, was badly hurt in a car crash near Prague yesterday.

    President Bush has appealed for building materials for the victims of
    Hurricane Andrew in Florida and Louisiana.

     
    {News courtesy of the BBC and The Telegraph}

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
<><><><><><><>   VNS Edition : 2653   Wednesday  2-Sep-1992   <><><><><><><><>
--
+======================================================================+
| Gwyn Evans  | evansg@uproar.enet.dec.com |  Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK  |
| DESISCo - Digital Equipment Service Industries Solutions Company Ltd |
|  Views expressed and statements made are mine and not those of DEC   |
+======================================================================+
From: mmh@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Fergie and the media - a foreigners view
Date: 29 Aug 92 20:11:19 GMT
Distribution: soc
Organization: Computer Science Dept, QMW, University of London, UK.

From: etxmow@garboc34.ericsson.se (Mats Winberg)
>      have happened before. You British seems to have a very peculiar
>      relationship to your royal family. Perhaps the best thing you
>      could have would be a Glorious Revolution, part 2, without
>      inviting another royal family in. Just ask them to step down...

Is it the British or the rest of the world? I have just come
back from visiting the continent, and it seems the press there,
particularly the glossy magazines are even more obsessed with
them than us Brits. There is hardly a magazine available
without "Fergie" or "Di" appearing prominently on the cover.
What nonsense - had these people married merchant bankers,
none of us would have heard of them, and had some other young
women married the Queen's sons instead of merchant bankers,
their names would be spattered all across the continental
press (I don't think I'm using "merchant banker" in it's
rhyming slang meaning here, but maybe ...)

Matthew Huntbach
From: dam@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (David Morning)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: New World beer (was Re: Americanising
Date: 27 Aug 92 13:08:02 GMT
Organization: Glasgow University Computing Science Dept.

jack@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin) writes:

>Christopher.Carne@brunel.ac.uk (Christopher J Carne) wrote:
>> mmh@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach) writes:
>>> "Scotch" in Northern England and Scotland refers to a variety
>>> of beer which is the rough equivalent of "mild" in the South
>>> (and if bitter's in trouble, mild is almost extinct...

>We seem to have sorted the word out (I've never heard it, but it may well
>be used down near England)... as for the beer, is this the equivalent of
>"sixty shilling"?  Difficult to find but well worth it - the Belhaven one
>particularly.

Yes.

60/- = light = mild
70/- = heavy/special = bitter
80/- = export = ????

Well roughly. The shilling symbol indicates the duty that used to be paid on
a barrel of beer based on it's alcohol content so the more shillings, the
more alcohol. Dunno where IPA (India Pale Ale) fits in though, maybe 65/-?

There's not really an equivalent of the English flat (for want of a better
word) ales except maybe the Belhaven 70/- and 80/- but the Belhavens are
nothing like the Tennants 70/- and 80/- which are just gassed up chemical
concoctions.

The Bon Accord in Glasgow sells Belhaven 90/-. Now there's the thing for an
'interesting' night out. They also sell Oatmeal stout - good, but what a
hangover!!!

Anyway, tonight it's Marston's Pedigree!!

Dave

-- 
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british