HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: amirza@bronze.ucs.indiana.edu (Anmar Caves)
Subject: Re: "Small amounts" of radioactivy (was: Light Bulbs)
Organization: Indiana University
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 20:59:26 GMT

In article <16857BEF1.M20614@mwvm.mitre.org> M20614@mwvm.mitre.org (Hugh Pritchard) writes:
>In article <1992Sep3.142402.641@newshub.ccs.yorku.ca>
>tony@nexus.yorku.ca (Anthony Wallis) writes:
> 
>I was under the impression that "gamma rays" were merely photons --
>light rays.  Are "gamma rays" in this context photons of a specific
>energy or range of energies?  Perhaps they are more energetic [ =
>shorter wavelength] than X-rays.
> 
>And aren't gamma rays of this energy emitted by radioisotopes (e.g.
>technetium) used in nuclear medicine?  The gamma rays are detected
>by a scintillation counter ("gamma camera").  Lots of patients (me
>included) have had gamma scans with no apparent ill effects.


Low level gamma radiation isn't nearly as bad for you as beta or
alpha.  According to Joe-Bobs school of survivalism,  the problem with
high-energy gamma is that it converts some of the calcium and
phosphorus in your bones to different isotopes and they then emit
alpha and beta radiation right into the bone marrow, causing leukemia.
This was the reason that soldiers who were exposed to ground-testing
of nuclear blasts a few miles away ended up having a higher incidence
of leukemia.  Note,  this required a *massive* dose of high-energy
gamma. 
Gamma, for the most part passes right through the soft-tissues
causing little or no damage.  Alpha and beta sources outside of the
body aren't too much of a problem because most of it should be stopped
by the skin.

The big problems during a nuclear war come from fallout and
particularly breathing or inhaling the fallout.  One of the
recommended prcedures for post-war survival includes mineral
supplements in the diet to prevent absorption of radioactive isotopes,
particularly iodine, calcium and phosphorus.

(ok,  I admit it, I'm a survivalist, though I no longer fear
large-scale nuclear war)

-- 
Anmar Mirza   # Mayor of Dogspit, IN  #My Opinions! NotIU's! #Purveyor of
EMT-D         # Located somewhere in  # Legalize Explosives! #nontraditional
N9ISY (tech)  # the Outback of the    #I've got my own fusion#family values
Networks Tech.# Mirza Ranch.C'mon over#plant. Just ask me.   #Space For Rent
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: ask@cbnews.cb.att.com (Arthur S. Kamlet)
Subject: Re: Questions on umbrella coverage
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories,  Columbus, Ohio
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 1992 20:50:51 GMT

In article <1992Aug21.202926.9172@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> bd670@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Russell I. Dyreng) writes:
>>medical on my auto insurance. Sure, I have medical coverage, but
>>if a passenger does NOT, he/she will have to *sue* me to receive
>>benefits. If you have medical coverage on your auto policy, this
>>person would be covered automatically up to the limit of the
>>coverage--or so explained my former agent)
>>
>What's the problem with dropping the medical and just *letting*
>the passenger sue you if there is an accident?  As stated 
>earlier, you are covered by your own medical insurance, and the
>passenger would be covered by your liability insurance.

Well, if someone has to go to the trouble of suing you, they might
just stick in a little pain & suffering for good measure.  That
could increase your premiums though plain medical payments
wouldn't.
-- 
Art Kamlet  a_s_kamlet@att.com  AT&T Bell Laboratories, Columbus
From: F0O@psuvm.psu.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Rather large late fee on my cable bill
Date: 26 Aug 92 15:33:01 GMT
Organization: Penn State University


   I just paid my cable bill last night and noticed it was about one
week overdue.  Opps.  The monthly charge is normally $18.36 for
around 30 channels(no HBO, ShowTime, or channels like that).  On the
bill it says if you pay late, you will be charged a $2.00 late fee.
Now while I suppose I can't get out of paying this, $2 for a late fee
seems rather steep to me.  Our power and phone company only charge around
20 cents.  Is it within my rights to demand the cable company show me
some documentation which justifies why their late fee is so high?  Is
it possible for me to fight this?
   The other thing which bothers me is in the past it would say on the
bill when it had to be paid.  Now they write something like "bill must
be paid 20 days after the date shown at top of bill".  Why they ever
made a change like this, I don't know, but if they want their bill
paid by a certain date, then I think they should explicitly, not
implicitly give the date.

                                                           [Tim]
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: cep@taligent.com (Christophe Pettus)
Subject: Re: Endorsing checks for deposit via ink stamp?
Organization: Taligent, a little subsidiary of two really big companies.
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 22:05:51 GMT

Most companies that process a LOT of receipts (such as utility
companies, credit card companies, etc.) do their own coding of checks:
the company itself adds the OCR amount at the bottom of the check.
They often use the amount on the payment slip as the amount they code
on the check, even if the check doesn't correspond to that.  Often, if
I'm paying an "unexpected" amount (i.e., less than the full balance for
some reason), I'll write my account number on the check and send it in
without the slip, for precisely this reason.
--
-- Christophe

"Black is the color of non-conformity.  Everyone has to have it."
	T-shirt company executive
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:15747 misc.consumers.house:11433
From: perley@trub.crd.ge.com (Donald P Perley)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: vacuum cleaners - which one?
Date: 27 Aug 92 18:41:14 GMT
	<1992Aug25.061729.17169@panix.com> <17127@ulysses.att.com>
Organization: GE Corp. R & D, Schenectady, NY 12345

In article <17127@ulysses.att.com> smb@ulysses.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes:

   The big problem with using a shop vac is that they generally lack beater
   attachments for dealing with carpeting.

I believe Sears now has a beater bar nozzle available (extra cost). 


-don perley
--
perley@trub.crd.ge.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.food.drink,ba.food
From: charleen@ADS.COM (Charleen Bunjiovianna)
Subject: Re: Looking for a *great* coffeemaker
Organization: The Original Estrogen-Crazed Lust Bunnies
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1992 00:17:04 GMT

Kee-rist, I thought I'd seen everything on the net, but now we've got
a coffee fascist.

I'm pretty sure Curtis Jackson knows enough about coffee to make a good
cup, but suspect that Mr. Sternlight would be horrified if he realized
that Curtis comes from the South.  Why, they adulterate perfectly good
coffee with *chicory* down there!  Oh, the disgrace of it all.

Remember, kiddies, you won't be able to hold your heads up in polite
society if you don't march on down to your local coffee roaster and
demand Jamaican Blue Mountain, grown on the proper estate.

Charleen
--
After fifteen minutes, I wanted to marry her, and after thirty
minutes I completely gave up the idea of stealing her purse.
                      -- Woody Allen, "Take the Money and Run"
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:15890 rec.audio:11978
From: SXK129@psuvm.psu.edu (Spaceman Spiff)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.audio
Subject: Wanted: address/phone no. for Sony Warehouse(?)
Date: 1 Sep 92 13:30:38 GMT
Organization: Penn State University

I'm interested in purchasing some Sony audio components and I was told that
Sony has an outlet (Sony Warehouse?) which supplies these at fairly cheap
rates. I'd really appreciate it if someone could give me some info about
this outlet (address/phone #/are they any good etc.). I'm looking for low-end
audio equipment.
Also, I'd like info. about mail-order companies which have fairly reasonable
prices and service. I've checked out Crutchfield already and I'd like to know
if there are other mail-order houses which have cheaper prices than Crutchfield
for Sony products. Right now, it looks like Crutchfield has the same rates as
the local stores except that I won't have to pay sales tax if I buy from
Crutchfield (which means that I save a big fat 10-20 bucks).
Again, all info. will be highly appreciated.
---
Thanx,
Sunil Kamath
SXK129@PSUVM.PSU.EDU
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.food.drink,ba.food
From: shla@spf.trw.com (Sheila Wallace)
Subject: Re: Looking for a *great* coffeemaker
Organization: TRW Sensor Data Processing Center, Redondo Beach, CA
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 92 22:25:57 GMT

In article <n#an_ap.greg@netcom.com> greg@netcom.com (Greg Bullough) writes:
>Actually, the *best* coffeemaker I've ever encountered is a net.goddess
>by the name of Teri Miller. She used one of those French cylindrical
>jobs that compresses the grounds to the bottom and produced a brew that
>was nothing short of heavenly.
> 
I recently purchased one of these plunge-pots from Crate and Barrel for
$16 (plus tax and shipping).  I'm fairly pleased with the coffee it makes,
but I wish the mesh in the plunger was finer as there is quite a bit
of sediment in the coffee, even when the beans are ground rather coarsely.
I also recently spied one in the latest Gevalia catalog, but it was on the 
order of $40, which is not exactly cheap.

Sheila


-- 
Sheila Wallace		(shla@spf.trw.com)
TRW, One Space Park, R2/2162, Redondo Beach, CA 90278
From: ebupaf@ebu.ericsson.se (Pat Fargo 6266)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: IKEA furniture by mailorder?
Date: 26 Aug 92 13:02:36 GMT
Reply-To: ebupaf@ebu.ericsson.se
Organization: Ericsson Business Communications, Inc.

There are two IKEA's in the L.A. area. One of them
is in Burbank, and the other in Irvine.
---
Patrick A. Fargo		Ericsson Business Communication
				Anaheim, California
From: kuplinsk@math.rutgers.edu (Julio Kuplinsky)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: U-Haul & Ryder
Date: 27 Aug 92 19:43:48 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.


For those of you who think that U-Haul is one of the shabbiest
operations in the country (I'm one of them), let me assure you that
Ryder is no better. 

I made a reservation with the local dealer for this coming weekend
_six weeks_ ago (and took the trouble to get a reservation slip from
them). I called today just in case, and the guy told me that there
are no trucks available, just like that. He argued that "they" had
taken the trucks away from him. He didn't find it necessary to notify
me of the problem. 

A call to the 800 number brought no satisfaction (in fact, when you
give them the reservation #, they say that the reservation has been
made with the local agent [like it was a different galaxy] ). Note
that the fact that the joint has the shingle Ryder on it doesn't make
any difference. I feel that if it was called "Mom and Pop" your
chances of getting decent service would be the same. 

Good luck to all of you who are moving this Summer!

Julio Kuplinsky
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:15678 rec.food.drink:2750 ba.food:2930
From: strnlght@netcom.com (David Sternlight)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.food.drink,ba.food
Subject: Re: Looking for a *great* coffeemaker
Date: 26 Aug 92 18:02:48 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)


Barry Shell says he's had bad luck with Jamaica Blue Mountain beans
because they move slowly in most coffee stores. Yet he roasts his own.
I don't understand whether he's tried green JBM beans or not, and
if his remark applies to them as well--I thought the life of green
beans was a year or three.

Although there was some sort of rule or law in Jamaica about 10
years ago that prohibited export of green JBM beans, this has
apparently changed because the green beans are readily available
from such sources as the Santa Barbara Coffee Company.
From: yogi@cs.ubc.ca (Yossi Gil)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: IKEA furniture by mailorder?
Date: 28 Aug 92 03:57:22 GMT
Organization: Computer Science, University of B.C., Vancouver, B.C., Canada

bell@cs.tamu.edu (Will Bell) writes:

>In article <1992Aug24.211456.4998@cs.ubc.ca> yogi@cs.ubc.ca (Yossi Gil) writes:
>>I am interested in buying IKEA furniture by mail order.  Any ideas
>>on how this can be done?

>According to the 1993 IKEA catalog I just got at the (newly opened) Houston 
>store, "IKEA is not a mail-order catalog".  This catalog only listed 6 stores,
>which I presume are the only ones in the USA.  (As I recall, there are 3 in
>Pennsylvania, 1 in N.Y., 1 in the Washington DC area, and now 1 in Texas).

I have a list of all IKEA stores in the USA. There are few more in the
west coast. If there is enough interest I will post it.  
--
Joseph (Yossi) Gil                 {alberta,uw-beaver,uunet}!ubc-cs!yogi
Dept. of Computer Science          yogi@cs.ubc.ca (cs.ubc.ca=137.82.8.5)
6356 Agricultural Road., Univ. of B.C.,             Tel: +1-604-822-8175
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z2, Canada.       Fax: +1-604-822-5485
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:15695 rec.food.drink:2755 ba.food:2942
From: twl10@ccc.amdahl.com (Tom Littauer)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.food.drink,ba.food
Subject: Re: Looking for a *great* coffeemaker
Summary: Hot air corn popper
Date: 26 Aug 92 22:12:24 GMT
Reply-To: twl10@JUTS.ccc.amdahl.com (Tom Littauer)
Distribution: usa
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

In article <1992Aug26.185858.4364@nas.nasa.gov> fineberg@nas.nasa.gov writes:
>Since we're on the topic of coffee.  I have been thinking about trying to
>roast my own beans for a while.  Does anyone have any suggestions on coffee
>roasters?

The owner of a coffee roasting company I used to frequent in Houston told
me that they used a hot air popcorn popper for test batches of new beans.

Let us know what you end up using.

Tom
-- 
Tom Littauer at Amdahl M/S 278, PO Box 3470, Sunnyvale CA 94088-3470 USA
+1 408 737 5056     twl10@juts.ccc.amdahl.com     twl10@amail.amdahl.com
I'll tell you when I'm speaking as Amdahl's Spokesman - usually I'm not.
V'z n fgrnygu-grpuabybtl rapelcgrq .fvtangher ivehf - TBGPUN!!!
From: tmkk@uiuc.edu (Khan)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Auto Insurance Question
Date: 3 Sep 92 20:51:01 GMT
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana


In article <92247.110219MARK@wvnvm.wvnet.edu> <MARK@wvnvm.wvnet.edu> writes:
>Unfortunately my wife and I have had 3 accidents in the past 3 years.  Needless
>to say we pay $145/month since we are considered high risk.  The accidents
>are as follows.
>
>			   [Accident 1] cost $350
>
>			   [Accident 2] cost $300
>
>			   [Accident 3] cost: $550


The best thing you should learn from this experience is DO NOT MAKE
PIDDLY CLAIMS ON YOUR INSURANCE!!!

Think about it: you had three accidents which cost a total of $1200 to
repair over a 3 year period. Since no other vehicles were involved, you
did not have to report them nor did you have to make a claim on your
insurance. Those three accidents are now costing you $145/month, or
$1740/year ($5220 for the next three years). Had you simply paid those
expenses out of your own pocket, you would now have an unblemished
accident record and be out $1200. By making those three claims, you're
now going to be out over five thousand dollars, not to mention the
potential problems a poor driving record may cause you in the future.

I think it was one of the Charles Givens books (probably "Financial
Self-Defense") which gives a very good explanation about why you should
pay small claims yourself and carry a high deductable on your insurance.
It's unfortunate that you had to learn this the hard (and costly!) way. :-(

For the present, you're trapped paying outrageously high rates. The best
you can do is try to raise your deductables (make them at least $500)
and wait the 3 years or whatever it takes to get those accidents off
your record. And, of course, drive carefully in the meantime. ;-)
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:15960 misc.consumers.house:11741
From: jeff@strobe.ATC.Olivetti.Com (Jeff Lim)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
Subject: California Mandated Earthquake Insurance - Would you pay it???
Keywords: Earthquake Insurance, Mandated
Date: 2 Sep 92 15:49:10 GMT
Followup-To: misc.consumers
Distribution: ca



     Hello Californian Netters,

     I received a letter from my homeowners insurance stating the 
     mandated law requiring all insurance companies to remit anywhere
     from $12 to $60 for the CRER State Fund.   This fund is suppose
     to provide a $15K fund to the homeowner minus a deductible after
     a earthquake.   The deductible is a min of 1K to 3.5K so that in
     worst ase you could collect $11.5K from the state fund.   There
     is a statement stating that if the fund does not reached a reserve 
     of $750M then in the case of an earthquake the fund will be 
     "Pro-rated" which means that you will get whatever they have
     in the fund.   The letter states that if I refused to remit the
     $60 to the state fund then I will not be elegible to receive any
     funds in the case of an earthquake.    A question to the net, 
     is this fund worth paying $60 for??    I would like to know your
     opinions and would you pay into this fund.  

       Thanks.


      Jeff

      jeff@strobe.ATC.Olivetti.Com



     
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:15702 sci.environment:10891 talk.environment:3410
From: crb7q@kelvin.seas.Virginia.EDU (Cameron Randale Bass)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,sci.environment,talk.environment
Subject: Re: Radioactivity and Superstition; was: Re: Are Your Light Bulbs Radioactive?
Date: 26 Aug 92 23:00:55 GMT
Organization: University of Virginia

In article <l9ns6oINNmol@utkcs2.cs.utk.edu> de5@ORNL.GOV (Dave Sill) writes:
>[Followups, again, directed to misc.consumers.] 
 (and redirected to the environment groups)

>
>They *are* different.  You can't see, smell, taste, hear, or feel
>radioactivity.  This isn't true of most physical phenomena people deal with,
>including chemicals and electricity.  It's hardly surprising that it's treated
>differently.

    No different than toadstools as far as injestion goes.  In fact,
    some of *them* taste pretty good.  This issue is only treated differently
    because of blind hysteria rather than an evaluation of the true risks.

                                   dale bass



-- 
C. R. Bass                                           crb7q@virginia.edu
Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia                            (804) 924-7926
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:16043 sci.energy:4193
From: jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,sci.energy
Subject: Re: Radioactivity and Superstition; was: Re: Are Your Light Bulbs Radioactive?
Date: 3 Sep 92 07:14:05 GMT
Article-I.D.: dixie.acln!9-
Organization: Dixie Communications Public Access.  The Mouth of the South.

de5@ORNL.GOV (Dave Sill) writes:

>In article <gjcnpd#@dixie.com>, jgd@dixie.com (John De Armond) writes:
>>
>>... Gross ignorance of the nature of radioactivity
>>coupled to such "spreading of the word" leads to the worries
>>that border on hysterical, as we've seen here. 

>I encourage sharing information about threats and *potential* threats,
>whether they're radioactive or not.  

>An unreasonable response is to call someone a fool for asking the question.

>>Dave, you ought to know better.

>Better than what?  What did I say that was ignorant or unreasonable?  I never
>said anything like "these things are dangerous" or "don't use these products".

Dave, my post was not a flame and I didn't call you ignorant. 
Maybe a flicker but not a full blown flame. I think that anyone
who works at Oak Ridge National Laboratories  SHOULD know at
least the basics of radiation protection and radiation hazards. 
 Don't they still give basic HP training to every worker there? 

Even if you didn't know, the resources available to you right there
on your site, on your own internal network are vastly more authorative
than anything you'll find on the network.  Hell, it's been 10 years since
I did any work there and I STILL miss those resources.

I dispute the claim that "information sharing" when that information
is based on heresay and lacking any factual basis is useful.  Such is
the rumor that the tiny amount of activity in CF lamps presents ANY hazard.
Such "information" simply perpetuates the nuclear hysteria we see in
the lay population every day.

John
-- 
John De Armond, WD4OQC               |Interested in high performance mobility?  
Performance Engineering Magazine (TM) |
Marietta, Ga                         |Interested in high tech and computers? 
jgd@dixie.com                        |Write me about PE Magazine
Need Usenet public Access in Atlanta?  Write Me for info on Dixie.com.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,talk.environment
From: de5@ORNL.GOV (Dave Sill)
Subject: Re: Radioactivity and Superstition; was: Re: Are Your Light Bulbs Radioactive?
Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab, Oak Ridge, TN
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 13:16:11 GMT

In article <3645@execu.execu.com>, mike@execu.execu.com (Mike McCants) writes:
>In article <l9ns6oINNmol@utkcs2.cs.utk.edu> de5@ORNL.GOV (Dave Sill) writes:
>>[Followups, again, directed to misc.consumers.]
>
>Darn, I don't read that group.

I've added talk.environment.  I know you read that one.  :-)

>>They *are* different.  You can't see, smell, taste, hear, or feel
>>radioactivity.  This isn't true of most physical phenomena people deal with,
>>including chemicals and electricity.  It's hardly surprising that it's treated
>>differently.
>
>By the time you feel electricity that's going to really hurt you, it's
>too late.

That's not the point.  Have you ever been shocked?  Have you ever inhaled bug
spray?  Have you ever directly felt an exposure to radioactivity?  I'll bet your
answers are yes, yes, and no.  Personal experience goes a long way toward
determining peoples beliefs.  Until they experience radioactivity, it's abstract
and unknown.  Fear is a reasonable response.  Education is the only way I know of
to counteract this fear.  Poo-pooing it won't help.

>Little kids don't mind the taste of Drano for a little while.
>They don't read the warning labels very well.

But parents *do*, and try to minimize the threat.  Which is kinda the point of
this whole thread.  Knowledge is power.

-- 
Dave Sill (de5@ornl.gov)	   For every Bill Joy there is a Kirk McKusick.
Martin Marietta Energy Systems     For every Bill Gates there is a Richard
Workstation Support                Stallman.                     --Paul Graham
From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Prodigy Scam
Date: 4 Sep 92 06:22:32 GMT
Organization: Green Hills and Cows

In article <1992Sep1.063449.11204@news.columbia.edu> ia4@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Imran Anwar) writes:

>I had Prodigy send me bills for six months when I was travelling AFTER I had
>sent SEVERAL cancellation email messages to them.  Thta made an unused
>credit card become a used credit card in my absence having payable bills
>while I was happily travelling knowing I owed nothing on the credit card.

After unsuccessfully attempting to close a Compu$erve account, I
contacted American Express (who was providing the billing) and informed
it that I was no longer accepting any charges from Compu$erve. I got no
argument from AmEx who dutifully began crediting each and every monthly
charge.

Several months later, I was contacted by mail from Compu$erve. The
notice was threatening and demanded that I immediately contact them.
I did so and explained that I was no longer interested in
funding them further. I was then told of some sort of cancellation
"notice" that was required and that I still owed the back several
months plus one more. I laughed in the person's ear and said, "Good
luck collecting it." And then I hung up. Since I had not logged in in
over a year, my conscience was clear. And I have heard nothing since.

But I am very happy that AmEx was so helpful in finally shutting down a
totally unresponsive operation.
-- 
        John Higdon         |   P. O. Box 7648   |   +1 408 264 4115
    john@zygot.ati.com      | San Jose, CA 95150 |       M o o !