HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: georgec@eng.umd.edu (George B. Clark)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: JUNK MAIL WITH BILLS
Date: 21 Dec 92 21:00:38 GMT
Organization: University of Maryland

In article <10494.2546.uupcb@factory.com> ray.normandeau@factory.com (Ray Normandeau) writes:
>
>If you should have to look at other stuff with you bill, they should
>look at other stuff with your check.

I would never do this with a creditor. There are better ways to vent
your frustration, like talking to someone at their customer-service
number.

Someone who dislikes your attitude might purposely discard your check.
Then on the next month's statement, you'd get an overdue penalty because 
your account is deliquent. Granted, it's not your fault, but it's going
to consume your uncompensated time to resolve the matter.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.legal,soc.misc,alt.conspiracy
From: casey@well.sf.ca.us (Kathleen Creighton)
Subject: Re: How does a PI locate somebody?
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 16:06:47 GMT


Close but no cigar, Dave.  That method *might* work for men, but not for
locating many adult (married) women.  Try again.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: timlee@netcom.com (Timothy J. Lee)
Subject: Interstate Bank/S&L Branching Re: Foreign ATM Fees
Followup-To: misc.consumers
Reply-To: timlee@netcom.com (Timothy J. Lee)
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 19:08:02 GMT

jordan@IMSI.COM (Jordan Hayes) writes:
|Timothy J. Lee <timlee@netcom.com> writes:
|
|	|Like Citibank (on Cirrus)!
|
|	Citibank in California DOES charge $1 or something for all
|	foreign ATM withdrawls.
|
|The non-NYC Citibanks are not "the same" as the NYC ones.  Recently I
|was unable to access all my accounts via a Citibank/CA ATM.  I called
|customer service (with the phone next to the ATM) and they said that as
|far as they were concerned, I was a "foreign" customer.  The ATM
|networks are linked like regular Cirrus, Plus, etc. -- but not like the
|branches locally.  They are treated (for now) as separate banks.
|
|Does anyone have the scoop on this?  For a while (since 1935?) banks
|were not allowed to operate in more than one state.  Citibank recently
|got some authority to operate in different states (California, Texas,
|Florida, to name a few) I think in exchange for buying some troubled
|S&Ls; is this going to eventually lead to a loosening of the original
|rules?

(Hmmm, that's strange, Citicorp itself is kind of troubled...)

I think it is still mostly true that banks don't cross state lines,
so Citibanks in different states are merely different banks owned
by Citicorp.  Federal savings and loan associations and federal
savings banks are allowed to have branches across states, I think.

Citibank in California is actually a federal savings bank, formerly
Citicorp Savings.  Nevertheless, I'd expect different banks and S&Ls
under the same holding company to follow similar policies except
where required by law (on the other hand, someone mentioned that
some BofA subsidiary in Washington had a good deal that doesn't
exist at BofA in California).  Maybe the New York one is better,
but the California one is definitely consumer unfriendly -- $6000
minimum balance to avoid checking account fees, and low deposit
interest as well.  Maybe banks in California are consumer unfriendly
in general...

-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Timothy J. Lee                                        timlee@netcom.com
No warranty of any kind is provided with this message.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,soc.culture.japan,sci.electronics,alt.sex,soc.culture.african.american,misc.education,misc.entrepreneurs
From: aki <aki@akidamme-233324.worldbank.org>
Subject: Re: DOES AMERICA SAY YES TO JAPAN? - Off track!!
X-Xxmessage-Id: <A75E61BDCC012631@akidamme-233324.worldbank.org>
X-Xxdate: Wed, 23 Dec 92 23:34:37 GMT
Organization: The World Bank
X-Useragent: Nuntius v1.1.1d11
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1992 23:37:13 GMT


WhaaaaooooOOOOoooooo!


You know, I'm really sick and tired of the American "Japan Bashing" 
that seems prevalent in America.  When are the stupid, ignorant,
self-rightous, self-centered, "we're better'n everybody else" attitude
of some self proclaimed "Americans" going to wake up and smell
the roses????  Christ almightly people, wake up, yes Japan has
made a bundle off of America, yes the U.S. car companies has taken
it in the shorts as well as the American electronics industry.  Did
you ever ask yourself why?  GREED.  "We wanna raise!, we'll go on
strike! wah wah wha!".   The American industrial machine has
for years depended on the stupidity of the American people to
continue to buy their inferior products without question for
"Moms apple pie".  Jeezus wake up, they could give a shit about
moms pie or anybody elses, they are there for the profits.  Look at
the textile and clothing industry, if they were so "patriotic" they
wouldn't be moving their factories overseas or across the border.

Listen, you ignorant patriotic morons, they could care less if you
are out of a job, they just want to make as much money as they
can, it's the American way.  So the germans, japanese and everybody
else wants to ride on the same bandwagon, kick them off and you
have just eliminated the competition, and guess where we'll end
up?  Right back where we started from, inferior products and outrageously
inflated prices that nobody by a "dumb" 'merican will buy.

We have GOT to quit blaming everyone else for our problems, plain and 
simple.  We haven't corrected our economic problems because we
haven't identified it as being OUR problem and not generated by
somebody else.  Go ahead blame everyone else, if the "American"
companies go out of business, they have no one to blame but
themselves...

There, I said it..I feel much better...;-)...



-Aki
The Worldbank Wash. D.C.
E-mail: aki@akidamme-233324.worldbank.org
(202)458-1112
DoD 0628
PBA 2294
*************************************
"How come the best bowling ball for
me is always the one I don't own?"
*************************************
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,sci.electronics
From: wrb@cbnews.cb.att.com (wallace.r.blackburn)
Subject: Re: DOES AMERICA SAY YES TO JAPAN? - Off track!!
Organization: AT&T
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 15:21:19 GMT

In article <NEWMAN.92Dec21083218@astro.schbbs> newman@astro.schbbs (Alan Newman) writes:
>In article <1992Dec18.205739.11193@doug.cae.wisc.edu> kolstad@cae.wisc.edu (Joel Kolstad) writes:
>>
>>...
>>                                                 There is simply no American
>>   competition in some products that I really like; for instance, some
>>   Japanese made products that I could NOT buy "Made in the U.S.A." even if I
>>   wanted to: 
>>...
>>              my Panasonic KXT-4000 cordless phone, 
>>...
>>
>>						   ---Joel Kolstad
>
>I suggest you check out a product my employer sells, the Motorola Cordless
>Phone.  I had a KXT-4000 before the Motorola product came out, and then 
>bought the Motorola phone.  At about the same price, it has many more 
>significant features (such as channel autoscan, base-handset scrambling,
>battery backup in the base for complete operation during power outages, 
>lighted buttons, a mute that really works, ...), significantly better 
>durability, better performance (sound quality and range), pocket size 
>(larger than the KXT-4000, but hand and shoulder holdable, as opposed to 
>an awkward thumb and finger tip holdable for the KXT-4000), and it is US 
>designed and built.
>
>(On the down side, the Motorola phone requires handset recharding in the base,
>but not very often, and I can't button close my shirt pocket when the
>phone is in it as I could with the KXT-4000.)
>
>Alan Newman
>
>Disclaimer:  My biased opinion expressed above probably is shared by my
>employer!!

I could also throw in a pitch for my company's products:  AT&T's 5500
series of cordless phones are great products.  Check out the most recent
report on cordless phones in Consumer Reports.

Alas.  While they are designed in U.S., I believe they are made offshore
(Singapore I think).

I would also like to say (for no real reason) that I really respect
Motorola.  They are a wonderful example of a company that competes
successfully in spite of unfair barriers and restrictions.  I remember an
article where one of the executives told how they had to "hide" long-term
R&D investment from the eyes of Wall Street.  This was to prevent beating
up on the stock by the jerks who don't like money spent on things that
won't make a profit by next quarter.  Sigh.  Is it any wonder we're in the
shape we're in?



			Wally Blackburn AA8DX
From: lstowell@pyrnova.mis.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Levi Strauss DEFUNDS Boy Scouts
Date: 31 Dec 92 21:55:29 GMT
Reply-To: lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
Distribution: na
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corporation

In article <1992Dec30.165316.24278@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com> tattersall_derek@macmail1.rtsg.mot.com writes:
>>
>I purchase their products because I like them. I also approve of defunding the
>BSA. Maybe they should be defenestrated as well.


   Naw, you might hit an innocent bystander with the broken glass...
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: kolstad@cae.wisc.edu (Joel Kolstad)
Subject: Re: Interplak vs. Braun
Organization: U of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering
Date: 28 Dec 92 10:31:24 CST

In article <34652@rnd.GBA.NYU.EDU> jcao@rnd.GBA.NYU.EDU (Jingbin Cao) writes:
>
>Perhaps I did not make myself clear in my post. What I was and am
>concerned about is the induction charging method used by Braun. The
>field must be very strong in order to have the battery charged, right?

It certainly has to be _stronger_ than that needed by a charger that used
metal contacts, but it's very hard to say just how much stronger without
knowing exactly how the device is constructed.

If they use 60Hz for charging, it'll be _very_ inefficient.  If they use
higher frequencies (which requires more expensive circuitry), it could be
very efficient.  As an example, here at U. of W. there are some people
working on induction charging techniques for battery powered cars.  They
use high frequency fields and are quite concerned with the materials and
geometry of their charging "wand".  I believe they claim that their
chargers are something like 98% as efficient as standard transformers.
(Meaning that 2% of the flux is lost through the air, as compared to
standard transformers.)

>Any expert opinion would be appreciated. But no joke please. Thanks in
>advance. In any case, I wouldn't mind using a hair dryer, but will not
>use a electric blanket. I just don't want that thing so close to me
>for a long time. Besides, it's a waste of energy.

Although depending on just _how_ wasteful it is, I might not care.
Certainly in the case of cars, a 2% reduction in efficiency is much more
than made up for in the added safety gained by contactless charging.
(Little kids being fried by 400V 10A contacts is not a pretty thought...)

Likewise for toothbrushes, an induction charging system might lead to a
significantly longer life for the appliance.

						---Joel Kolstad
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:21402 misc.legal:21958 soc.misc:1096 alt.conspiracy:13629
From: rrw@sunset.cse.nau.edu (Bob Wier)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.legal,soc.misc,alt.conspiracy
Subject: Re: How does a PI locate somebody?
Date: 2 Jan 93 18:13:38 GMT
Followup-To: misc.consumers
Distribution: usa
Originator: rrw@sunset.cse.nau.edu

From article <C08I3B.G2o@well.sf.ca.us>, by casey@well.sf.ca.us (Kathleen Creighton):
> 
> Close but no cigar, Dave.  That method *might* work for men, but not for
> locating many adult (married) women.  Try again.

  At one time I investigated investigating :-)  This was for one of those
  "track down the missing heir type businesses".  I had noted that in 
  Texas bank accounts which went dormant were just listed in the newspaper
  about once a year - and that was all the banks did to try to locate
  someone before the funds were turned over to the state.

  Anyway, it appeared the easiest way to trace someone (ESPECIALLY if you
  have their ssn - which is the reason I don't give it to anybody who
  doesn't have a valid reason to know it) is to join a credit reporting
  service (TRW, etc).  I called the major agencies, and they said that
  I had to have a signed form giving me permission to get someone's 
  credit report, but it seemed very laxly enforced (at least 5 years 
  ago when I looked at this).  I got the distinct impression that if
  I told 'em over the phone I had a release form, they'd send out a 
  credit report post haste...Since I never followed up on it, I 
  don't know what the situation would be at this point...

- Bob Wier

  ---------- insert favorite standard disclaimers here ----------
                   College of Engineering
      Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff Arizona
  Internet: rrw@naucse.cse.nau.edu | WB5KXH | fax:602 523 2300
From: jordan@IMSI.COM (Jordan Hayes)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Foreign ATM Fees
Date: 2 Jan 93 16:31:43 GMT
Organization: Investment Management Services Inc., NYC

Timothy J. Lee <timlee@netcom.com> writes:

	|Like Citibank (on Cirrus)!

	Citibank in California DOES charge $1 or something for all
	foreign ATM withdrawls.

The non-NYC Citibanks are not "the same" as the NYC ones.  Recently I
was unable to access all my accounts via a Citibank/CA ATM.  I called
customer service (with the phone next to the ATM) and they said that as
far as they were concerned, I was a "foreign" customer.  The ATM
networks are linked like regular Cirrus, Plus, etc. -- but not like the
branches locally.  They are treated (for now) as separate banks.

Does anyone have the scoop on this?  For a while (since 1935?) banks
were not allowed to operate in more than one state.  Citibank recently
got some authority to operate in different states (California, Texas,
Florida, to name a few) I think in exchange for buying some troubled
S&Ls; is this going to eventually lead to a loosening of the original
rules?

/jordan
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: chiu@gpb-mac.sps.mot.com (Norman Chiu)
Subject: Re: Sony Equipment (was Re: CD walkmans)
Followup-To: misc.consumers
Organization: Motorola Inc.
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 16:30:15 GMT

In article <1huc97INNnv1@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu>,
lcc@po.CWRU.Edu (Lih C. Chen) wrote:
 
> Following this train of thought, I have a question for you technical
> folx out there:  Is it implied, then, that playing 2-3 hours of music,
> even when you have to go through 2 or 4 CDs to do that, at regular
> room temperature is bad for your current CD player?

My friend has a Kenwood CD player and he usually uses the "repeat entire
disc"
mode so the CD just keeps on playing for background music.  One night he
forgot to turn the player off before he went to bed, so the player was
playing the same CD overnight for 12 hours straight!

Next morning he found that the player was still playing the same CD without
any problems.  But when he removed the CD, it was REALLY warm.

I guess some CD players are better, and can take more abuse than the
others.

   /|   /  chiu@gpb-mac.sps.mot.com  | Norman Chiu - Motorola Inc.
  / |  / ___________________________ | "We never gonna survive
 /  | / /  / /__/  /\/\   /_\   /| / |  unless we get a little
/   |/ /__/ /   \ /    \ /   \ / |/  |  crazy"       - Seal
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.misc,comp.sys.mac.comm,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.ibm.pc
From: woan@exeter.austin.ibm.com (Ronald S. Woan)
Subject:  PRODIGY New and improved STILL SUCKS, HORRIBLE as before
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 05:31:40 GMT
Distribution: na
Reply-To: woan@cactus.org
Organization: Austin School of Hardknocks

In article <1CE00001.lagbd6@tbomb.ice.com> time@ice.com (Tim Endres) writes:
>Why one would need these services when they have access to the Internet
>perplexes me. I have not logged into CompuServe since 1985, and hope
>I never do again. Of course, I would never touch Prodigy. Compared
>to the Internet, both of these seem unnecessarily large expenses.

Since I am active on Usenet, Prodigy, and Compuserve, I fel compelled
to respond. Compuserve and Prodigy both provide access to almost real
time (15 minute delay) stock quotes, company news, decent news wires,
and market updates for a reasonable price when compared to using the
DJNRS.  Compuserve is particularly good for product support from
almost all major software vendors whether it be for business programs
or even games.

Prodigy at 9600 bps is excellent for just interacting with a broad
range of people. It is particularly nice for families with children
(especially those that have kids in college as they have multiple free
logins for immediate family members) and its interface is still far
easier to navigate for novices than CIM with Compuserve. Good
entertainment sections, political news coverage with full text of
major speeches, etc...

I don't think I have to mention the strong points of Usenet but to
mention worldwide access, millions of users, and freedom.

I think each service and others have their benefits.


-- 
+-----All Views Expressed Are My Own And Are Not Necessarily Shared By------+
+------------------------------My Employer----------------------------------+
+ Ronald S. Woan                       woan@cactus.org or woan@vnet.ibm.com +
+ other email addresses             Prodigy: XTCR74A Compuserve: 73530,2537 +
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:21094 soc.culture.japan:12751 sci.electronics:21394 alt.sex:40138 soc.culture.african.american:13195 misc.education:5505 misc.entrepreneurs:3715
From: blamb@hri.com (Bill Lambert)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,soc.culture.japan,sci.electronics,alt.sex,soc.culture.african.american,misc.education,misc.entrepreneurs
Subject: Re: America Doesn't have a Clue (was Say Yes to Japan)
Date: 22 Dec 92 19:05:14 GMT
Followup-To: misc.consumers
Organization: Horizon Research, Inc.

In article <thomasd.43.724959919@tps.COM>, thomasd@tps.COM 
(Thomas W. Day) writes:

<stuff omitted>

=> This seems to depend heavily on the "truth and justice will win out" 
=> theory.  Their "hiring and firing practices" could also be a great source of 
=> strength.  They don't have to deal with multicultural differences, 
=> multilingual language barriers, or minority discrimination problems.  They 
=> can concentrate on the goal: world manufacturing and economic dominance.  

Japanese business is aggressive and effective, it's true.
However, the goals as stated above are not their goals
in any more of a sense than they are the goals of the US.
The goals of Japanese business and their partnership
with government and each other is to establish these
economic targets as a means of securing their national
defense. When there are few other options available to
them in the 'traditional' sense of establishing a
national defense policy, and an autonomous sphere of
influence even within their own geographical area, then
I don't see their view can be considered a fault any
more than we would consider the military actions and
political moves the US has made in the last 50 years
to be totally immoral or unfair.

It's the same attitude in a different domain, and the
only domain in which the world at large would allow them to 
play in. That they have done well at it without effective
political or military influence is a testimony to their 
efforts. Had we put the same energy in to the same sorts
of endeavor as they, instead of into the military and political
spheres, it might be a different story in the economic arena.

But... weeze paid our money and mades our choices.

- Bill Lambert
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: kolstad@cae.wisc.edu (Joel Kolstad)
Subject: Re: Tell me about electric blankets
Organization: U of Wisconsin-Madison College of Engineering
Distribution: na
Date: 27 Dec 92 13:54:56 CST

In article <1992Dec27.075120.19624@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
>kolstad@cae.wisc.edu (Joel Kolstad) writes:
>: In article <1992Dec26.092731.3215@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
>: 
>: Bill, Bill, Bill... DC DC DC!  Not pulsating DC, ok?  When you go buy a "DC
>: power supply" for your computer, it doesn't pulsate, now does it?
>
>That was not specified. In other threads on this subject, people have sworn
>that rectifying the power to dc would change it to a "non-hazardous" form.
>Now, if you want to talk about ripple free DC, then specify that is what you
>are talking about. Otherwise, I have to assume that any type of dc is valid.

Argggh!  Ok, fine.  I think we've found the root of our little disagreement
here.  I really do hope that most people interpret "DC" to mean "stuff that
comes out of a battery" and not "stuff that comes out of a rectifier".

(These people are fools, these people are fools... heh heh...)

>Actually, the dc in your computer does pulsate - although not very much,
>unless you are running it near the limit of its power handling capabilities.

Yesss... But back to blankets, having, say, 5V of ripple on 177V DC is
going to produce a proportionatly smaller field that plain old 120V AC.

					---Joel Kolstad
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,sci.electronics,soc.culture.japan,misc.education,misc.entrepreneurs
From: neil.black@uttsbbs.uucp (Neil Black) 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: CAT PAWS
Date: 24 Dec 92 22:37:00 GMT
Distribution: world
Organization: The Transfer Station BBS, Danville, CA - 510-837-4610/837-5591
Reply-To: neil.black@uttsbbs.uucp (Neil Black) 

-> Newsgroups: alt.privacy,misc.consumers
-> From: n36c@pnet16.cts.com (Rm1 Straight)
-> Subject: Cat Paws
-> Date: Thu, 24 Dec 1992 19:56:03 GMT
-> Message-ID: <1992Dec24.195603.12384@nctams1.uucp>
->
-> I was just wondering if there is anyway I can keep cats from lounging
-> on my car. Yes I live in Hawaii, but the area where I live (Wahiawa)
-> is in the middle of a rain forest, henceforth, RAIN. The cats crawl
-> on mine and others cars and leave paw prints all over the hood, roof
-> etc...I'm just looking for an effective way to keep them away without
-> having to kill them. No, I would never do that, but I get tempted
-> sometimes. Please no flames, Hawaii is nice but the sooner I
-> transfer, the better. I now have a blue car but by the time I leave,
-> it'll probably be red (stained from the dirt). Thank you and have a
-> Happy Holiday season!
->                                                 Str8
-> Navy Special Communications. Is there anything else?


You might try waxing your car VERY thououghly.  If the cat has claws,
they will slip off of the car.  I know my cat does, and it won't get on
the car after it's been waxed (of course, it always finds out the hard
way).  That should do it.  Plus, you get a better looking car, and with
all of the rain there, it will help preserve the paintjob.