HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: skipa@milton.u.washington.edu (Skip Albertson)
Subject: HELP! Mailorder Places for Stereo Gear ?!?
Summary: HELP: Mailorder for Stereo Gear?
Keywords: HELP, Mailorder, Stereo Gear
Organization: University of Washington
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 02:10:32 GMT


47th Street Photo in NYC is out of some electronics I
want to buy for my stereo and I don't know anyplace else
to call!  (The item in question is a tape deck).  What
other places like 47th Street are there?

Thanks in advance,

alberts@apl-em.apl.washington.edu
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:16251 rec.video:10992 sci.electronics:15304
From: Amiga@cup.portal.com (Philip Barry Kirschner)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.video,sci.electronics
Subject: Re: VCR Maintenance Advice Wanted. Head Cleaners Any Good?
Date: Sun,  6 Sep 92 23:57:50 PDT
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
  <1992Sep3.142137.4263@ncar.ucar.edu>
  <2AA6BA13.14151@news.service.uci.edu>
  <1992Sep5.182620.20646@rsg1.er.usgs.gov>

OK,This lead's to the nequestion. Which brands of tapes are better?.
 
 
I would say any tape that does not leave oxide droppings. However each
tape is different as they use different manufacture processes!
 
Phil 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,sci.med
From: moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com
Subject: Re: water purification/is drinking pure water bad for you?
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 17:26:06 GMT

>2. I've heard in a couple of places that drinking mineral-free (e.g.
>distilled) water is bad for you.  This has always sounded bogus to me
>but some of the explnations are semi-plausible (that the pure water
>messes up some osmotic balance and actually drains minerals from your
>system).  Does anyone have reliable information about this?

This is an urban legend.  A normal diet has plenty of minerals so it would
be nearly impossible to leach the minerals from your system, and also once
the water hits your stomach it is no longer pure so the osmotic balance
argument doesn't apply either.

-Mike
From: egreen@east.sun.com (Ed Green - Pixel Cruncher)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: Waldenbooks fires staff for refusing to se
Date: 8 Sep 1992 19:44:51 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, RTP, NC
Distribution: world
Reply-To: egreen@east.sun.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: laser.east.sun.com

In article 5SEP199223305034@acad3.alaska.edu, jsdph@acad3.alaska.edu (Dennis P. Harris) writes:
>According to a story on today's NPR Morning Edition, Waldenbooks has fired the
>staff of its Georgetown store in Washington, DC for refusing to sell the
>"Joke-A-Date" appointment calendar, which contains racist and demeaning "jokes"
>for each day of 1993.  

And if the staff of the local Krogers refuses to sell bananas,
objecting to their obvious phallic connotations, they will be fired.

Hint:  the local manager and the guy running the cash register do not
set policy for national retail chains.

>After hearing some examples in the story of some of the
>"jokes", I agree with the former WB employees that the publication (from St.
>Martins Press, which should know better) would offend a large number of
>bookstore customers.

Who shouldn't buy the damned thing.

"I am offended" is the rallying cry of the new age of censorship,
repression, and coersion.


---
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...

Xref: sparky misc.consumers:16336 misc.consumers.house:12022
From: fowler@cme.nist.gov (Jim Fowler)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.consumers.house
Subject: Mail Order Window Blinds
Date: 8 Sep 92 20:08:40 GMT
Followup-To: poster
Distribution: na
Organization: National Institute of Standards & Technology, Gaithersburg, MD


Hi,

I'm currently shopping for Hunter-Douglas Silhoutte (tm) blinds.
I've shopped locally, but discount shops in the area are charging
an incredible price for these things.

I've seen advertisements for mail order outlets which sell
window coverings. Can anyone provide some pointers to
reputable mail order outlets and perhaps relate
their experiences (good or bad)?

Thanks,

Jim Fowler
NIST
Gaithersburg, MD 20899
fowler@cme.nist.gov
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: Rudy.Zalesak@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Rudy Zalesak)
Subject: Re: Waldenbooks fires staff for refusing to sell racist book!
Organization: Extended Bulletin Board Service
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1992 23:24:34 GMT

No one has yet said that both sides in this are right, so I'll do
the dirty work.

The employees were not being any more censorious than the *owners* of
WB, who also make judgements about what books/calendars etc. to
display. The owners of WB also seem within their legal rights to
fire the employees. 

On balance, WB's action seems pretty heavy-handed. If the employees
had refused to put a Hustler calendar in the kids' section,
I wonder how the Net opinions would have shifted
around?

	-- Rudy Zalesak

--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  bbs.oit.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:16392 alt.discrimination:4281
From: rinehart@aramis.rutgers.edu (Mark J. Rinehart)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.discrimination
Subject: Re: Waldenbooks fires staff for refusing to sell racist book!
Date: 10 Sep 92 19:51:14 GMT
Followup-To: misc.consumers
Distribution: usa
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

In article <18ia69INNh9c@bach.crhc.uiuc.edu> guillory@crhc.uiuc.edu (Stanford Guillory) writes:

> jsp@uts.amdahl.com (James Preston) writes:
> >jsdph@acad3.alaska.edu (Dennis P. Harris) writes:
> >}I have already informed WB that I intend to boycott them until they stop
> >}selling the book and reinstate the fired employees . . .
> >to get your posting privileges revoked.  Neither do you nor the employees
> >of that bookstore have the right to censor book publishers.  Freedom of the
> 
> What is wrong with everyone? The guy has decided he wants to
> boycott Waldenbooks. This is America isn't it? He can boycott
> anyone or thing he wants no matter how stupid it is, can't he?
> Look at how backward the logic of all these replies has been.
> They all mention freedom of the press, and then attempt to
> stomp all over this guy's freedom to do as he pleases.
> 
> >--James Preston


Actually, NO, they DON'T STOMP all over this guys freedom to do as he
pleases. They correctly chastise him for his views on censorship.
Nobody has done anything to hurt this guy. Nobody has denied him the
*right* to speak his piece. Most folks have simply expressed *their
own opinions* about opposition to censorship. This guy (harris, if
I've got all the quoted material above correctly attributed)
apparently believes that censorship is proper. 

Thanks for the knee jerk reaction Stanford. If you had read James
Preston's post thru, you might have picked up an analogy that was
pretty clear.





Mark
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: philippa@cssc-syd.tansu.com.au (Philippa Morrissey)
Subject: Radioactivity etc
Organization: Customised Software Solutions Centres, AOTC
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 23:06:25 GMT

I have been following the discussion on radioactivity and light bulbs. I was puzzled by the discussion on organic food. This probably a stupid question but whatis organic food? What puzzles me is why is organic food rather than just food used in the discussion? Also what are the sources of radioactivity - are they simply naturally ocurring or are some a result of the man made environment (ie acid rain and nuclear power plants). As an aside I read somewhere that the protein levels in food is affected by rad


ioactivity. Has anyone studied the affect of pollutants and radioactivity on the nutritional value of foodstuffs?
-- 
Philippa Morrissey - AOTC      |MHSnet: philippa@cssc-syd.tansu.oz.au
Advanced Network Products      |Snail : 320 Pitt St, Sydney 2000.
Customised Software Solutions  |  or PO Box A226, Sydney South 2000, Australia.
     Centre - Sydney           |Phone : +61 (0)2 395 3467   Fax: +61 2 395 3225
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: cab@col.hp.com (Chris Best)
Subject: Re: Buffalo Wings
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 20:47:05 GMT
Organization: your service

> appreciate getting a recipe for buffalo wings if someone can still has it. 

----------

I'm surprised there aren't any responses yet, since there are 
probably as many recipes as there are restaurants serving them.
Here's the way I've been doing it lately:

I buy something called "Drumettes" for the wings, but anything
would work.  Fry the wings in oil until done, and drain on paper 
towels.  Mix the sauce from Durkee's Red Hot and your favorite 
BBQ sauce, proportioned according to how hot you want it:  

                temp   |  RH    BBQ
                -------+-----------
                mild   |  1/4   3/4
                medium |  1/2   1/2
                hot    |  3/4   1/4
                -------------------

I usually mix it up in a 1/4 cup measure, which makes about the 
right amount for the size package I usually get.  Toss the wings 
in a big (covered) bowl with the sauce until they're coated.

I just asked at a restaurant the other night, and they use Tabasco 
and butter - that's all the waitress knew.

Oops.  Just saw the "email if possible" message (I guess that
would explain it).  I'll leave this here, too, in case anyone 
else is interested.
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:16223 misc.books.technical:1381 alt.discrimination:4138
From: jsdph@acad3.alaska.edu (Dennis P. Harris)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,misc.books.technical,alt.discrimination
Subject: Waldenbooks fires staff for refusing to sell racist book!
Date: 6 Sep 92 07:30:00 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Alaska - Fairbanks
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41.UAC

According to a story on today's NPR Morning Edition, Waldenbooks has fired the
staff of its Georgetown store in Washington, DC for refusing to sell the
"Joke-A-Date" appointment calendar, which contains racist and demeaning "jokes"
for each day of 1993.  After hearing some examples in the story of some of the
"jokes", I agree with the former WB employees that the publication (from St.
Martins Press, which should know better) would offend a large number of
bookstore customers.

I have already informed WB that I intend to boycott them until they stop
selling the book and reinstate the fired employees by posting a message to
their user services folks in their Walden Computerbooks on-line store in the
Compu$erve Mall (GO WB), and I urge others to join me.  I also intend to write
St. Martins Press and tell them I'm boycotting them, too.  The book's author is
apparently afraid to use his/her real name, since it's listed as "Blanche
Knott" (ooh, bad pun!).

There is no Waldenbooks store in my area, or I would have dropped in and told
the local staff that I'm boycotting them, but you can drop by your local mall
and let the local manager know how you feel.

================================================================================
dennis p. harris					bitnet: jsdph@alaska.edu

  "The nation that controls magnetism controls the Universe." --- Diet Smith
================================================================================
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: casey@well.sf.ca.us (Kathleen Creighton)
Subject: Re: Not Sony (was Re: Best 27 - 30" Big Screen T.V.)
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link
Distribution: usa,world
Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1992 06:02:41 GMT


A common cause of color "pooling" in the corners is close proximity to
stereo speaker magnets.  The fact that it's doing it on all four sides
makes me wonder if he's got stereo speakers on either side that aren't
properly shielded.

I've got a 26" Sony and I love it.  It was worth every dime I paid for it.
From: haynes@cats.ucsc.edu (Jim Haynes)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: 'Power Antenna' any good?
Date: 9 Sep 92 05:15:08 GMT
Organization: University of California; Santa Cruz
NNTP-Posting-Host: hobbes.ucsc.edu


Even if you had received the antenna, it will perform worse than a rabbit ears
or just a couple of random pieces of wire.
-- 
haynes@cats.ucsc.edu
haynes@cats.bitnet

"Any clod can have the facts, but having opinions is an Art."
        Charles McCabe, San Francisco Chronicle
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: yogi@cs.ubc.ca (Yossi Gil)
Subject: Re: IKEA furniture by mailorder?
Organization: Computer Science, University of B.C., Vancouver, B.C., Canada
Date: Tue, 8 Sep 92 14:12:38 GMT

bron@iastate.edu (bronwyn) writes:

>After this sat in my spool for weeks, I've decided to jump in:

>In article <1992Aug26.030409.1033@tamsun.tamu.edu> bell@cs.tamu.edu (Will Bell) writes:
>>I had heard a rumor (perhaps on this newsgroup) quite a while ago that IKEA
>>was planning to start up a mail-order business, but it doesn't seem to have
>>materialized.

>Earlier this year I called IKEA (baltimore maybe?) to ask that very question.
>The woman I spoke with said they were doing mail order on a trial basis, but 
>that not all items were available due to shipping constraints.  (No mirrors, 
>etc ...)  She DID warn me that mail orders were only dealt with once a week, 
>so there would be a considerable delay in receiving the merchandise.  The 
>shipping charges she quoted were a bit astronomical, too.  They sent me a 
>catalog, and I pored over it, found a few things I wanted, and proceeded to 
>call and find out the shipping charges.  Overall, I found that when I took 
>shipping charges into account, they were about equal to what I would find in 
>a middle-of-the-road import shop for similar quality.  YMMV.  

>Anyone know if they're still doing this?

>--
>Bronwyn J. S. Hoon                                       bron@iastate.edu
> I don't believe in astrology.  We Aries aren't taken in by those things.

I called the Baltimore shop few weeks ago.  They didn't hear about
it. 
--
Joseph (Yossi) Gil                 {alberta,uw-beaver,uunet}!ubc-cs!yogi
Dept. of Computer Science          yogi@cs.ubc.ca (cs.ubc.ca=137.82.8.5)
6356 Agricultural Road., Univ. of B.C.,             Tel: +1-604-822-8175
Vancouver, British Columbia, V6T 1Z2, Canada.       Fax: +1-604-822-5485
From: C058SJLX@ubvm.cc.buffalo.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Rechargeable batteries??
Date: 14 Sep 92 20:52:05 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo


    Do they really work?.  Please post/mail a review on these
    chargers/batteries (AA, AAA, C, etc) that claim to save a
    lot of money and to be friendly to the environment.
     What I want to know is, How long retain their charge as
    compared to alkaline batteries?  Do they have "memory", like
   the batteries for camcorders (i.e. as they get older they need
   to be recharged more often)?.
       I have seen some of them in the '93 Radio Shack catalog, not
   very cheap.  GE also has some, cheaper.
       Thanks for any help!
           Eleazar Puente
From: savoia@sw.stratus.com (Rick Savoia)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: Re: SEAR'S WARNING!
Date: 15 Sep 92 00:19:02 GMT
Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc.

In article <1992Sep14.123440.1@vax.sonoma.edu>, butler@vax.sonoma.edu writes:
> I wanted to warn all potential Sear's customers to avoid purchasing anything
> there.  They simply don't stand behind what they sell.
> 
> My most recent problem with them is about an LXi (Sear's brand) VCR 
> that has a design flaw.  I've spent dozens of hours over the past several
> months dealing with complete incompetence.  I've been subjected to the 
> imbeciles they have anwsering the phones - all for nothing.  I'm either
> given erroneous information, told to call another number, or am told 
> that someone will return my call.  No one ever does.  My letters have 
> yielded no results either. 
> 
> I'm afraid all I can do now is chalk the VCR up to experience, and to 
> warn others to stay away from Sear's.
> 
> -Bob


Could you please expand upon the flaw?  I'd like to know
in case I go looking there in the future.  Is it 
specific to VCRs or that brand

Rick
Xref: sparky misc.consumers:16621 rec.backcountry:7160 uk.misc:1
From: bruce@supr.scm.liv.ac.uk (Bruce Stephens)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,rec.backcountry,uk.misc
Subject: Goretex and clones
Date: 14 Sep 92 10:14:24 GMT
Reply-To: bruce@uxb.liv.ac.uk
Followup-To: poster
Organization: Centre for Mathematical Software Research, Univ. Liverpool, UK

I'm thinking of buying a waterproof jacket, and whilst I'm sure
Berghaus jackets are worth the money, they don't seem to be worth
while for the occasional weekend walk in (at worst) just below zero
(Celcius) rain, which is all I'm going to do.

Does anybody have any recommendations about MPC, or any of the other
many Goretex clones?---or do I really get what I pay for, and should I
just go for a high-quality garment?  [Yes, I really *do* want a
breathable fabric; that's the only problem with my current coat!]

Please follow up appropriately.
--
Bruce Stephens
From: ssh@allegra.att.com (syed s haider)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: family tree software
Date: 14 Sep 92 16:40:13 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ

I'm looking for software that would allow me to enter
(completely) and then display (in pieces) family tree
information.

I'm not a frequent reader of this newsgroup; please
reply to ssh@allegra.att.com if possible.  Thank you.

[Is there a better group to post this query?] 

Syed S. Haider
ssh@allegra.,att.com
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: arup+@cs.cmu.edu (Arup Mukherjee)
Subject: Internet connectivity coming to Prodigy....
Summary: It's gonna cost $$$ though....
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 22:25:11 GMT

Well... they said it wouldn't happen, but it looks like Prodigy is finally
going to get at least mail connectivity to the internet. From the 
announcement (online on Prodigy), it sounds like it will be after the 
rate increase (which goes into effect Nov 1) and will be an extra-cost 
option above the basic service. No word on how much it will cost
though.....


Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: CPLS13@email.mot.com (Steven_Cohn)
Subject: Re: ** Need Info of Mazda and Dodge Minivan **
Organization: Motorola_CoveragePLUS
Date: Thu, 10 Sep 1992 14:35:29 GMT
Followup-To: misc.consumers

In article <patlo.716084157@lungin>, patlo@parc.xerox.com (Patrick Lo)
wrote:
> 
> 
> I am currently shopping for a new minivan. I have narrowed my choices to two 
> minivans : Mazda MPV and Dodge Caravan. I would like to make a comparison
> of the two vans before I decide which one I should buy. Can anyone from the
> NET provides some insights ? 
> 
> The things I am looking for are :
>  
> 	Safety, reliability, comfort, price, gas mileage, handling, etc... 
> 
> Thanks in advance.

I can't speak for the Mazda, but I have owned a Dodge for 3 years now and
would
(will) buy another one without thinking twice.  It is very comfortable,
drives
like a car, handles great, and the new models have (optional?) anti-lock
brakes and airbags.  It has been no problem from a maintenance standpoint
either.
If you have children and/or like to haul lots of stuff, I would strongly
recommend the Grand (stretch) version. The extra room makes a big
difference.
The gas mileage is not the greatest (I haven't measured lately, but it
seems around 18 city - MUCH stop and go, short trips, about 25-28 highway),
but that is the least of my concerns compared to the other things.

Steven Cohn
Motorola CoveragePLUS Engineering
CPLS13@EMAIL.MOT.COM
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: pcotton@vax.clarku.edu
Subject: Device for using an electrical outlet as/for a phone jack
Organization: Clark University
Date: 8 SEP 92 03:37:07 GMT

I have seen a device advertised in catalogs that allow you to convert
a regular electrical outlet into a telephone jack.  How well does this
work?  Is it worth it?

Page Cotton
pcotton@vax.clark.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: klg0582@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Ken-Huang Lin)
Subject: Camcorder case
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1992 21:40:46 GMT


  I am soliciting suggestions for a soft camcorder case.  Mine is a
Sony CCD-TR81.  The cases by Sony no longer seem to be available.
Please send me the make and the model number.

thanks in advance,

Ken H. Lin
khlin@uiwpls.ece.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: rainer@spot.Colorado.EDU (Rainer Malzbender)
Subject: Quicken Visa card
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
Distribution: usa
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1992 18:23:12 GMT


I just got my upgrade offer from Intuit for the new versions of Quicken.
Included was an offer for a 14.75% (current rate, could go up according
to the variable rate index published in the WSJ), no annual fee gold visa
card.  The thing I think is noteworthy is that every month all your visa
charges get sent by modem right into your Quicken accounts. There's also
a disk option for those without modems. There is a fee of $3/month for
the modem service, so you could consider that an annual fee of $36. Just
thought I'd pass it along to everyone else who is tired of typing in their
monthly credit card statement.

-- 
Rainer Malzbender
Post-doc, Physics
U. of Colorado, Boulder (303)492-1366           rainer@boulder.colorado.edu
From: arti@brahms.udel.edu (Arti Nigam)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
Subject: car sun shade devices: what works best?
Date: 5 Sep 92 23:31:18 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Delaware

I have seen a lot of car sunshade devices advertised, including
even electronic devices such as solar fans.
I use a cardboard sunshade on the front windshield; you know,
the accordion-folded type with 'help' on on side and some picture
on the other.  Are other types actually better (effectiveness and/
or convenience), or are they just prettier and more expensive?

I am willing to spend more if it makes a substantial difference,
because we are moving to a *hot* area (El Paso / Las Cruces).

I'd appreciate any comments about types you have used.  Thanks.

Arti Nigam.
arti@brahms.udel.edu
Newsgroups: misc.consumers
From: jsp@uts.amdahl.com (James Preston)
Newsgroups: misc.consumers,alt.discrimination
Subject: Re: Waldenbooks fires staff for refusing to sell racist book!
Date: 15 Sep 92 17:32:09 GMT
Reply-To: jsp@pls.amdahl.com
Distribution: usa
Organization: Amdahl Corporation, Sunnyvale CA

dowdy@tochtli.biochem.nwu.edu (Dowdy Jackson) writes:

}But is the decision really yours ? It seems to me that while it is true that
}you can pick and choose what you want to read , you are only picking from a 
}limited selection which was selected by the store manager or who ever is
}responsible for stocking the store's selection.
}     Like I stated in a previos posting... There isn't a black history/interest
}section in many bookstores in white areas. So why isn't that censorship as
}defined by the postings I've seen so far ? Isn't the store manager suppressing
}my ability to obtain that information ? 

For me, I believe that every store manager has the right to make the
business decision as to what he will carry and what he will not.  The
problem I have with the situation in question, as I understand it, is
that some employees took it upon themselves to _override_ the store
manager's decision to stock this particular book.  A clear act of
insubordination for which the store was justified in firing the employees.

Turn the situation around:  What if the store policy was to NOT stock
this book.  And then a few employees decided that they liked it, ordered
a bunch of them for the store, and put them on display.  Would the store
be justified in firing those employees?  If your boss wants you to work
on Project A, but you'd rather work on Project B so you just go ahead
and do that, would your boss be justified in firing you?

--James Preston

Xref: sparky misc.consumers:16389 misc.consumers.house:12092