1284 lines
59 KiB
Plaintext
1284 lines
59 KiB
Plaintext
F I D O N E W S -- Vol.11 No. 9 (28-Feb-1994)
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+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
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| A newsletter of the | |
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| FidoNet BBS community | Published by: |
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| _ | |
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| / \ | "FidoNews" BBS |
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| /|oo \ | +1-519-570-4176 1:1/23 |
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| (_| /_) | |
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| _`@/_ \ _ | Editors: |
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| | | \ \\ | Sylvia Maxwell 1:221/194 |
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| | (*) | \ )) | Donald Tees 1:221/192 |
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| |__U__| / \// | Tim Pozar 1:125/555 |
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| _//|| _\ / | |
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| (_/(_|(____/ | |
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| (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. |
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| | -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
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+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
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| Submission address: editors 1:1/23 |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Internet addresses: |
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| |
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| Sylvia -- max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
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| Donald -- donald@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
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| Tim -- pozar@kumr.lns.com |
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| Both Don & Sylvia (submission address) |
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| editor@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| For information, copyrights, article submissions, |
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| obtaining copies and other boring but important details, |
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| please refer to the end of this file. |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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========================================================================
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Table of Contents
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========================================================================
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1. Editorial..................................................... 2
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2. Articles...................................................... 2
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Make Hoaxes Fast............................................ 2
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A Few Words of Wisdom....................................... 7
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Rising Above It All......................................... 8
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REENACT - The Living History Echo........................... 9
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ECSTASY now available from 1:163/328........................ 9
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INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIVITY.................................. 10
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General news................................................ 15
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Small Article about swiscon/eurocon......................... 18
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V34? WHERE!?!?.............................................. 18
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Fidonet, Fight'o'Net ?...................................... 20
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More on privacy............................................. 21
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3. Fidonews Information.......................................... 22
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FidoNews 11-09 Page: 2 28 Feb 1994
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========================================================================
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Editorial
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========================================================================
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Here is a good sized snooze for you, with lots of interesting
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articles. The mexican article forwarded by Tom, got me to
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thinking though.
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I am a programmer, and I sit here at my terminal in a
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smallish city up here in Canada, working for a living. Nothing
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special, just a two person firm doing okay. Not rich, not poor.
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Just folks.
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Yet I talk each day to people all over the world. My
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neighbours are down in the states, over in germany, a fellow
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from Korea that drops a note every once in a while, and a few
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mad englishmen.
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Then I read my "newspaper". It is all government fighting
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with government: government this, and government that. They
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have even turned sport into a fight between governments. I am
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tired of governments. I am 47 years old, and have been a
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staunch Canadian all my life. But these damned boundaries are
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getting me down. I want to live with my neighbours, have fun,
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take care of the mess the world is in, and get on with life. If
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the net is international, what the hell do we need boundaries
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for?
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Lets start using this net thing we have created. Lets stop
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fighting, and be civilized.
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========================================================================
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Articles
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========================================================================
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Make Hoaxes Fast
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From the Canadian Hoax Interception Project (CHIP) @ 1:250/730
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Electronic networks such as Fidonet are frequently prone to such things
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are urban fictions, chain letters and hoaxes. These are referred to as
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"modem tax", "Dave Rhodes" or "Craig Shergold" stories. Fidonet and
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other nets do well to warn users of the many false or illegal documents
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that circulate.
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What do these documents look like? This article will give some examples
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of what is meant by a pirate posting. These types of messages are in
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effect text viruses (virii?), since these propagate from system to
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system as a program virus might. Such distribution depends on users
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and sysops who pass along on without checking for trouble.
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After the following listing some of the various pirate postings (not
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a complete listing, but hopefully enough to give the idea), some
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general rules can be applied to combat such bogus babblings.
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=== Pirate Posting Examples ===
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These are descriptions of actual messages that have appeared in one
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FidoNews 11-09 Page: 3 28 Feb 1994
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form or other on Fidonet, Usenet, or some other-net.
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<< Modem tax mania >>
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A "modem tax" message is an unfounded warning of an alleged tax on
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modems or other data communications services as to be imposed by
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regulators, telephone companies or whatever.
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One notorious message is a lengthy wonder which looks like a press
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release or other news article. This announces extra revenue generation
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schemes (why... don't call it a "modem tax") that are supposedly for
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funding the information superhighway. Names such as J.R. Dobbs and Roger
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Carasso are included to give the appearance of legitimacy. Now try
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looking up such folks in the U.S. government and see how far you get.
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Needless to say, this story is a figment of someone's wild imagination.
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A recent work of Canadian pirate fiction tells the tale of a planned
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Bell Canada $50 per line charge for using a modem or fax machine of
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4800 bps or higher. Of course, no references to public or tariff
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notices are given, just the dire warnings of disaster. Never mind
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that big business (and little business) is not interested in having
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big league charges on all their fax and modem lines. Whoever wrote
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this up originally just wanted to get a big charge out of the masses.
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What folks might want to watch out for are moves directed at BBSes
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that collect fees, in effect running as businesses. There are valid
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concerns regarding uses which could be construed as business purposes.
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Meanwhile, it's always helpful to keep a direct eye on the regulators
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rather than reacting to any story that comes from uncertain sources.
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<< Bogus BBS licencing blarney >>
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Another tall tale being passed around regards alleged threats from
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governments to licence BBSes. The most recent appearance of this
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involved the Canadian BBS scene, where the message warned of imminent
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danger with the looming BBS licencing regime.
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Well, many folks have contacted the Canadian regulator, the CRTC,
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and the story is thoroughly denied. Not only that, the trend is
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towards less regulation in telecommunications, with the CRTC being
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given powers to abandon aspects of their regulation where competitive
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factors warrant. They're getting a bit tired of not only the BBS
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licencing calls, but also the "modem tax" calls, the results of those
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who who uncritically accept and distribute misinformation.
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<< Craig Shergold needs your cards ... NOT!!! >>
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Once upon a time, there was really a boy named Craig Shergold. He
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really was stricken with leukemia and didn't have much of a life
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expectancy. He really did appeal to the world to send him cards
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so that he could make the Guinness Book of Records. Craig went on
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to actually win the world record of received cards. This event was
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true history.
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But wait, that wasn't the end of it... Craig received good medical
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FidoNews 11-09 Page: 4 28 Feb 1994
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treatment and he's been quite healthy for some time, a remarkable
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recovery indeed. Unfortunately, some sick puppies in computer land
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decided to perpetuate the now-outdated request for cards. So Craig
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got even vaster quantities of get-well cards even though he already
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got well. Craig's improved fortunes have been documented in news
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reports such as in the Detroit News, or other newspapers (check out
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how to use newspaper indexes in libraries). The false continuation of
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these appeals, on the other hand, no longer has a substantiable basis.
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But behold, some ultra-sick prankster puppie out there saw that this
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was not good enough. So the request was modified so that Craig's age
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was changed - without his permission - from twelve to seven, and then
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this hoax generator proceeded to fabricate a request from Craig for a
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world record *business* card collection. Never mind that the addresses
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listed on such pseudo-appeals were now obsolete.
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Ever since then, variations of the Craig Shergold theme have circulated
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wherever distribution means can be found. The Craig craze has now
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devolved to messages bearing different names, different ages, different
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whatever. Any such warning messages are probably hoaxes intended to
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cause trouble.
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<< Dave Rhodes - working on the chain letter gang >>
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MAKE MONEY FAST! How? Well, the story starts out like this:
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"Dear Friend, My name is Dave Rhodes. In September 1988 my car was
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reposessed and the bill collectors were hounding me like you wouldn't
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believe.... This January 1989 my family and I went on a ten day cruise
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to the tropics. I bought a Lincoln Town Car for CASH in Feburary [sic]
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1989."
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This "Dave Rhodes" would have us believe that each of us can rack up
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a mere $50 000 in cash, in 20 to 60 days just by following the
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simple instructions he gives. Just get into the "mailing list"
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business (the euphemism for "chain letter scheme") and send $1 to
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each of the ten names listed at the end of the message. Get into the
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business yourself and get those $1 payments coming in to you.
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Never mind that such postings likely violate a variety of national
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and perhaps international laws and never mind that chain schemes
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implode when the mathematics of exponential chain growth are calculated.
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So you think you, too, can make Ross Perot look like a hobo?
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<< Religious Broadcasting to be Banned? >>
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Have you seen the one about the warnings of the FCC plans to ban
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religious broadcasting in the U.S.A.? You know, the actions that
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Madalyn Murray O'Hair and her fellow atheists are doing? Well,
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that's one of the better-known works of fiction we'll discuss here.
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This one normally comes with an FCC docket number which turns out to
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be an invalid one. The FCC has not - and will not - restrict broadcast
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licencing on the basis of religious affiliation or lack thereof. Thus
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religious broadcasters will not be subject to laws any more restrictive
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FidoNews 11-09 Page: 5 28 Feb 1994
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than those applied to broadcasters in general. The FCC's main
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information line in Washington even has a message devoted to exposing
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what's wrong with this message.
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So... Praise the Lord and pass this false alarm to the garbage can.
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U.S. taxpayers' money has already been squandered enough as the FCC
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already dealt with untold thousands of letters on this matter.
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A side note for Canada, where there are definitely restrictions on
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religious broadcasting: the CRTC (Canadian broadcast regulator)
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completed a proceeding last year to review religious broadcasting.
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Having done that, and sorted through thousands of submissions on
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that topic, there is a somewhat less restrictive policy in place.
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If anyone sees the U.S. hoax adapted for the Canadian audience,
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it can safely be tossed out, too, as there won't be another review
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any time soon.
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=== Fighting Fraudulent Fabrications ===
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To Broadcast Or Not To Broadcast? - Whether to respond to pirate
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postings in the same public echo as they were posted is a controversial
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concept. Some moderators will reserve the right to deal with such
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matters themselves, asking others along the way to hold their fire. Yet,
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there needs to be a followup to indicate to others in a conference of
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how such posts are a many kilobaud short of a v.32. Ask the conference
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moderators for their policies on how to handle hoax posts; those
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moderators who don't have a pirate post policy should be encouraged to
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establish one and periodically send it throughout their echo.
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Getting Off Topic? - Too many of these hoaxes start off with the poster
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going "Sorry this is off-topic, but..." then proceed to do a bang-up
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Craig Shergold tale on the Amiga and Maximus echoes. Such users admit,
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then, that they are in deliberate violation of the conference topic.
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Flaming net-mail not only to the node originating such messages, but
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also to that node's hub, NC and perhaps ZC is a good prescription for
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such ailments. Moderators, too, should be quick to denounce any such
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posts appearing in their jurisdiction.
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Demand Evidence! - If a regulator, government body or telephone company
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were to introduce any action that affects BBSes or telecommunications,
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there would be verifiable sources of evidence for such actions. It's
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not good enough for someone to say "well it was a file that was on
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the Jolly Roger EliteWarez System". For instance, a docket or public
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notice number associated with a regulatory body could be used to confirm
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or deny claims. Many hoax authors are too lazy to think of even
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inventing an imaginary reference number, or other document reference.
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The pirate posts just blab on about the impending apocalypse at hand.
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Check For References - Some of these messages contain names, references,
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document numbers and other things that could be used to confirm or deny
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the information at hand. Is a docket or public notice number included?
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Call the appropriate regulator and ask about it. Are there individuals
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mentioned as government officials? Are they listed in directories or
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do the agencies they supposedly represent acknowledge their existence
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and the comments they are listed as making? What is the source of the
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FidoNews 11-09 Page: 6 28 Feb 1994
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message? Track them down and demand where their information came from.
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Laying Down The Law - Check for laws and regulations that may pertain
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to the hoax texts. The Canadian Criminal Code, for instance, has
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sections dealing with false messages and counterfeit proclamations
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(sections 181, 370, 372). This is not to suggest the army be called
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each time a user unwittingly pulls off a classic Dave Rhodeser, but
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reminders of the potential illegalities of hoax messages can't hurt.
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Monitor Governments - Agencies that can affect telecommunications
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normally have procedures for tariffs and notices. These are often
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published in gazettes and records of some form or other. It is helpful
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to have a few eagle eyes check over tariff notices and other
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pronouncements just in case there is something of substance. Getting
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the information from the source, getting reference publications and
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numbers and verifying matters with staff will help sort the fact from
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the fiction.
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Hit Lists - Current pirate postings and rumour mongerings can be
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identified and warnings about these distributed to sysops. The
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Usenet group alt.urban.folklore is a discussion group dedicated
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to myth-information such as the Craig Shergold or Dave Rhodes
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tales. Just as lists of program viruses and trojans have been
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compiled, one could envision the distribution of bogus message
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hot lists. Such information should be distributed not only among
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sysops, but users who might otherwise be potential messengers of
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hoaxes.
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User And Sysop Education - Users must be warned not to upload or post
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any old suspicious tale they feel the public must know by yesterday.
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Sysops need to warn their users not to just splash any old modem tax
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or other story; an alternative would be encourage the private mail
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discussion of such messages with a sysop or *C first. On the Usenet,
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those spreading such messages are faced with vicious reaction, and
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incite threats that fall just short of closing entire seaboards of
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the network involved. The epidemic of pirate posts can be controlled
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by sysops setting forth rules of the board about such messages; also,
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it helps to exercise a bit of caution and to discuss alleged threats
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in private mailings first.
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= = = = = = = = =
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There you have it, an introduction to the wild world of imaginary
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rumours, money-making schemes, and outright balderdash. With the
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application of some critical thought, and spreading awareness of
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the sorts of scams that circulate, the pirate posts can be put to
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pasture.
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FidoNews 11-09 Page: 7 28 Feb 1994
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A Few Words of Wisdom
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By Martin Pollard (1:120/187.0)
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My various friends and net.acquaintances know that I am a fan of the
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Star Trek phenomenon. Part of my love for Star Trek is that, at its
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core, it addresses many of the issues we face today (presented in a
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science fiction setting). War, poverty, racism, terrorism, abortion,
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the death penalty, the plight of endangered species... all are issues
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that have, at one time or another, been addressed by Star Trek movies
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or episodes (and not always with a happy ending).
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The recent article by Tom Jennings ("Protest Made Easy" / "Privacy As
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Roadkill", FidoNews #11-08) reminded me strongly of an episode of Star
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Trek: The Next Generation from about three years ago. The plot of the
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episode in question -- "The Drumhead" -- is very much relevant to the
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issues addressed in the article (the right to privacy, and how current
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government proposals threaten to take that right and flush it down the
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toilet), and contains some words of wisdom that many of us should strive
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to keep in mind. A synopsis of the episode follows (those of you who
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are Trekkies can obviously skip this part <grin>):
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The Enterprise has suffered an explosion that, on the surface, appears
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to be an act of sabotage. A Starfleet admiral, Norah Satie, arrives to
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take part in the investigation. It is later discovered that a Klingon
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exchange officer has been smuggling classified information to the
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Romulans, but claims he was not involved with the explosion; this is
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later borne out by analysis of the debris (the explosion was caused by a
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manufacturing defect). Satie, however, is convinced there is a ring of
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spies and saboteurs aboard the Enterprise, and much to Captain Picard's
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dismay, widens her investigations. The hearings take on a tone akin to
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the McCarthy hearings (or, as Picard puts it, a "drumhead trial"),
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trampling on the rights and freedoms of several people until Picard is
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able to use Satie's paranoid, distrustful nature against her. He
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provokes her into an enraged diatribe against him, thus revealing to all
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what she really is.
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As I indicated in the synopsis, "The Drumhead" is, on the surface, an
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allegory of the 1950s hearings, led by Senator Joseph McCarthy, on
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Communist activities in America (a disgraceful period in our history,
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where rights and freedoms were thrown out the window in the name of "the
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common good"; what claimed to be hearings were actually little more than
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witch-hunts). However, I see a much deeper meaning: A warning to all
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of us that our rights and freedoms are precious and cannot be given up
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on a whim because, in the end, we'll have given up a LOT more than we
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bargained for. Admiral Satie's actions demonstrated that evil often
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cloaks itself in good intentions; we must be forever vigilant if we are
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to keep the freedoms we've fought to maintain all these years.
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To close, I leave these words of wisdom. These words were spoken by
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Captain Picard, and were what led to Admiral Satie's revealing outburst
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(since they were originally spoken by her father, Judge Aaron Satie);
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the characters and words may be fictional, but the meaning they convey
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is very, very real:
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FidoNews 11-09 Page: 8 28 Feb 1994
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"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured,
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the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all
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irrevocably."
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Rising Above It All
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by James Paulson
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1:134/3004.0
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jpaulson@orion.uumh.ab.ca
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Last December marked my first year into the brave new world of
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networking.
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So far, what I've learned is that no matter how high of regard
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one holds for networking and the power it offers, there's
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always at least one idiot out there who's willing to try and spoil
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things for everyone. It seems that there are constant discussions
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on how to avoid this problem and just how to handle it. Issues like
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censorship refuse to die; the battle continues.
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Recently the idea of how Planet Connect will interface with current
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FidoNet policy has come to issue, and it is one which needs to be
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looked at closely. After all, FidoNet policy preceeded Planet
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Connect by several years, and therefore should dictate it's method
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of operation as opposed to allowing anarchy to prevail. We need to
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send a strong message to anyone wishing to join an organized
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network that has run fairly well for several years.
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FidoNet policy basically dicates three options, I believe. These
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options are 1)You agree, 2)You disagree and remove yourself, or
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3)You find yourself removed subject to policy. If a Planet Connect
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based system refuses to follow policy, the option to control it
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resides with the HUB system. If the HUB contravenes that policy,
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then the HUB system should find its feed disconnected. Ultimately
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that choice resides with Planet Connect itself.
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The glue that binds a network as anarchistic as FidoNet can be at
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times is its policy. While we may not all agree with policy, we
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must respect that these are requirements for improving our network
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and should be viewed as such. When capitalistic ventures impede
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and may change the establishment, then those ventures should not be
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allowed to over rule existing policy unless those changes represent
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the wishes of those who ulitmately make the decisions on policy,
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and this issue has been hashed over enough allready.
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The concept of Planet Connect is a great idea, and one which I am
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all in favor of, but it must also viewed as simply another FidoNet
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system, and as such is but a small fish in a big ocean. It is up to
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all of us to ensure that we maintain the proper network standards.
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After all, our network is spreading into countries where it has
|
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never been, and for many FidoNet users, this will be their only
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network option available for many years to come.
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I hope we can and will all do "the right thing."
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FidoNews 11-09 Page: 9 28 Feb 1994
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REENACT - The Living History Echo
|
||
by Gerald Todd 1:261/1151
|
||
|
||
Across the country, men and women portray for us a little bit of what
|
||
life was like "back then." In museums, forts, ships, parks, schools,
|
||
and many other places, these people take us back in time to meet
|
||
Johnny Reb or Billy Yank, to meet one of Roger's Rangers, or a
|
||
family from the prarie. These people show us where we came from,
|
||
and the way we lived. They show us the tools, the food, the weapons,
|
||
and they show us the beliefs, the traditions, and the songs of our
|
||
heritage. These people are "Living Historians."
|
||
|
||
Tagname: REENACT Area Key: REENACT
|
||
Title: Reenacting & Living History Echo
|
||
Description: A conference devoted to the hobby of Reenacting, Living
|
||
History, First-Person Impression, from ancient times to
|
||
Desert Storm. All aspects and facets of the hobby discussed,
|
||
including: research, equipment sources, want-ads, events,
|
||
movies, recruitment, museum and park service work,
|
||
preservation, and more.
|
||
Origin: 1:261/1151
|
||
Distribution: Private Links
|
||
Gateways:
|
||
# Nodes: 5 Volume: Rule File: REENACT.RUL, 1:261/1151
|
||
Flags:
|
||
Moderators: Gerald Todd, 1:261/1151@Fidonet.org
|
||
Gerald Todd, 8:936/125@Rbbsnet.org
|
||
Seen by: 1:261/1151@Fidonet.org 112/3001 363/69 391/1040 3620/14
|
||
Paths:
|
||
Date added: 18-Feb-94 - EList #403
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
ECSTASY now available from 1:163/328
|
||
|
||
by Rick Pali
|
||
An echo is born, and it's called ECSTACY. The topic is the music of
|
||
Sarah McLachlan, Tori Amos, Kate Bush, Jane Siberry and similar
|
||
non-commercial female artists. Any discussion, debate, news questions
|
||
about these performers are welcome. If you've visited the Usenet
|
||
group rec.music.gaffa, you'll feel right at home in ECSTASY.
|
||
|
||
The echo is less than a month old and isn't backboned so distribution
|
||
is private. Traffic now is less than 20 messages a week but that will
|
||
increase as more systems link in.
|
||
|
||
If you're interested in a feed, or more information please feel free
|
||
to drop me a netmail message.
|
||
|
||
Rick Pali
|
||
ECSTASY Moderator
|
||
1:163/328
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 10 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
|
||
INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIVITY
|
||
PS Five days after this was published, Peru joined the
|
||
Internet.
|
||
- --------------------------
|
||
Version 10 - February 15, 1994
|
||
|
||
Please send corrections, information and/or comments to:
|
||
|
||
Larry Landweber
|
||
Computer Sciences Dept.
|
||
University of Wisconsin - Madison
|
||
1210 W. Dayton St.
|
||
Madison, WI 53706
|
||
lhl@cs.wisc.edu
|
||
FAX 1-608-265-2635
|
||
|
||
Include details, e.g., on connections, sites, contacts, protocols,
|
||
etc.
|
||
|
||
Thanks to the many people from around the world who have provided
|
||
information. This version (postscript, ditroff, text forms), maps in
|
||
postscript, and earlier versions may also be obtained by anonymous
|
||
ftp from ftp.cs.wisc.edu in the connectivity_table directory.
|
||
|
||
In the following, "BITNET" is used generically to refer to BITNET
|
||
plus similar networks around the world (e.g., EARN, NETNORTH,
|
||
GULFNET, etc.).
|
||
|
||
SUMMARY
|
||
|
||
NUMBER OF ENTITIES WITH INTERNATIONAL NETWORK CONNECTIVITY = 146
|
||
NUMBER OF ENTITIES WITHOUT INTERNATIONAL NETWORK CONNECTIVITY = 91
|
||
|
||
BITNET
|
||
Col. 2 (Entities with international BITNET links.)
|
||
b: minimal, one to five domestic BITNET sites, 19 entities
|
||
B: widespread, more than five domestic BITNET sites, 32 entities
|
||
|
||
IP INTERNET
|
||
Col. 3 (Entities with international IP Internet links.)
|
||
I: = operational, accessible from entire open IP Internet, 62 entities
|
||
|
||
UUCP
|
||
Col. 4 (Entities with domestic UUCP sites which are connected
|
||
to the Global Multiprotocol Open Internet.)
|
||
u: minimal, one to five domestic UUCP sites, 57 entities
|
||
U: widespread, more than five domestic UUCP sites, 68 entities
|
||
|
||
FIDONET
|
||
Col. 5 (Entities with domestic FIDONET sites which are
|
||
connected to the Global Multiprotocol Open Internet)
|
||
f: minimal, one to five domestic FIDONET sites, 29 entities
|
||
F: widespread, more than five domestic FIDONET sites, 59 entities
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 11 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
OSI
|
||
Col. 6 (Entities with international X.400 links to domestic
|
||
sites which are connected to the Global Multiprotocol Open
|
||
Internet).
|
||
o: minimal, one to five domestic X.400 sites, 8 entities
|
||
O: widespread, more than five domestic X.400 sites, 23 entities
|
||
|
||
ISO 3166 country codes are included in the Table for each
|
||
entity. Note that these do not always agree with the top level
|
||
DNS code(s) used for a particular country.
|
||
|
||
Network connections to Algeria and Lebanon will soon be operational.
|
||
Testing of network connections to Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas,
|
||
Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines is underway.
|
||
|
||
----- AF Afghanistan (Islamic Republic of)
|
||
----- AL Albania (Republic of)
|
||
----- DZ Algeria (People's Democratic Republic of)
|
||
----- AS American Samoa
|
||
----- AD Andorra (Principality of)
|
||
----- AO Angola (People's Republic of)
|
||
----- AI Anguilla
|
||
-I--- AQ Antarctica
|
||
----- AG Antigua and Barbuda
|
||
BIUF- AR Argentina (Argentine Republic)
|
||
--U-- AM Armenia
|
||
---f- AW Aruba
|
||
-IUFo AU Australia
|
||
BIUFO AT Austria (Republic of)
|
||
--U-- AZ Azerbaijan
|
||
----- BS Bahamas (Commonwealth of the)
|
||
b---- BH Bahrain (State of)
|
||
----- BD Bangladesh (People's Republic of)
|
||
--u-- BB Barbados
|
||
--UF- BY Belarus
|
||
BIUFO BE Belgium (Kingdom of)
|
||
--u-- BZ Belize
|
||
----- BJ Benin (People's Republic of)
|
||
--Uf- BM Bermuda
|
||
----- BT Bhutan (Kingdom of)
|
||
--U-- BO Bolivia (Republic of)
|
||
----- BA Bosnia-Herzegovina
|
||
--uf- BW Botswana (Republic of)
|
||
----- BV Bouvet Island
|
||
BIUFO BR Brazil (Federative Republic of)
|
||
----- IO British Indian Ocean Territory
|
||
----- BN Brunei Darussalam
|
||
bIUF- BG Bulgaria (Republic of)
|
||
--U-- BF Burkina Faso (formerly Upper Volta)
|
||
----- BI Burundi (Republic of)
|
||
----- KH Cambodia
|
||
--u-- CM Cameroon (Republic of)
|
||
BIUFO CA Canada
|
||
----- CV Cape Verde (Republic of)
|
||
----- KY Cayman Islands
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 12 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
----- CF Central African Republic
|
||
----- TD Chad (Republic of)
|
||
BIUF- CL Chile (Republic of)
|
||
--u-O CN China (People's Republic of)
|
||
----- CX Christmas Island (Indian Ocean)
|
||
----- CC Cocos (Keeling) Islands
|
||
B-u-- CO Colombia (Republic of)
|
||
----- KM Comoros (Islamic Federal Republic of the)
|
||
--u-- CG Congo (Republic of the)
|
||
--u-- CK Cook Islands
|
||
bIuf- CR Costa Rica (Republic of)
|
||
--uf- CI Cote d'Ivoire (Republic of)
|
||
-IuFo HR Croatia
|
||
--U-- CU Cuba (Republic of)
|
||
bI--- CY Cyprus (Republic of)
|
||
BIUF- CZ Czech Republic
|
||
bIUFO DK Denmark (Kingdom of)
|
||
----- DJ Djibouti (Republic of)
|
||
----- DM Dominica (Commonwealth of)
|
||
--Uf- DO Dominican Republic
|
||
----- TP East Timor
|
||
bIu-- EC Ecuador (Republic of)
|
||
bIU-- EG Egypt (Arab Republic of)
|
||
----- SV El Salvador (Republic of)
|
||
----- GQ Equatorial Guinea (Republic of)
|
||
-IUF- EE Estonia (Republic of)
|
||
---f- ET Ethiopia (People's Democratic Republic of)
|
||
----- FK Falkland Islands (Malvinas)
|
||
--u-- FO Faroe Islands
|
||
-Iu-- FJ Fiji (Republic of)
|
||
BIUFO FI Finland (Republic of)
|
||
BIUFO FR France (French Republic)
|
||
--u-- GF French Guiana
|
||
--u-- PF French Polynesia
|
||
----- TF French Southern Territories
|
||
----- GA Gabon (Gabonese Republic)
|
||
----- GM Gambia (Republic of the)
|
||
--UF- GE Georgia (Republic of)
|
||
BIUFO DE Germany (Federal Republic of)
|
||
--uF- GH Ghana (Republic of )
|
||
----- GI Gibraltar
|
||
BIUFO GR Greece (Hellenic Republic)
|
||
-I-f- GL Greenland
|
||
--u-- GD Grenada
|
||
b-uf- GP Guadeloupe (French Department of)
|
||
-I-F- GU Guam
|
||
--u-- GT Guatemala (Republic of)
|
||
----- GN Guinea (Republic of)
|
||
----- GW Guinea-Bissau (Republic of)
|
||
----- GY Guyana (Republic of)
|
||
----- HT Haiti (Republic of)
|
||
----- HM Heard and McDonald Islands
|
||
----- HN Honduras (Republic of)
|
||
BI-F- HK Hong Kong
|
||
BIUFo HU Hungary (Republic of)
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 13 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
-IUFo IS Iceland (Republic of)
|
||
bIUfO IN India (Republic of)
|
||
--u-- ID Indonesia (Republic of)
|
||
b---- IR Iran (Islamic Republic of)
|
||
----- IQ Iraq (Republic of)
|
||
BIUFO IE Ireland
|
||
BIUF- IL Israel (State of)
|
||
BIUFO IT Italy (Italian Republic)
|
||
--u-- JM Jamaica
|
||
BIUF- JP Japan
|
||
----- JO Jordan (Hashemite Kingdom of)
|
||
--Uf- KZ Kazakhstan
|
||
---f- KE Kenya (Republic of)
|
||
--u-- KI Kiribati (Republic of)
|
||
----- KP Korea (Democratic People's Republic of)
|
||
BIUFO KR Korea (Republic of )
|
||
-I--- KW Kuwait (State of)
|
||
--U-- KG Kyrgyz Republic
|
||
----- LA Lao People's Democratic Republic
|
||
-IUF- LV Latvia (Republic of)
|
||
----- LB Lebanon (Lebanese Republic)
|
||
--u-- LS Lesotho (Kingdom of)
|
||
----- LR Liberia (Republic of)
|
||
----- LY Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
|
||
-I-f- LI Liechtenstein (Principality of)
|
||
--UFo LT Lithuania
|
||
bIUFo LU Luxembourg (Grand Duchy of)
|
||
---F- MO Macau (Ao-me'n)
|
||
--u-- MK Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of)
|
||
--u-- MG Madagascar (Democratic Republic of)
|
||
---f- MW Malawi (Republic of)
|
||
bIUF- MY Malaysia
|
||
----- MV Maldives (Republic of)
|
||
--U-- ML Mali (Republic of)
|
||
--u-- MT Malta (Republic of)
|
||
----- MH Marshall Islands (Republic of the)
|
||
----- MQ Martinique (French Department of)
|
||
----- MR Mauritania (Islamic Republic of)
|
||
--uf- MU Mauritius
|
||
----- YT Mayotte
|
||
BIuF- MX Mexico (United Mexican States)
|
||
----- FM Micronesia (Federated States of)
|
||
--uF- MD Moldova (Republic of)
|
||
----- MC Monaco (Principality of)
|
||
----- MN Mongolia
|
||
----- MS Montserrat
|
||
----- MA Morocco (Kingdom of)
|
||
--Uf- MZ Mozambique (People's Republic of)
|
||
----- MM Myanmar (Union of)
|
||
--Uf- NA Namibia (Republic of)
|
||
----- NR Nauru (Republic of)
|
||
----- NP Nepal (Kingdom of)
|
||
BIUFO NL Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
|
||
--u-- AN Netherlands Antilles
|
||
----- NT Neutral Zone (between Saudi Arabia and Iraq)
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 14 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
--U-- NC New Caledonia
|
||
-IUF- NZ New Zealand
|
||
--u-- NI Nicaragua (Republic of)
|
||
--u-- NE Niger (Republic of the)
|
||
---f- NG Nigeria (Federal Republic of)
|
||
--u-- NU Niue
|
||
----- NF Norfolk Island
|
||
----- MP Northern Mariana Islands (Commonwealth of the)
|
||
BIUFO NO Norway (Kingdom of)
|
||
----- OM Oman (Sultanate of)
|
||
--U-- PK Pakistan (Islamic Republic of)
|
||
----- PW Palau (Republic of)
|
||
b-uF- PA Panama (Republic of)
|
||
--u-- PG Papua New Guinea
|
||
--u-- PY Paraguay (Republic of)
|
||
--Uf- PE Peru (Republic of)
|
||
--uF- PH Philippines (Republic of the)
|
||
----- PN Pitcairn
|
||
BIUF- PL Poland (Republic of)
|
||
bIUFO PT Portugal (Portuguese Republic)
|
||
bIUF- PR Puerto Rico
|
||
----- QA Qatar (State of)
|
||
--u-- RE Re'union (French Department of)
|
||
BIuf- RO Romania
|
||
BIUF- RU Russian Federation
|
||
----- RW Rwanda (Rwandese Republic)
|
||
----- SH Saint Helena
|
||
----- KN Saint Kitts and Nevis
|
||
--u-- LC Saint Lucia
|
||
----- PM Saint Pierre and Miquelon (French Department of)
|
||
----- VC Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
|
||
--u-- WS Samoa (Independent State of)
|
||
----- SM San Marino (Republic of)
|
||
----- ST Sao Tome and Principe (Democratic Republic of)
|
||
B---- SA Saudi Arabia (Kingdom of)
|
||
--Uf- SN Senegal (Republic of)
|
||
--u-- SC Seychelles (Republic of)
|
||
----- SL Sierra Leone (Republic of)
|
||
bIuF- SG Singapore (Republic of)
|
||
bIUF- SK Slovakia
|
||
-IUFO SI Slovenia
|
||
--u-- SB Solomon Islands
|
||
----- SO Somalia (Somali Democratic Republic)
|
||
-IUFO ZA South Africa (Republic of)
|
||
BIUFO ES Spain (Kingdom of)
|
||
--U-- LK Sri Lanka (Democratic Socialist Republic of)
|
||
----- SD Sudan (Democratic Republic of the)
|
||
--u-- SR Suriname (Republic of)
|
||
----- SJ Svalbard and Jan Mayen Islands
|
||
--u-- SZ Swaziland (Kingdom of)
|
||
BIUFo SE Sweden (Kingdom of)
|
||
BIUFO CH Switzerland (Swiss Confederation)
|
||
----- SY Syria (Syrian Arab Republic)
|
||
BIuF- TW Taiwan, Province of China
|
||
--uf- TJ Tajikistan
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 15 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
---f- TZ Tanzania (United Republic of)
|
||
-IUF- TH Thailand (Kingdom of)
|
||
--u-- TG Togo (Togolese Republic)
|
||
----- TK Tokelau
|
||
--u-- TO Tonga (Kingdom of)
|
||
--u-- TT Trinidad and Tobago (Republic of)
|
||
bIUfo TN Tunisia
|
||
BI-F- TR Turkey (Republic of)
|
||
--u-- TM Turkmenistan
|
||
----- TC Turks and Caicos Islands
|
||
----- TV Tuvalu
|
||
---f- UG Uganda (Republic of)
|
||
-IUF- UA Ukraine
|
||
----- AE United Arab Emirates
|
||
bIUFO GB United Kingdom (United Kingdom of Great Britain and
|
||
Northern Ireland)
|
||
BIUFO US United States (United States of America)
|
||
----- UM United States Minor Outlying Islands
|
||
--UF- UY Uruguay (Eastern Republic of)
|
||
--UF- UZ Uzbekistan
|
||
--u-- VU Vanuatu (Republic of, formerly New Hebrides)
|
||
----- VA Vatican City State (Holy See)
|
||
-IU-- VE Venezuela (Republic of)
|
||
--u-- VN Vietnam (Socialist Republic of)
|
||
----- VG Virgin Islands (British)
|
||
---f- VI Virgin Islands (U.S.)
|
||
----- WF Wallis and Futuna Islands
|
||
----- EH Western Sahara
|
||
----- YE Yemen (Republic of)
|
||
--uf- YU Yugoslavia (Socialist Federal Republic of)
|
||
----- ZR Zaire (Republic of)
|
||
---f- ZM Zambia (Republic of)
|
||
--uf- ZW Zimbabwe (Republic of)
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
General news.
|
||
|
||
Max, is this FidoNet worthy? It's a shit stirrer at least. And points
|
||
out the need for more damned comm. to Mexico! Why isn't there more!
|
||
(partly rhetorical, I am dimly aware of the power/phone situation in
|
||
rural Mexico).
|
||
|
||
My fear is that any Mexican BBSs would be owned by well off/propertied
|
||
types, and might not be very supportive of the Chiapa rebellion.
|
||
|
||
Forwarded message:
|
||
Date: Tue, 22 Feb 94 15:45:34 EST
|
||
From: dmandl@lehman.com (David Mandl)
|
||
To: tomj@wps.com
|
||
Subject: Zapatismo
|
||
Reply-To: dmandl@panix.com
|
||
|
||
Oh, yeah...Peter [Lamborn Wilson] asked me to send you a copy of this.
|
||
(You may have already seen it by now.)
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 16 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
|
||
ZAPATISMO
|
||
---------
|
||
1. The Zapatista uprising in Chiapas has suddenly taken on a certain
|
||
importance. Despite its small scale it has not yet been crushed,
|
||
apparently because the PRI fears public outrage. Moreover,
|
||
municipalities in various places in Mexico have been taken over by
|
||
various groups in sympathy with the Zapatistas. This news has been
|
||
blacked out of U.S. media, doubtless for reasons connected with NAFTA.
|
||
If the PRI begins to totter, U.S. involvement becomes probable.
|
||
|
||
2. A reading of Zapatista communiques and manifestos (as translated
|
||
by the RESIST! group in California) reveals a program completely in
|
||
keeping with the principles of E. Zapata himself--modified for
|
||
contemporary relevance but basically anarcho-agrarian--"Tierra y
|
||
Libertad." As anarchists we should remember that Zapata's goals were
|
||
supported by the Flores Magon brothers, who worked behind the front
|
||
organization of the "Mexican Liberal Party," but were in fact out-&-
|
||
out revolutionary anarchists. In 1911, European and N. American
|
||
anarchists ranging from individualists to wobblies participated in the
|
||
short-lived Republic of Tiajuana. The revolt in Chiapas which began
|
||
last New Year's Eve would appear to be the first non-authoritarian
|
||
movement with real revolutionary potential since Paris '68 or Italy in
|
||
the early '70s. We should not let marxist-leninist groups in the U.S.
|
||
"monopolize" the Zapatistas. We should demonstrate our support, and
|
||
we should make it clear that we offer this support _as anarchists_.
|
||
|
||
3. Moreover, it seems possible for ALL tendencies within the anarchist
|
||
movement to join in offering this support. Anarcho-communists,
|
||
anarcho-syndicalists, wobblies, and others with historical reasons to
|
||
welcome a rebirth of Zapatismo, will need no convincing. As for the
|
||
individualists, post-Situ's, "Type 3's," etc., we should consider that
|
||
the Chiapas uprising is a courageous adventure in the spirit of human
|
||
freedom. The Zapatistas themselves have evoked the romanticism of
|
||
revolt by choosing their name. "Romanticism" is a value despised only
|
||
by those too cynical or too tired to remember that--from an
|
||
"existential" p.o.v.--revolt is an end in itself.
|
||
|
||
4. It's important to note that Chiapas seems to be the first real
|
||
"post-1989" radical uprising. The involvement of the USSR helped
|
||
change the Sandinista movement (also named after an anarchist) into an
|
||
authoritarian government. But this time there is no USSR to get
|
||
involved. Zapatista documents make no reference to marxist-leninist
|
||
forms of organization. (The NY Times even went so far as to call the
|
||
Zapatistas "post-modern"!) For the first time since 1916 we don't
|
||
have to watch our backs or protect our flank against leninism--or
|
||
stalinism. Anarchism is _free to act_.
|
||
|
||
5. Some anarchists may dislike the involvement of "Liberation
|
||
Theology" in the Zapatista movement. But since 1989 the meaning of
|
||
Liberation Theology has also changed or shifted. The Vatican, which
|
||
tacitly encouraged Lib. Theol. as a wedge into marxism in Latin
|
||
America, now no longer needs it and has virtually reduced it to the
|
||
status of a near-heresy. In theory, Lib. Theol. must by now be purged
|
||
of its "jesuit" wing and its "marxist" wing, leaving only the sincere
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 17 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
radicals. The religious situation in Chiapas is very complex,
|
||
involving Mayan/Christian syncretistic cults, and other churches
|
||
beside the Roman Catholics. As yet the presence of organized
|
||
religions in Chiapas seems to offer no real obstacle to anarchist
|
||
enthusiasm for Zapatismo.
|
||
|
||
6. The Stirnerite anarchist Ret Marut adopted the "existential"
|
||
position (see para. 3 above) when he joined the Bavarian Soviet of
|
||
1919 with Gustav Landauer and other anarchists. Escaping a death
|
||
sentence in Munich, Marut fled to Mexico and changed his name to B.
|
||
Traven. In the early '20s he lived for a while in Chiapas and wrote a
|
||
book about it (unfortunately never translated). Traven went on to
|
||
write the best of all anarchist adventure novels--_The Deathship_, _The
|
||
Wobbly_, _Treasure of the Sierra Madre_, and above all his _Mahogony_
|
||
series, set in Chipas during the Mexican Revolution. When Traven died
|
||
he was buried in San Cristobal--where the Zapatista revolt broke out
|
||
last New Year's Eve. Traven is someone we might remember, not only
|
||
because he was a "gringo" who loved Chiapas and supported the
|
||
Revolution, but also because he transcended all limited "ideological"
|
||
anarchist tendencies to embrace a grand vision of human tragedy,
|
||
endurance, and freedom.
|
||
|
||
7. As of this writing the Zapatistas have called on radicals outside
|
||
Mexico for support but have not yet specified what form they'd like it
|
||
to take. Obviously, in light of the media black-out, _spreading the
|
||
word_ has top priority. Sending medicine and supplies, etc., may soon
|
||
become both necessary and possible. Given the very great chance of
|
||
U.S. involvement to protect the PRI and NAFTA, we should begin the
|
||
organization of domestic resistance networkds _now_, so as not to be
|
||
caught napping again. The anarchist press should remain closely
|
||
informed, and should provide background as well as news (one of our
|
||
numbers is in Mexico now, looking for real info). The authors of this
|
||
letter are prepared to join with any responsible non-authoritarian
|
||
support group which might emerge. If you are organizing or would like
|
||
to help organize on behalf of Zapatismo, or if you have information
|
||
for broadcast, please contact us.
|
||
|
||
Tierra y Libertad!
|
||
|
||
Feb. 14, 1994
|
||
Moorish Orthodox Radio Crusade
|
||
Box 113
|
||
WBAI-Pacifica
|
||
505 Eighth Ave.
|
||
NYC, NY 10018
|
||
(email: dmandl@panix.com)
|
||
|
||
Please distribute widely.
|
||
Tom Jennings -- tomj@wps.com
|
||
World Power Systems -- San Francisco, Calif.
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 18 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
|
||
Small Article about swiscon/eurocon
|
||
|
||
Dear Fidonetter,
|
||
|
||
as you migth know, the next CON will be held in Switzerland,
|
||
therefore called SWISSCON/EUROCON.
|
||
|
||
The same procedure as every year, we are looking for speakers.
|
||
We are interested to have speakers, that can tell us something
|
||
about new technologies that could be implemented whithin
|
||
FidoNet. We think, that a lot of fellow sysop are interested in
|
||
knowing how the future could be.
|
||
That can be:
|
||
|
||
How does Usenet News transport work, would it be a benefit for
|
||
FidoNet, to use that method of transfering and distributing huge
|
||
Echomailpackets.
|
||
|
||
Any other not yet known Method, how to transfer and distribute
|
||
huge mailtraffic.
|
||
|
||
New packetproposals, that solves all outstanding problems in one
|
||
stroke.
|
||
|
||
New transferprotocols that uses both channels for ISDN
|
||
connections or any kind of TCP/IP over seriallines or any other
|
||
brandnew invention.
|
||
|
||
If you have special knowledge in such technologies and are
|
||
willing to be speaker, please send a netmail to Ruedi
|
||
Kneubuehler 2:301/520 or pingu@chg.imp.com, describing your topic.
|
||
|
||
Any other question concerning SWISSCON/EUROCON, can be routed to
|
||
2:2/1994.
|
||
|
||
Hope to see a lot of you in switzerland joining the SWISSCON, we
|
||
will have a lot of fun... :-))
|
||
|
||
Thanks for taking time and reading this Mail.
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
V34? WHERE!?!?
|
||
A Study of the Abuse of Nodelist Flags
|
||
by Derek Balling @ 1:236/48
|
||
|
||
Did ya know that there are 10 nodes in the entire world who know something
|
||
you don't?
|
||
|
||
They have the ITU-T (formerly CCITT) v.34 modems.... Shhhhh, it's a big
|
||
secret you're not supposed to know.
|
||
|
||
What? You say... ITU-T hasn't approved that yet!?!? It hasn't, you're right,
|
||
or at least I thought you were... but GOSH... look at all these systems
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 19 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
flying that "V34" flag before a single v34 modem has been released to the
|
||
market...
|
||
|
||
1:2000/13 1:227/0 1:227/3
|
||
1:104/918 1:330/0 1:330/175
|
||
1:133/231 1:3619/28 6:700/395
|
||
6:700/652
|
||
|
||
They all know something you don't.... (Heck, the guy at 1:3619/28 even
|
||
flies the H14 flag... not only does he have a really new v34 modem on that
|
||
line, but he also has a really old HST modem on it, too....)
|
||
|
||
And let's talk about the HST flags... Gosh aren't they getting confusing?
|
||
|
||
For the idiots out there (you NC's know who you are, or ... ok, well, maybe
|
||
you DON'T know who you are, but you will in a minute)
|
||
|
||
Important tips...
|
||
|
||
The "HST" flag does not apply to every HST product... It applies
|
||
to the 9600 HST protocol.
|
||
|
||
There is NOT (at least, not LISTED at the bottom) a V32T flag (now
|
||
yes, I'm guilty of this, but at least my modem is in production
|
||
unlike the V34's out there)... Now according to what my NC says
|
||
the R11C told him, V32T is approved... <sigh>
|
||
|
||
V32T, if approved, is NOT the USR 21.6 protocol.... It is the AT&T
|
||
protocol which is only up to 19.2, there should be a seperate
|
||
flag for that. (ASL is my suggestion). Why not H21 as others have
|
||
suggested? Because there is plenty of room to tweak the HST side
|
||
up past 16.8 and make that 21.6 at some point, and then you'd have
|
||
REAL confusion... leave the Hxx numbers just for HST
|
||
|
||
Don't ignore your nodelist flags... Be nice... I, and a lot of people,
|
||
my modem set up to call different systems differently, depending on
|
||
what speed connect I can get... If I _CAN_ connect to you at 21.6,
|
||
but because your "highest" flag setting is H16, I turn on "HST-only"
|
||
protocols, I miss out on speed. It's not that we can't do it, it
|
||
is just that because you couldn't be bothered to jot a note off to
|
||
your NC (or your NC couldn't be bothered to dally with those
|
||
insignificant flags)... folks, if they're insignificant they wouldn't
|
||
be there now would they? I know of a couple systems still listed
|
||
as 2400 baud nodes even though they have now upgraded to Dual
|
||
Standards... Things like this shouldn't be happening....
|
||
|
||
AT&T is scheduled to announce their new modem soon... the one they
|
||
are touting as "V34"... even though it is far from approved. I think
|
||
it is important that we make a conscious effort _NOT_ to approve
|
||
the V34 flag to these nodes... Why? Because down the road, if the
|
||
ITU-T changes the protocol even the slightest (which is entirely
|
||
possible knowing the way they work), we'll have to create ANOTHER
|
||
flag (like TV34, for TRUE V34, or something stupid like that),
|
||
because what those AT&T customers have isn't the same, and might
|
||
not work...
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 20 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
|
||
Comments? (Flames to \dev\nul)
|
||
|
||
Derek Balling
|
||
1:236/48
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Fidonet, Fight'o'Net ?
|
||
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
||
Konrad H. Knauer, 2:2410/401@fidonet
|
||
|
||
German would be my language of choice, but as most of you might not
|
||
understand it, I'll give English a try.
|
||
If you cannot find me in your Nodelist, well, ask ZC2, its not my
|
||
job to distribute the zone list. Good, I managed to find a jumping
|
||
point <g>, this article deals with ZC2, some other Cs and Region 2:24,
|
||
Germany.
|
||
Regular readers of the Snooze might remember what happened in
|
||
Fidonet Germany, it did split last summer. The good story was, Germany
|
||
was on its way reuniting. It *was*, unfortunately it isn't anymore.
|
||
|
||
Last June a small group of people (GCC - German Complaint Comitee)
|
||
thought they could reorder the Region and place themself on top of the
|
||
new structure; without telling or even asking the Nodes. They were
|
||
supported by ZC2 Ron Dwight. He controls the Nodelist, so he controls
|
||
the zone. As a result the Region split, Fido Classic and Fido Lite.
|
||
First was bigger and unlisted, latter was the official Region (GCC).
|
||
Finally the Lite GCC RC and some other *Cs had to resign, the new
|
||
RC was a trustworthy man, the region started to reunite. Until now more
|
||
than 50% are reunited, RC elections were planned for March.
|
||
One candidate was a GCC member, but had only a very small chance to
|
||
win. This year, elections of ZC2 are planned too. You might know that
|
||
the RCs elect the ZC. Current ZC2 has caused too much trouble in
|
||
Europe, so he is probably afraid to loose.
|
||
Maybe you already guess what happened, no RC elections, but the ZC
|
||
has replaced the current RC with the GCC candidate, Toni Gerhard. There
|
||
will be no RC elections. Advantage for ZC is, he will have one more
|
||
vote when running for ZC again - just in case he fails becoming IC.
|
||
Of course, many Nodes in Germany don't accept this brute violence.
|
||
Reunification is endangered and even worse, the new RC thinks about
|
||
turning the clock backwards - breaking some of the new nets where Nodes
|
||
from both parts are united. The Nodes will be forced to move into one of
|
||
the nets GCC established and does still control, or join Fido Classic
|
||
(the unlisted part) again.
|
||
|
||
You see, how much harm dirty politics, people seeking for influence
|
||
and power, can do to our hobby. In the many years, since I did fall in
|
||
love with Fido <g>, it happened often, but never in such an amount as
|
||
it does now.
|
||
I'm pretty shure this "games" do happen in other parts of the
|
||
Fidonet world, too. Maybe hidden or unnoticeable by most, but look out,
|
||
it can soon become the same disaster as in Germany and other European
|
||
countries.
|
||
The problem is, Fidonet has no means to prevent this, so it does and
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 21 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
will happen again. Only one man, in the right position, can prevent
|
||
Fidonet from being fun, impose his will, high costs and many trouble on
|
||
Nodes.
|
||
|
||
Sorry, I have no solution for this situation. Worldpol, the last
|
||
attempt to establish more democracy and rights for Nodes, failed. So I
|
||
can just warn, keep your eyes open, watch out !
|
||
|
||
Regards from Berlin \
|
||
> Konrad
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
More on privacy.
|
||
Shawn McMahon
|
||
1:19/34
|
||
A Few More Thoughts on Privacy, Clipper, and You.
|
||
|
||
Reading Fidonews Volume 11, Issue, 8, I saw some great thoughts on
|
||
privacy and how it relates to the net at large.
|
||
|
||
However, I thought a more down-to-earth representation of the issues
|
||
involved might be in order.
|
||
|
||
Clipper:
|
||
|
||
This is a chip that incorporates a government-designed encryption
|
||
algorithm, called "Skipjack."
|
||
|
||
The chip is to be included in telephones and other equipment, to provide
|
||
on-the-fly encryption. No more listening to your neighbor's cellular
|
||
calls with a scanner. (BTW, listening to cellular calls is illegal in
|
||
the US. Betcha didn't know that.)
|
||
|
||
The problems with Clipper are primarily related to two things:
|
||
|
||
1) Nobody knows the encryption algorithm except the NSA and a couple
|
||
experts hired to shill for it. This is a big no-no in the encryption
|
||
world. A strong algorithm, such as the RSA public-key system, is not
|
||
weakened much by knowing how it works. However, a weak algorithm is
|
||
discovered faster if everybody can look at it and test it. We can't do
|
||
that with Skipjack, because it's classified. This means we don't have
|
||
any idea how strong it is; maybe it's better than RSA, maybe it could be
|
||
cracked in 30 minutes with an Apple ][+. We don't know.
|
||
|
||
2) The government has a sort of "back door" built in to the Clipper
|
||
system, meaning that they can decrypt any Clipper-encrypted messages at
|
||
will. This is supposedly done so that law enforcement types can decrypt
|
||
the conversations of drug dealers, mafiosos, and terrorists without
|
||
spending jillions of dollars on computer time. This has the following
|
||
problems:
|
||
|
||
2a) The government gets to decide who gets access to this information.
|
||
2b) If this information is stolen, ANYBODY can access it.
|
||
2c) Big business won't stand for it, meaning that instead of buying
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 22 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
US-made Clipper equipment, they'll buy cheap Taiwanese junk that uses
|
||
RSA or IDEA or another algorithm that isn't pre-compromised. Americans
|
||
out of work, thanks to Uncle Sam.
|
||
2d) Drug dealers, mafiosos, and terrorists won't be stupid enough to
|
||
use the Clipper equipment, anyway; meaning that the ONLY people the
|
||
government will be able to spy on are you and me.
|
||
|
||
What it all comes down to is this; a technology that pushes more jobs
|
||
out of the US, puts us further behind on encryption technology, and has
|
||
*NO POSSIBLE USE* except spying on Americans.
|
||
|
||
Write your congressman; Clipper isn't just a bad idea, it's a
|
||
fundamental attack on your rights.
|
||
|
||
Just when we were starting to make progress on ensuring our civil rights
|
||
were carried over into cyberspace, the NSA took this last-ditch chance
|
||
to keep their thumb in the illegal domestic surveillance pie. You don't
|
||
have to do much to safeguard your rights here; just a letter to your
|
||
congressman will help.
|
||
|
||
If you want to know more about privacy issues, Clipper, and alternatives
|
||
to Clipper such as PGP, pick up the PUBLIC_KEYS echo.
|
||
|
||
It's on the Zone 1 Backbone.
|
||
|
||
(Unless the forces of darkness manage to get it removed by the time you
|
||
read this. <g>)
|
||
|
||
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
========================================================================
|
||
Fidonews Information
|
||
========================================================================
|
||
|
||
------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
|
||
|
||
Editors: Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees, Tim Pozar
|
||
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello,
|
||
Tom Jennings
|
||
|
||
IMPORTANT NOTE: The FidoNet address of the FidoNews BBS has been
|
||
changed!!! Please make a note of this.
|
||
|
||
"FidoNews" BBS
|
||
FidoNet 1:1/23
|
||
BBS +1-519-570-4176, 300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(DS)
|
||
Internet addresses:
|
||
Don & Sylvia (submission address)
|
||
editor@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
|
||
|
||
Sylvia -- max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
|
||
Donald -- donald@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
|
||
Tim -- pozar@kumr.lns.com
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 23 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
(Postal Service mailing address) (have extreme patience)
|
||
FidoNews
|
||
128 Church St.
|
||
Kitchener, Ontario
|
||
Canada
|
||
N2H 2S4
|
||
|
||
Published weekly by and for the members of the FidoNet international
|
||
amateur electronic mail system. It is a compilation of individual
|
||
articles contributed by their authors or their authorized agents. The
|
||
contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the
|
||
rights of the authors. Opinions expressed in these articles are those
|
||
of the authors and not necessarily those of FidoNews.
|
||
|
||
Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is
|
||
copyright 1994 Sylvia Maxwell. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or
|
||
distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in
|
||
other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or FidoNews
|
||
(we're easy).
|
||
|
||
|
||
OBTAINING COPIES: The-most-recent-issue-ONLY of FidoNews in electronic
|
||
form may be obtained from the FidoNews BBS via manual download or
|
||
Wazoo FileRequest, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet.
|
||
PRINTED COPIES may be obtained from Fido Software for $10.00US each
|
||
PostPaid First Class within North America, or $13.00US elsewhere,
|
||
mailed Air Mail. (US funds drawn upon a US bank only.)
|
||
|
||
INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.fidonet.org, in
|
||
directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews. If you have questions regarding
|
||
FidoNet, please direct them to deitch@gisatl.fidonet.org, not the
|
||
FidoNews BBS. (Be kind and patient; David Deitch is generously
|
||
volunteering to handle FidoNet/Internet questions.)
|
||
|
||
SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
|
||
FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file
|
||
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews BBS, or Wazoo filerequestable
|
||
from 1:1/23 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". Please read it.
|
||
|
||
"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
|
||
trademarks of Tom Jennings, and are used with permission.
|
||
|
||
Asked what he thought of Western civilization,
|
||
M.K. Gandhi said, "I think it would be an excellent idea".
|
||
-- END
|
||
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
FidoNews 11-09 Page: 24 28 Feb 1994
|
||
|
||
|
||
|