HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: altinbay@netcom.com (John Altinbay)
Subject: Car stereo installation recommendations?
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 17:42:19 GMT

Does anyone have a recommendation for a place that will install
car stereos?  I would prefer a place close to San Mateo.  I have
the car, I have the stereo, I need a place that will do a good job
putting them together.

Thanks for all help.

-- 
John Altinbay   -   altinbay@netcom.com
===============================================================
There's a spirit that guides me, a light that shines for me
My life is worth the living, I don't need to see the end.
Newsgroups: ba.general
From: blake@wk60.nas.nasa.gov (Matthew W. Blake)
Subject: Wanted: Wild Ear Ring Store
Organization: NAS, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 92 23:37:06 GMT
Distribution: ba

I'm looking to get my wife a pair of bizzare/interesting/wild
/wierd/istranger/whatever ear rings.  This is a tradition each 
year and my usual spots have turned up dry.

Does anyone have a suggestion for where I can find interesting ear
rings in the Bay Area?  Prefer Mountain View, Palo Alto, or Sunnyvale.

Thanks,

Matt
blake@nas.nasa.gov

Newsgroups: ba.general
From: adrian@ntmtv.UUCP (Adrian Brandt)
Subject: Re: where to buy a CLUB for my car
Organization: Northern Telecom Inc, Mountain View, CA
Distribution: ba
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 21:42:40 GMT

In article <1992Dec16.200733.28306@pony.Ingres.COM>, kevinq@Ingres.COM (Kevin Quinn) writes:
|> Another good way to clobber the Club, apparently used by some pros, is
|> to pour liquid nitrogen on the lock area; once cold-soaked, a smart
|> rap with a hammer shatters the sob.

Bullshit.  Prove it.  Do *you* *personally* know of any such case?

Bet you don't.  This was a subject of much discussion on bicycle groups
where folks like to pass on the story of how people use liquid nitrogen
to defeat Kryptonite-style bicycle locks.  People that "pass on" such
stories always get it from a friend of a friend, etc...  The consensus
seems to be that this is all urban legend type stuff.

-- 

Adrian Brandt (415) 940-2379
UUCP: ...!ames!ntmtv!adrian
ARPA: ntmtv!adrian@ames.arc.nasa.gov
From: mike@inti.lbl.gov (Michael Helm)
Newsgroups: ba.general
Subject: Re: Sick of Kaiser Permanente
Date: 12 Dec 1992 21:24:39 GMT
Organization: N.I.C.E.
Distribution: usa
Reply-To: mike@inti.lbl.gov (Michael Helm)
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.128.82

Teri Miller writes:
>Kaiser is the sort of place where you need to be able to drive your
>own health care.  You need to know the questions to ask, and to be

This is very true about Kaiser.  However, it is certainly just as 
true about any other medical care you will get.  The difference lies
in the system, in that you have to know to "escalate your call"
because they do have an incentive to control costs that way, unlike
a private doctor, who certainly isn't losing much money by referring
you to a specialist, & isn't concerned about your over-all bill.

I have not found it that difficult a system to work, either.  But you
do have to take charge of your health care more than you may be
accustomed to doing.  I don't think this is a bad thing.

>Doctors also vary dramatically: the person I saw for my sprained wrist

This is quite true.  You can change them (if it's your personal dr),
and / or avoid seeing the ones that you find out to lunch.  The system
is big enuf to accomodate this, at least here in the Bay Area.

>physician is a good one.  For example, I have no intention of giving
>birth at Kaiser, preferring to have a midwife and give birth at home

We had a baby in a conventional medical plan (Blue Cross/private dr/
regular hospital), & one at Kaiser.  The Kaiser system worked much,
much better for us.  Remember that everybody has cost containment
schemes -- hospitals, drs, &c.  For example, if the birth doesn't
go by the clock, they get out the long knives for the Caesarian,
in part because they start losing money otherwise.   We found Kaiser
a lot easier to work with & not in so damn much of a hurry.  Just a
coupla data points.

One thing I don't like about Kaiser is they have no provision at all
for non-conventional medicine, like home-birth as Teri mentioned,
or acupuncture or whatever.  Sometimes other insurance plans will
cover some of that.  There are other limitations too but I don't
know enuf about them to comment.  Check over your policy carefully,
I understand they offer many different types of plans & payment
limits.
Newsgroups: ba.general
From:  ()
Subject: Re: Sick of Kaiser Permanente
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 1992 20:32:19 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Apple Computer Inc.

No matter what there are going to be good things to say about KP and bad things to say. 
When I had KP it was nice not to have to pay high dollar ammounts for 
prescriptions, being able to get a doctors appt. up until 9pm in the evening
and on Saturdays.

I eventually cancelled my enrollment in KP because I felt that the staff was 
not as compitent as my previous private physicians. Just a few things that 
have happened to me...
 
I went in for a burn on my hand. The emergency room doctor that TRIED to treat 
me could barely speak basic English. I tried for about 10 minutes to explain 
how I burnt my hand and showing him the burns. All he could do was shake 
his head and shrug. I finally walked out to the nurses station and demanded
another doctor.

I called gynocology to make an urgent appointment. My period had lasted for 
9 days and I was having severe cramps and could barely walk. The advice
nurse told me that there was a two month waiting list for "routine"
appointments. When I tried to explain to her that this wasn't a checkup
she said there was nothing she could do but schedule an appointment in
two months. When I asked to speak to her supervisor she hung up on me.

I fell and twisted my knee (short preface here, I have knee problems
that Kaiser had been attempting to treat) and I had to be rushed to emergency.
After waiting for over four hours my boyfriend asked what the delay was.
The nurse told them there were only 2 doctors on duty. When he told them how
much pain I was in they offered to get me some Vicadin if I would pull out of
the que to see a doctor and come back tomorrow. ( Now granted, my injury
was probably a lot less severe then other people and that is why I was waiting
so long. But I do not think it is very proffesional of KP's nurses to try
to give me drugs so I'll go home without seeing a doctor)

These are only a few of the problems I have had. They were all at the Santa
Clara Hospital. I lasted with KP for 3 years and then got out while the 
getting was good!!!




 
Newsgroups: ba.general
From: kudzu@netcom.com (Michael Sierchio)
Subject: More doctors == higher costs (was: Sick of Kaiser Permanente)
Organization: True Love, and Home-Grown Tomatoes
Distribution: ba
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 23:25:43 GMT

In article <1992Dec17.195421.21688@leland.Stanford.EDU> 
	mosedale@yeahbut.stanford.edu (Dan Mosedale) writes:

>>This is mythical.  In fact, the *surplus* of doctors in urban area contributes
>>to higher costs.  And the AMA has little influence in this regard -- they
>
>Hmm?  I don't quite follow this.  A surplus of qualified doctors in an
>area should create competition, which in turn would drive prices down.

(Back to Economics 101 for you :-)

Nope, sorry.  You're not dealing with services for which there is great
elasticity of demand.  Unless you're talking about cosmetic surgery...:-)

Surveys have shown that having more docs increases the average cost of
a visit -- put simply, one more doctor means one more doctor's med
school tuition loan to pay (okay, okay -- green fees, too).  There is
and has been a surplus of doctors in urban America.  And there is very
little incentive for them to practice where they are more needed (would
you move from Palo Alto to Peoria, IL?).

Besides, physician's fees are a miniscule part of total health care
costs.
-- 
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  Michael Sierchio                          1563 Solano Avenue, Suite 123 |
|  kudzu@netcom.com                                Berkeley, CA 94707-2116 |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: ba.general
From: brad@clarinet.com (Brad Templeton)
Subject: Re: where to buy a CLUB for my car
Organization: ClariNet Communications Corp.
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 10:51:39 GMT

Seems to me the only way to make a real anti-theft of this type is for
the car manufacturer to include it.  Perhaps a slot in the steering column
in which a very thick bolt of steel is inserted and locked, in a reasonably
tough-to-access place so that the weak points could not be easily
exploited.

If people are willing to put on the Club, they are willing to slide
such a bolt, I would think.
-- 
Brad Templeton, ClariNet Communications Corp. -- Sunnyvale, CA 408/296-0366
Newsgroups: ba.general,misc.consumers.house
From: shannah@netcom.com (Teri Miller)
Subject: Structural Inspection
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Distribution: ba
Date: Fri, 11 Dec 1992 20:00:52 GMT


On November 24th, I had a structural inspection of my home done by
Hoskins Engineering.  The person who came out took Polaroids of the
various areas of concern, and talked with us about what he found. He
said he was taking Polaroids so that he could make sure we got a copy
of the report before we closed escrow.

I was assured that I would get a written copy of the report within the
next few days, probably on November 30th.  I told him I wanted it before
I closed escrow on the 27th of November, and he said he'd see what he could
do.

I have asked my realtor a couple of times about this report, and am
repeatedly assured that it is going to be arriving soon.

I have not received it.

As I understand it, it took until December 4th for the report to
finally arrive as a FAX at my realtor's office.  My realtor offered
to FAX it to me, but I said that since it was already past close of
escrow, surface mail would be sufficient.  Apparently, that was a
mistake.

If time is of the essence, I would recommend choosing a structural
company other than Hoskins.  While their verbal report was interesting,
it was not worth the $500 I paid for it.  I have no idea if the written
report will be.

I would also recommend that when interviewing realtors, you interview
for punctuality.  My realtor, Richard Travassos, of Re/Max Silicon
Valley Real Estate, has been late to literally every meeting we have had
with him, and hasn't been overly quick in getting this report to me,
either.  There were various issues I had to ask him multiple times to 
take care of before they were performed.  For the amount of money a
realtor earns, I don't think I should have to keep following up with
them to see that everything is taken care of.


-- 
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
Teri Miller                    tmiller@cisco.com -or- shannah@netcom.com
*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*--*
Xref: sparky ba.general:5332 alt.folklore.urban:31617
From: tjc50@juts.ccc.amdahl.com (Terry Carroll)
Newsgroups: ba.general,alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Liquid Nitrogen to defeat The Club (was: where to buy a CLUB ...)
Date: 18 Dec 92 22:56:48 GMT
Reply-To: tjc50@juts.ccc.amdahl.com (Terry Carroll)
Followup-To: alt.folklore.urban
Organization: Amdahl Corporation

In article <1992Dec16.200733.28306@pony.Ingres.COM>, kevinq@Ingres.COM (Kevin 
Quinn) writes:
> Another good way to clobber the Club, apparently used by some pros, is
> to pour liquid nitrogen on the lock area; once cold-soaked, a smart
> rap with a hammer shatters the sob.

With all due respect, sounds like bullshit to me.  I'm following up to 
alt.folklore.urban; any comments?

Terry Carroll - tjc50@juts.ccc.amdahl.com - 408/992-2152
The opinions presented above are not necessarily those of a sound mind.
From: mike@inti.lbl.gov (Michael Helm)
Newsgroups: ba.general
Subject: Re: Rasputin's vs. Ameoba!!   and Hear
Date: 12 Dec 92 21:01:25 GMT
Reply-To: mike@inti.lbl.gov (Michael Helm)
Distribution: ba
Organization: N.I.C.E.
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.128.82

dx@netcom.com (dx) writes:
>> Rasputin's Records in Berkeley is now in a larger building, but I think
>> they still don't have as much stuff as Amoeba. What do you think?

Looks like they haven't stocked up, at least upstairs where I go.
Empty, empty bins.

>Rasputin's has put all their same surly, unhelpful and unpleasant
>employees into a new monolith.  New building, same store.

But they fit in there, along with the customary racket pumping out
of the house speakers -- that "building" is the *ugliest* *pile* *of*
*shit* I have seen in a long time.  Decorated in junk-yard chic!
Cold!  Dirty-looking!  Stark factory liting inside!  Hideous garish
redone sidewalk outside!  EEYECH!  And windows everywhere, so the
whole world can see you wandering around inside this monument
to Ugly.

Abandon all taste, ye who enter here.  Still, the price is
sometimes rite, but the suffering one must endure for the sake of the
occaisional bargain.
From: rickk@public.BTR.COM (Rick)
Newsgroups: ba.general
Subject: Re: where to buy a CLUB for my car
Summary: COSTCO
Date: 16 Dec 92 08:13:59 GMT
Distribution: ba
Organization: BTR Public Access UNIX, MtnView CA. For info contact: info@BTR.COM

I noticed they were selling the Club at the new Costco in 
Mountain View, for about $40, this week.  Don't know if there are
other Costco's in the Oakland area, so don't know if this is of help ...
hope so.

Rick


-- 
Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty!       (rickk@btr.com)
Newsgroups: ba.general
From: mosedale@genome.stanford.edu (Dan Mosedale)
Subject: Re: More doctors == higher costs (was: Sick of Kaiser Permanente)
Organization: Stanford Yeast Genome Project
Distribution: ba
Date: Fri, 18 Dec 92 02:34:16 GMT

kudzu@netcom.com (Michael Sierchio) writes:
>In article <1992Dec17.195421.21688@leland.Stanford.EDU> 
>	mosedale@yeahbut.stanford.edu (Dan Mosedale) writes:
>>
>>Hmm?  I don't quite follow this.  A surplus of qualified doctors in an
>>area should create competition, which in turn would drive prices down.
>
>(Back to Economics 101 for you :-)
>
>Nope, sorry.  You're not dealing with services for which there is great
>elasticity of demand.  Unless you're talking about cosmetic surgery...:-)

Damn.  At one point, I would have remember what elasticity of demand
refers to.  Guess I should head back to EC 101 :-)

>Surveys have shown that having more docs increases the average cost of
>a visit -- put simply, one more doctor means one more doctor's med
>school tuition loan to pay (okay, okay -- green fees, too).  

I still don't follow this.  Presumably each doctor will pay his or her
own med school bills.  

I can see how this would be a problem if the relationship of med
schools to doctors was skewed in favor of too few med schools, but
this isn't quite the same thing...

>There is and has been a surplus of doctors in urban America.  And
>there is very little incentive for them to practice where they are
>more needed (would you move from Palo Alto to Peoria, IL?).

Well, no, but then again, I was born in Peoria.  And grew up not far
away.

>Besides, physician's fees are a miniscule part of total health care
>costs.

So how does this fit into the more doctors --> higher $$ ?

-Dan
Organization: Stanford Linear Accelerator Center
Date: Monday, 14 Dec 1992 07:49:37 PST
From: <PRAX@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU>
Newsgroups: ba.general
Subject: Re: Sick of Kaiser Permanente

I must add to this thread on a note for Kaiser. My wife and I have been
trying to have a child for over four years. About two years ago we switched
to Kaiser because they were they only Healthcare plan that would cover the
costs of Infertility. About 18 months ago Kaiser refered us to one of the
best Infertility Clinics in California because all the tests they could
run showed nothing wrong on either side. Kaiser is picking up the tab for
everything and each attempt (they will put out for four inseminations) costs
between $5,000 and $10,000.

Saturday morning we found out that we are going to be parents ...............

Joe Praxel
PRAX@SLACVM.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
From: baer1@berlioz.nsc.com (Jeff Baer)
Newsgroups: ba.general
Subject: Re: Information wanted
Date: 12 Dec 92 01:32:24 GMT
Organization: National Semiconductor Corporation, Santa Clara

In article <15845@auspex-gw.auspex.com> johnf@Auspex.COM (John Fereira) writes:
>In article <15834@auspex-gw.auspex.com> johnf@Auspex.COM (John Fereira) writes:
>>Anyone out there have access to a Lodi phone book?  I need to get the
>>phone number for a business there but don't know the name of the business.
>>If you've got one send me email.
>
>So far the only information that I have received is that I can find phone
>books in the local libary.  

Gee, I can't understand why you weren't inundated with replies from
people offering to do your busy work for you since you are so much
busier than the average net reader. 

>I am quite aware of that.  If there the local
>library were used as an information source whenever possible before using
>the net the amount of traffic on usenet would be significantly decreased.
>I posted here because I wanted to save a trip to the library.  Hell, maybe
>someone that is currently *in* a library is reading right now.  My days
>and evenings are busy enough such that a "trip to the library" isn't 
>something that fits into my immediate schedule.  So, please, no more email
>telling me to go to the libray.

Someone as busy and indignant as yourself needs a secretary. 

>-- 
>+==========================================================================+
>| John Fereira        | Auspex Systems | "Ask me about my vow of silence." |
>| johnf@auspex.com    | Santa Clara CA |                                   |
>+==========================================================================+
From: ihusain@pyramid.COM (Intisar Husain)
Newsgroups: ba.general
Subject: Re: Sick of Kaiser Permanente
Date: 12 Dec 92 00:59:55 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Pyramid Technology Corporation, Mountain View, California

In article <1992Dec10.190308.4390@netcom.com>, shannah@netcom.com (Teri Miller) writes:
|> In article <1992Dec9.194743.2508@PacBell.COM> jpglori@srv.PacBell.COM (JOHN P. GLORIA) writes:
|> >In article <2112@coyote.UUCP> jeffs@almaden.ibm.com (Jeff Schneiter) writes:
|> >>In article <184564@pyramid.pyramid.com> ihusain@pyramid.COM (Intisar Husain) writes:
|> >>]
|> >>]But since I got married and we were going to have a baby, then
|> >>]I realised that Kaiser is nothing but a "Slotter Place".
|> >>
|> >>Please tell me more. This is my first post-college job, with my first
|> >>health plan (Kaiser) and would like to hear what would give you this
|> >>impression.  [remainder deleted]
|> >
|> >from my personal experiences with Kaiser Permanente, they suck
|> >like majorly! I have had a knee problem (sports related) 
|> >since August, I have received pain pills. Their whole approach
|> >seems to try and avoid expenditures, i.e., do NOT operate, but
|> >suggest, do NOTHING for 3 months and see what happens. My knee
|> > [remainder deleted]
|> 
|> [prior deleted]
|> Advice?  If you have Kaiser, and you find a physician you like, ask
|> her/him to be your personal care physician, and keep going to that
|> person.  That will go a long way towards alleviating the problem of
|> passive or incompetent care.
|> 

A Good advise, as long as it works. In our case it didn't work at all.
Durring my wife's pregnanacy, KP assigned one doctor, to be our 
personal physician durring the course of her pregnancy. Which got
transfered to another department, and there was no way that we could
see her anymore, so they assigned her another doctor. Most of 
the time doctor was so busy, that only nurse used to examine her.
Then on the final day, we saw another new doctor, and making long 
story short, this doctor was a total screw up, and send us back.
She gave my wife pain killer, which reduced the intensity of
contractions, and she stayed in labor for another 3 days.

Went to hospital later again, and now there was another new doctor,
which later on got changed as the shift of the doctor's were
changing. So now another new doctor. 

The heart beat rate of my baby girl went down 3 times (from 140 
to 50) to make these doctors realise that they should stop using 
cost-containment measures, and go ahead with the C-section. I am 
lucky that I have a healthy baby. And guess what another new doctor 
for C-section. There was such a rapid change in the doctors, that 
it was hard for me to keep track, is that the new doctor or nurse.


My advise: I don't know about other situations, but if you are
           planning to have a baby at Kaiser, better change your
           insurance Now!!
From: johnf@Auspex.COM (John Fereira)
Newsgroups: ba.general
Subject: Re: Information wanted
Date: 14 Dec 92 20:52:17 GMT
Organization: Auspex Systems, Inc.

In article <1992Dec12.013224.13947@berlioz.nsc.com> baer1@berlioz.nsc.com (Jeff Baer) writes:
>In article <15845@auspex-gw.auspex.com> johnf@Auspex.COM (John Fereira) writes:
|>In article <15834@auspex-gw.auspex.com> johnf@Auspex.COM (John Fereira) writes:
|>>Anyone out there have access to a Lodi phone book?  I need to get the
|>>phone number for a business there but don't know the name of the business.
|>>If you've got one send me email.
|>
|>So far the only information that I have received is that I can find phone
|>books in the local libary.  
|
|Gee, I can't understand why you weren't inundated with replies from
|people offering to do your busy work for you since you are so much
|busier than the average net reader. 
 
Oh sorry, I guess I was had the false impression that some people might
actually be willing to be helpful.  I'll know better next time than
to try and use the net as a productivity tool.  I just figured if people
use the net and it's readers to find a local car mechanic/denist/whatever
that if someone happened to have a phonebook for the Stockton/Lodi area
they might be kind enough to open it up and look up a couple of numbers.
That seemed a little easier to me than driving two hours and walking the
streets until I found the place I was looking for.

Look, an awful lot of questions that are asked here could be answered by
looking in the yellow pages, or spending a couple of hours in a library.
Somehow people managed to satisfy their information needs for a long time
before ba.general came along by using just those means.  But now we have
ba.general and I see it as an addition source of information.  I *also* see
it as a place that I can offer information that others might want.  
Apparently you don't feel the same way.


|>I am quite aware of that.  If there the local
|>library were used as an information source whenever possible before using
|>the net the amount of traffic on usenet would be significantly decreased.
|>I posted here because I wanted to save a trip to the library.  Hell, maybe
|>someone that is currently *in* a library is reading right now.  My days
|>and evenings are busy enough such that a "trip to the library" isn't 
|>something that fits into my immediate schedule.  So, please, no more email
|>telling me to go to the libray.
|
|Someone as busy and indignant as yourself needs a secretary. 
 
I have one and she doesn't have a Stockton/Lodi phonebook either.

-- 
+==========================================================================+
| John Fereira        | Auspex Systems | "Ask me about my vow of silence." |
| johnf@auspex.com    | Santa Clara CA |                                   |
+==========================================================================+
Newsgroups: ba.general