HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
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: Tue, 29 Sep 1992 01:05:18 GMT

In article <1a7hlqINN60m@gershwin.crhc.uiuc.edu>, impact@crhc.uiuc.edu (Temporary Account for HP visitors) writes:
|> A family friends knows of someone who works at a wholesale/retail diamond
|> store in Chicago who showed a couple solitaire round cut (what do you call it,
|> the circular one with 52 cuts?) diamonds. He had a very nice one that was
|> considered one of the store's top diamond. He claimed it was a "russian"
|> cut diamond with classification VSS2, Color D, and was a .79 carot stone.
|> He said it was $3,299 and I believe it was suppose a wholesale price. Does
|> sound like a good price? I trust that this guy was selling us good diamonds
|> that had true ratings although who knows. I was thinking of maybe getting
|> a .6 to .65 carot stone. Give the price of a .79 stone, how much do you
|> think a .6 to .65 carot stone would be given the same clarity and color?
|> I've spent many hours looking at many diamonds at many stores and this seems
|> pretty good...

Sounds like the stone was rated as either VVS2 or VS2 (there is no VSS2).
D color is perfectly colorless.  .79 is a good sized stone, but certainly
not an investment sized stone.  All in all, this sounds like a very very
nice stone.  I would expect a retail stone of this size and quality
to be in the $3000 - $4200 range depending on where the store is and
whether it is independent, a chain, a discount store, etc.  Malls stores 
will be at the highest end. $3299 is on the lower end of the retail
range but by no means is it a "wholesale" price, no matter how you define
wholesale.  The highest "wholesale" price I'd want to pay for a stone
like that would be in the $2200 range, cheaper if I were buying a number
of stones at one time.  Really, wholesale prices are usually whatever
you can negotiate and volume give you a better position to negotiate.

It's really hard to give a hard and fast price for a smaller stone since
so much depends on where you buy it.  I would guess at a retail range of
$2500 - $3500.

As far as "true ratings", it is impossible to rate a diamond for color
by the naked eye.  The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) rates 
stones and certifies the accuracy of the rating.  You pay a premium
for this.  Otherwise, they guy selling you the stone can tell you
any rating he wants to and unless you can do a reasonable job of
rating it yourself, you are at his mercy since the rating is only an
opinion and you can't sue somebody for their opinion.
-- 

	Jim Burke	"Life is uncertain - eat dessert first!"
	Teknekron Software Systems		... burke@tss.com
  	phone:(415) 617-2432			... uunet!tekbspa!burke
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: brwelch@spock.NMSU.Edu (WELCH)
Subject: cd mailorder source?
Keywords: mailorder cd
Organization: New Mexico State University
Distribution: misc.consumers
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 18:27:46 GMT

I once had a catalog of cd's at decent prices from a place called 
Noteworthy Music.  Could anyone tell me their 800 number so I can get a 
catalog?  Or the number for any mail-order place that sells cd's at 
decent prices (if that exists :) )

Thanks for the help,

Bryan Welch

Xref: sparky misc.consumers:17480 alt.cable-tv.re-regulate:476 alt.censorship:7892
From: jsp@uts.amdahl.com (James Preston)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.cable-tv.re-regulate,alt.censorship
Subject: Re: Cable TV Consumer Protection Act of 1992
Date: 6 Oct 92 17:22:36 GMT
Reply-To: jsp@pls.amdahl.com
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

jack@myamiga.mixcom.com (Jack Decker) writes:

}In article <1992Oct2.022013.12344@fid.morgan.com> dated Fri, 2 Oct 1992
}02:20:13 GMT, sethb@fid.morgan.com (Seth Breidbart) wrote:

} >> Thus, in the case of TV, there may be unwilling
} >> victims... not necessarily folks who actually saw the program, but people
} >> who just happen to be in the wrong place when some guy decides he's had
} >> enough of just watching and wants to go out and emulate what he's seen.

} > And in the case of censorship, there are unwilling victims, not just
} > those who were prevented from watching the program, but those who were
} > attacked by the criminal who wasn't home watching tv instead of
} > committing rape and murder.

}This is one of the most ridiculous suppositions I've seen in a newsgroup, and
}I'm truly amazed that supposedly educated people would post such assertions.

That's interesting.  This is exactly how I felt about your original
"ridiculous supposition".  That you so blindly fail to see the obvious
similarity between what you believe and what you dismiss points out
the weakness of your position.

}When someone is willing to make a statement like this, you know that you could
}give them all the "proof" in the world and they wouldn't agree with you.
}You're already grasping at straws to defend your position.

As are you.

--James Preston

Newsgroups: misc.consumers,aus.general,alt.activism
From: reb@Ingres.COM (Phydeaux)
Subject: Re: Cellular phone advice wanted
Reply-To: reb@Ingres.COM (Phydeaux)
Organization: E 4th St Home For The Overeducated Underemployed - Chicago Div.
Distribution: usa
Date: 5 Oct 92 21:37:03 GMT

In article <1992Oct5.165003.4589@osf.org> ede@kadabra.osf.org (Ted Ede) writes:
>Well, in Boston, NYNEX is worse than CELL 1 for coverage and plans. 
>Both my mom & sister had them during the required period after purchase.

Does anyone have any opinions on  the relative merits  of the carriers
in the NYC/NJ area?
				reb
From: der@hpuerca.atl.hp.com (Dave Ritchie)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Damn those airlines!
Date: 29 Sep 92 16:13:04 GMT
Article-I.D.: hpuerca.BvCL1t.IKH
Organization: Hewlett-Packard NARC Atlanta

Evidently the Israeli airline handles it this way:

1. All bags are lined up on the tarmac.

2. The passenger retrieves his bags and gives them to the baggage 
handlers. The passenger then boards the plane.

3. Unclaimed baggage is left.

This is third hand info, of course..... I have not flow overseas.

-- Dave Ritchie
der@hpuerca.atl.hp.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: rl@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (roger.h.levy)
Subject: Re: DAK BSR CD ROM drive
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 12:40:40 GMT
Summary: compuadd for $169

In article <Bv7yp3.A31@oryx.com>, xcpbhf@huey (boyce h fullmer) writes:
> tkoppel@cassandra.cair.du.edu (Ted Koppel) writes:
> : 
> : The issue of DAK's catalog that arrived today (Late Fall '92 on the
> : cover) has an external CDROM drive advertised for $199.00.  It
> : acknowledges that this is slower (800msec versus 380msec).  It is also
> : described as caddyless, but nevertheless 'industrial strength'.  The
> : interface card is included, along with the cable.
> : 
> I have had one now for about 3 months.  It works great for my use.  It uses
> the same drive hardware as you would get from an audio CD player.  I use it
> 
I got a catalog from Compuadd advertising an internal Mitsumi drive for $169.
Can someone make a comparison?

R. Levy
From: eastwood@inline (David Eastwood)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: SONY
Date: 30 Sep 92 16:49:12 GMT

In article <4127@novavax.UUCP> vaccaro@novavax.UUCP (N. Trafford Vaccaro)  
writes:
> Just in case everyone forgot, SONY still stinks and keep that
> in mind when you go X-Mas shopping this year. I haven't
> forgotten the 65 dollars it cost me to fix their stupid rubber
> band in their tape player...the one that never worked to begin with.
> 
> 
> 
> NV

Obligatory rebuttal follows:

1) If the tape player never worked to begin with, why didn't you
just return it?

2) My Sony TV and CD player have both functioned perfectly for the
last 5 years.

I have no connection with Sony except as a satisfied customer. I'm
really not sure about why I'm even leaoing to their defence, but 
there's something about a sweeping generalization that sets me off.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
David Eastwood  ...I feel better than James Brown.....  Sybase, Inc.
eastwood@sybase.com                                     Emeryville, CA.
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:17191 aus.general:1712
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 01:40:28 GMT
Organization: Computer Services Centre, Australian National University
NNTP-Posting-Host: gurrung.anu.edu.au

In article <1992Sep26.032257.7085@mcnc.org> ajnash@mcnc.org (A.J.Nash) writes:
>In article <1992Sep25.132601.11295@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au daniel@yoyo.cc.
monash.edu.au (Daniel Bowen) writes:
>>
>>2. When newborn babies are given bottles, they are less able to suckle
>>well. This makes breastfeeding failure likely. The baby is then
>>dependent on artificial milk.
>
>
>I don't know where the data for this statement came from but any of the
>babies that I've seen would suck on any thing put in their little mouths,
>ie: Breast nipple, bottle nipple, finger,and etc.

I guess you don't have any children - that's where the data comes from. 
Sure, they suck, but they only get nutrition from the first two that you 
mention. If you had any familiarity with women and childbearing, you'd know 
it's not easy to start off breastfeeding.

>I'm not going to boycott the Nestle Company... I'm going to buy more of
>their products.

Don't worry, they're poisoning you too.

>       -----------------------------------------------------------------
>       **       TO LIVE FREE AND HAPPY... TO DIE A HERO'S DEATH       **

Is this directed at third world children, or the larger-than-life character 
you'd like to be?

--
Gary.Woodman@anu.edu.au         This post made from 100% recycled electrons.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: patb@meaddata.com (Pat Berry)
Subject: Whole House H20 filter
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 1992 13:49:42 GMT
Distribution: usa

Has anyone had any experience with the small whole house filters that are
installed just after your inside service?

I've seen a few small ones (OMNI brand) advertised from between $39 and $119
with replacement filters around $6. They are to clean sediment/rust or to 
clean and purify water, your choice, depending on the filter you buy. They
look like 3/4" line so it's made for the whole house, not just one outlet.

Are these filters really big enough to do the job for a family of 4? How about
purifying well water?

--
Pat Berry            |                     |DISCLAIMER: |
PO Box 933           |                     | I don't    |
Dayton, Oh 45401     |                     | speak for  |
patb@meaddata.com    |                     |   MDC      |
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: jeq@i88.isc.com (Jonathan E. Quist)
Subject: Re: REALLY STUPID QUESTIONS ON REFINANCING
Organization: INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation, Naperville, IL
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 1 Oct 1992 19:50:29 GMT

In article <BERNARD.92Oct1093818@sirius.gte.com> bernard@sirius.gte.com (Bernard Silver) writes:
>In article <1378@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM> lsnow@ncrclm.ClemsonSC.NCR.COM (Linda Snow) writes:
>   I've bought and sold several houses but I've never refinanced one and
>   I'm REALLY ignorant about how it works.  I know that if I do it I'll have
>   to deal with a bank or mortgage company and they can answer these
>   questions, but I'd like to at least get a vague idea before I start.
>
>   1. DO YOU NEED A CERTAIN EQUITY LEVEL TO REFINANCE?
>
>   Seems like I've heard mention that you do.  And if so, why?  If they were
>   willing to give me a 95% loan the first time, why not again?  Isn't this
>   process pretty much like selling your house and buying it back without 
>   moving out?
>
>Yes, different lenders will require different levels of equity.
>It's done for their protection in case you default.  You
>*may* find a lender willing to do 95%, but I think that that is a lot
>less common now.


But shop around, and ask questions.  The lender we're working with
only does refinancing up to 85% or current mortgage (whichever is greater),
but another branch of the same institution does home equity loans up to
100%.  So we refinance at the current pretty low rate, and pull out
what we need for remodeling at a slightly higher rate.


-- 
Jonathan E. Quist                              INTERACTIVE Systems Corporation
jeq@i88.isc.com  '71 CL450-K4 "Gleep", DoD #094        Naperville, IL
        There are many things a person should experience in a lifetime.
       Among them are an infant's first cry, and an infant's first laugh.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: bill@bilver.uucp (Bill Vermillion)
Subject: Re: Damark International
Organization: W. J. Vermillion - Winter Park, FL
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 17:08:48 GMT

In article <venable.167@faculty.coe.wvu.wvnet.edu> venable@faculty.coe.wvu.wvnet.edu (Wallace Venable) writes:
>In article <1992Oct3.200153.11470@sequent.com> debk@sequent.com (Deborah Stewart) writes:
>
>>Has anyone out there had any experience (good or bad) oredering
>>products from a company called Damark International out of
>>Minneapolis, MN? 

	Yes.  Fairly good.  
>>any comments welcome.
	READ the catalog description carefully, and check prices against 
>other sources.  Some stuff is used/reconditioned.  Some is closeout.  Some 
>is just "on sale."

I go along with this.    I have had good results, fast shipping.    I
also agree that you need to READ the descriptions and CHECK the prices.

An example - recently they had some Samyang lenses for 35mm SLRs on
sale.   Not discontinued, but pricing on the lenses varied.  Five
lenses in the ad.  The one I got was from $10 to $50 below the lowest
pricing available, while one of the other lenses in the same set was
about $100 - $125 HIGHER than typical pricing.

The Sharp portable DAT recorder/player at $500 was a great bargain -
and those are all gone now.  

It's like any discount place, you have to know your products and prices
- as some are higher than typical discount.   Don't assume that a
discount mail-order house has low prices.  That's like assuming Costco
or Sam's or any other membership type 'wholesale club' has great
prices.       I find that in some instances, depending on product, you
can pay more at the discount houses.    




-- 
Bill Vermillion - bill@bilver.oau.org  bill.vermillion@oau.org
                - bill@bilver.uucp 
                - ..!{peora|ge-dab|tous|tarpit}!bilver!bill
From: ppasquin@dcsc.dla.mil (Peggy Pasquinelly)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re:  Cable TV Consumer Protection Act of 1992
Date: 5 Oct 92 16:24:46 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Defense Construction Supply Center, Columbus


    I can't believe this thread.  It's worse than Amway!  This
    is just plain a censorship thread, with heavy religious
    and anti-religious overtones.

    Did any of you posters watch DINOSAURS on Friday, October 2?
    It should give _all_ of you food for thought.

    (Yeah, I know it's a network show; it's one of three network
    TV shows I watch! : ))

    If any of you did, maybe you've decided it's not worth the 
    trouble to bash each other on the net.  I have to admit, though,
    the bashing is entertaining reading.
-- 
  Peggy L. Pasquinelly (ppasquinelly@dcsc.dla.mil)
  DCSC-OPF (AV) 850-3881

  It's a dirty job and I have to do it.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: faiman@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Michael Faiman)
Subject: Re: 600% faster PC, fraud?
Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL
Distribution: na
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 00:42:20 GMT

rem@btr.btr.com (Robert E. Maas  rem@btr.com) writes:

>Yesterday/Today in the mail I received an advertisement from "Tiger
>Software", 800 Douglas Entrance, Executive Tower, 7th Floor, Coral
>Gables, Florida 33134. Among the various items for sale was "FAST" for
>$29.90, which claims "HOW TO INSTANTLY MAKE YOUR PC RUN UP TO 600%

							 ^^^^^
>FASTER! WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL HARDWARE! JUST SLIP IN THE DISKETTE!" I
>don't believe that claim can possibly be true. Is it a fraud?

"Up to" means precisely that.  I interpret that to mean anywhere from
0% to 600% faster, or even slower!

 -- Mike Faiman
From: ahill@boi.hp.com (Andy Hill)
Subject: Re: Damn those airlines!
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 19:59:45 GMT
Reply-To: ahill@boi.hp.com
Organization: LaserJets by Bill & Dave
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3

acheng@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Albert Cheng) writes:
> 
> 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.
> 
Not fun, but, at least on most European airlines, it WILL be done.  We're
pretty lax here in the states (not too many people trying to blow up domestic
flights lately), but the Europeans are (and have a right to be, based on past
experience) much more paranoid about airline security.
From: smorris@sumax.seattleu.edu (Steven A. Morris)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: How long for refund from HUD (lump sum MIP)
Date: 29 Sep 92 22:39:29 GMT
Article-I.D.: sumax.5255
Distribution: usa
Organization: Addiction Studies Program, Seattle University

I have just refinanced my house, and therefore paid off an FHA
mortgage that was originated in 1986.  At that time, I paid a lump sum
(up front) Mortgage Insurance Premium of over $3,000.  I have been
informed that a portion of this will be refunded by H.U.D.

My former mortgage company reported the payoff to H.U.D. and notified
me by letter that it takes about 60 days to be contacted by H.U.D. to
process the refund.  So far, I have not heard from them and it has
been over 60 days.

I am willing to contact them, but if this delay is routine, I am
willing to be patient as well... with all the refinances in the recent
months there must be a number of people in similar circumstances, HOW
LONG HAS IT TAKEN FOR OTHERS TO RECEIVE THIS REFUND?

Furthermore, does anyone know what percentage of the original MIP I
can expect?

(I also know that there were a number of different Mortgage Insurance
Programs with FHA, and that the refund terms are different for each --
mine was the LUMP SUM form of payment rather than the monthly, so I am
especially interested in others with the same program.)

Thanks.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.discrimination
From: joann@unixhub.SLAC.Stanford.EDU (Jo Ann Malina)
Subject: Re: Waldenbooks fires staff for refusing to sell racist book!
Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Distribution: usa
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 08:01:02 GMT

In article <1992Sep13.030257.8267@m.cs.uiuc.edu> kadie@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie) writes:
>dowdy@tochtli.biochem.nwu.edu (Dowdy Jackson) writes:
>
>[...]
>>While I see why these arguments have been made I still don't see why
>>so many people take offense to the idea of a boycott.
>[...]
>
>Because the purpose of the boycott is to get the bookstore to suppress
>material.

I've been "boycotting" Waldenbooks for years because they are a chain
that competes with real bookstores, the kind that consistently carry
hard to find and controversial material (controversial because they
contain real ideas, not because they contain stupid jokes). They get
price breaks from publishers because of the quantities of some titles
they purchase. With their puchasing power, they (and other chains) do
control what kind of books are published and receive wide distribution.
Nobody can force me to shop where I don't want to, although the kind
of monopolies chains aim for would in effect force me to shop at their
stores.

So nuts to Waldenbooks, whatever the outcome of this case. Long live
the independent book sellers, the ones who sell books because they
love them, not to jack up some mega-corporation's bottom line!

*) *) *) *) *) *) *) *) *) *) *)!(* (* (* (* (* (* (* (* (* (* (* (* (*
Jo Ann Malina, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Neither Stanford nor the DOE would be caught dead with these opinions.
Nor do they consult me when formulating theirs.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: albert@Sunburn.Stanford.EDU (Albert Peters)
Subject: Re: Looking for answering machine with long wait
Organization: Computer Science Department,  Stanford University.
Date: Mon, 5 Oct 1992 21:58:08 GMT

In article <1992Sep24.231608.26878@aus.intel.com> patti@hosehead.intel.com writes:
>I'm looking for an answering machine that can be set to wait for six
>or eight rings before it answers the phone.  All of the ones that I've
>seen have settings for two and four, and sometimes toll saver.
>
>Any leads would be greatly appreciated.

I have the top-of-the-line 2-line answering machine from Panasonic.  (I don't
have the model number handy but I can get it if you need it.)

Some of the features:
Number of rings before answering: 1,2,3,4,5,6, or 7
Number of lines: 2
Tapes: Two microcassettes
Outgoing messages: Each line has two stored at a time -- can alternate them
Security Code: Any THREE digits
Call Transfer: calls any number to let you know that you have a message
Voice: Time Stamp, Voice Menu, etc.
Built in phone:  Can use the numeric keypad to program various settings and
                 memories.


Some of the Disadvantages: 

Two different ways to control remotely.  Use one set of codes if you do it 
right away.  Use a different set of controls if the voice menu activates.
(Dumb design.)

The ring count specification has to be the same for both lines.

No "Priority Calling" feature (like some AT&T machines have -- unfortunately, 
                               AT&T only has two digit codes (easy to guess))

Uses cassettes -- Not digital.


Overall: I like it but I wish I could combine the best features of this 
         machine with some good features from a couple other machines.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,aus.general