HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: wilcox@vax.oxford.ac.uk
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Truly English?
Date: 12 Jan 93 15:51:14 GMT
Organization: Oxford University VAX 6620

In article <1993Jan8.184707.14168@netcom.com>, sue@netcom.com (Sue Miller) writes:
> I sometimes wonder why MT should arouse such intense feelings of
> dislike.  I really couldn't stand Ronnie Reagan, but I've never felt
> like posting statements about him with the same sort of passion
> exhibited in anti-Maggie postings.

She did nothing at all to improve the country and an awful lot to improve the
lot of the rich. That may be the run of things in the states but she was the
first British PM for a long time to act like that. The awful after-effects of
her reign are still being felt and some are only now coming to light. She also
annoyed an awful lot of specific groups in the country:

Shires Tories by being a woman from a working-class background.
High Tories by rounding on Ted Heath.
Trade Unionists by imposing restrictive `reforms' on them.
Internationalists by the Falklands war.
Europeans by her anti-EC-ism.
Environmentalists by her emphasis on road transport and nuclear power.
Christians by her proclamation that she was acting in a Christian way.
Socialists by her insistence that there was no such thing as society.
Teachers, nurses, doctors in too many ways to mention.
Industrialists by her privatisations and lack of investment.
Civil liberties groups by her restrictions on immigration.

The list goes on and on. If you had been in the country all the way through the
eighties and had seen the effects of her reign and had seen the hopes of so
many anti-Thatcherites dashed as she won yet another election landslide I think
you'd understand why we're so vehement in our hatred of TBW.
-- 

Stephen Wilcox             |   For Sale: Posts in British Government. Suit
wilcox@vax.oxford.ac.uk    |   outgoing American. Highest bids accepted.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: sharon@world.std.com (Sharon M Gartenberg)
Subject: Re: British Troops in Bosnia
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 19:53:28 GMT

The point was that all Mr. Major's talk about not wanting to take any
military action at all to help the Bosnians, for fear of endangering
the British forces on the ground serving with the UN, is perhaps as 
much an excuse not to have to actually do anything to help them as it
is based on military realities.

It is my opinion that Western Europe has failed miserably in facing
Europe's first post-Cold-War disaster. How supposedly civilized
people can see this happening just a couple of hours' plane-ride
away, but simply allow the Bosnian people to get slaughtered and
freeze and starve to death -- and not even allow the arms embargo
to be lifted so they can defend themselves ... is simply beyond my
understanding.

Sharon 
-- 
Sharon Machlis Gartenberg
Framingham, MA  USA
e-mail: sharon@world.std.com

Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: patk@sr.hp.com (Patrick Kearney)
Subject: Re: Martini
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 20:27:51 GMT
Organization: HP Sonoma County (SRSD/MWTD/MID)
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1.9 PL6]

I never drank anything alcoholic except beer until moving to the
USA from London, but the simply appalling quality of the mass
produced beer in America -- viz. Budweiser and similar piss --
drove me to embrace hard liquor, although not by the pint I hasten
to add. 

I found a martini made with Bombay Gin to be quite excellent, and far
superior to those made with Booths or Gordons. Curiously, I don't
recall ever seeing Bombay Gin in London, although it appears to be a
gin of English origin. (gin... origin... curious, that.)

Anyway, can anyone tell me why Bombay Gin appears to have such a low
profile in Albion compared to Booths & Gilbeys? 

--

**********************************     " 'Tis very warm weather when
Patrick Kearney			 *  	one's in bed.' "	
c/o Hewlett-Packard		 *		Jonathan Swift	
1400 Fountaingrove Parkway       *              Journal to Stella 
Santa Rosa, CA 95403.		 *			Oct. 26 1710
				 *
INTERNET: patk@sr.hp.com         *
TELNET: (707) 577-3460           *
**********************************
From: gdb15@grebe.cl.cam.ac.uk (Guy Barry)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: American humo(u)r (was Re: Studying Meteorology in the UK)
Date: 8 Jan 93 19:35:59 GMT
Reply-To: gdb15@cl.cam.ac.uk
Organization: U of Cambridge Computer Lab, UK

In article <1993Jan8.185131.14712@netcom.com> sue@netcom.com (Sue Miller) writes:
>In article <1993Jan7.202113.2123@ttinews.tti.com> jackson@soldev.tti.com (Dick Jackson) writes:
>>
>>Daan, that was a joke! Not only a very puny joke, but a very old one, I'm
>>surprised you didn't recognise it (but then again the concept of a joke
>>is still catching hold in the US, isn't it?).
>>
>>I have heard that particular joke used in a Mash episode, but again it was
>>plagiarism.  I would hazard that the original should be credited to either
>>Groucho Marx or Jimmy Durante (both excellent joke makers but who did have
>>off days).

>Funny you should mention Americans being humor-impaired in the
>same context as 1) an American joke  2) an American 'comedy-drama'
>3) two American comedians.  
>
>I love this group.

Purely deliberate, I'd have thought -- the implication being "If
Americans can't recognize old American jokes, how can they have a
sense of humour?"



--
Guy Barry, University of Cambridge | Phone: +44 (0)223 334757 
Computer Laboratory                | Fax: +44 (0)223 334678
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street  | JANET: Guy.Barry@uk.ac.cam.cl 
Cambridge CB2 3QG, England, UK     | Internet: Guy.Barry@cl.cam.ac.uk 
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,soc.culture.french
From: david@postman.gr.osf.org (David George)
Subject: Re: British phones in France
Organization: OSF RI Grenoble
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 13:22:06 GMT

In article <29959@castle.ed.ac.uk>, jeremy@castle.ed.ac.uk (Jeremy Henderson) writes:
|> Does anyone know if a British phone will work in France. If not, are
|> adaptors available, or will I have to buy a new one?

Yes they will.  Although a 'friend' of mine had trouble getting the bell
to work on his Pansonic due to faulty line installation by French Telecom.
He had to rewire the line back to the junction box.  It is illegal to connect
anything other than an approved phone, and only French 'phones get approval.  
The Fine is 400 Francs and Telecom have, as Richard Stilgoe might sing "a
statutory right of entry to your home".  Still that's cheaper than Germany
were fines can run to 1000DM and the Bundespost will refuse to reconnect you.
You can usually 'discuss' the fine over a glass or two of Pastis.

The 'approved' answerphone from Matra looks something like the thing at the
start of Mission Impossible.  Handsets are usually disfunctional.  However you
won't want to ever use your phone 'coz the charges are a rip-off.  No single
market here, mate.

Adaptors are only available for American style plugs.

So what about all this approval business ?  Well there are only 3 or 4 exchange
manufacturers in the world (Siemens-Plessey, Alcatel, AT&T...) and all
exchanges are compatible.  Therefore any 'phone approved for one system must
be safe to use on another.  Yet another case where the European consumer is
getting stuffed.

David.
From: mmh@dcs.qmw.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: degrees-grades
Date: 8 Jan 93 11:59:36 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept, QMW, University of London, UK.

In article <C0I6nH.HvD@ccu.umanitoba.ca> etaylor@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Euan R. Taylor) writes:
>Hi netters, I'm trying to find out what % of students at UK universities
>get 1st class, upper second, lower second, and third class degrees, so I
>can see how it compares with the grade point system used in the US and
>canada.
>In particular I want to know the percentages getting the different grades
>at Univ. of Cambridge.
>
Fishing out the minutes of last year's meeting of the Computer
Science sub-board at Queen Mary and Westfield College, I see we
awarded 9 Firsts, 22 upper seconds, 23 lower seconds, 6 thirds
and 5 pass degrees. This is about average for us, maybe a
little on the generous side.

Degree classes are supposed to be standard over the country, so
you'd expect a top-ranked place like Cambridge to award
proportionately more firsts, while lower ranked places like the
ex-polytechnics would aard fewer.

Matthew Huntbach
From: prk@planet.bt.co.uk (Peter Knight)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Travel to London
Date: 8 Jan 93 15:54:59 GMT
Organization: BT Labs, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich, UK.

kelley@phecda (Sean Kelley) writes:


> 
>My parents will be attending the Paris Air Show in June and I was
>planning on meeting them in Paris.  I have the opportunity to fly to 
>London for a low air fare.  Would it be very difficult and expensive 
>to travel from London to the coast then to a ferry to Normandy?

>I guess from Normandy I'd take the train to Paris.  I thought
>perhaps I would save money by getting there from London.  I live in
>southern New Hampshire.
> 

The last time I asked, the fare from London <=> Paris was about UKP100,
either by APEX airline ticket (ie this is the maximum price you will
pay if you can stay over a Saturday) or about the same by train/boat/train
(more humping of luggage, but at least your suitcase doesn't have interesting
carvings made in it by the airline).  These are return fares.

As to visiting Normandy en route, the train/boat/train arrangement 
should allow you to stop anywhere on route, the only two gotchas here
are to tell the travel agent your plans before you part with any money,
and that the longer sea crossing you have, the longer you need to save 
up the fare.

As to the difficulty, the rail/train/rail route will require you to
get to the station in central London.  The air route will merely mean
you have to find your way round the London airport, which is likely to
be Heathrow (in other words you will discover how difficult Heathrow is 
find your way around, meaningful signs might be a good start...).

Flight times are about 45mins London->Paris.
The train takes longer, about 8/10 hours, again the longer the sea
crossing, the longer the journey.


Your mileage may vary.

Peter Knight

#include <std.disclaimer>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: sue@netcom.com (Sue Miller)
Subject: Re: Banned: ``Happy Holidays'' [sic]
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 05:18:20 GMT

In article <1993Jan5.111428.26289@gssec.bt.co.uk> cwilson@gssec.bt.co.uk (Colin Wilson) writes:
>In article <93004.173751RBYAML@rohvm1.rohmhaas.com>, RBYAML@rohvm1.rohmhaas.com (Aengus Lawlor) writes:
>
>|> In article <1993Jan4.203045.7592@netcom.com>, sue@netcom.com (Sue Miller) says:
>|> >The biggest eccentricity here is the British insistence in calling
>|> >multiple days off work a "holiday" (singular).  :-)
>|> 
>
>|> Bzzzt!! That's a US usage. In Britain and Ireland, people go on summer
>|> holidays, or take christmas holidays
>
>|> Aengus
>
>All together now...
>
>Doo doodle-oo doo doo doo
>Doo doodle-oo doo doo doo
>We're all going on a summer holiday
>No more working for a week or two...
>
>
>If Cliff Richard says it, well, it must the British way.
>

Or...the first line of "The Beat", by Elvis Costello (from "This Year's 
Model", and yeah, I know that dates me).  By some weird twist of fate
I was listening to a taped 'live' version of EC singing that very
song (originally broadcast 11/77) just minutes before reading this post.  
Oooh.


	We're all going on a summer holiday
	Vigilantes comin' out to follow me
	I heard somebody say they had to talk to me
	Anybody     wanna swallow me ...

	etc.

Gee, it's not nearly so cheery as Cliffie's tune.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Banned: ``Happy Holidays'' [sic]
From: Aengus Lawlor <RBYAML@rohvm1.rohmhaas.com>
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 17:37:51 EST
Organization: Rohm and Haas Company

In article <1993Jan4.203045.7592@netcom.com>, sue@netcom.com (Sue Miller) says:
>
>In article <2647@eagle.ukc.ac.uk> jmb@ukc.ac.uk (Mike Bremner) writes:
>>In article <1992Dec30.210833.7337@netcom.com> sue@netcom.com (Sue Miller)
>writes:
>>
>>>The dictionaries I consulted gave "a day off work" as the first meaning
>>>for holiday.  Given this, 'Happy holidays' sounds pretty generic to me,
>>
>>Ah, but . . . "holidays", in British English, means what you might
>>prefer to call a vacation.  So "happy holidays" sounds pretty silly to
>
>Which holidays are also "days off work".
>
>The biggest eccentricity here is the British insistence in calling
>multiple days off work a "holiday" (singular).  :-)

Bzzzt!! That's a US usage. In Britain and Ireland, people go on summer
holidays, or take christmas holidays. Long weekends usually occur because
of a Bank Holiday, when people get 1 day off. The "August Bank Holiday" is
a Monday, but the "August Bank Holiday _Weekend_" is a 3 day weekend.

If you ask somebody about their holidays, they'll tell you about their 2
weeks in Benidorm. Not about what they got from Santy...

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?"
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: jackson@soldev.tti.com (Dick Jackson)
Subject: Re: Eastern hemisphere electrical power
Organization: Transaction Technology Inc.
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 20:28:23 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.132747.6928@its.bt.co.uk> tjo@its.bt.co.uk (Tim Oldham) writes:
>Hey! Who *hasn't* had a 240V mains shock? I know I have...aged 11, I was
>fascinated by the fact that when you stuck a pair of scissors into the
>top socket, the little doors would open...and pins could then be jammed
>in and hold there by the doors...
>
>Quite tingly, and a bit of a shock, but my heart kept beating...

My fifth form physics teacher (Loopy Lloyd) told us of an ex-pupil (ex of
him, not of this world) who could (allegedly) determine the voltage of a
source by sticking his first two fingers across it and seeing how high up
his arm the palpitations went.  As others have said, its the current
through the heart that's important vis-a-vis death.

Dick
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,soc.culture.celtic
From: ambidge@ecf.toronto.edu (Chris Ambidge)
Subject: Re: Shetlands oil fiasco
Organization: University of Toronto, Engineering Computing Facility
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 14:33:31 GMT


There has been some discussion about coverage of the _Braer_ wreck in 
Canadian newspapers:

>>>>Is there ANY current information available about the Braer bungle?
>>>
>>>Of course there is, read a newspaper. 
>>> Of course there is, read a newspaper
>
>>How do you know what's in the Canadian newspapers?
>
>There are many UK papers available in Canada...the Times for one.
>

Well, yes, there are; but they do tend to be a couple of days out-of-
date.  I believe Dave Yadallee (the original questioner) was hoping for
more  up-to-the-minute news from people who would presumably have
more extensive coverage/information available, through the immediacy
of internet.  As one who lives here, there _is_ coverage of the wreck
of the _Braer_ in the papers here, but I suspect that the UK media
are giving it more ink/air time

Chris.

-- 
Chris Ambidge / ambidge@ecf.toronto.edu / ambidge@ecf.utoronto.ca  
   chemical engineering / university of toronto
   200 college st / toronto ON / M5S 1A4 // 416 978 3106
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: ray@philmtl.philips.ca (Ray Dunn)
Subject: Re: Martini
Organization: Not Philips.
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 23:29:14 GMT

In refd article, marcusc@acfcluster.nyu.edu writes:
> This caused me a little thought.  Martinis are "mixed" in
>the US but not in Britain (in fact an american martini is what we would call a
>gin and it in UK).

Actually no.  A Martini, gin and dry Martini, is a "gin and _French_".  A
"gin and It(alian)" is a gin with _sweet_ vermouth.

>PS You can make a great martini / gin and it by adding a table spoon full
>of scotch (three parts gin one part dry vermouth).  Just a little trick
>I picked up on the journey of life.

I've picked up one or two things on my journey of life too, but some of
them I would hesitate to pass on!  I shudder at the thought....

Martini's are quite out of vogue at the moment, although there are signs of
recovery.  Will we soon be back to the heady days of the late seventies
when, for some perverse "happy hour" reason, a Martini was cheaper than a
gin, and the call "A Martini, please, and hold the Vermouth" could be heard
'tween 5 and 7 in most midtown Manhattan watering holes?

[Not out of vogue in the Dunn household BTW, the gin, Martini, and shaker
are kept at all times in the freezer, and the olives are kept marinating in
gin, although my own preference is with a twist!]

Cheers!
-- 
Ray Dunn at home        |  Beaconsfield, Quebec  |  Phone: (514) 630 3749
ray@philmtl.philips.ca  |  ray@cam.org           |  uunet!sobeco!philmtl!ray
From: crd@otter.hpl.hp.com (Chris Dalton)
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 17:49:30 GMT
Subject: Re: British Imperial Weights and Measures
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Laboratories, Bristol, UK.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british

>> Bring Back James Burke!
>What?! Have someone _scientifically literate_ on Tomorrow's World?

It would be a waste on TW... the Stock, Aitken, and Waterman approach to
science and engineering.

Thank goodness for Antenna, Equinox, and Horizon (now that Jana Bennett's 
producing it).

Chris
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: an576@anon.penet.fi (Ze Bastos)
Subject: Queen
Organization: Anonymous contact service
X-Anonymously-To: soc.culture.british
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 10:58:59 GMT


Repeat 
	after
		me

			fuck
				the 
					Queen
				and
			the
		country
	....
....



-------------------------------------------------------------------------
To find out more about the anon service, send mail to help@anon.penet.fi.
Due to the double-blind system, any replies to this message will be anonymized,
and an anonymous id will be allocated automatically. You have been warned.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: kelley@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com (Sean Kelley)
Subject: Re: Buying things cheaper in the USA
Organization: Lockheed Sanders, Inc., Nashua, NH
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 00:06:09 GMT

Morna J Findlay (morna@dcs.ed.ac.uk) wrote:
: In article <1993Jan8.174939.16131@iscnvx.lmsc.lockheed.com> kelley@phecda (Sean Kelley) writes:
: >morna@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Morna J Findlay) writes:
: >: find - a Kirby Vacuum cleaner.
: >
: >What's a "Kirby"?  

: See above.

Never heard of it.

: >
: >How about a "Bravo" instead!
: > 

: What's a "Bravo"?

A vacuum cleaner.  :-)

: M

Sean

--
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Sean V. Kelley            INTERNET: kelley@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com

Mission Processors,
Avionics Division,     
Lockheed-Sanders, Inc.
Nashua, NH               
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Rock-Chalk JayHawk KU!!!!!!!!!!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: moroney@world.std.com (Michael Moroney)
Subject: Re: Eastern hemisphere electrical power
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 23:40:26 GMT

david@postman.gr.osf.org (David George) writes:

>It's worse than that, Jim! the Americans use 60Hz not 50 so there is more
>surface effect (the tendency for the current to flow on the surface of the wire
>at frequency).  So the Americans need thicker cable still. If they do use
>weedly little bits of wire it is a reflection on safety standards.

Skin effect at 60Hz is so small it can be ignored.  It only matters when you
start working with radio frequencies.  Wire carrying 60Hz AC can carry the
same current as 50Hz (or DC for that matter).

>Looks as if Ernest needs to redo his Physics 101.

You do as well.

-Mike
From: gdb15@grebe.cl.cam.ac.uk (Guy Barry)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: American humo(u)r (was Re: Studying Meteorology in the UK)
Date: 9 Jan 93 15:10:20 GMT
Reply-To: gdb15@cl.cam.ac.uk
Organization: U of Cambridge Computer Lab, UK

In article <1993Jan8.234130.21248@netcom.com> sue@netcom.com (Sue Miller) writes:
>In article <1993Jan8.193559.19125@infodev.cam.ac.uk> gdb15@cl.cam.ac.uk writes:
>>Purely deliberate, I'd have thought -- the implication being "If
>>Americans can't recognize old American jokes, how can they have a
>>sense of humour?"

>I'm sure it was.  I'm complaining that it was weak - please try again.  
>If Americans don't have a sense of humor, then there can be no old American 
>jokes for them to recognize.

Yes there can.  One stereotype is that Americans will only laugh at
something if they're told it's a joke (e.g. if it's conveyed to them
by a professional comedian).  The flipside is that they'll *always*
laugh if they're told it's a joke, even if it isn't funny -- hence
the gales of laughter on most current American sitcoms, old Bob
Newhart recordings and so on.

--
Guy Barry, University of Cambridge | Phone: +44 (0)223 334757 
Computer Laboratory                | Fax: +44 (0)223 334678
New Museums Site, Pembroke Street  | JANET: Guy.Barry@uk.ac.cam.cl 
Cambridge CB2 3QG, England, UK     | Internet: Guy.Barry@cl.cam.ac.uk
From: pete@minster.york.ac.uk
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: British Imperial Weights and Measures
Date: 7 Jan 93 14:09:37 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of York, England

Dave Jones (dj@ekcolor.ssd.kodak.com) wrote:
> > >I thought it was
> > >
> > >       A Pint's a Pound, the Earth is flat.
> > 
> > 	Yes, but what happens if your pint is flat?
> > 
> It means you're in England.....
> 

No, only the _South_...

pete
--
*Peter Fenelon -- Research Associate -- Software Safety Assessment Procedures*
Dept. of Computer Science, University of York, York, Y01 5DD (+44/0)904 433388
EMAIL: pete@minster.york.ac.uk `There's no room for enigmas in built up areas'
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: kelley@phecda (Sean Kelley)
Subject: Re: Paris Air Show, was Re: Travel to London
Organization: Lockheed Sanders, Inc., Nashua, NH
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 93 15:34:33 GMT

jac54@cas.org () writes:
: In article <1993Jan7.180521.27860@iscnvx.lmsc.lockheed.com> kelley@phecda (Sean Kelley) writes:
: >
: >My parents will be attending the Paris Air Show in June and I was
: >planning on meeting them in Paris.  I have the opportunity to fly to
: >London for a low air fare.  Would it be very difficult and expensive
: >to travel from London to the coast then to a ferry to Normandy?
: 
: 	The Paris Air Show can be a miserable experience (at least
: 	it was the last time I was there) unless you're planning on
: 	re-equipping an Air Force.  Certain facilities (food, toilets,
: 	seating) are non-existent unless you can get into the viewing stand.
: 	Even there they aren't too great.
: 
: 	When you go, leave the hotel very early in the morning and take your
: 	own refreshments and something to sit on.
: 
: 	Alec.

Nope, not planning on equipping any Air Forces, other than
the USAF F22!  My brother went with my parents to the Farnsborough Air Show 
in the Fall, he really enjoyed the flight demonstrations.  Since my Dad's 
company had business at the show, my brother spent most of his time taking 
my Mom shopping in London.  Needless, to say he was terribly bored!
I'm afraid that's what i'll be doing ..puisque ma mere n`a jamais ete en Paris!


Sean


--
Sean Kelley            INTERNET: kelley@rapnet.sanders.lockheed.com

Avionics Division,     
Lockheed-Sanders, Inc.
Nashua, NH USA
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british