377 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
377 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
F I D O N E W S -- Vol.11 No.12 (21-Mar-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..................................................... 1
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2. Articles...................................................... 2
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Keybored in Ohio............................................ 2
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The history of Fidonet Words of Wisedom from the past....... 3
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SCA Echoarea................................................ 6
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3. Fidonews Information.......................................... 6
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========================================================================
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Editorial
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========================================================================
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FidoNews 11-12 Page: 2 21 Mar 1994
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"Achieve world peace through BBSing" part II
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Ouch. i feel utterly scragged today. i'm almost painted out blank,
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fed up, trucked down, blaa and blaa. And then some of you out there
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sent these entertaining articles which are happening to make me feel
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better. Thanks.
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========================================================================
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Articles
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========================================================================
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Keybored in Ohio
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by Chip Morrow - 1:226/730 (Information Overload)
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Every so often I come to the undeniable conclusion that I really need
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to get a life. Everyone keeps telling me this. So, I keep looking
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through the department stores and catalogs, but so far haven't run
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across any for sale yet. Well, there was a blue light special once,
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but I didn't make it to the aisle in time, and, well... it's a pretty
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ugly story.
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Once in a while I get a clue as to why I spend so much time with
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Fidonet and everything that goes with it, and am just about to really
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come up with something awe-inspiring when an episode of Star Trek the
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Next Generation comes on the tube and blows the whole thing away.
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Sometimes it's just a Fidonews article. Occasionally all it takes is
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one of Chevy Chase's Doritos commercials.
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Has anyone spent umpteen hours hunched over the keyboard trying to
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make ERRORLEVEL 925627 do what it's supposed to do in the big batch
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file? Who spent time recently screaming at some TIC processor that
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just ate the long-awaited 500K file that your feed sent you? Did
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anyone mistakenly route a netmail in 1986 that was destined for across
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the street into the great void of cyberspace, where it's probably
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STILL trying to find final destination? (Well, OK... maybe it wound
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up in someone's Internet mailbox in Finland last month, but we're not
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here to pick nits).
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What about the file sitting in some obscure directory that doesn't do
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anything at all but HAS to be there or the whole thing breaks? My
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answer: that file contains the secret to life itself. Do NOT delete
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it under any cirumstances. It will be revealed to you on judgement
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day.
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My wife recently managed to pick up tickets to the Pink Floyd concert
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that's coming our way out here in Central Ohio in late May this year.
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This means I get to actually spend a long evening doing something
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exciting that doesn't involve a keyboard for a change. I'm really
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looking forward to it. Because after that's over, I can get back to
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fixing that confounded FILE_ID.DIZ processor, and...
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FidoNews 11-12 Page: 3 21 Mar 1994
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The history of Fidonet Words of Wisedom from the past
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By Marge Robbins 1:283/120 or mrobbins@wps.com
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A wise man once said there is nothing new under the sun. I am begining
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to think that is true. Grubbing around in Fidonet's past is a lot
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like watching the present pass in review. Some things never change.
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Six and seven years ago the snooze was filled with gripes and bitches
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about incompetant Coordinators, dire predictions about the eminent
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demise of the net if is this or that precieved problem isn't addressed
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immediately. My favorites; the nodelist is going to break everybody's
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software, too many echos are going to choke the net. Sound familliar?
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There are also voices from the past offering words of wisedom, tidbits
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that are of value even today. I feel moved to share one such, a
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parable of sorts with a moral that is as valid now as it was when
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first printed in the snooze six years ago. But before we get into
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that, I have a few requests to make of the net.
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Is there anybody out there who remembers when and why David Dodell
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stepped down as IC? Methinks there is more to the story than what
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little appeared in the snooze.
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Where are our overseas brethren in Fidonet? The history of Fidonet is
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YOUR history too. Won't you please help me compile it? I really don't
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want this to become a history of Zone 1.
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Anybody want to do some typing for the project? I have some very old
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nodelists and IFNA papers that will need to be transcribed unless
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either a volunteer who can scan text comes forward, or we get lucky
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and find electronic copies on tape or disk in some dusty corner. Giffs
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and JPGs are nice, but not the answer for everything.
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Now let us step back into time and listen to a Network Yarn that has a
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moral fit for today. This was first printed in Fido524.nws 13 Jun
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1988.
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Indios (A Network Yarn)
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(c) 1988
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James Zachary 445/2
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"JERKS!"
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Ron jumped up from his desk and began pacing furiously.
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"Stupid self-serving twits!" he bellowed at his computer
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screen.
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A shadow in the doorway startled him.
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"Indios? Oh! I wasn't ... I mean ... sorry if I disturbed
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you."
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Indios was the caretaker and general handyman for the
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condominium complex where Ron lived. Rarely did he pay much
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FidoNews 11-12 Page: 4 21 Mar 1994
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attention to anything other than his duties.
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"Your sink is fixed." he said with his deep, gravely voice.
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"What upsets you?" the old Indian then asked through lips that
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barely moved.
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"Ahhhhh, I dunno! I am sick and tired of everyone treating me
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like dirt!"
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His dark, withered face frowning, Indios shuffled his large
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frame to an overstuffed chair and sat down.
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"How do they do this? I am not understanding."
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Ron was surprised. In over 2 years he had never known Indios
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to solicit a conversation.
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"Well, some people are real idiots and think they know it all.
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They like to lord over other people, pretending they are
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smarter or better. All they really have are big mouths! I am
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going to start defending myself! I am going to be more
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assertive!"
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"Tell to me the difference of you being 'assertive' and them
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having 'big mouths'?" Indios asked without expression.
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Ron did not answer.
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"You sit in front of this for hours," Indios continued,
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pointing to the computer on Ron's desk, "and it angers you.
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How can this be?"
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"It started off to be fun," Ron answered, "then everyone
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started flaming at each other!"
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Ron could see that he was only confusing Indios.
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"See, with the computer, a bunch of people can leave messages
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to each other. It's like a big hobby for computer buffs.
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There is an amateur network that I belong to where we can leave
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mail. It was fun until it became too crowded. Now everyone
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just fights with each other. If someone misspells a word,
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someone jumps on him. If someone asks a question or has an
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idea that someone else thinks is stupid, then the name calling
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starts. We call it 'flaming'."
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Indios grunted and nodded that he understood.
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"So, you meet people on your machine so you can get angry at
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each other. You go to work and your clubs and get angry at
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others. Driving your car makes you angry at others ..."
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"Exactly!" Ron exclaimed. "Unless you stand up for yourself,
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someone will walk all over you! Believe me, when someone
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shoves it to me I am going to pay them back in spades!"
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FidoNews 11-12 Page: 5 21 Mar 1994
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The Indian brushed his long, white hair back with his weathered
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hands and looked sadly at Ron.
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"So much anger ... This will make you better than them? Anger
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can at times be a tool but, like a surgeons knife, it should
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only be used when all else has failed and the cause is just ...
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only then with great care and control. Most swing this blade
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recklessly and wound themselves."
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"I am sick and tired of reading this crap! I am sick and tired
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of these pious bastards jumping on every little thing I do!"
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"Maybe they have a fear ... maybe they have a need. The
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smallest pups always growl the loudest. The others that are
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secure will allow this because they know these pups have needs
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that only can be provided for by their pretending dominance.
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Even with wolves, the strongest and fastest in the pack will
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allow the pretenders their moments, as they know it is their
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need and all they can really achieve."
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Now Ron was puzzled. "You mean I should just ignore these
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twinks?! That I should let them say vile things about me and
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others?!"
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"Do they strip you of your honor? Are you denied all dignity?
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Your family was not threatened, your ability to provide for
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those that depend on you was not threatened ... your honor was
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not taken."
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"I have my pride!"
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"Pride is not honor. You must know when NOT to fight before
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you will ever know when it is proper TO fight. Your words of
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anger are that of a child. Show me the burial sites of those
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killed by mere words ..."
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Ron knew he was losing the debate. This one was face to face
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and the words had texture, tone and emphasis ... not like text
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written on a flat monitor screen.
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"Take what is good with this and all else in life and leave
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behind what is bad." Indios continued, leaning forward, his
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eyes fixed in a gaze at Ron. "I know enough about you to say
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that you were granted neither the natural gift of a powerful
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body nor a powerful mind at birth. You were granted a more
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valuable gift, the gift to build whatever body and mind you
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choose. There are no boundaries for this gift. All you do,
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every day, in all walks, makes you what you are and what you
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will be."
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Indios then stood and walked to the doorway. Ron remained
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silent.
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"Will you build your body and soul of sound materials or will
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FidoNews 11-12 Page: 6 21 Mar 1994
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you use the waste of the earth and become all that you
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despise?" Indios asked with a hint of a smile as he departed.
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Ron strolled slowly back to his desk and sat down in front of
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the computer. He hit a key to awaken his blank screen and then
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began rereading the message that had upset him earlier. After
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a moment he moved on to the next message, leaving the hate
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unanswered.
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"We're just puppies ... " he mumbled under his breath. "I
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guess Fido grew up and had a whole lot of puppies ..."
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He then began a reply to a message from a friend in Puerto
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Rico. "Take what is good ..."
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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SCA Echoarea
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By Carl Enchelmayer
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I have a new echo on my BBS that is not in the Fidonet Backbone at this
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time. It is called the SCA/Medieval Discussion Echo. This Echo deals
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with discussions of the SCA, which is an International Medieval
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re-enactment group, and with Medieval talk in general.
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Currently there has been a great response in my area for this echo. I
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have had it up and running since last summer. There are currently about
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ten systems that poll the echo.
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I would like the echo to be spread out even farther, in hopes that
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someday it can get into the Fidonet Backbone. WWIVNet has a similar
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echo called "The known world herald", but that doesn't help us guys
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and gals here in Fido-land.
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If you wish to receive this echo on your system, please drop me a
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netmail, and we can make arrangments to get this area to your system.
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-Carl Enchelmayer @1:232/305
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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========================================================================
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Fidonews Information
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========================================================================
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------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
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Editors: Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees
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Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell,
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Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar
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Tom Jennings
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"FidoNews" BBS
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FidoNet 1:1/23
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BBS +1-519-570-4176, 300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(DS)
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Internet addresses:
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FidoNews 11-12 Page: 7 21 Mar 1994
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Don & Sylvia (submission address)
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editor@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
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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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(Postal Service mailing address)
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FidoNews
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128 Church St.
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Kitchener, Ontario
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Canada
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N2H 2S4
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Published weekly by and for the members of the FidoNet international
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amateur electronic mail system. It is a compilation of individual
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articles contributed by their authors or their authorized agents. The
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contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the
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rights of the authors. Opinions expressed in these articles are those
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of the authors and not necessarily those of FidoNews.
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Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is
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Copyright 1994 Sylvia Maxwell. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or
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distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in
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other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or FidoNews
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(we're easy).
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OBTAINING COPIES: The-most-recent-issue-ONLY of FidoNews in electronic
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form may be obtained from the FidoNews BBS via manual download or
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Wazoo FileRequest, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet.
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PRINTED COPIES may be obtained from Fido Software for $10.00US each
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PostPaid First Class within North America, or $13.00US elsewhere,
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mailed Air Mail. (US funds drawn upon a US bank only.)
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INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.fidonet.org,
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in directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews. If you would like a FAQ, or
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have questions regarding FidoNet, or UUCP<==>FidoNet gateways, please
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direct them to David Deitch (1:133/411@fidonet) at
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deitch@gisatl.fidonet.org.
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SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
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FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file
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ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews BBS, or Wazoo filerequestable
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from 1:1/23 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". Please read it.
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"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
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trademarks of Tom Jennings, and are used with permission.
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Asked what he thought of Western civilization,
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M.K. Gandhi said, "I think it would be an excellent idea".
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-- END
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