HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: ss51@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Sundaram Sridharan)
Subject: HMO
Organization: Columbia University
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 23:24:37 GMT


I am in the process of choosing a HMO for family medical coverage. Can someone
suggest me a good one? (I am in the NY city area and the list of available
HMOs include HIP, BC-BS healthnet,aetna, sanus etc. I understand that the
doctors associated with HMO's are paid a flat rate salary and hence they 
generally give you a second class treatment. Is this true? 
Please EMail me
thanks
SS
From: impact@crhc.uiuc.edu (Temporary Account for HP visitors)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Diamond Advice Wanted
Date: 28 Sep 1992 13:07:54 -0500
Organization: Center for Reliable and High-Performance Computing, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
NNTP-Posting-Host: gershwin.crhc.uiuc.edu
Keywords: diamond

A family friends knows of someone who works at a wholesale/retail diamond
store in Chicago who showed a couple solitaire round cut (what do you call it,
the circular one with 52 cuts?) diamonds. He had a very nice one that was
considered one of the store's top diamond. He claimed it was a "russian"
cut diamond with classification VSS2, Color D, and was a .79 carot stone.
He said it was $3,299 and I believe it was suppose a wholesale price. Does
sound like a good price? I trust that this guy was selling us good diamonds
that had true ratings although who knows. I was thinking of maybe getting
a .6 to .65 carot stone. Give the price of a .79 stone, how much do you
think a .6 to .65 carot stone would be given the same clarity and color?
I've spent many hours looking at many diamonds at many stores and this seems
pretty good...

Thanks

Newsgroups: misc.consumers,ny.general
From: rubin@watson.ibm.com (Bill Rubin)
Subject: Re: NYC Parking Violations Bureau Fun & Games
Date: Fri, 02 Oct 1992 21:42:13 GMT
Distribution: na
News-Software: IBM OS/2 PM RN (NR/2) v0.14 by O. Vishnepolsky and R. Rogers
Reply-To: rubin@watson.ibm.com (Bill Rubin)
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

In  <BvIDL5.LL9@cs.columbia.edu>  swfc@cs.columbia.edu (Shu-Wie F Chen) writes:
>Your story sounds just like what happened to me last year when I
>parked my car near city hall.  The parking meter needle was stuck at
>35 minutes (on a 30-minute meter!!!).  I kept going back every 30
>minutes for an hour to check, but the needle never moved.  I then
>didn't go back for another 45 minutes.  In that time, the meter
>magically expired and I ended up with a ticket for $45.
>
>I wrote to PVB claiming a broken meter with the above explanation. (etc)

Ah, but the rule for broken meters (as I always understood it) says that you 
can park there for the amount of time on the sign (1 hour in my case, 30 
minutes in yours).  You admitted that you were there for more than 30 
minutes.  My letter that accompanied the plea was carefully worded to show 
that I was only there for 55 minutes on a 60 minute meter (which is true).  

-- Bill rubin@watson.ibm.com
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:17461 misc.legal:18120
From: vonwaadn@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.legal
Subject: How to combat fraud on my VISA ?!?
Date: 5 Oct 92 21:48:54 CDT
Organization: University of Kansas Academic Computing Services

distribution: USA
post-to: misc.consumers, misc.legal
followup-to: misc.consumers

My VISA card shows a charge that I did not make.  A merchant has
charged my account twice, once for $39.00 which I did make, and
again for $100.00 which is incorrect.

A call to my bank to put this in dispute produced the bank copy
of the draft.  The signature is mine, which leads me to believe
the merchant either forged it or I signed the correct draft and
unknowingly a blank VISA charge slip directly below it.

I've advised the bank, but they said all they have to produce is
the bank draft.  If the signatures match I obviously made the
charge.  (yeah, right.  I don't expect a lot from this bank and
they certainly deliver!)

How do I refuse paying this?  I've called the merchant and asked
for the original -- they say they don't have it any more.  Sure.
Sounds like fraud to me.

E-mail replies are appreciated as I don't get here often.

Mark
vonwaadn@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: smc@hotsc.att.com (Steven M. Casagrande)
Subject: Re: 600% faster PC, fraud?
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Holmdel, NJ
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 13:19:11 GMT

In article <8072@public.BTR.COM> rem@btr.btr.com (Robert E. Maas  rem@btr.com) writes:
>Yesterday/Today in the mail I received an advertisement from "Tiger
>Software", 800 Douglas Entrance, Executive Tower, 7th Floor, Coral
>Gables, Florida 33134. Among the various items for sale was "FAST" for
>$29.90, which claims "HOW TO INSTANTLY MAKE YOUR PC RUN UP TO 600%
>FASTER! WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL HARDWARE! JUST SLIP IN THE DISKETTE!" I
>don't believe that claim can possibly be true. Is it a fraud?

I'd guess it's a disk cache/ramdisk program.  Sure, 600% is easy if
you're comparing a floppy drive to a ramdisk.  Just don't expect that
speedup on non-disk intensive operations!

Since (I believe) just about all DOS flavors include drivers for either
a ramdisk, disk cache, or both, it seems the added value is in the
hype.


Steve Casagrande
smc@hotsc.att.com
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:17258 aus.general:1744
From: acheng@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Albert Cheng)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,aus.general
Subject: Re: Why you shouldn't buy Nestle
Date: 29 Sep 92 20:28:29 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.BvCwvI.D0u
Organization: Nat'l Ctr for Supercomp App (NCSA) @ University of Illinois
Originator: acheng@shalom.ncsa.uiuc.edu


In article <1992Sep28.124922.23047@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov>, fpaterra@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov (Frank Paterra - CTA) writes:
>I'm asking this question because I really don't know.  I thought it was
>possible for a woman to milk herself (for lack of a better phase) and
>save her milk in for later consumption by their child.

Yes.  This save-and-feed is common for working mothers.  They massage the
breast to save milk which must be frozen.  The babysitter will then reheat
the milk and feed the baby.


>If this is indeed
>the case, and in fact children have trouble eating without a bottle 
>after being fed formula, couldn't the mothers simply put their breast
>milk in bottles for the children if they could not afford the formula?

But the massage process is time consuming--takes longer to massage than
to have the babies direct feed.  There is also the risk of
contamination.  More important, to keep the milk coming, the mothers
still need to breast feed the baby as much as possible such as before
work, after work, the whole evening.  Somehow mothers can't be treated
like cows.

One important fact too, if a mother does not feed a baby in a couple
days, sometimes as short as 24 hours, the body slows down in milk
production.  (Why make milk if it is not used?)  Typical formula
give-away in hospital are about 1 week supply.  Just long enough for
most mothers to "dry up" and you can't make milk come again till the
next pregnacy.  (well, some crazy drugs may induce milk again, but that
could be risky to the mother and baby.)
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:17202 aus.general:1720 alt.activism:16839
From: dscharfe@dptspd.sat.datapoint.com (David Scharfe)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,aus.general,alt.activism
Subject: Re: Why you shouldn't buy Nestle
Date: 28 Sep 92 15:49:43 GMT
Article-I.D.: dptspd.BvApAw.E2v
Organization: Datapoint Corporation, San Antonio, TX

My apologies if I'm being redundant; I have not followed this
thread until the article to which I respond here.

In article <1992Sep28.053336.9290@cs.su.oz.au> yar@cluster.cs.su.oz (Ray Loyzaga) writes:
>Having just recently raised a child in this country, I can assure you that
>most children are given powdered milk as supplement to their mothers milk
>by the hospital in the first few days. This is mostly due to the mothers

This is a fact.  See below however.

>being unablt to lactate properly in the first day and a half, and the child's
>requirement for food. I don't recall any horror "child hooked on powdered

Would you care to document this assertion?  My wife is an active (an
understatement I assure you) La Leche League leader, and I STRONGLY 
suspect this statement to be untrue.  Can you provide references for
this assertion?  I would like to see what is known about these
studies.

An insidious (sp?) tactic of these manufacturers is to portray
themselves in favor of breast-feeding, but in the very same ads 
provide pictures of women nursing their babies in positions virtually
_guaranteed_ to cause common and easily corrected nursing problems 
(sore nipples, weak suckling response, etc).  These claims _can_ be 
documented; however, this is something which will have to wait until 
I can gather the evidence and take the time to enter it (such as over 
the weekend).

Perhaps this is not entirely germane to this discussion, as the ads
to which I am referring are targeted at American consumers (and
probably read most often by the "middle class").

>milk" scenarios on Hinch, so I guess this milk addiction must be something
>that only happens in underdeveloped countries. I do know however, that

You make what seems to be a valid assumption here, but I suspect this
is also not true.  There are many people here in America who live in
conditions approximating those of "underdeveloped" countries.  Would
it not be rational to expect simliar problems?

> [a bunch of interesting observations deleted; I am in no way
>  qualified to provide an informed opinion on these]

>The solution for some seems to be to blame the evil large multi-national,
>and if that make you feel good, then go ahead, but don't delude yourself
>that this goes on inch closer to solving the problem.

As always, education is the key.  One of the things which could be
reasonably demanded from the "evil large multi-national"s is that they 
desist from deliberately providing FALSE information.  This could
move us several inches closer to solving the problem...

Dave
From: C058SJLX@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: 600% faster PC, fraud?
Date: 6 Oct 92 15:04:55 GMT
Article-I.D.: acsu.BvpGrK.DAH
Organization: University at Buffalo

In article <8072@public.BTR.COM>
rem@btr.btr.com (Robert E. Maas  rem@btr.com) writes:
 
>
>Yesterday/Today in the mail I received an advertisement from "Tiger
>Software", 800 Douglas Entrance, Executive Tower, 7th Floor, Coral
>Gables, Florida 33134. Among the various items for sale was "FAST" for
>$29.90, which claims "HOW TO INSTANTLY MAKE YOUR PC RUN UP TO 600%
>FASTER! WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL HARDWARE! JUST SLIP IN THE DISKETTE!" I
>don't believe that claim can possibly be true. Is it a fraud?
        No, it is not a fraud.  But do not expect to get an
 improvement when running some applications.  Some of them could run
 even more slowly because of the overhead of running this FAST software.
 
 
 
           Eleazar Puente
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: jae@ecsvax.uncecs.edu (Jeff Ersoff)
Subject: Re: TV question
Organization: UNC Educational Computing Service
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 21:39:14 GMT

pa56680@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (P. Ialamanna) writes:


>Hello folks, I recently bought a new 20" SONY TR-22 color tv for a killer price from a going out of business sale. The only problem I have is that this model
>does not have stereo speakers nor does it have an audio/RCA output. I was wondering if there was ANY way possible to add some sort of audio output adapter
>or something so I can hook it up to my stereo system. Thanx.

>-- 

A cheap, nontechie approach is to locate a device made by RECOTRON (sp?)
that is designed to provide stereo sound from a mono TV. They made
several models, some with builtin amps. If memory serves, I have seen them
heavily discounted (~$30) in the last year.

Good Luck
-- 
Jeff Ersoff
Math & Computer Sci., Salem College, Winston-Salem, NC 27108
USENET: jae@ecsvax  INTERNET: jae@uncecs.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: strnlght@netcom.com (David Sternlight)
Subject: Cable Bill Rip-off
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 16:53:15 GMT


In my view the new cable bill is one of the most blatant examples of
a rip-off of consumers by Congress, to shamelessly bribe the
broadcasting industry.

It's economic baloney for the broadcasters to claim they should be
paid by the cable companies for carrying their programming. To
the contrary, broadcasters get paid by advertisers, and what they
get paid is a function of the number of viewers. By increasing
the number of viewers, cable companies make it possible for
broadcasters to charge more for advertising. Thus it is the
broadcasters who should be paying the cable companies, and not
vice versa.

The whole campaign to get this provision in the bill is one of
the most blatant examples of the big lie in recent history.

Congress is now wrapping itself in "consumer interest" as are Clinton
and Gore. Instead, this is a betrayal of the consumer--who does one
suppose will pay those increased payments to broadcasters. That's
right--cable viewers.

Since Clinton is a former Rhodes Scholar, and Gore is economically
literate, one must assume they know what they are doing, and this
makes them about as dishonest as they can get in attacking the
President and claiming the bill is a victory for consumers.

David
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: niebuhr@bnlux1.bnl.gov (david niebuhr)
Subject: Re: How do I handle Phone harassment?
Organization: Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 4 Oct 1992 12:04:41 GMT

In article <1agj04INN5ef@aludra.usc.edu> rmakarem@usc.edu (Total Stranger) writes:
>Hi,
>About two months ago, I started getting phone calls asking for a
>person with the same last name as mine, but I have no idea who
>that person is.
>Apparently the calls are from collection agencies and different
>creditors.  Every time I received a call, I would explain to them
>that they have the wrong number, and would they please not call
>again.  Most of the calls stopped, but there are a couple of 
>agencies that still call frequently, and every time we tell them
>that they have the wrong number they accuse us of lying.  It is
>getting to be unbearable.  What can I do to make the phone calls
>stop?  
>I know the names of the people who are calling, as well as their
>company names and phone numbers (All left conveniently on the
>answering machine), can I bring harassment charges against them?
>

1. Call the telcos annoyance call bureau and explain the problem.
   Insist on a complaint number.

2. Notify the police and get a complaint number.

3. Ask the telco for the details of getting a tap put onto your
   line.

4. Talk to a lawyer about prosecuting the collection agencies.  It
   is against federal and state laws to harrass a person over the
   phone.

5. Do NOT let the phone company try to talk you into changing your
   number.  Why should you go to the inconvenience of letting all
   of those that you call know of a new number.

I had a harrassment problem last year with a local punk and when the
telco wanted me to change my number, I told them quite frankly that
that was an unacceptable solution.  I received a complaint number
and also one from the police.

We were able to stop this junk when Call Return and Trap and Trace
were made available on my exchange and the punk was called back after
one of these calls and some of her exact words were repeated to her.
End of harrassment.

In short, if you are being harrassed, you have the law on your side.
Use it for your benefit.

Dave

-- 

Dave Niebuhr      Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl
Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973  (516)-282-3093
From: lstowell@pyrnova.mis.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Diamond Advice Wanted
Keywords: diamond
Date: 2 Oct 92 19:49:48 GMT
Reply-To: lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corp., Mountain View, CA

In article <1992Oct2.004329.9677@tss.com> burke@tss.com (Jim Burke) writes:
>style.  As far as being "chipped", it's hard for me to imagine how you
>could chip a diamond that is set in a ring.  A diamond is the hardest
>substance known.  Yes, they can be damaged, but "chipping" while set in
>a ring isn't a way I'm familiar with.  Now, it is possible to damage the
   
      But diamonds are also extremely brittle.  They can be chipped
      by substances SOFTER than they are.

      Another common cause is the old technique of testing the
      diamond by scratching glass.  The resulting vibrations can
      chip the diamond if there is a near-surface flaw.  (It can
      also totally destroy the diamond...)

>to a jeweler for $350.  This woman actually insisted that she was able
>to "scratch" the stone with some tool she brought out to "test" the
>stone.  It was total bullshit.  So, if the person has some interest in
   
   Particularly considering that CZ is also extremely hard.  And no
   one would "scratch" test a Diamond in their right mind anyway.
   Heat conduction, marker ink, refraction (ok, difficult in a
   mounted stone) all can distinguish a CZ from a diamond.  

>the stone, take anything they say about "damage" or grading with a 
>grain of salt.
>
   Good point....but if it's a jeweler, walk out, you are dealing
   with a crook.
From: rmakarem@usc.edu (Total Stranger)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: How do I handle Phone harassment?
Date: 1 Oct 1992 21:25:40 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: aludra.usc.edu

Hi,
About two months ago, I started getting phone calls asking for a
person with the same last name as mine, but I have no idea who
that person is.
Apparently the calls are from collection agencies and different
creditors.  Every time I received a call, I would explain to them
that they have the wrong number, and would they please not call
again.  Most of the calls stopped, but there are a couple of 
agencies that still call frequently, and every time we tell them
that they have the wrong number they accuse us of lying.  It is
getting to be unbearable.  What can I do to make the phone calls
stop?  
I know the names of the people who are calling, as well as their
company names and phone numbers (All left conveniently on the
answering machine), can I bring harassment charges against them?

All responses are greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Rabih.
--
From: lin@cs.purdue.EDU (Chueng-Hsien Lin)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Northwest frequent flier program (how long do they keep my record?)
Date: 1 Oct 92 14:42:53 GMT
Organization: Department of Computer Science, Purdue University


   I have questions about Northwest Frequent Flier program (World Perks). How
long do they keep a customer's mileage record? Is there an 800 number I can
call and ask about my mileage record?

Thanks,
--lin@cs.purdue.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: staffan@ca.serum.kodak.com (Kenneth Staffan (x37507))
Subject: Re: Trying to find watch/compass.
Organization: Clinical Products Division, Eastman Kodak Company
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 17:09:35 GMT

In article <1992Sep30.141037.20617@pegasus.com> richard@pegasus.com (Richard Foulk) writes:
>>I'm trying to find a watch with a compass.  Has
>>anyone ever seen one of these?  If so, where can
>>I find it?
>
>I've seen them, but the small ones (an inch across or smaller) aren't
>worth much.  I wish they were.

I believe that the Campmor catalog carries at least one model.  No experience
with them, though (watch compasses, that is, not Campmor...)

Ken
---
staffan@serum.kodak.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: scholl@uvmark.uucp (Kathryn Scholl)
Subject: Re: Why you shouldn't buy Nestle
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 92 01:41:28 GMT
Organization: Vmark Software, Inc.

In article cep@taligent.com (Christophe Pettus) writes:
>In article tamu@uxh.cso.uiuc.edu (Todd Henderson) writes:

>>It seems to me that the heroin dealer here is the hosptial, not nest.
>>The hospital is a medical facility, why do they continue this practice.
>>It should be up to them to control this and to take the right steps to
>>make sure things work out right.
>
>OK, Nestle is the heroin manufacturer, not the dealer, thus claiming
>the moral high ground.  Geeze.

WRONG.  Nestle is the _formula_ manufacturer.  Big difference here.
There are many women/babies in the world who in fact _choose_ to use
formula for various reasons:

   1. babies for some reason don't take to the mothers breast,
      but do take to a bottle;
   2. mothers cannot for many reasons suckle (give milk by breast);
   3. breastfeeding is too painful for the mother.

These are examples I have witnessed and known; in all cases formula was
the best alternative.  Formula in these cases helped _both_ the
mother and child.

>But I don't absolve Nestle for making the stuff; it's just
>another "Just Say No" approach to the problem.

I don't absove Nestle, however I do not condemn them either.  Formula is
a viable product.  In this particular case it is unfortunate that
many otherwise-can-do breastfeeding women are not; I wish every woman
who could, would.  And granted, I don't condone companies taking advantage
of situations like these where people are unknowingly harming themselves.

However, Nestle has a product to sell, and has every right to do it. 
You have chosen to boycott it, and have every right to do it.
Given the market freedom you both have and deserve, one will win.
But don't put a good alternative product such as formula in the same
category as heroin.

-- 
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 Kathryn Scholl  -- Above text reflects opinions of the author, not VMark --
 Vmark Software, Inc., 30 Speen Street, Framingham, MA  01701, USA
 Internet: uvmark!scholl@merk.com, UUCP: uunet!merk.com!uvmark!scholl
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: chrz@tellabs.com (Peter Chrzanowski)
Subject: Re: Damark International
Organization: Tellabs, Inc.
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 17:23:39 GMT

In article <venable.167@faculty.coe.wvu.wvnet.edu>, venable@faculty.coe.wvu.wvnet.edu (Wallace Venable) writes:
> In article <1992Oct3.200153.11470@sequent.com> debk@sequent.com (Deborah Stewart) writes:
> 
> >Has anyone out there had any experience (good or bad) oredering
> >products from a company called Damark International out of
> >Minneapolis, MN? 
> 	Yes.  Fairly good.  
> >any comments welcome.
> 	READ the catalog description carefully, and check prices against 
> other sources.  Some stuff is used/reconditioned.  Some is closeout.  Some 
> is just "on sale."

That's right, READ, don't look at the pictures.  Just becuase the pictured
disk player says "Sony" on it doesn't meant that the one you receive will.



Newsgroups: misc.consumers,aus.general
From: Nigel.Allen@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Nigel Allen)
Subject: Re: Why you shouldn't buy Nestle
Organization: Extended Bulletin Board Service
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 23:43:21 GMT

In article <rhalse20.717437586@ursa> rhalse20@ursa.calvin.edu (Rob Halsey) writes:
>daniel@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Daniel Bowen) writes:
>
>(various Nescafe stuff deleted)
>
>Has this newsgroup turned sour?  Leftist boycotts like this belong in
>alt.boycott.bullshit, not misc.consumers.

Leftist? It's a matter of simple right and wrong. Regardless of what your
political views are, Nestle's promotion of infant formula to families
that can't afford it results in the deaths of infants, and is just plain
wrong.

Talk to a public health nurse or pediatrician you trust if you aren't sure
about the issues.



--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  bbs.oit.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80