HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: richb@kronos.com (Rich Braun)
Subject: Re: NE Zoos
Date: Tue, 08 Sep 1992 17:16:39 GMT
Organization: Kronos Inc. / Waltham, MA
Disclaimer: This posting is a personal opinion and not that of Kronos Inc.

boaz@lcs.mit.edu writes:
>There is the Franklin zoo in Boston ! ...
> Entrance fee is a bargain ($5, but only $2.50 with student ID).

Even more of a bargain is their Sunday morning free admission.  If
you show up between 10-11am, you get in free.  Alas, the last time I
went there, I didn't know this ahead of time and showed up at 11:16am
on a Sunday.

There's also a free-admission interval on a weekday morning.  Calling
them in advance didn't seem to do much good, because all you get is
an answering machine which doesn't mention free admission.

There was an interesting letter to the editor in the _Globe_ this weekend,
from a nearby resident.  He was complaining that the admission fee is
too high for local residents--true enough, it's an impoverished area--
and suggesting that any government subsidies going to the zoo might be
better spent on other things provided free to all taxpayers.

The Stone Zoo was cut off from government funding a while back, and was
reopened using private contributions.  It wouldn't surprise me if the
Franklin Park Zoo has also been privatized, but I'm not sure.

Zoos have unfortunately fallen into a precarious position within the
public consciousness: animal rights activists want them shut down,
taxpayers want free admission if they're publicly funded, biologists
desperately need them as research facilities, and the public doesn't
care much or visit them as much as they used to.

-rich
Newsgroups: ne.general
From: rdonahue@spdcc.com (Bob Donahue)
Subject: Re: Lotus as a public charity
Keywords: zoning,public.policy,taxes,subsidy
Organization: insert anything here
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 1992 16:36:22 GMT

In article <Bu8nF3.An4@world.std.com> geer@world.std.com (Dan Geer) writes:
>My name is Dan Geer, and I am the Co-Chair of the coalition of all
>neighborhood associations in Cambridge, Mass.  I am soliciting your
>thoughtful commentary on Lotus Development Corp.
>
>The occasion is that Lotus is engaged in the the modern kind of
>corporate blackmail - "Give us a huge whopping tax break or we'll move
>out of town".  

	Um, where's the blackmail?

	That's their offer.  You can either accept or not.  They 
can either back down or not.  If they leave, you save the tax
break, but lose them to another community.  They will have to spend
$$$ to relocate, but will have a situation more to their liking.

	Lotus can make whatever demands they want - reasonable or
unreasonable.  You don't have to accept them, but you can't "make"
them do anything.  IfI tell my landlord "I want a $200/month decrease
in rent next year or I'm leaving", and he says "OK - go", then
he's either called my bluff or I have to look for another place to live.
On the other hand if the place next door is just as nice and is $200
cheaper, it *is* my perrogative to move.  Similarly, if Lotus finds
a community willing to do whatever they ask, it *is* their perrogative
to leave Cambridge.

	Sounds to me like you're whining about something that 
isn't completely under your control.  They've made their offer,
you have to decide which is more important: having Lotus in Cambridge,
or putting up with not having Lotus in Cambridge.  So, stop 
whining, weigh the issues, make the decision, stand by it, and
accept the consequences like adults.

BBC
From: limey@hri.com (Craig Hughes)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: Anyone else get this from BayBank?
Date: 9 Sep 92 17:50:25 GMT
Reply-To: limey@hri.com
Organization: Horizon Research, Inc.

In article <1992Sep9.131703.8759@ryn.mro4.dec.com>, shapiro@trade.enet.dec.com (Steve Shapiro) writes:
|> 
|> I suggest:
|> 
|> Get the card to avoid the charges, and when it arrives, cut it into small
|> pieces. When or if you need the reserve $$, just go to the bank, tell them you
|> lost the card and have them give it as a cash advance.
|> 

Danger Will Robinson!  I wouldn't do that without checking with the bank
first; the debit card is also your regular ATM card, and they may
disable the old card after you get the new one. I cut up my _old_ one
when I got the debit card (by choice; I got it a long time ago when
there wasn't this fine "incentive" ;) ) as the bank told me the new
card was dual purpose. 


--craig


================================================================================
| Horizon Research, Inc.		E-MAIL:   limey@hri.com
| 1432 Main Street			PHONE:	  (617) 466-8300
| Waltham, MA 02154			FAX:	  (617) 466-8323
================================================================================
Newsgroups: ne.general
From: spike@coke.std.com (Joe Ilacqua)
Subject: Re: Privacy and POS (Re: Speaking of ATMs)
Organization: Software Tool & Die
	<1992Sep14.182016.15586@husc3.harvard.edu>
Distribution: ne
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 17:04:26 GMT

In the referenced article chandoni@husc8.harvard.edu (John-Marc Chandonia) writes:
<Aha, but do you regularly get money out of that ATM that's right
<next to Martin's Liquors?  How about the one across the street from
<Toys R Us?  If you're really concerned about privacy, you'd have to
<use the machines right in the bank itself.

	And never charge anything or pay for anything with a check.
In fact, just cash you pay check when you get it.  The is too much
information in the rate and size of you ATM transactions.  I'm sure at
least someone could figure how often you eat in vs out.

->Spike
--
The Truly K00L don't have signatures.
From: levin@bbn.com (Joel B Levin)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: Privacy and POS (Re: Speaking of ATMs)
Date: 11 Sep 1992 19:16:41 GMT
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA
Distribution: ne
NNTP-Posting-Host: bbn.com

kenny@osf.org (Kenneth Crudup) writes:
|>I still don't understand what the harm is. What can they do with such useless
|>information? It's not something relevant like how much money I've got in my
|>bank/investment accounts, for example.

Wait till they can break this down into what magazines and newspapers
you buy.  Wait till political organizations learn they can obtain this
information.  Wait till one of these parties is in power and the
government decides it can use this information.  And so on.

No thanks.

	/JBL
Newsgroups: ne.general
From: dbrooks@osf.org (David Brooks)
Subject: Re: BayBank
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Distribution: ne
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 18:51:50 GMT

dfoley@testament.bbn.com (Dennis Foley ) writes:
|> I'm switching to our credit union.  With direct deposit, there 
|> is free and unlimited use of Express-24, Cirrus, etc., machines.

No, don't!  If too many people leave the banks and switch to Direct,
they'll realize they've got a nice captive audience and start playing the
same games, and make life more difficult for *me*... (why is it that when I
find something good, everybody else notices and joins in).

(does this nees a :-)?)
-- 
David Brooks					dbrooks@osf.org
Open Software Foundation			uunet!osf.org!dbrooks
134 more days of Bush Presidency!
Newsgroups: ne.general
From: shapiro@trade.enet.dec.com (Steve Shapiro)
Subject: Re: Anyone else get this from BayBank?
Organisation: SKS Computer Consulting, Inc.
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation - Marlboro, MA
Date:  8 SEP 92 13:26:03 EST


In article <PSHUANG.92Sep4204536@beeblebrox.mit.edu>, pshuang@athena.mit.edu
(Ping-Shun Huang) writes...

>If you don't
>trust Xpress checking, and never use Reserve Credit anyway, then cancel
>it.... why should you care if the bank starts charging for a "service"
>which you do not make use of anyway?

Let me see if I understand this correctly:

If you have reserve credit, but no card, it will cost you an extra $10.

If you have reserve credit, and a card, there is no extra charge.

There are worries about a lost or stolen card.

The card may never be used.

I suggest:

Get the card to avoid the charges, and when it arrives, cut it into small
pieces. When or if you need the reserve $$, just go to the bank, tell them you
lost the card and have them give it as a cash advance.

Regards,
Steve.

/*********************************************************************
*                               *                                    *
* Steve Shapiro                 * All views and opinions expressed   *
* SKS Computer Consulting, Inc. * are my own and do not neccessarily *
* Specializing in: HP/SUN/UNIX  * reflect those of my clients,       *
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From: gordon@lugh.think.com (gordon linoff)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Debit Cards and confidentiality
Date: 9 Sep 92 14:01:50
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
Distribution: ne
NNTP-Posting-Host: lugh.think.com


There's been a lot of discussion about the Baybanks debit
card recently.

One reason why banks like debit cards (as opposed to just
ATM cards) is that they can accumulate information about
your buying habits.  I'm wondering if Baybanks has a
commitment protecting the confidentiality of purchases made
on debit cards.

If you have a debit card from Baybanks, have you received
unsolicited marketing requests (by mail or telephone) based
on your purchases on that card?

Incidently, collecting (and using) such marketing
information is standard for most credit cards, so I'd be
surprised if Baybanks didn't use it on the debit cards.  I'm
curious if they sell this information to other
organizations.

--gordon
Gordon Linoff  Thinking Machines Corp. Cambridge, MA 02142   617-234-2070
Internet: gordon@think.com  uucp: {mit-eddie, uunet}!think!gordon
From: dlukas@fenway.bu.edu (David Lukas)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: Anyone else get this from BayBank?
Date: 11 Sep 92 14:42:41 GMT
Reply-To: dlukas@fenway.bu.edu (David Lukas)
Organization: Boston University

In article <1992Sep11.045739.6224@random.ccs.northeastern.edu>, alansar@ccs.northeastern.edu (Mohammad Al-Ansari) writes:
|> In article <PSHUANG.92Sep4204536@beeblebrox.mit.edu> pshuang@athena.mit.edu (Ping-Shun Huang) writes:
|> >I agree that many people, if it were not for the fact that BayBank
|> >machines are *EVERYWHERE*, would probably use some other bank. But I see
|> 
|> Yes, there are machines baring signs saying BAYBANK everywhere, but you get
|> charged (or at least I do) $0.75 for using many of them! Since I knew that
|> last month, I've been considering switching banks since this was the main
|> reason I chose BayBank.
|> 
|> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|> Mohammad Al-Ansari                      | alansar@damon.ccs.northeastern.edu
|> College of Computer Science             | alansar@gnu.ai.mit.edu
|> Northeastern University                 | BITNET: alansar@NUHUB

Some banks and credit unions offer you a limited number (sometimes even an
unlimited number) of network ATM transactions.  That means that at the
BayBank Xpress Cash machines, Baybank charges their own customers a fee
(which depends on your account type) while certain customers of other
institutions (including my wife and I) regularly use them for free...

David
From: alansar@ccs.northeastern.edu (Mohammad Al-Ansari)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: Anyone else get this from BayBank?
Date: 11 Sep 92 04:57:39 GMT
Organization: Comp. Sci. @ NU

In article <PSHUANG.92Sep4204536@beeblebrox.mit.edu> pshuang@athena.mit.edu (Ping-Shun Huang) writes:
>I agree that many people, if it were not for the fact that BayBank
>machines are *EVERYWHERE*, would probably use some other bank. But I see

Yes, there are machines baring signs saying BAYBANK everywhere, but you get
charged (or at least I do) $0.75 for using many of them! Since I knew that
last month, I've been considering switching banks since this was the main
reason I chose BayBank.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mohammad Al-Ansari                      | alansar@damon.ccs.northeastern.edu
College of Computer Science             | alansar@gnu.ai.mit.edu
Northeastern University                 | BITNET: alansar@NUHUB
From: kvk@questor.sw.stratus.com (Ken Koellner)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: Anyone else get this from BayBank?
Date: 8 Sep 92 16:09:14 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Software Engineering

In article <6173@transfer.stratus.com> savoia@sw.stratus.com (Rick Savoia) writes:
>
>
>I got a letter in the mail the yesterday that just
>had to make me laugh.  Apparently, they are now
>putting a $10 fee on all checking accounts that 
>have Reserve credit.  .... I was informed that the fee would
>be waived if I got the BayBank Express-Check card......

yea, I got the letter.  I have Reserve Credit and use
it once in a while the play-the-float.  I might write
checks a few hundred over and then put the money in
a day later when I got paid.

I intend to keep reserve credit.  I will probably not use the
Express-Check card.  I imaging that it will not be a different card
than the ATM card.  If it were, I`d just throw it away (destroying
-- 
An amazing insight may have paid you a fleeting visit and then retreated.
Resist the temptation to chase it; it is faster than you are.  Value your
glimpse of it, and invite it to return some other time.      -John Bitmap
Newsgroups: ne.general
From: ede@kadabra.osf.org (Ted Ede)
Subject: Two type of baybank machines: was: Anyone else get this from BayBank?
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 14:13:45 GMT

In article <1992Sep11.045739.6224@random.ccs.northeastern.edu> alansar@ccs.northeastern.edu (Mohammad Al-Ansari) writes:
>Yes, there are machines baring signs saying BAYBANK everywhere, but you get
>charged (or at least I do) $0.75 for using many of them! Since I knew that
>last month, I've been considering switching banks since this was the main
>reason I chose BayBank.

They are the "Express Cash" machines. Generally found in supermarkets.
They can usually be identified easily by the absence of a deposit door
and a bin that cash spits into.

I agree with you, baybank keeps the annoyance factor a just the level
to be aggravating.  

   Ted Ede -- ted@world.std.com -- on contract at the Open Software Foundation
      -- All views expressed are mine unless explicitly stated otherwise --
	           -- This line intentionally left blank  --

Newsgroups: ne.general
From: dlw@odi.com (Dan Weinreb)
Subject: Re: Anyone else get this from BayBank?
Reply-To: dlw@odi.com
Organization: Object Design, Inc.
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 92 15:57:41 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.174119.66591@kronos.com> richb@kronos.com (Rich Braun) writes:

						   Who needs all this
   "service" the banking industry offers?

Me, for one.  The ATM is a tremendous improvement and convenience.
It's easily worth the $0.35 service charge (yes, I take out large
amounts at a time too) for the time it saves me.
Newsgroups: ne.general
From: kenny@osf.org (Kenneth Crudup)
Subject: Re: Privacy and POS (Re: Speaking of ATMs)
Organization: Open Software Foundation
Distribution: ne
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 21:47:48 GMT

In article <1992Sep10.181710.21969@osf.org>, I wrote:
>Now, thanks to technology, the NSA as well as the National Direct Marketing
>Board knows I buy a lot of frozen dinners, pink grapefruit juice, and Heineken
>Dark beer.

[...here I expressed my apathetic opinion on the situation...]

In article <1992Sep10.201331.2126@mips2.ma30.bull.com>
mgelman@cyclades.ma30.bull.com (Michael A. Gelman) writes:
>The problem is: Do your shopping habits belong to you?  (More
>precisely, does information about your shopping habits belong to you?)

>Those people who have strong (some might say "overwhelming") feelings
>regarding personal privacy often think that it does infringe.

I still don't understand what the harm is. What can they do with such useless
information? It's not something relevant like how much money I've got in my
bank/investment accounts, for example.

-- 
Kenneth R. Crudup, Contractor, OSF DCE QA
OSF, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142	+1 617 621 7306
kenny@osf.osf.org			OSF has nothing to do with this post.
Not one of the "PC" weenies.
From: pbassett@ksr.com (Paul Bassett)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: "View-thru" computer desks?
Date: 15 Sep 92 14:52:41 EDT
Organization: Kendall Square Research Corp.

In article <lba9rgINNecs@news.bbn.com> rnewman@bbn.com (Ron Newman) writes:
>I'm about to buy a desk and/or computer table for my
>new apartment.  Last week, I visited Putnam Furniture
>in Central Square, where they showed me something I'd
>never heard of before:  a desk designed so that you put
>the computer monitor *under* the desk on a slanted shelf.
>You look at it *through* the desk's glass top.
>
>The Lechmere ad in Sunday's paper shows a similar desk.
>
>Has anyone used a desk like this?   If so, do you recommend it?
>
>-- 
>Ron Newman		rnewman@bbn.com


I've never seen such a desk, but this positioning of the monitor would be the
exact opposite of the recommendation my doctor gave me.  I had some back
trouble recently and was advised to keep my monitor high enough that I was
looking straight ahead rather than looking down at an angle.  The other
recommendation was to keep the keyboard at or below elbow level - many
computer desks provide slide out trays/drawers below the desk top which help
in this regard.

Paul Bassett
From: Jeevan_Ramapriya@amicol.UUCP (Jeevan Ramapriya)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Usenet Network..
Date: 31 Aug 92 18:19:19 GMT
Organization: Amiga Colony BBS

Hi there.. I was just wondering if this network is Nation wide or World
Wide...
  By the way, what other world wide Networks are out there...?

***Jeevan Ramapriya***

-- Via DLG Pro v0.992
Xref: sparky ne.general:2557 ne.politics:2347
From: gjc@mitech.com (George J. Carrette)
Newsgroups: ne.general,ne.politics
Subject: Re: What is a bank?
Date: 14 Sep 92 09:10:55 GMT
Organization: Mitech Corporation, Concord MA

In article <1992Sep12.153401.19428@cs.umb.edu>, edwardp@cs.umb.edu (Edward P. Piecewicz) writes:
> And don't forget GE's new MasterCard.  THAT one is targeted towards major
> appliance purchases.  And unlike AT&T and GM, General Electric DOES own
> a bank.


And a TV network too! Hmm...

-gjc


Newsgroups: ne.general
From: spike@coke.std.com (Joe Ilacqua)
Subject: Re: Privacy and POS (Re: Speaking of ATMs)
Organization: Software Tool & Die
	<1992Sep10.201331.2126@mips2.ma30.bull.com>
	<1992Sep10.214748.26806@osf.org> <CKD.92Sep11004230@loiosh.eff.org>
	<SPIKE.92Sep14140942@coke.std.com>
	<DNB.92Sep14183130@meshugge.media.mit.edu>
Distribution: ne
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 16:59:36 GMT

In (see above) dnb@meshugge.media.mit.edu (David N. Blank-Edelman) writes:
<Ahh, so here's another classic risk: the information they collect on
<you could be either incomplete or incorrect (you use a friend's card).

	Right, which make the insurance example kind of silly.  They
can prove the I smoked that pack of cigarettes I bought and more than
I can prove I don't smoke because I didn't buy any cigarettes.  I
don't think the can get enough usable data this way.

(Anyone who wanted to say something about second hand smoke should
pretend I'm talking about pork rinds.)

	But let's go the other way.  Say good information could be
gathered about your diet, drinking, and smoking habits.  Would it be
wrong for the insurance company to charge you based on their risk?

->Spike
--
The Truly K00L don't have signatures.
From: adamg@world.std.com (Adam M Gaffin)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: What is a bank?
Date: 13 Sep 92 00:28:57 GMT
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA

While driving down Lexington Street in Waltham today, we saw

           Baybank North Waltham Banking Center

Is this the new, improved high-tech version?


-- 
Adam Gaffin
Middlesex News, Framingham, Mass.
adamg@world.std.com
Voice: (508) 626-3968. Fred the Middlesex News Computer: (508) 872-8461.
From: th@isr.harvard.edu (Todd Heatherton)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: BayBank
Date: 10 Sep 92 03:08:57 GMT
Distribution: ne
Organization: Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

In article <18m3n0INN51k@early-bird.think.com> barmar@think.com (Barry Margolin) writes:
>
>This is probably why they require you to get a $5,000 Reserve Credit line
>in order to get the Xpress Check card.  Charging a few hundred dollars on
>the stolen card won't result in checks bouncing, since overdrafts are
>automatically covered by the credit line.
>
Actually, they just require you to have reserve credit...the amount
is unspecified.  I have an Xpress card and a $1,000 reserve credit.
For what it's worth, I find the Xpress card to be fine.  I do have
some worries about a lost/stolen card, but then again I have worries
about dealing with any large financial institution, especially
when I need their assistance.  I agree with previous posters who
stick with Baybank because of convenience.  I am willing to put up
with some nonsense for that convenience.  I wish I wasn't as lazy as
some friends who are at terrific--yet hassle-laden--credit unions
and small banks, but each of us has to decide what they are willing to
do.

Now for something completely new.  Baybank used to charge a $25 service
charge to deposit a "foreign check".  They have since decided that
all checks from Canada do not count as foreign.  However, they give
an exchange rate on Canadian checks (or cheques) that is 3 points
below their already awful exchange rate.  Thus, they make about 5-6%
over the going exchange rate.  A nice tidy sum for them if the
check is a large one.  I recently has the unpleasant experince
to find that a check from my mother-in-law gave back around 80
cents on the dollar, when my visa bills from Canada charged only
around 85.  Thus, I ended up paying an effective service charge
(given the different between the visa bill and the amt. I
deposited in Cdn. funds) of $50.  It's that sort of sliminess
that really gets me.  They pretend as if they are doing you
some great favor (i.e., waiving the service charge), but they
always get you in the end (or up the end, or something).

Banks, Insurance companies, the medical system, and FICA.  Boy,
I like the USA.  If only it wasn't worse in Canada.
From: barmar@think.com (Barry Margolin)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: BayBank
Date: 10 Sep 1992 00:09:04 GMT
Organization: Thinking Machines Corporation, Cambridge MA, USA
Distribution: ne
NNTP-Posting-Host: telecaster.think.com

In article <6259@transfer.stratus.com> kvk@questor.sw.stratus.com (Ken Koellner) writes:
>My biggest concern of having ExpressCheck is the scenerio where a card
>is lost.  Someone uses the card to charge a few hundred dollars of
>stuff.  Some money gets debited from your account a few days later.
>Up to this point you don't realize that you lost the card.  Then a
>couple of your checks bounce.

This is probably why they require you to get a $5,000 Reserve Credit line
in order to get the Xpress Check card.  Charging a few hundred dollars on
the stolen card won't result in checks bouncing, since overdrafts are
automatically covered by the credit line.

-- 
Barry Margolin
System Manager, Thinking Machines Corp.

barmar@think.com          {uunet,harvard}!think!barmar
Newsgroups: ne.general