HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: tjo@its.bt.co.uk (Tim Oldham)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: The Bloody War in Ireland.
Date: 15 Oct 92 12:51:26 GMT
Organization: BT Group Computing Services, Birmingham, UK

In article <Bw2vvD.1r1@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu> cscdc@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (Dan Carpenter) writes:
>Without any personal opinions, -- Just the facts -- or in-depth
>analysis, what *is* all the fighting about?

Now? It's about losing face, or not, as the case may be.

	Tim.
-- 
Tim Oldham, BT Group Computing Services.       tjo@its.bt.co.uk
``Sounds good to me'' 
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: sp@osf.org (Simon Patience)
Subject: Re: Sod
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1992 08:11:11 GMT

In article <1asqupINNsq@early-bird.think.com>, sandee@Think.COM (Daan Sandee) writes:
> (Not mentioned here, the adjective (pretending to be a gerundive, but the
> verb doesn't exist to my knowledge) : sodding.

Sod that. 

Simon.

-- 
  Simon Patience
  Open Software Foundation			Phone: +33-76-63-48-72
  Research Institute				FAX:   +33-76-51-05-32
  2 Avenue De Vignate				Email: sp@gr.osf.org
  38610 Gieres, France				       uunet!gr.osf.org!sp
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: mossop@pangea.Stanford.EDU (Antony Mossop)
Subject: Re: VNS: The Vogon News Service
Organization: Stanford Univ. Earth Sciences
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 18:00:05 GMT

In article <1992Oct9.040550.13517@informix.com> proberts@informix.com (Paul Roberts) writes:
>In article <1992Oct9.005405.4587@morrow.stanford.edu> mossop@pangea.Stanford.EDU (Antony Mossop) writes:
>
>>I too like the VNS but must plead for more world news, as i) I like 
>>the UK style of world news coverage and ii) I can get world news from
>>local US media???!!!! Sadly no I can't.
>>
>
>Oh but you can - certainly in the Stanford area. Tune into KALW FM 91.7 :
>they relay several hours of the BBC World Service every day. I can post
>times if necessary. They carry BBC World News at 7am, 8am, 9am and
>midnight for a start.
>
>Paul


Yes you're right about the World Service on KALW (though I didn't
know about the midnight broadcast, thanks). Sometimes I miss it
though and whilst the VNS is itself pretty thin on world news it's
better than much of the local printed media. I also find the McNeil
Lehrer broadcasts in the afternoon on KQED OK but sadly I work in
an office that seems to be like a Faraday cage so that radio listening
during the day is impossible. These reasons are probably all fairly
feeble, simply put I would prefer to see more British angle world
news on VNS because I like it and I often miss what little similar
coverage there is here as it tends to be in the broadcast rather
than printed media and hence can be missed.

Tony Mossop, geophysics, Stanford
From: smee@bristol.ac.uk (Paul Smee)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Driving in UK.
Date: 9 Oct 92 10:09:47 GMT
Reply-To: P.Smee@bristol.ac.uk (Paul Smee)
Organization: University of Bristol

In article <1992Oct8.183036.5681@software.org> antonson@software.org (Todd S. Antonson) writes:
>I am going to England for a week in November and plan to get a
>rental car.  Does anybody know if I need to get an international
>drivers license and if so, where I get it?  I currently have a
>Virginia (USA) drivers license.

In theory, I'm told, you don't actually need one.  However in practice
not all car-hire desk-clerks seem to know this, and having one may make
your life easier.  They are issued by specific internationally-recognised 
'auto clubs', and you must get it in your home country.  I believe that
the AAA does them in the US, and some of the other comparable sized
groups might as well, e.g. ALA...  (It's essentially nothing more than
a standard-form document attesting that you do hold a valid home country
drivers license, with the details thereof presented in a multi-lingual
form.)

They should be able to issue you one while you wait, if you can get to
one of their centers.  You need 2 (I think) passport-sized pictures,
your drivers license, and a small fee (used to be about $10 I think,
probably gone up).  I believe they will (unlike the US passport people)
accept machine photos.  Phone the AAA (or whoever).  You don't need to
be a member.

-- 
Paul Smee, Computing Service, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UD, UK
 P.Smee@bristol.ac.uk - ..!uunet!uknet!bsmail!p.smee - Tel +44 272 303132
From: mmh@cs.qmw.ac.uk (Matthew Huntbach)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Currency problems
Date: 15 Oct 92 14:26:20 GMT
Organization: Computer Science Dept, QMW, University of London, UK.

From: riaedwards@halls1.cc.monash.edu.au (AUDREY EDWARDS)
>Whilst ,"she" (obviously of "cat's mother" fame :-) ) would agree with your
>view that the DSS benefit discourages finding work, the benefit is, in
>many cases far from "assistance to acquire an asset". By the time the DSS
>can start making payments, the arrears are such to render the property a
>liability. The benefit can help to ensure that the person remains in the
>property rather than be repossessed. The cost to society of repossession (
>particularly for families) is greater than the cost of the benefit.

The DSS makes payments as soon as someone is unemployed.
Remember the recent case of someone who brought an expensive
house in Hampstead, became unemployed in a couple of months,
and got the DSS to pay his mortgage bill of several thousand
pounds monthly. Now why should such a person get help in
acquiring such an asset? Why should he not be moved out to a
grotty council flat which is the best someone who couldn't con
a building society in the first place would get? My proposal is
the height of humaneness, the person is allowed to keep their
home at the cost of seeing it get gradually transformed into a
council house.

>I would agree that it would be better to have the state part-purchase any
>equity in the property. But, for the many (like me) who were sucked into the
>housebuying frenzy in the mid-1980s, there ain't no equity to be had.

Clearly, the point in my proposal is that the state also takes
on the debt as well as part ownership.

>The problem with abolishing MIRAS (which I readily accept is inequitable,
>for all the reasons you and Mr Holmes have stated) is the effect on the
>present generation of home-owners.

It could be abolished overnight if it were replaced with
a benefit payment of the same amount going to mortgage payers.
This would at least have the effect of making it clear what it
actually is. You could then progressively transform this
benefit payment to something which actually is targetted at
those in need, rather than a fixed amount going to everyone.

Matthew Huntbach
From: Christopher.Carne@brunel.ac.uk (Christopher J Carne)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Names of naughty politicians
Date: 8 Oct 92 11:15:04 GMT
Organization: Brunel University, West London, UK

Not politicians but still scandalous:

The Guiness Three: Gerard Ronson
		   Ernest Saunders
		   ?

Conspired to artificially raise the price of Guinness shares as part of a
takeover bid. Saunders is also notable for effecting the most miraclulous
recovery from Alzheimer's disease known to medicine.

Mr. Frank Bough: Cosy TV presenter with a penchant for coke and S&M as well
as notoriously friendly jumbers. Not that there's anything wrong with
enjoying the odd snort and a little spanking, its just the inconguity of
it all.

In addition: George Bush - he must have known about Contagate.
	     Gary Hart - Poatentially the best president since 
	     JFK crippled by uncontollable libido
	     John Major - is currently involved in a passionate 
	     affair with a bag of sand (see Steve Bell for details)

And then there's been all those financial scandals involving various
Japanese politicians in the past few years.


CHR$
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: godfrey@sscvx1.ssc.gov (LAURENCE GODFREY)
Subject: Re: Does being Tory mean you're Thick
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Organization: Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 12:14:00 GMT

In article <1992Oct15.084729.5219@osf.org>, sp@osf.org (Simon Patience)               writes...
>In article <14OCT199212293233@sscvx1.ssc.gov>, godfrey@sscvx1.ssc.gov (LAURENCE GODFREY) writes:
>> In article <26872@castle.ed.ac.uk>, matt@castle.ed.ac.uk (M P Taylor)         writes...
>> >In article <13OCT199210180785@sscvx1.ssc.gov> godfrey@sscvx1.ssc.gov (LAURENCE GODFREY) writes:
>> > 
>> >   ...   a lot of guff   ...
>> > 
>> >But then the crucial point:
>> >>but I suggest that being Tory simply means that you're thick.  Anyone who can
>> >>be persuaded by the recent bullshit from the government must be intellectually
>> >>challenged.
>> >>
>> >>Laurence
>> > 
>> >The sad state of affairs is Laurence that to vote any other way at
>> >present in this country is futile.
>> > 
>> >You can't beat them so you might as well join them...
>> > 
>> >		Matt
>> 
>> What is your evidence for that statement?  I know that's what the Mail, Sun,
>> Star, Express constantly claim in their editorials "it's bad but it would 
>> be worse under Labour", but where is the justification?
> 
>You don't need to justify anything to a wanker who claims people are thick
>simply because they vote for a political party.
> 
>Simon.
> 
>-- 
>  Simon Patience
>  Open Software Foundation			Phone: +33-76-63-48-72
>  Research Institute				FAX:   +33-76-51-05-32
>  2 Avenue De Vignate				Email: sp@gr.osf.org
>  38610 Gieres, France				       uunet!gr.osf.org!sp

Try living in the UK, rather than France, and then see if you still think
I'm a wanker.

Laurence
From: mfriley@pacman.WPI.EDU (Margaret F Riley)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Words: American vs English (UK type)
Date: 7 Oct 92 16:20:16 GMT
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
NNTP-Posting-Host: pacman.wpi.edu

In article <1au8ugINNmt9@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM> smckinty@sunicnc.France.Sun.COM (Steve McKinty - Sun ICNC) writes:
>In article <1asp8uINNoct@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>, ah335@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Richard Banks) writes:
>> 
>> I notice many British people use the word `sod' when refering to someone.
>> It's seems to be used negatively.  What is a sod?  What does it mean?

A piece of earth with planted grass you buy for lots of money and roll
out for an instant lawn?

>> When would you refer to someone as a sod? 

When he is full of dirt?

>> And finally, what is a 
>> `cheeky sod'?
>

Someone with grass on hit arse?

>It depends a bit on where you are. In England (possibly Scotland & Wales
>too) its an abbreviation of 'sodomite', and is rather offensive.

Isn't "sodomite" the 256th element on the table?

>In Ireland, a sod is a lump of peat (turf), (which an Englisman would
>probably call a clod [of earth]). 
>

You mean, someone who is clumsy and stupid?   What does Pete have to
do with this, unless you are calling him a clod?

>It can lead to confusion, as my (N. Irish) Grandfather discovered when
>made that remark to my (English) Grandmother not long after they
>married...

Really?   You don't say.   Imagine that!  ;-)

(I've had 6 cups of coffee this morning. Can you tell?  :-))

Margaret
(smiling all the while...)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: dacosta@prl.philips.nl (Paulo da Costa 42147)
Subject: Re: Cities with 7 hills (was Responding to the Nick and Jon challenge
Organization: none
Date: Thu, 15 Oct 1992 15:30:47 GMT

In article <1992Oct15.010025.23986@nuscc.nus.sg> hiscrp@nuscc.nus.sg (C R Pennell) writes:
>Bernard BELL <BERNARD@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU> writes:
>: In-Reply-To: luchini@nhmfl.fsu.edu (Marco Luchini)
>: >
>: >In-Reply-To: yadallee@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca's message of Wed, 14 Oct 92 05:38:1
>: >In article <k7TmsB3w165w@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca> yadallee@ersys.edmonton.ab.ca
>: >(Dave Shariff Yadallee) writes:
>: >>
>: >> Read Revelations 17:7-9.  Quoting verses 9 to 14:
>: >>
>: >>  quote deleted
>: >>
>: >> Rome is the only city that I know of that has 7 hills.
>: >
>: >Tallahassee, FL, is also built on seven hills. 
>
>: Edinburgh also has seven hills and is  much more pleasant than Rome.
>
>	So does Antananarivo

        So does Lisbon.

        This is getting interesting, isn't it?
-- 
-- Paulo da Costa           /\/\   Minha terra tem palmeiras   /\/\
-- dacosta@prl.philips.nl   \/\/   Onde canta o sabia'...      \/\/
From: erck03@castle.ed.ac.uk (John Wexler)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: BBC Radio 4 Longwave
Date: 9 Oct 92 08:31:54 GMT
Organization: Edinburgh University Computing Service

In article <1992Oct8.134220.17155@edscom.demon.co.uk>,
rpt@edscom.demon.co.uk (Richard Tomlinson) writes:
|> ... I
|> would also point out that people outside the UK should not enter the argument
|> as they don't pay a licence fee.

Nor does anybody in the UK pay a licence fee for radio. Does that mean
that only the opinions of television owners in the UK should be
considered?

    John Wexler
    Edinburgh
From: ckp2n@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU (Chris Powell)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Ship of Fools
Date: 15 Oct 92 20:39:08 GMT
Organization: University of Virginia

davol@twinheadmeiko.co.uk  writes:
> I'm sure most would agree that this country (UK PLC) is in 
> something of a crisis state, right now.
> 
> I find myself compiling a mental list of favourite 'rotten' 
> policies of this government. It goes something like this:
> 
> 1. The creation of private monopolies
> 2. Agricultural subsidies (set-aside)
> 3. Subsidies for nuclear power
> 4. Neglect of manufacturing in favour of service industries.

For a second there, I almost thought we were talking about
America in s.c.b. again....
From: chem91@Elroy.UH.EDU ("Bill Harrison (713)-743-2789")
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Edinburgh
Date: 7 Oct 92 16:19:28 GMT
Reply-To: chem91@Elroy.UH.EDU
Organization: University of Houston

In article <BvrCJx.oA@acsu.buffalo.edu>, v064myby@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Christophe J Quaranta) writes:
>
>	Can anyone tell me how you're supposed to pronounce Edinburgh?
>Every Scot I talk to seems to say Edinboro!  I assume they're not referring
>to Pennsylvania.
>						Latre,
>						'Q'

In this case... they're quite correct! A Brit would barely know what you
were talking about if you asked the way to Edin-burg (as in hamBURGer). 
Now; try these ;=) Worcester, Gloucester, Leicester, Leominster, 
Towcester, Vale of Belvoir, Uttoxeter, Beaulieu... (hope I spelled 'em 
right).

A Brit would really say Edinbrur (sorry, don't know how to write it
phonetically).

Bill

+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~\               /~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+
| Bill Harrison,            \             /       "Be as radical as... |
| University of Houston, TX  >-----------<         reality itself"     |
| CHEM91@JETSON.BITNET      /             \                V. I. Lenin |
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~/               \~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~+
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: godfrey@sscvx1.ssc.gov (LAURENCE GODFREY)
Subject: Re: Driving in UK.
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.4-b1  
Organization: Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory
Date: Sat, 10 Oct 1992 19:50:00 GMT

In article <PLUMMER.92Oct10131611@nutmeg.cs.swarthmore.edu>, plummer@cs.swarthmore.edu (David Barker-P writes...
>In article <26710@castle.ed.ac.uk> jeremy@castle.ed.ac.uk (Jeremy Henderson) writes:
> 
>JH> In article <1992Oct8.183036.5681@software.org> antonson@software.org (Todd S. Antonson) writes:
>TA> ~Hi,
>TA> ~
>TA> ~I am going to England for a week in November and plan to get a
>TA> ~rental car.  Does anybody know if I need to get an international
>TA> ~drivers license 
> 
>JH> No.
> 
>I am sure that *somebody* knows. -- Dave

A US licence is sufficient to drive in the UK for a short period (it may
be either 3 months or one year, I forget).  If you want an international
licence they can be obtained thru the motoring organisations (AAA in you
case, probably) but they are of very limited use and almost no countries
require them anymore.

Try to remember to drive on the left hand side.  Also cars in the UK
are usually equipped with a steering wheel, as the roads tend to bend
quite a bit.  Most are stick shift.

Laurence
From: cam@castle.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Does being Tory mean you're Thick
Date: 16 Oct 92 12:29:57 GMT
Organization: Edinburgh University

In article <PD.92Oct15175700@herts.x.co.uk> pd@x.co.uk (Paul Davey) writes:
>>>>>> On 13 Oct 92 16:18:00 GMT, godfrey@sscvx1.ssc.gov (LAURENCE GODFREY) said:
>  ...
>-> I suggest that being Tory simply means that you're thick.

>... political views bear little relation to intelligence.

Back in the bad old days when people believed in IQs, and every
schoolchild in the UK (in the state education system) sat the 11-plus
IQ test in order to determine which stream of secondary education they
should enter, a favourite pastime of newspapers at election time was
to answer this question by checking out the 11-year-old-IQs of voters
and MPs.

They invariably found that the average IQ of Tory MPS was less than
the average IQ of Labour MPs, and the average IQ of Tory voters was
less than the average IQ of Labour voters. The kind of differences
they found were similar, about 10 points in each case, as I remember.
No doubt this contributed to the discrediting of IQ tests.

Of course in these enlightened days we have to make do with their
O-level passes :-)

It is also the case that schoolteachers for some strange reason are on
average more left wing than the country as a whole. This is a problem
for the Tory party, who do not wish to be paying the salaries of
people who might be teaching little children to vote them out.
Therefore we have such things in the national curriculum as the
history cut-off date -- history officially finishes at the end of the
2nd World War. That will stop these blasted left-wing teachers from
talking to the kids about modern politics.

So I think it is a little simplistic to suggest that politics has
little relation to intelligence.
-- 
Chris Malcolm    cam@uk.ac.ed.aifh          +44 (0)31 650 3085
Department of Artificial Intelligence,    Edinburgh University
5 Forrest Hill, Edinburgh, EH1 2QL, UK                DoD #205
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
From: Michael.Wheeley <Michael.Wheeley@mixcom.mixcom.com>
Subject: Re: First Direct vs. High St. banking
Organization: Milwaukee Internet Xchange BBS, Milwaukee, WI U.S.A.
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1992 03:09:24 GMT

>From their literature, I can't see any disadvantages, except perhaps that you
>deal with someone on the phone rather than seeing them face-to-face.  Does
>anyone have any experiences, good or bad, with First Direct  ?  Are there any
>catches to banking with them ?

I've had an account with First Direct for two years and have been very
pleased with the service they provide. I guess the one criticism I did have
was about six months ago when they tried imposing charges for overdraft
facilities. When I opened the account I was entitled to a free two hundred
pound overdraft facility. Earlier this year they sent a standard letter
promoting their very reasonable overdraft interest rates. Checking more
carefully they were actually now wanting to charge ten quid a year for a
facility I was given free, did not ask for nor may never use. Instead of
asking whether I still wanted it they were automatically going to start
taking my money to pay for it. [nb. the free amount is now one hundred
pounds but be warned they might just do this again and set the limit to zero
and start charging their recent new customers a similar fee].

Otherwise they're OK. I find it particular useful because I'm paid in the UK
and spend most of my time here in US of A. I can phone the bank and get them
to transfer money/pay bills etc without having to send written authorisation
or pay extra banking by telephone charges. They now even send my statements
direct to me here. By the way they have a number to call from anywhere in 
the UK which is a local
telephone number. If your abroad and want to call them it doesn't work. The
number to use is 44-532-766166. Worth making a note, they don't publish it.

Happy Banking,
-- 
Michael.Wheeley@mixcom.mixcom.com
Milwaukee Wisconsin. (Where's The Bubbler??)
Xref: sparky soc.culture.british:14231 misc.jobs.misc:7189
From: cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Chris Cooke)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british,misc.jobs.misc
Subject: Re: Salaries
Date: 16 Oct 92 13:31:05 GMT
	<1992Oct14.090717.3043@osf.org> <1992Oct15.042953.1722@informix.com>
Organization: Department of Computer Science, University of Edinburgh, Scotland

In article <1992Oct15.042953.1722@informix.com> proberts@informix.com (Paul Roberts) writes:

   Or do you mean that it simply costs more to run a car in the UK (petrol
   costs about four times what gas does) ... ?

Petrol is four times the price and cars themselves are maybe 2 times the
price.  Then there's the high cost of compulsory insurance from the
all-heading-for-bankruptcy desperate insurance companies, and road tax, car
tax, VAT, parking charges, ...
--
	-- Chris. 	cc@dcs.ed.ac.uk   (on Janet, cc@uk.ac.ed.dcs)
From: smee@bristol.ac.uk (Paul Smee)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Privatisation snippets
Date: 9 Oct 92 17:28:19 GMT
Reply-To: P.Smee@bristol.ac.uk (Paul Smee)
Organization: University of Bristol

In article <1b1r3qINN5sm@grapevine.EBay.Sun.COM> martin.baines@uk.sun.com writes:
>In article 6689@bristol.ac.uk, smee@bristol.ac.uk (Paul Smee) writes:
>>A few interesting (well, I thought they were) privatisation anecdotes:
>>
>>British Rail -- the government are looking into selling it off, in
>>pieces.  There is a strong rumour that SNCF (the French Railway, in
>>essence government owned) are looking into buying bits of it.  
>
>What profits? At the moment BR as a whole loses big money. Even
>Intercity is only marginally profitable at the moment. If
>SNCF think they can make decent profits by running bits of
>BR that's fine by me: the tresury will get its 33% Corporation
>Tax on the profits, rather than them disappearing into
>invisible cross subsidy.

Profits?  Depends on how they chop it up which bits (if any) are
profitable.  Last I heard they were still thinking about it.  Far as
the rest goes, no argument -- SNCF run a pretty all right rail service,
and if they'll do it for us, fine.  Not objecting.  Just pointing out
the irony that the government's attempt to eliminate nationally owned
industries could end up with one of them being nationally owned, but by
a different nation.

>>Scottish water -- 

I just mentioned this one because it was fun...  (Well, I thought so.)

>>Finally -- It occurs to me that no one has yet mentioned what I see as
>>the only strong argument against government ownership of industry, and
>>that is the fact (and method) of the privatisations themselves.  
>
>Sometimes companies sell off assets (parts of themselves) for reasons
>other than being unprofitable: in fact selling unprofitable parts
>of your company is often impossible except to asset strippers!
> [etc, trimmed by me...]

This is an unexpected bonus.  As I said, I saw this as the best argument
AGAINST government ownership of industry, and you've just demolished it.
I certainly won't complain.

Cheers...

-- 
Paul Smee, Computing Service, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1UD, UK
 P.Smee@bristol.ac.uk - ..!uunet!uknet!bsmail!p.smee - Tel +44 272 303132
From: dunn@CAM.ORG (Ray Dunn)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.british
Subject: Re: Edinburgh
Date: 10 Oct 92 23:22:31 GMT
Organization: Recessionists Anonymous.

In referenced article, h.jonkers@et.tudelft.nl (Henk Jonkers) writes:
>Another one of my favourites is Culzean Castle (or Glamis).

I hope this isn't meant to suggest that Culzean and Glamis is one and
the same castle?  Culzean is not quite old enough!

>By the way, something different, what's the correct pronunciation of
>the name "John Menzies"?

To me it's always been "Mingis", but I was reading something,
somewhere, just recently about something, no, about the fact that
since the John Menzies chain has spread south of the border they have
decided that the obvious pronounciation should be used.
-- 
Ray Dunn at home  |  Beaconsfield, Quebec  |  (514) 630 3749  |  dunn@cam.org