HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dbernard@thewho.Central.Sun.COM (Dave Bernard)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: "Roadkill" in the luggage (Re: Damn those airlines!)
Date: 29 Sep 92 12:53:58 GMT
Reply-To: dbernard@thewho.Central.Sun.COM
Organization: Sun Microsystems

Of course, if you get caught doing this, you can expect the airline to
prosecute and to sue.  You can also expect me and all other passengers
to sue, for making u miss part of vacation time, or an important business deal.

	Dave
From: amy@vineland.pubs.stratus.com (Amy McNulty)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: pros and cons of Saturn cars ?
Date: 28 Sep 92 15:27:59 GMT

Do you own a Saturn car? Have you been happy with it?
We're thinking of buying one of the new wagons -- probably
the higher-performance SW2, which is comparable to the
SL2 sedan model. We were very impressed with the
"sales pitch" and also with the car itself, but I was
wondering if they're really as wonderful as they sound.

Thanks for any info you can give me!

	-Amy 
 
______________________________________________________________
amy_mcnulty@vos.stratus.com  OR  amy@vineland.pubs.stratus.com
Amy McNulty -- Stratus Computer, Marlboro, MA
Stratus pays me to write, but not to write this!
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: acheng@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Albert Cheng)
Subject: Re: Damn those airlines!
Originator: acheng@shalom.ncsa.uiuc.edu
Organization: Nat'l Ctr for Supercomp App (NCSA) @ University of Illinois
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 17:34:37 GMT


In article <1992Sep27.183310.25892@dartvax.dartmouth.edu>, Brian.E.Hannon@dartmouth.edu (Brian E. Hannon) writes:
>As many prior posters have noted, this level of security is frequently
>not present on domestic(US) flights, but most international flights
>work this way.  When you check in for your flight and check your
>baggage, your name goes into the computer as having checked baggage. 
>In most cases, it all gets loaded on the plane and you go merrily on
>your way.  The folks at the door to the plane collecting boarding
>passes check to make sure that they got all the boarding passes back
>from everyone who checked in.  If your boarding pass never turned up,
>they'll first try to find you, but if they can't, off go your bags.  It
>is rare that people will check in and then not get on the plane, that's
>why it's usually not a problem.

I don't see how this can be done in practice.  If I check in first one
in line, my luggage is now at the bottom.  Are they going to unload a
thousand luggage (a full 747), looking for one single bag?  The airlines
don't record the luggage types either, so the luggage handling crew will
have to check every luggage tag.  Not a fun chore.
From: debk@sequent.com (Deborah Stewart)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Damark International
Summary: Experiences, good or bad
Date: 3 Oct 92 20:01:53 GMT
Article-I.D.: sequent.1992Oct3.200153.11470
Organization: Sequent Computer Systems Inc.

Has anyone out there had any experience (good or bad) oredering
products from a company called Damark International out of
Minneapolis, MN? any comments welcome.
Thanks!
Please respond to this group or send email to debk at the above
address.
bye,
debk
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: jpl@lyra.Stanford.EDU (Jonathan Lavigne)
Subject: Re: Quicken Checks not from Intuit?
Organization: DSO, Stanford University
Date: 28 Sep 92 04:37:36 GMT

oneill@mailhost.aa.cad.slb.com (Patrick G. O'Neill) writes:

>In article <1992Sep21.164549.24773@mccc.edu> pjh@mccc.edu (Pete Holsberg) writes:
>>In article <Bus73G.BDM@taligent.com> cep@taligent.com (Christophe Pettus) writes:
>>=Does anyone know of another check printer that can print checks
>>=compatible with Quicken?
>>
>>We use checks from Deluxe, POBox 5020, Norwalk, CT 06856-5020.

Checks in the Mail sells checks that work with Quicken. The cost is $44.95
for 500 checks (3 per sheet) or $59.95 for 500 checks (1 per sheet). Their
address is Checks in the Mail, P. O. Box 7802, Irwindale, CA 91706. They also
have an 800 number: 800-733-4443. Make sure you ask for a catalog of their
business checks.
Jonathan Lavigne           BL.JPL@RLG.STANFORD.EDU
Research Libraries Group/Stanford University
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,ny.general
From: wtr@mitre.org (Bill Ralston)
Subject: Re: NYC Parking Violations Bureau Fun & Games
Organization: The MITRE Corporation
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 3 Oct 1992 00:38:12 GMT

in article <1992Oct02.180214.148303@watson.ibm.com> rubin@watson.ibm.com 
(Bill Rubin) writes:

[long story about getting ticked for parking at a broken meter that 
mysteriously unbreaks when the meter-officer comes by & writes a ticket]

Next time, make sure the meter is damn good and broken before you park 
there.  Like with a sledgehammer :-/

(I wouldn't be suprised if it costs cities more money to maintain and 
patrol their parking meters than they collect from them in the first 
place.  Should just get rid of the damn things and cut back some of the bureaucracy...)  

---------------
Bill
wtr@mitre.org
**Marrou/Lord in '92.  (If you don't know who they are, you are not a 
fully informed voter.  Fulfill your civic responsibility and find out!! **
** Opinions are mine only, and not my employer's **
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: ron@vicorp.com (Ron Peterson)
Subject: Re: Good Crockpots?
Organization: V. I. Corporation, Northampton, Massachusetts
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 20:04:08 GMT

In article <1992Sep26.073935.1@uwovax.uwo.ca> singer@uwovax.uwo.ca writes:
> I wonder
>if anybody has had experience with crock pots that work like they are supposed
>to--slow slow cooking--and which are current models. NB, the pot should feel
>relatively cool to the touch.-- 

You can make your own quite easily and have it be more versatile also.
Get an electric burner meant for countertop use (about $15-$20 at your
local department store.  There are even two burner models.)
Place a pot with lid on top of it and slowly turn up the heat until
you find the best setting that heats the food without burning it and
mark it with a permanent marker.  Now you have a crockpot with a
removable container that's easy to clean.  You also have an extra
electric burner.  You can also add a motor driven timer ($10 from Radio
Shack) to turn it off after a preset time so you can set it and
forget it (ever have that urge to start making a stew at 11pm and 
then fall asleep?)
  Why they don't have timers for the burners on stoves is beyond me.
They have them for the oven and for microwaves; why not for the
really dangerous heating elements?
ron@vicorp.com or uunet!vicorp!ron
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: burke@tss.com (Jim Burke)
Subject: Re: Diamond Advice Wanted
Keywords: diamond
Reply-To: burke@tss.com (Jim Burke)
Organization: Teknekron Software Systems. Inc.
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 00:43:29 GMT

In article <Sep.30.15.36.58.1992.9626@math.rutgers.edu>, kuplinsk@math.rutgers.edu (Julio Kuplinsky) writes:
|> In article <1992Sep24.200341.26594@tss.com>, burke@tss.com (Jim Burke) writes:
|> ................................
|> > 
|> > You will pay different prices for the kind of stone you are talkin about,
|> > depending on where you buy it.  Pawn shops are a good bet - there really
|> > isn't such a thing as a "used" diamond.  Then you can have it set in what
|> 
|> 
|> ............
|> 
|> That's funny. My wife received a diamond ring that has been in the
|> family for at least 50 years. When we had it appraised, we were told
|> that the cut was old and the stone was 'chipped'. To the unlearned eye
|> the ring didn't show any signs of abuse. If this is right, then there
|> *is* such a thing as a used diamond. 

It is true that some cuts are not valued as highly as they once were.
Emerald cuts are an example of this.  I was refering to stones of similar
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
stone when it is being cut, and this _would_ serve to diminish its value,
but this can be true for a "new" stone.

When you buy a diamond in a store, you have no way of knowing whether
the diamond came into the retailers hands directly from a wholesaler
who bought it from DeBeers who bought it from a mining company and had
it cut, or whether the diamond has been owned by a previous retail 
buyer or even many previous retail buyers.  If I sell a 1 carat diamond
to a jeweler that I bought retail (which I have done) he does not 
designate the stone as "used" when he resells it.  The concept of a
"used" diamond is not known in the trade.  The concept of "condition"
is important, of course, in terms of quality of cut and any damage
to the stone.  Damage to a diamond from wearing it in a ring, though,
is rare.

One thing to watch out for, though, is unscrupulous buyers of diamonds.
If someone is appraising a diamond for the purpose of _their_ buying it,
watch out.  I once had a woman try to convince me that the diamond I
wanted to sell her wasn't a real diamond.  She offered me $75 for the
gold in the setting (which was way too much for the amount of gold) but
insisted that the "diamond" was reacly a cubic zirconia.  I sold it
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
the stone, take anything they say about "damage" or grading with a 
grain of salt.

-- 

	Jim Burke	"Life is uncertain - eat dessert first!"
	Teknekron Software Systems		... burke@tss.com
  	phone:(415) 617-2432			... uunet!tekbspa!burke
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:17369 ny.general:354
From: rubin@watson.ibm.com (Bill Rubin)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,ny.general
Subject: NYC Parking Violations Bureau Fun & Games
Summary: bogus parking ticket
Date: 2 Oct 92 18:02:14 GMT
Reply-To: rubin@watson.ibm.com (Bill Rubin)
Distribution: na
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center
News-Software: IBM OS/2 PM RN (NR/2) v0.14 by O. Vishnepolsky and R. Rogers
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM

My wife and I took a trip down to the Lower East Side of Manhattan a few 
weeks ago on a Sunday, and I ended up parking at what seemed to be a broken 
meter (*I* certainly couldn't get my quarter to fit into it, and to make 
matters worse/better, the time left seemed not to be moving as well).  I 
went back a few times, the time still seemed not to be moving, I still 
couldn't put the quarter in, so I finally stopped going back.  Naturally, by 
the time we got back to the car about 40 minutes later, an officer had seen 
fit to visit my car and somehow the meter had expired (yes, the quarter 
still would not fit).  How it expired is beyond me, I wonder if someone went 
up and saw it had almost no time left on it and gave it a good kick to help 
it along, but I'm not sure).  Anyway, this officer apparently had taken care 
of all the other problems in the neighborhood that day, and NYC's 8.25% 
sales tax apparently isn't enough to pay the bills, so he left me a $45 
parking ticket for the meter, as well as a $55 present for having two 
registration stickers on the window (one was the old, expired one which we 
had never scraped off, the other was completely valid).  Apparently it is a 
major crime in NYC to have 2 registrations, even if they are for the same 
plate, etc, in the window at the same time.  

Anyway, I wrote letters for both tickets, pleading not guilty, one by broken 
meter, one by trivial offense.  The duplicate registration ticket came back 
this week, the judge had lowered the fine from $55 to $25 (quite a 
reduction, I presume that she also thought it was rather petty).  I will pay 
it but there is an appeal process I can use after paying, so I might as well 
try, it doesn't cost (me) anything.  The broken meter ticket came back 
today, saying that they checked and the meter was not broken and I have to 
pay!  This is really outrageous, there is no way that that meter was working 
(and I might add that almost all of the meters on the rest of the block were 
broken as well, they had bags over them, this one did not).  Obviously, I 
definitely would have put the quarters in the meter if they had fit, but the 
last quarter inch or so would not go in so I couldn't.  What is the 
procedure for carrying this further?  I can live with the $25 on the 
duplicate registration, but the expired meter ticket really ticks me off!  

-- Bill rubin@watson.ibm.com (that will teach me to go to NYC to try to 
*save* money)!  
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:17189 aus.general:1710
From: Gary.Woodman@anu.edu.au (Gary Woodman)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,aus.general
Subject: Re: Why you shouldn't buy Nestle
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 01:27:21 GMT
Organization: Computer Services Centre, Australian National University
NNTP-Posting-Host: gurrung.anu.edu.au

In article <1992Sep25.153147.13074@elroy.jpl.nasa.gov> alan@elroy.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Alan S. Mazer) writes:
>From: alan@elroy.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Alan S. Mazer)
>Subject: Re: Why you shouldn't buy Nestle
>Date: 25 Sep 92 15:31:47 GMT
>In article <1992Sep25.132601.11295@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au> daniel@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Daniel Bowen) writes:
>>Nestle, the world's largest producer of powdered baby milk, is currently
>>breaking a World Health Organisation Code on the marketing of baby milk.
>>
>>1. Nestle provides free milk to maternity hospitals in the Third World
>>so that newborn babies are routinely bottle-fed.
>
>Let's stop right here.  

>Sounds like a good deed to me.

That's probably because you followed your own advice and only read the part 
of the post that you quoted. The use of formula milk and bottle feeding 
for newborns makes it difficult and in many cases impossible to take up 
breast feeding later.

--
Gary.Woodman@anu.edu.au         This post made from 100% recycled electrons.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,aus.general,alt.activism
From: kd1hz@anomaly.sbs.risc.net (Michael P. Deignan)
Subject: Re: Why you shouldn't buy Nestle
Organization: The Rhode Island Internet Systems Cooperative Network
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 13:56:00 GMT

daniel@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Daniel Bowen) writes:

>[Reprinted from a leaflet from the Baby Food Action Group, part of
>Community Aid Abroad, Victoria, Australia.]

>EVERY 30 SECONDS A BABY DIES FROM UNSAFE BOTTLE FEEDING IN THE THIRD
>WORLD.


You know what's really amusing? If this company didn't sell powdered
milk overseas they would be accused of being racist or embroiled in a
plot to commit genocide against the peoples of the third-world - probably
by the same extremist group too.


>5. The water mixed with the formula is often contaminated. This leads to
>diarrhoea, malnutrition and often death. 

Ah, so now this company is responsible for end-user stupidity too? Every
powdered milk formula I've ever seen states up front that you are supposed
to boil the water first. But, I guess these end-users are just 1) too
poor to afford two sticks to rub together, or are 2) too stupid to know
how to turn on the stove.


>7. Breast-feeding is free and safe and protects against infection - but
>companies know that unless they get babies on the bottle, they don't do
>business.

Yeah, and as my wife found out with our daughter, some children develop 
a lactose[sic] intolerance to breast milk, and can't drink it.... So I 
guess this company is now responsible for biomedically engineering this
too as a massive plot to increase profits?


>**  BOYCOTT NESCAFE  **

Thanks for the note. I'll be sure to buy extra products today when I go
shopping.


After reading this post, it appears that "@yoyo" is an apropriate name for
the origin, after all.

MD
-- 
--  Michael P. Deignan                      / Sex is hereditary. If your 
--  Domain: mpd@anomaly.sbs.com            /  parents never had it, chances 
--    UUCP: ...!uunet!rayssd!anomaly!mpd  /   are you won't either...
-- Telebit: +1 401 455 0347              /
From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Why you shouldn't buy Nestle
Date: 27 Sep 92 08:36:09 GMT
Organization: Green Hills and Cows

In article <Bv5FID.98A@taligent.com> cep@taligent.com (Christophe Pettus) writes:

>Yes, of course the hospital should control it.  It suck big time that
>they don't.  However, I can't boycott First Municipal Hospital of
>Brassaville; I can boycott Nestle.

Wait a minute! Bobby stole my lunch money. But Bobby is six feet six
and weighs 280 pounds. So I will beat the holy excrement out of Billy
who sometimes plays with Bobby and who is, conveniently, a 90 pound
weakling.

Makes sense to me.
-- 
 John Higdon  |   P. O. Box 7648   |   +1 408 264 4115     |       FAX:
 john@ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | 10288 0 700 FOR-A-MOO | +1 408 264 4407
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,ny.general
From: swfc@cs.columbia.edu (Shu-Wie F Chen)
Subject: Re: NYC Parking Violations Bureau Fun & Games
Organization: Columbia University Department of Computer Science
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 19:17:29 GMT

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.
PVB replied that their records indicated that the meter was not broken
at that time.  I appealed using the above explanation.  The judge
found me guilty, saying that with the above explanation, I was
admitting my guilt.  I am still appealing, but since this is not a
first appeal, PVB will no longer accept the appeal unless I pay the
fine first!!!

What gives with PVB?  What can I do?

*swfc


-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shu-Wie F Chen                               Department of Computer Science
swfc@cs.columbia.edu                         Columbia University
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,aus.general
From: kd1hz@anomaly.sbs.risc.net (Michael P. Deignan)
Subject: Re: Why you shouldn't buy Nestle
Organization: The Rhode Island Internet Systems Cooperative Network
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 03:09:12 GMT

soberg@think.com (Stephanie Oberg) writes:

>Ordinary foods such as are eaten by adult women in Third World countries
>are either cheaper than formula (calorie for calorie), or require no cash 
>at all.  Examples of the first type are corn meal, rice, and other staple
>starches.  The second type can include the woman's own produce (vegetables,
>fruits, and grains), milk from goats that graze arid lands, meat and eggs
>from chickens fed on garbage, and gathered wild foods.  A woman can be well
>nourished without spending a penny of cash, and many millions are.

Wait a minute. Are these the same third-world people that we are constantly
told are either malnourished or starving because of the greedy western
countries not sending all their extra food overseas? Or, do they become
"well nourished" for the purposes of breast-feeding, yet stay malnourished
or starving for other standards?


>The drug pusher analogy is again painfully accurate.

Except in this case the drug pusher argument is worthless. The drug pusher
argument only works where there is wealth to steal and fund your habit.
In a 3rd world country, there is rarely anything of wealth which can be
stolen and sold for significant dollars - otherwise, it wouldn't be a 3rd 
world country, would it?

Hence, the only women who will be using formula are those who are in
a financial position to do so.


>Speaking of twisting facts...a common sales tactic of formula pushers in
>the past has been to use saleswomen in Third World hospitals, dressed as 
>nurses.  "Here, give your baby this bottle.  The formula will make him
>strong..."

You wouldn't happen to have a reference for this claim now, would you?
Nah, thought not.


MD
-- 
--  Michael P. Deignan                      / Sex is hereditary. If your 
--  Domain: mpd@anomaly.sbs.com            /  parents never had it, chances 
--    UUCP: ...!uunet!rayssd!anomaly!mpd  /   are you won't either...
-- Telebit: +1 401 455 0347              /
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,aus.general,alt.activism
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Subject: Re: Why you shouldn't buy Nestle
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 15:22:50 GMT


In article <Gary.Woodman.719.717641452@anu.edu.au> Gary.Woodman@anu.edu.au (Gary Woodman) writes:
>In article <1992Sep27.135600.28965@anomaly.sbs.risc.net> kd1hz@anomaly.sbs.risc.net (Michael P. Deignan) writes:
>>daniel@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au (Daniel Bowen) writes:
>>
>>>**  BOYCOTT NESCAFE  **
>>
>>Thanks for the note. I'll be sure to buy extra products today when I go
>>shopping.
>
>The United States consumer in his natural habitat.

Sure, when the "natural habitat" is defined as "surrounded by Australian
knee-jerk liberals." ;-)
 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Subject: Re: Damn those airlines!
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 18:13:21 GMT


In article <BvAu5q.JxJ@news.cso.uiuc.edu> acheng@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Albert Cheng) writes:
>
>I don't see how this can be done in practice.  If I check in first one
>in line, my luggage is now at the bottom.  Are they going to unload a
>thousand luggage (a full 747), looking for one single bag?  The airlines
>don't record the luggage types either, so the luggage handling crew will
>have to check every luggage tag.  Not a fun chore.

I don't see how they could do this in practice, either, but even if they
do, it has served the original purpose: it has cost the airline some
time, aggravation, money, and customer goodwill: they have to delay the
flight, pay some people to go digging through the cargo hold looking for
the suitcase, and haul it out. Who knows, maybe they'll even call in the
bomb squad to remove the suitcase, "just to be sure."

And just in case someone came into this thread late and even now has
their finger poised over the 'f' key, let me remind you that the
original poster was ripped off by an airline which refused to honor a
perfectly good ticket which he had paid for weeks in advance, forcing
him at the last second to purchase a much more expensive ticket at the
last minute or force his friend to miss the flight. Thus, the airline
got several hundred dollars of pure profit, while the original poster
got nothing. The above rigamarole ought to be enough to soak up some of
that excess profit, wouldn't you agree? ;-)

BTW, even after all this discussion of why the roadkill-in-the-suitcase
trick would or would not work, I still haven't seen anybody give a
(more) serious answer to the original poster's question about how to get
his money back from the airline. Any ideas?


Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.travel
From: jerry@ora.com (Jerry Peek)
Subject: Re: Credit cards with more than 14 days loss and damage coverage for rental cars?
Summary: Discover card
Organization: O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 10:33:39 GMT

(I saw this article thread after some articles had expired.  Sorry if
this is a repeat.)  I use my Visa Gold for rentals of two weeks or
less.  For rentals of more than two weeks, I use my Discover card;
for $6.95 per rental, they cover the car for as long as you keep it.
(To be sure, I called their insurance people and read the fine print.)
You have to sign up for rental insurance; call 1-800-DISCOVE(R).

BTW, Discover is a great card: no fee, an interest-free grace period,
plus the "cashback bonus" rebate... I got $75 back this year.  I got
another $200 or so in refunds from their travel service, which rebates
5% of the ticket price.  But the travel service has lousy service;
I cancelled my membership in it this year because of the frustration.
-- 
Jerry Peek, O'Reilly & Associates, jerry@ora.com, (617)354-5800