HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: knightf@infonode.ingr.com (Frank Knight)
Subject: Re: Weedeater recommendations
Organization: Intergraph Corporation, Huntsville, AL.
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 20:25:34 GMT

In article <1992Jul29.143022.9845@newsgate.sps.mot.com> r1156c@waccvm.corp.mot.com (Michael R. Dow) writes:
>
>	You might want to look for an IDC Trimmer.  I bought one in March and am 
                                      ^^^^^^^^^^^
                                      Old name: Ryan!! 

>extremely well pleased with it.  It starts well, has lots of power, and has 
>other attachments available, such as an edger.
>
>	The price is right, too...		
>
>
>Michael R. Dow

I've got a IDC/RYAN blower I never have liked.  Have had real good 6
yr service from a big Homelite trimmer believe it or not!  I think
it is an ST-220.  On 2cycles, everybody makes a lemon or two it seems.

Frank

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: banchy@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu (Banchy thomas g (410) 461-2216)
Subject: Indoor aerobic exercise machine under $200
Reply-To: banchy@aplcen (Banchy thomas g (410) 461-2216)
Organization: Johns Hopkins University
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 92 14:01:48 GMT

  I tried posting this question to misc.fitness, but didn't get a response.
It seems the readers of that newsgroup are almost exclusively into weight
training, judging by the type of posts which do get responses.  So, I'll
try one more time here.  Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Tom

******** Original Post *********

  The subject line pretty much says it all: I'm looking for a *reasonably*
priced indoor aerobic machine.  After reading at least 10 separate threads
on the Nordic Track, I've decided that the features I should look for are
those features most highly touted in the NT: upper/lower body workout,
weight-bearing stance, smooth action, and sturdy construction.

  I've done a little shopping around, and it looks like the machine
which comes the closest to meeting those criteria is the DP Air Strider.
This machine is similar to the DP Airgometer that's been in stores for
a couple of years -- basically a stationary bike with synchronized
handles for upper body workout and a big fan for a front wheel.  The 
Air Strider, though, is designed for a standing posture, more like 
cranking your bike up a hill by getting up out of the seat.  The best 
price I've seen is $189.

  Any and all comments on the Air Strider, or a potential better choice
of a machine in the same price range would be greatly appreciated.
BTW, has anyone else read Marty Liquori's book on designing a home 
gym?  He seems to have the right idea, but only picks machines that
are in HIS price range (i.e. rich and famous).

Tom

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: feeney@tigger.jvnc.net (Michael J. Feeney)
Subject: Need Recommendations on a micro-cassette recorder
Originator: feeney@nisc.jvnc.net
Organization: JvNCnet, Princeton University
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 12:21:14 GMT


I need recommendations for a micro-cassette recorder reasonably priced
(no more than $100) and with the following features:

	* variable voice activation

	* mic, earphone, and remote pause jacks

	* built in battery charger (so that all one needs to do is to
	  plug the units AC adapter in, and it will recharge the 
	  rechargeable batteries in the battery compartment.

Besides this newsgroup, are there any other resources (magazines) that
would be worth checking?

Thanks in advance!

-Mike


Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Recommendation for Flowbee hair cutters
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 01:29:55 GMT

billmcc@seanews.akita.com (Bill McCormick) writes:
: 
: Actually one of the best hair cutting experiences I had was a real
: barbershop in Taipei.  For quite a low price you can get a trim, 
: shampoo, hot towels, a shave, and a massage all in one.  The
: only interesting thing was that the shampoo came *after* the
: haircut, not before.
: 
: Also the girl doing it loved my red hair.
: 
: For those who don't know, "houses of ill repute" masquerade as
: barbershops in Taiwan.  The only way to tell the difference
: is that a real barbershop has windows and you can see people
: getting their hair cut.

So what? Do they give good haircuts?

Bill "Just around the edges please" Nelson
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:14653 misc.taxes:2840
From: phr@soda.berkeley.edu (Paul Rubin)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.taxes
Subject: Re: Wierd CA Sales Tax Law
Date: 30 Jul 92 02:46:47 GMT
Organization: CSUA/UCB
NNTP-Posting-Host: soda.berkeley.edu
In-reply-to: burke@tss.com's message of 29 Jul 92 23:00:00 GMT


   [Story about how Togo's charges sales tax for hot sandwiches and
   carbonated drinks to go, but not cold s/w's or uncarb. drinks]

The idea is you're not supposed to get charged tax on food that you
buy to take home and eat later (a "necessity").  However, hot sandwiches,
carbonated drinks in open containers, etc. obviously aren't intended
to be consumed that way.  There are also a lot of weird exceptions
for snack foods, leading to my local chocolate shop now calling its
truffles "mousse balls" to avoid the tax.  (Truffles are on a list
of snack-taxed items).  My feeling is, it is the CA legislature that
eats moose balls...
From: proberts@informix.com (Paul Roberts)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Can foreigners call US 800 toll-free?
Date: 20 Jul 92 22:45:52 GMT
Organization: Informix Software, Inc.

In article <1992Jul20.131649.13536@mel.dit.csiro.au> haber@shark.mel.dit.CSIRO.AU (Yaacov Haber) writes:
>In article <1992Jul18.170820.22320@informix.com> proberts@informix.com (Paul Roberts) writes:
>>In article <1992Jul17.193903.20564@hp9000.csc.cuhk.hk> b124767@hp9000.csc.cuhk.hk (Albert Lam) writes:
>>>Subject says it. Apologies of this is a silly question but actuall
>>>I do not know. 
>>>
>>>albert
>>
>>Certainly foreigners can call 800 numbers toll-free - but only if they
>>are in the US when they do it!
>>
>>I am 99% certain that you can't call US 800 numbers from outside the US.
>>
>>Paul
>
>
>In Australia there is a special number you dial to get an American operator
>and she will dial it for ytou. You pay for the ld call to the operator.
>
>There are many companies that allow their 800's to be called from 
>overseas toll free. It all depends on their arrangement with the US
>tel co, this is dialed from here with a 4 digit prefix
>

I stand corrected. I am glad I left myself that 1% margin of uncertainty.

Paul
From: jsp@uts.amdahl.com (James Preston)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: How do I know if it's beneficial to file jointly?
Date: 24 Jul 92 21:52:01 GMT
Reply-To: jsp@pls.amdahl.com
Distribution: na
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

ceng@mdd.comm.mot.com (Curtis Eng) writes:

}O.K. here's some questions for all you tax experts:

}I'm getting married on new year's eve at 5:00 p.m.  If I sign the marriage
}license on Dec. 31, does that mean we can file jointly on April 15, 1993?

If you are legally married on Dec. 31 at 11:59pm local time, then you MUST
file as a married couple, either jointly or married filing seperately.  You
do not have the option of filing as two single people.

}And if I can, would it help us out to file jointly if:

}a.  Our household income is about $70,000+.
}b.  I make more money than she does.
}c.  She is somewhat wealthy, and had to pay a lot because she has a lot of stocks
}    and investments and a house.
}d.  I will get a decent refund.

I'm not sure how she can be "somewhat wealthy" if your combined income is
$70,000.  You will probably pay more taxes filing as a married couple than
you would filing as two single people.  Take a look at a recently posted
article on this topic in this group that compares the two situations for
a number of income ranges.

--James Preston
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.travel.air
From: sethb@fid.morgan.com (Seth Breidbart)
Subject: Re: Airline Antitrust Litigation
Organization: my opinions only
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 02:04:49 GMT

I just got the form about the lawsuit.  I'll try to translate the
legalese into English.

You have a choice of three forms to file: A, B, or C.

A says you've taken at least one eligible trip.

B says you've taken at least 5 round trips or 10 one-way or
equivalent.

C says you've flown a lot.

Everybody gets a $100 voucher.  If you filed form A, that's it.  If
you filed form B, you get credited for $2500 spent.  If you filed form
C, you get credited for the actual amount spent.  The maximum you can
get is 10% of the amount credited.  You can get coupons either (i)
good only on Northwest or (ii) good on all the other airlines (your
choice, to the extent available).

Purchases must have been made 1/1/88 though 6/30/92.  The airlines
involved are American, Continental, Delta, Midway, Northwest, Pan Am,
TWA, United, and US Air.  Airports are Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston,
Charlotte, Chicago (O'Hare and Midway), Cincinnati, Cleveland, DFW,
Dayton, Denver, Detroit, Houston (IAH), Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los
Angeles, Memphis, Miami, Mpls/StPl, Nashville, Neward, New York (JFK
and LGA), Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Raleigh/Durham, St.
Louis, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Jose, Syracuse, and
Washington (National and Dulles).

If more than 2,689,840 people want in, they get less than $100 from
the Base Fund.  If fewer, the excess money goes to the Supplemental
Fund.  The Supplemental Fund will be distributed proportional to
amount spent, up to 10% of total spent.  If it's not all taken, the
excess goes to the base fund.

Certificates can only be used as part payment.

Multi-Airline Certificates	Northwest Certificates
Cert.	Min. Ticket		Cert.	Ticket
Amt	Price			Amt	Price
10	50			25	100-200
25	250			50	201-300
50	500			75	301-400
75	750			100	401-500
100	1000			125	501-750
125	1250			150	751-1000
150	1500			2000	1000+

(Yes, it looks like you can't use a $25 NW certificate on a $500
ticket.)

You get $100 in certificates that start immediately, and the rest half
start immediately, half in one year.  Certificates live for two years,
and the tickets you buy with them for one year after purchase.
Certificate denominations will not be over $25.

You get ff miles, but certificates can't be used with other special
deals.  Only you and family members can use them.  Certificates can't
be used with travel agents.  There are black-out dates.  You can only
use these certificates to buy tickets within the 48 states (you know
which ones I mean) unless you live in Hawaii or Alaska, in which case
you can also buy tickets to/from your home state.  You can only buy
round-trip tickets.

[The airlines aren't losing anything by this.  The price of the
certificate is almost covered by the travel agent commission that
they're not paying.]

Only the lawyers, and those plaintiffs who actually testified, will
get cash.

Seth		sethb@fid.morgan.com
From: czo84228@dcsc.dla.mil (Kevin L. Wright)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Tummysizer
Keywords: How good is it?
Date: 30 Jul 92 19:25:21 GMT
Organization: Defense Construction Supply Center, Columbus

Has anyone tried that "Tummysizer" as advertised on TV?  It seems almost
too simple to use to be very effective.

Any info will be appreciated.

Kevin
czo84228@dcsc.dla.mil
From: carl@Cayman.COM (Carl Heinzl)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: $$$ for middle class
Date: 21 Jul 92 11:43:35 GMT
Organization: Cayman Systems Inc., Cambridge, MA
In-reply-to: anon@no.where's message of 20 Jul 92 19:30:59 GMT
bcc: carl


>Middle class: single return under $110K
>              joint return  under $150K

>Any opinions?

Way too high.  A month or two ago there was a histogram of salary
ranges throughout the country (i.e. it included a LARGE sample).

Families with over 105k were in the TOP 5%.  I'd hardly call the top
5% middle class.  As I remember it, the median and the mean were BOTH
in the 30k range.  You've gotta remember when you're typing on that
computer that you probably have a job that pays WELL above the
national average.

I'd say the "middle class" would probably be the middle "third" of the
salary sample which would make the range from somewhere in the mid 20s
up to the 80's (which I had saved that article now).  Yea, I know,
that's a large range, but in some parts of the county you can live on
20k *almost* as good as you can on 80k in the expensive areas (perhaps
(?) better in some cases).

-Carl-
--
From: keith@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (John Keith)
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 00:22:57 GMT
Subject: Re: Can foreigners call US 800 toll-free?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA
Newsgroups: misc.consumers

> The real question is whether you can call an 800 number from abroad, period!


Canadian 800 numbers are not accessible in the US.
From: kettering@addvax.llnl.gov (Brett 'Volleyball Is My Game' Kettering)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Middle-class salary range
Date: 30 Jul 92 15:39:00 GMT
Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.40

In regard to

>Brady_David@Tandem.Com (David Brady) writes:
>: 
>: Thanks for backing me up on this.
>: 
>: Also, the first $25,000 (or so) of your income is taxed at one rate. 
>: Everything after that is taxed at a higher rate.	
>: 
>: A simple example (details left out!): I
>: 
>: f I make $30,000 and S.O. is making $20,000...
>: 
>: Single :  ($45,000 * lower rate) + ( $5,000 * higher rate) = much lower taxes
>: Married: ($25,000 * lower rate) + ($25,000 * higher rate) = much higher taxes

I don't know where you got your figures, but I don't believe that they are
correct.  A couple years back (and yes I know they go up every year) the limit
for a single person on the lower rate was ~17,000 while the limit for
married persons was ~29,000.  That would make your calculations look like this

Single : ( $34,000 * 15% ) + ( $16,000 * 28% ) = $ 9,580
Married: ( $29,000 * 15% ) + ( $21,000 * 28% ))= $10,230

Granted, it still comes out cheaper not to be married, but this assumes that
you are living together and sharing expenses, as most married couples do.
My friends that have lived/do live together did/do not take full advantage
of the shared expense situation, other than splitting the housing cost.  That
is they do not share meals, do laundry, etc. together all that often, like
most of my married friends do.  Again, these expenses are less than housing,
in most cases, but there is money to be saved here.  Note that I did say MOST
married couples and not ALL married couples.

Basically, the single scheme would come out cheaper with any "roommate"
situation.  I can't see saving a few dollars in income tax as an exclusive
reason for not getting married.  IMHO, you should really have other reasons
than that.

Just my $0.02 worth.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Brett M. Kettering
PaperNet: LLNL P.O. Box 808 L-437 Livermore, CA.  94551
InterNet: brettk@llnl.gov
TalkNet : (510) 423-3467
FaxNet  : (510) 423-4606

"No other success can compensate for failure in the home."
                   -- David O. McKay
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:14669 misc.misc:3063 soc.couples:3509 soc.singles:21422 soc.culture.asian.american:7308 soc.culture.hongkong:9387
From: nmrdb@vms.macc.wisc.edu (BEVERLY SEAVEY)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.misc,soc.couples,soc.singles,soc.culture.asian.american,soc.culture.hongkong
Subject: Re: Please help Craig
Date: 30 Jul 92 14:19:17 GMT
Organization: University of Wisconsin Academic Computing Center

In article <13818@auspex-gw.auspex.com>, johnf@Auspex.COM (John Fereira) writes...

>In article <1992Jul18.193834.18085@ncsu.edu> echyatt@eos.ncsu.edu (EDWARD CRAIG HYATT) writes:
>|>The
>|>young man in question went into
>|>remission about 20 years ago and
>|>his family has asked that no cards
>|>be sent.
> 
>I was in a mall yesterday and saw a woman that was wearing a "Make a Wish
>Foundation" T-shirt.  It looked like a new shirt.  Too bad I wasn't wearing
>my "Get a Clue" T-shirt.
> 
WHY? "Make a Wish Foundation" exists and is operating. My cousin's grandchild
was born with her intestines on the outside. Now at age 4, she is occasionally
allowed to eat crackers ( instead of being fed IV) and is allowed out of
the hospital on weekends. "Make a Wish Foundation" recently send the child,
the mother and a nurse to Disney World.
>+============================================================================++
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: colette@bwdls46.bnr.ca (Colette George)
Subject: Re: Misprinted Ad with great prices
Reply-To: colette@bwdls46.bnr.ca (Colette George)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research 
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 15:31:57 GMT

In article <1992Jul23.203422.7879@cbnewsl.cb.att.com>, stank@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (Stan Krieger) writes:
|> 
|> The foggiest issue is that of "typo's" in contests.  That is, the
|> store intended to issue a total of, say, 100 matching right halves,
|> but instead all BUT 100 of the game pieces have a matching right
|> half.  What's the typo; they look like they're printed OK with me?
|> -- 
About ten years ago my family participated in a contest run by the company
that makes Vachon cakes (they make Twinkie-like cakes and pastries).  The
game had a card with a number of little pictures on it - you had collect little
game pieces which corresponded to the pictures and cover the card.  Well, after
a couple of months, we actually found the last piece we needed and sent our
"winning" entry in.  I believe the prize was a TV, so needless to say my 
parents were happy and all 5 of their children were really excited (our TV
at the time needed to be replaced badly).

Anyway, about a week later we get a letter from Vachon saying "Sorry, but
your entry isn't valid.   We accidentally sent out two many 'winning game 
pieces', and you used one of the extra ones that shouldn't have been sent out.
Too bad."

Naturally my parents called, wrote letters and eventually spoke to one of the
company big shots, but they refused to give us the prize.  We didn't have the
money to hire a lawyer, so nothing more ever came of it. No one in my family
has purchased a Vachon product since then. 

-- 
===================================================================
Colette George 			
Bell-Northern Research Ltd. 	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Internet:  colette@bnr.ca 
===================================================================
From: jordan@IMSI.COM (Jordan Hayes)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Citibank bill dispute
Date: 24 Jul 92 20:31:02 GMT
Organization: Investment Management Services Inc., NYC

Ahmed Shabana <ashabana@agsm.ucla.edu> writes:

	When my wallet was stolen I received a new Citibank Mastercard
	14 HOURS after I reported it but it took another bank 18 DAYS
	to replace their Visa for.

Suprise!  You get what you pay for!

/jordan
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: kevin@milton.u.washington.edu (Kevin Caskey)
Subject: Re: Middle-class salary range
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 15:45:07 GMT

In article <1992Jul20.215518.21036@tandem.com> Brady_David@Tandem.Com (David Brady) writes:
>In article <1992Jul18.210203.2183@anomaly.sbs.risc.net>
>kd1hz@anomaly.sbs.risc.net (Michael P. Deignan (KD1HZ)) writes:
>>Brady_David@Tandem.Com (David Brady) whines:
>
>
<<<< lots of stuff deleted>>>>>
>>
>>>Also, to the person who mentioned that there should be NO interest deductions
>>>at all (rent/mortgage)....
>>
>>Which would be a good way to completely destroy the housing industry. Tax
>>breaks for interest deductions are one of the primary benefits a homeowner
>>gets. And, guess what the homeowner does with that additional tax break?
>
>Interest deductions would be the ONLY way I could afford a payment on a house. 
>Home improvements on tax breaks?  Won't work in my situation.

Lets try this one again. Interest deductions do very little. They would
be fine IF you were the only one receiving them but you're not. You AND every
one that is also interested in the same house has the deduction. This allows
everyone to afford to bid a bit more for the house. Net effect - the house sells
for more. Have you benefitted?  - NO. You save a bit on taxes and pay a higher
mortgage - Big Deal! The people who benefit are those  who profit when houses
sell for more.

BTW, I am not a republican But I am able to consider the impact on price
of a bidding war.

As a matter of fact, I can not find a moral justification for a tax break that
is larger the more money you have (assuming more money leads to more house).
>
>>That's right, puts it back into the local economy with home improvements.
>>Taking the incentive out of owning a home is one way to keep only those
>>who are wealthy and can afford to purchase investment property as the
>>primary holders of real estate.
>>
>
>Would you agree with a deduction on rent?  Yes - well good, thanks for the
>thought.  No, why?  It seem very reasonable to me.
>
The logic of this completely escapes me. Give a deduction to both would mean
give a deduction to everyone. Then to be revenue neutral we all just pay a 
higher rate on what is left after deductions. We can accomplish the same thing
more simply by not having a deduction for either. Think about it.

Kevin (not a republican) at U dub

>------------------
>
>I do want to thank, again, everyone who sent me positive suggestions and their
>experiences.  Thanks.
>
>


Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: stank@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (Stan Krieger)
Subject: Re: Misprinted Ad with great prices
Organization: Summit NJ
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 23 Jul 1992 20:34:22 GMT

>" ANY SHOE IN STOCK $5.00,  Limit 1, must present coupon,
>Expires 10/15/92."
>
>Well, Neveda Bob simply put a A-4 size poster in front of their door saying
>that this was a misprint, and they are not going to honor it.
>
>Please tell me if they are doing the right thing? Do I have something
>in my hand that I can nail them? I'm not going to raise havoc but am curious.
>Thanks.

A store in NOT responsible for typographical errors.  The legal issue
though is what constitutes a typographical error.  As a simple
example, suppose in paper A, a price of $19.95 is listed and in B
it's $199.95 (when both received the same ad copy); obviously it's
a typo in A.   But supposed both ads have it as $19.95; it gets a
little harder to claim it's a typo, as both papers obviously got
the same ad to place.  The store will claim it was a typo made
by their ad agency, but is that really a typo in that case?

Another issue is "unjust enrichment".  If the typo results in such
a clear gain for you and loss for the merchant, it's clearly
unenforceable.

The foggiest issue is that of "typo's" in contests.  That is, the
store intended to issue a total of, say, 100 matching right halves,
but instead all BUT 100 of the game pieces have a matching right
half.  What's the typo; they look like they're printed OK with me?
-- 
Stan Krieger                     All opinions, advice, or suggestions, even
AT&T UNIX System Laboratories    if related to my employment, are my own.
Summit, NJ
smk@usl.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house