HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jm7l+@andrew.cmu.edu (Joseph S. Mertz)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Help - ANTS
Date: 18 Dec 92 08:27:10 GMT
Article-I.D.: andrew.YfAVTyG00Xci8XAL99
Distribution: usa
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA

sasse@netcom.com (Ellen Sasse) writes:
> I have heard something about getting rid of ants by placing small
> cups of sugar and boric acid near their trails. Does this work and
> what proportions should be used? Is it intended to kill them outright
> or have them take it back to the nest? Should it be dissolved in water
> or left as powder?

A very good book which discusses this and other ways of doing pest
control in your home without bringing in nasty chemicals for your
family to eat is:

Tiny game hunting : environmentally healthy ways to trap and
kill the pests in your house and garden / Hilary Dole Klein and Adrian
M. Wenner ; illustrations by Courtlandt Johnson.

It is easy reading.  I forget the details of using boric acid, though.

Good luck,
Joe Mertz
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: fvaughn@stpaul.ncr.com (Frank Vaughn)
Subject: Re: PRODIGY New and improved STILL SUCKS, HORRIBLE as before
Organization: NCR Network Products Division
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 15:37:08 GMT

In article <9710049@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM> lief@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Lief Sorensen) writes:

>> In misc.consumers, imran@panix.com (Imran Anwar) writes:
>> 
>> 
>> If you are considering joining Prodigy as a new member, or left and are
>> considering rejoining with their "come back" mailing efforts, or are
>> just thinking Prodigy is the service you should use - just several
>> pairs of two words:  STAY AWAY!  IT SUCKS!  BAD MOVE!
>> 
>> ( a bunch of stuff deleted )
>> 
>> Prodigy is AMPLE proof that the two parents of it should have stuck to
>> their core businesses.
>> 
>> Imran Anwar
>> 
>> PS I love internet and Compuserve if you wanted to know :-)

>What I see here is the ramblings of anti-semitism!  It is no secret that the
 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>parent companies of Prodigy have a strong Jewish backing.  And with a name
>like "Imran Anwar", it does not surprise me that you should have such a hate
>for anything that smells Jewish.  In fact, I have a very good Lebanese friend
>here who will have absolutely nothing to do with Prodigy because of this.
>Personally, I think you guys are missing out on one of the greatest online
>services provided.

Is this for real??????

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Frank Vaughn            frank.vaughn@stpaul.ncr.com
(612)6382756

NCR Network Products Division
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,soc.culture.japan,sci.electronics,alt.sex,soc.culture.african.american,misc.education,misc.entrepreneurs,soc.culture.usa
From: burke@tss.com (Jim Burke)
Subject: Re: DOES AMERICA SAY YES TO JAPAN? - Off track!!
Reply-To: burke@tss.com (Jim Burke)
Organization: Teknekron Software Systems. Inc.
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 15:48:38 GMT

In article <1992Dec17.123430.24528@hellgate.utah.edu>, llarsen%peruvian.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu (Loren Larsen) writes:

|> BZZT! WRONG!  Consider that almost 80% of all Honda cars are made from
|> the ground up in the US.  Seems to me that injects quite a bit of money
|> into our economy.  More and more manufacturing by Japanese firms is moving
|> to the US.  Why?  The cost of transportation is a very large portion of the
|> final cost of a product now.  Why?  Advances in manufacturing have been
|> tremendous over the past decade.  Advances in transportation have been much
|> less.  Airplanes are no faster and not much bigger, neither are the boats
|> that transport them.  The labor to load goods has just increased.  So it
|> is much to the advantage of the Japanese to move their factories right next 
|> to their best customers.  Besides that, we have a resource they don't have,
|> land.  What do the Japanese do with their profts?  They invest it in America.
|> Only about 2% of the profit from a Honda motor car goes back to Japan.  Of
|> course they buy land in the US which we can tax at our discretion.  We can
|> tax them the full property price each year in taxes if we want because they're
|> Japanese.  They don't vote.  

There is another big reason that foreign companies, including Japanese ones,
locate assembly plants in the U.S.  That is so that they can avoid paying
a lot of income taxes on the huge profits they make from the U.S. market.
They simply sell components with artificially inflated prices to the assembly
plant so that the cost of manufacturing is artificially high and the assembly
plant shows no profit.  Thus, Honda, Toyota, etc. would have us believe that
their auto plants make little or no profit.  Hah!  So, they save both the
cost of transportation of the large bulky end product and they save on taxes.
And anyone who thinks that 98% of Japanese profits in the U.S. are spent to
benefit Americans is living in la la land.  


-- 
***********************************************************************
 Jim Burke	"Life is uncertain - eat dessert first!"
 Teknekron Software Systems		... burke@tss.com
 phone:(415) 617-2432			... uunet!tekbspa!burke
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.food.cooking
From: tclark@hptc.mentorg.com (0)
Subject: Re: Visions (or other) cookwares?
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 00:00:28 GMT
Organization: Watsamatta U
Keywords: 
Followup-To: 

In article <1992Dec11.221154.8954@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>, jnielsen@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (John F Nielsen) writes:
[stuff deleted}
|> 
|> I have Reverware and one of the handels for one of the pots broke off.
|> I didn't do anything strenous to it.
[more stuff deleted]

My mom had a handle breakoff on one of her Revereware pots and she contacted
Revere to see about getting it fixed. They told her to send it in and they
would repair it free of charge. In fact they sent her a brand new pot. My
set (given to me by mom) has held up quite well and I'm sure its not the
top of the line.


-- 
T C

e-mail: tony_clark@mentorg.com
From: dedek@meaddata.com (Mike Dedek)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Leather tennis shoe cleaning solution: does it work?
Date: 16 Dec 1992 15:21:29 GMT
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Distribution: usa
NNTP-Posting-Host: moonlight.meaddata.com

In article <1992Dec16.102611.10954@leland.Stanford.EDU>, simoni@strat.Stanford.EDU (Richard Simoni) writes:
|> 
|> I've noticed various cleaning solutions for white leather tennis shoes
|> available in shoe stores like Foot Locker, Athlete's Foot, etc.  Does this
|> kind of stuff really work?  I've got a comfy pair of shoes I'd like to
|> continue wearing, but they look pretty bad.  (Of course, so far this hasn't
|> stopped me from wearing them :-) )
|> 
|> Or does anyone know any other helpful hints for cleaning white leather
|> tennis shoes?
|> 
|> Thanks!
|> 
|> Rich Simoni
|> simoni@strat.stanford.edu

I've had pretty good luck using a mild detergent solution (liquid dish 
detergent).  I use a mild bleach solution for any tough stains that are left.
Wipe with plain water when you're done.

-Mike

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: etpeters@dal.mobil.com (E. T. Peterson(Eric))
Subject: Re: OK..why shouldnt I get an extended car warranty?
Organization: Mobil Exploration & Producing Technical Center(MEPTEC), Dallas. 
Distribution: na
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 16:15:38 GMT

In article <BzCz6s.6uE@ssesco.com>, nau@ssesco.com (William Nau) writes:
|> In article <BzBxu0.M4@cup.hp.com>, staggers@cup.hp.com (Ken Staggers) writes:
|> |> I just bought my new car, a Mercury Tracer LTS.  Today's session with
|> |> the sales people was to talk financing and "other options".  They made
|> |> the extended car warranty sound OH SO GOOD.  After listening to him,
|> |> I couldnt remember anything the net has said about these warranties.
|> |> I need to be reminded...why are they such a bad deal?  On principle, it
|> |> sounds great.  For $660 I can get an extra 2 years of coverage.  And the
|> |> brochure they give indicates a lot of things that are covered.  I have
|> |> a lot of power options like door locks and windows.  Couldnt they fail
|> |> during years 4 and 5?  What didnt the sales guy tell me?  What was he
|> |> leaving out?
|> |> 
|> |> Yeah, I turned it down.  But they will be "giving me another chance" to
|> |> take it when I pick up the car.  I wonder how many other chances will I
|> |> get afterwards?
|> |> 
|> |> --Ken
|> |>   staggers@cup.hp.com
|> 
|> The first thing you have to do is think to yourself "Why do they want me
|> to buy an extended warrenty?".  Think about it.  They do it because it
|> makes them money.  If it makes them money, you lose money.  

I also agree that extended warranties are a bad deal.  But the above reason
is not not necessarily a good one.  They also "want me to buy a car" and it
also "makes them money" to sell me a car.  Does that mean buying a car is
not a good deal?


*********************************************************************
Eric Peterson                  The sooner you fall behind,
Research Geophysicist          the more time you'll have to catch up!
(214) 951-3251
etpeters@drsol1.dal.mobil.com
*********************************************************************

Newsgroups: misc.consumers,soc.culture.usa
From: gordon@sneaky.lonestar.org (Gordon Burditt)
Subject: Re: Santa Dollars.......
Keywords: church, state, religion
Organization: Gordon Burditt
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 1992 22:42:15 GMT

>I saw a red sticker at the local Safeway checkout counter that said
>"It's real!" in big letters, next to a one dollar us note that had
>Santa's pictures instead of late president George Washington. 
>It said the note is a legal tender, and bankable.
>
>They were selling it for $2 (the proceeds go to charity.)  Well, I
>bought one as a novelty item, but I was wondering if one could get a
>lot of these just walking up to the local bank?  And who/what decides
>if Santa's picture is appropriate on a dollar note?

I believe the US Treasury may tolerate such alterations to US currency,
but I doubt very much they produce it.  I seem to recall some pennies
where JFK's head was inserted facing Lincoln's head.  They'll get
very mad if you try to alter the amount on the bill, though.

It's a novelty item, and I doubt you'll find one of these in change
at the bank.  Buying one at $2 and spending it to get $1 in 
merchandise isn't very profitable.  Sure, some gift recipients
may spend them, but there's a LOT of $1 bills in circulation,
and your chances of finding a Santa bill are not good.

>As it is, a LOT of people have trouble with "In God We Trust" being on
>US notes, so isn't putting Santa's picture on the note not only
>endorsing religion, but also Christianity.  Comments? Flames?

Some fundamentalist Christians consider Santa Claus to be anti-Christian.
Santa Claus is definite competition for Jesus Christ in the minds of
children during the holiday season.  And Santa certainly isn't mentioned
in the Bible, unless you consider him a "false god" or "idol".  At times 
it does seem that Santa is the Spirit of MasterCard and Visa.

					Gordon L. Burditt
					sneaky.lonestar.org!gordon
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: gcm@fns-nc1.fns.com (Grover McCoury)
Subject: Re: Legal Tender???
Organization: Fujitsu Network Switching
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 92 16:25:29 GMT

In article <1992Dec11.171413.11631@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> mf@dancer.cc.bellcore.com (fusco,marc) writes:
>Have you ever noticed those signs sometimes (usually gas stations) that read:
>		"Can't accept anything over a $20 bill"?
>I understand the reasoning for places like gas stations, which may
>be open late at night and not have alot of cash on hand.........but....
>Is this legal?
>
>Can a business refuse your money (thereby refusing to sell you something)?
>(wonder what happens if you don't see those usually hand-written
>_consipicuous_ signs, e.g., at a gas station, and pump first...)

My understanding of this situation is that if a business has a conspicuous sign
or tells you *before* the sale that they do not accept $XX it is OK - otherwise
they *must* accept "legal tender"(US $$). If they do not make the restriction
known *before* the sale and you offer them money and they refuse to accept ->
you just got a freebie! Can anyone confirm or refute this?  

Yet another $.02 worth from...

/**********************************************************************
  Grover McCoury
  @ Fujitsu Network Switching Of America, Inc.
    4403 Bland Road
    Raleigh,    NC   27609
  audio:      919-790-3111
  electronic: gcm%fns-nc1.fns.com@fai
***********************************************************************/
From: jxs18@po.CWRU.Edu (Jerry Sy)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: snow tires
Date: 14 Dec 1992 15:22:45 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: jxs18@po.CWRU.Edu (Jerry Sy)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


In a previous article, acheng@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Albert Cheng) says:

>
>In article <1992Dec11.173221.5904@aplcen.apl.jhu.edu>, dlc@ddsdx2.jhuapl.edu (Dave Collard x7468) writes:
>>In article <1g0es3INNnom@gareth.cs.purdue.edu> tubis@cs.purdue.edu (Charlotte I. Tubis) writes:
>>>
>>>Is it worth it to buy snow tires for my car?  I have a MAZDA 626.
>>>Last year I skidded on the ice many times.
>>
>The original poster was from Purdue University, about 100 miles to the
>east of my location (central Illinois).  My experience with snow tires
>told me I don't need them here.  Snow tires would give a bit better traction
>than 2-ply bias tires on SNOW.  I have all seasons radial tires now
>and they work fine for the amount of snow we get here.
>
It is not whether you get a lot of snow or not, but rather how good the
roads are getting plowed and cleaned.  Cleveland gets a lot more snow
than pittsburgh, but the streets there gets cleared out fast, even
the sidewalks are cleared of snow by the city.  unlike pittsburgh,
you are lucky if the city or borough comes to clean your street after
several days.  I never needed snow tires in cleveland, but it helped a lot
in pittsburgh.

ice ? no need to buy a tank, just use chains or traction cables.
From: egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Legal Tender???
Date: 16 Dec 1992 21:17:17 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, RTP, NC
Distribution: world
Reply-To: egreen@east.sun.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: laser.east.sun.com

All this discussion of legal tender and implied contracts and did you
read the sign before or after pumping the gas is all very amusing, and,
IMHO, has no bearing on putting gas in your car at night.

I've yet to see a gas station that doesn't have a syphon hose and a
bucket laying around somewhere...


---
Ed Green, former Ninjaite |I was drinking last night with a biker,
  Ed.Green@East.Sun.COM   |and I showed him a picture of you.  I said,
DoD #0111  (919)460-8302  |"Go on, get to know her, you'll like her!"
 (The Grateful Dead) -->  |It seemed like the least I could do...

Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: henry@ADS.COM (Henry Mensch)
Subject: Re: TRW Credit Reports
Organization: Advanced Decision Systems; a div of Booz, Allen & Hamilton
Distribution: na
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 08:07:00 GMT

acheng@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Albert Cheng) wrote: 
->Don't pull this trick too often as I heard your credit rating may
->take a dive if you have too many recent denied applications (Truth?
->Urban legend?).

truth.  those who use your credit report can see which other potential
creditors have reviewed your report in the past year or so ... if they
don't see accounts which correspond with the inquiries then they
presume there's something not in the report which is causing these
creditors to deny you credit ... also, many inquiries look like you're
fishing for any credit you can find, which is often a precursor to a
user running up bills which can never be collected (that is, fraud).

--
# henry mensch / booz, allen & hamilton, inc.  / <henry@ads.com>
# "fight the real enemy."  -- sinead o'connor, and many others.
#     for information on the league for programming freedom, 
#                     write to lpf@uunet.uu.net
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: ldcolto@PacBell.COM (Larry Colton)
Subject: Re: TV Infomercials
Organization: Pacific * Bell
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 01:27:17 GMT

In article <1992Dec12.111531.10251@visual.spk.wa.us> pwageman@visual.spk.wa.us (Peggy Wageman) writes:
>There are numerous infomercials on TV now and most have various celebrities
>that are either selling the products or endorsing them.  Does anybody know
>whether they are paid for selling the products or are they just doing it 
>for the publicity and exposure?  Thanks,  Peggy Wageman

You gotta be kidding!  They are being handsomely paid.  Probably an upfront
fee and a piece of the action.

--Larry
  ldcolto@pacbell.com
From: dealy@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov (Brian Dealy - CSC)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Where to sell jewelry
Keywords: jewelry jewels
Date: 16 Dec 92 13:46:14 GMT
Reply-To: dealy@kong.gsfc.nasa.gov (Brian Dealy - CSC)
Organization: Goddard Space Flight Center



-- 
Hi, I have a friend who has a piece of jewelry which has been appraised in
europe for approximately 97,000.00 . This friend needs money and is considering
selling the jewelry. How does one find a reputable jeweler who can handle this 
kind of a sale. Is there an asscociation of jewelers? how does this work?
Do you give them the jewelry on consignment? what's a normal commision then?

Thanks for any replies.

Brian
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:20772 rec.autos:30005
From: wb8foz@skybridge.SCL.CWRU.Edu (David Lesher)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.autos
Subject: Re: AAA or US Auto Club
Date: 17 Dec 1992 01:30:21 GMT
Organization: NRK Clinic for habitual NetNews abusers - Beltway Annex
Distribution: misc
Reply-To: wb8foz@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu (David Lesher)
NNTP-Posting-Host: skybridge.scl.cwru.edu

Before shelling out for AAA, check both your rules and alternatives. In
some parts of the world, they'll tow you anywhre, any time. But in the
part of the world I lived in, they would ONLY tow you to the towing
company garage, or their buddy's shop. Your home? Pay up. The dealer?
Pay up.

Most auto insurance policies can get towing riders for far less than
AAA. (what do YOU pay per year?) With most, you can then call anyone
to tow. Some folks like that, others don't want to need to look
one up in the phone book. 

Maps? Well, based on the ones my frinds keep giving me, AAA maps are
not what they were 15 years ago. Maybe I'm just finding better outside
maps.....

Yous paz your money - yous make ur churce...
--
A host is a host from coast to coast..wb8foz@skybridge.scl.cwru.edu
& no one will talk to a host that's close..........................
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433
From: jxs18@po.CWRU.Edu (Jerry Sy)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: comments on speed queen washer dryer
Date: 21 Dec 1992 02:59:23 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: jxs18@po.CWRU.Edu (Jerry Sy)
NNTP-Posting-Host: hela.ins.cwru.edu


I am planning on buying a washer/dryer pretty soon and would like to
get comments/experiences with the speed queen brand.  I am just looking
at a basic model, but the one with the stainless steel tub.

please email response if possible.

thanks
jerry
From: kao@crhc.uiuc.edu (Wei-lun Kao)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Wok followup
Date: 14 Dec 1992 21:40:32 -0600
Organization: Center for Reliable and High-Performance Computing, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Distribution: na
NNTP-Posting-Host: lennon.crhc.uiuc.edu

kherron@ms.uky.edu (Kenneth Herron) writes:

>cloos@theory.TC.Cornell.EDU (James H. Cloos Jr.) writes:

>>The Cuisine Wok
>>PO Box 9168
>>Southhampton, NY  11989
>>+1 800 422-8828
>>$39.95 + $4.95 S/H (+ 7% sales tax in NY state.) (Prices all USD, of course.)

>>Other parts of the ad refer to it as the `Great Wok of China'.

>Hmm, just yesterday while christmas shopping I saw the same wok kit
>for $29.95 in the housewares dept. of a local store.

$29.95 is the regular price here in Champaign, and you can get one for
$19.99 when it's on sale.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: acheng@ncsa.uiuc.edu (Albert Cheng)
Subject: Re: Using 500W halogen instead of 300W in a fixture
Originator: acheng@shalom.ncsa.uiuc.edu
Organization: Nat'l Ctr for Supercomp App (NCSA) @ University of Illinois
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 1992 16:09:51 GMT


In article <1992Dec18.125944.2867@ll.mit.edu>, rp@llex.ll.mit.edu ( Richard Pavelle) writes:
>
>I purchased a ceiling fixture that uses a 300W halogen. 
>I would like to use a 500W halogen instead. The fixture
>is glass and brass and is about a foot from the ceiling
>with lots of air flow. Is there any reason for not testing
>the 500W and monitoring the resulting heat or am I foolish
>to not follow the manufacturers guidlines?
>
>In general what advice do you give about installing higher
>power illumination than the manufacturer suggests?

Besides more heat, the 500W bulb draws 66% more current.  Does
your light have a dimmer switch?  Can it handle the extra load?
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: mgfrank@avernus.com (Marc G. Frank)
Subject: Re: TV Infomercials
Organization: A Maze of Twisty Little Ethernet Cables, All Alike, Inc.
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 16:26:53 GMT

In article <1992Dec12.111531.10251@visual.spk.wa.us> pwageman@visual.spk.wa.us (Peggy Wageman) writes:
>There are numerous infomercials on TV now and most have various celebrities
>that are either selling the products or endorsing them.  Does anybody know
>whether they are paid for selling the products or are they just doing it 
>for the publicity and exposure?  Thanks,  Peggy Wageman

The subject of infomercials seems to pop up every so often here.  I'd
like to point out that alt.tv.infomercials was newgrouped a few weeks
ago to discuss that very topic.  You might want to check it out.  If
your newsadmin doesn't carry it, ask him to pick it up.

--
Marc G. Frank
mgfrank@avernus.com
From: jms@vision.sarnoff.com (Jerry Shapiro x2420)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Dumb finance question?
Date: 16 Dec 92 15:14:15 GMT
Reply-To: jms@vision.sarnoff.com
Organization: David Sarnoff Research Center

In after tax dollars, assuming the 28% tax bracket, its more like
(1-0.28) x 10% or 7.2%. You will pay less interest that you can write off.
Still its not bad today, but remember, there is no liquidity. You can't get it back
*easily* if you find that you later need the money.

Jerry
From: tvervaek@col.hp.com (Tom Vervaeke)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re:   Very old account - can still collect?
Date: 14 Dec 1992 21:17:50 GMT
Organization: HP Colorado Springs Division
NNTP-Posting-Host: itchub21.cs.itc.hp.com

I think that unless you declare bankruptcy you are going to end up
paying. I'm sorry to hear you have some personal misfortunes (we all do)
, but you can't simply walk away from your obligations. Wouldn't it be
nice if we could all do that....... I'm very surprised they waited this
long to come get you. Did you change your phone number or move etcc???

I'd check your credit rating. It probably reflects your payment history.

Newsgroups: misc.consumers,soc.culture.japan,sci.electronics,alt.sex,soc.culture.african.american,misc.education,misc.entrepreneurs,soc.culture.usa