F I D O  N E W S --                   Vol.12  No. 4    (23-Jan-1995)
+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
|  A newsletter of the       |   ISSN 1198-4589 Published by:          |
|  FidoNet BBS community     |   "FidoNews" BBS                        |
|          _                 |       +1-519-570-4176                   |
|         /  \               |                                         |
|        /|oo \              |   Small animal psychology and           |
|       (_|  /_)             |   Spiritual guidance Department:        |
|        _`@/_ \    _        |        Rev. Richard Visage  1:163/409   |
|       |     | \   \\       |                                         |
|       | (*) |  \   ))      |   Editor:                               |
|       |__U__| /  \//       |        Donald Tees      1:221/192       |
|        _//|| _\   /        |        Sylvia Maxwell   1:221/194       |
|       (_/(_|(____/         |        Tim                              |
|             (jm)           |     Newspapers should have no friends.  |
|                            |                    -- JOSEPH PULITZER   |
+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
|               Submission address: editors 1:1/23                     |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  MORE addresses:                                                     |
|                                                                      |
|    Don -- [email protected]                          |
|    Tim Pozar -- [email protected]                                   |
|    David Deitch -- 1:133/411.411, [email protected]          |
|    submissions=> [email protected]                |
|                  editor 1:1/23                                       |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
|       For  information,   copyrights,   article   submissions,       |
|       obtaining copies of fidonews or the internet gateway faq       |
|       please refer to the end of this file.                          |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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                         Table of Contents
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1.  Editorial.....................................................  1
2.  Articles......................................................  2
     Helping FidoNet in Cuba - an update.........................  2
     Rottenness in the state of Fidonet?.........................  3
     Gardening in North America..................................  5
     THEIST_WATCH Echo now on Backbone!..........................  5
     INTERMAIL changing to IM_USER...............................  6
3.  Fidonews Information..........................................  7
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                             Editorial
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FidoNews 12-04                 Page:  2                    23 Jan 1995


   Election time approaches here in region 12 again, and the
standard insults and carryings on are flowing full force. It
astonishes me that we find anybody to do the work of fidonet
with all the abuse that every volunteer seems to take. Is it
like this throughout the net, or is it just here? Stupid
question, I suppose. After all, we (the snooze editors, that
is) get it too. It always seems, though, that the sysops with
the biggest mouths do the least work.

   Pablo is getting the assistance to potential Cuban sysops
program up and running, and Max and I have volunteered to act as
a collection point for equipment. I wonder if I can get myself
shipped to Cuba as a sysop? I hear that there is sun down there
in January.

   On a more serious note, it has always been my personal
belief that the only route to world peace and prosperity is
through communications and knowledge.  This is an area that
Fidonet members can make a real contribution. So haul out some
of that old equipment, dust it off, and send it along. Here is
the snooze.
========================================================================
                              Articles
========================================================================
Helping FidoNet in Cuba - an update

I am really happy for the response from many of you to my previous
article asking for donations of equipment that some of you no
longer need, to the guys trying to establish FidoNet in Cuba. It is
evident that the often talked-about "FidoNet spirit" is alive and
well. Those of you that haven't read the article on the previous
issue of FidoNews are welcome to browse the prvious issue of the
'Snooze' to get the whole scoop (that is, FidoNews #1202, a.k.a.
FNEWSC02.LZH).

We have advanced a little bit in organizing this effort, and have
now set up a place to which people in Zone 1 can send the used
computer equipment and modems that will help these guys get up and
running to join our electronic community shortly.

Since the most convenient place to ship the materials to Cuba is
Toronto, Canada (as there is no mail or air transportation service
between the U.S. and this Caribbean island), the editors of our
network's newsletter have generously agreed to receive what you
have to pitch in, to add to the package that they will later send
via Cubana Airlines to Cuba.

Therefore, the address to mail all donations from the U.S. and
Canada is:

Donald Tees or Sylvia Maxwell
Re: Donation
128 Church Street
Kitchener, Ontario
FidoNews 12-04                 Page:  3                    23 Jan 1995

Canada N2G 2S4

Please write your name and node number on the package so that they
know who's sending it.

I will keep everyone posted on the evolution of the donation
effort, through FidoNews. We haven't yet established an address to
collect all donations originating in Zone 2 countries (although
several sysops have expressed their wish to contribute with
hardware), but I'm working on that and hope to be able to announce
one soon, here as well.

Again, my thanks and sincere expression of admiration to those of
you who've decided to lend a hand.

Pablo Kleinman

 ** EDITORS NOTE: all donations will be receipted by netmail.

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Rottenness in the state of Fidonet?
By John Burden
2:255/1

Reading through the last few issues of Fidonews today made me ask
myself yet again when, if ever, the shortcomings in Fidonet's policy
and day-to-day operations will be addressed.  I was left wondering
whether there *is* any will to correct the defects or whether the
"system" has a vested interest in things remaining as they are.  Let's
just look back through some of the article in the three issues of 1995
for examples of what I mean.

Issue 1201 has an article by Gary Wilkerson which alleges that a sysop
is being subjected to pressure to relinquish his node number for no
apparently valid reason.

In Issue 1202, the Editor feels the need to justify the reinstatement
of Steve Winter into the nodelist while accepting that Winter has been
the source of much unpleasantness.  The statement is made that
inclusion in the nodelist should not be dependant upon social
acceptability, a statement that I would generally endorse.  The Editor
then states "Dropping an echo is a simple thing. Maybe we should all
remember just what this net is about" ... "I was thinking this week
that I keep hearing the term "fidogods", used in the sense of "the
people that run the net".  Now anybody that has been around for a bit
realizes that nobody runs the net".  Forgive my cynical laugh!

Further on in the same issue, Charlie Munhollon begs the non-existent
net gods not to pull Gary Wilkerson's node number.  Remember the
article by Mr Wilkerson in issue 1201?

Then an article "FidoNet Hong Kong Goes To The Dogs!" which, amongst
other things contains the following: "Attempts by local sysops to have
the matter resolved by the upper echelons of FidoNet in the United
FidoNews 12-04                 Page:  4                    23 Jan 1995

States have failed, too, which has had a totally detrimental effect on
FidoNet... All this infighting has, however, made a mockery of the
whole concept, and the fact that no one in any position of power
appears to be taking the slightest bit of interest in fixing the
situation is not helping either."

But we haven't finished with issue 1202 yet.  Further on, a point user
feels obliged to apologise for the fact that he asked some echo
participants to refrain from posting rude jokes.  Despite stopping
posting in the echo concerned, *he* is required by the ZC to be
disconnected totally from Fidonet!

In issue 1203, the Editor writes "about 99% of all the serious fights
in Fidonet are the result of either CRP disputes or nodelist
maintenance being used as a dispute settling mechanism.  Maybe
nodelist maintenance should be made a separate function from net
chairman, and net treasurer a separate function from NEC."

As if to show another way of solving disputes, we then get to the
article "Dictatorship in Zone 4" which reports upon the alleged
"excommunication of the RC80 without known reasons or previous
communication".

In isolation, any of these extracts could be dismissed as being a one-
off.  But the sad fact is that they are not exceptional, they are
fairly typical of the sorts of abuses reported in Fidonet on a regular
basis, never mind the ones we don't hear about.  There is a widely
held view amongst sysops that Fidonet policy is ineffective (to put it
politely) and its implementation often flawed, if not corrupt.  But
there seems to be precious little interest on the part of the so-
called Fidonet gods in changing it for the better.  And in the
meantime, the rest of the world is forced to put up with a policy
approved only in zone 1 and steam-rollered through by means of their
numeric majority.

Policy refers to the concept of "excessively annoying behaviour".
Let's look briefly at the examples above in that context.

On the one hand, it is ordered that Mr. Winter must be given a
nodelisting despite being "the source of much unpleasantness" (and
that's a polite way of putting it).  The Editor of Fidonews even
suggests that if people don't like Mr. Winter's unpleasantness, they
should disconnect from the echoes he frequents.  Why?  Let's forget
Steve Winter for a moment and look at the wider issue.  Why should
everyone have to disconnect from each and every echo in which a
participant chooses to abuse people?  Why should it not be the case
that the obnoxious handful be required to conform to certain minimum
standards of behaviour?

On the other hand, we have a case where no less that the *ZC* takes it
on himself to order that a point is excluded from access to Fidonet
simply because he (the point) took exception to "rude jokes"!  And
then there is the ZC in Latin America accused of the unjustified
sacking of an RC while delaying an election for his own position.  I
think the only zone not mentioned in any of the 3 issues as being
FidoNews 12-04                 Page:  5                    23 Jan 1995

rotten in some way was zone 2.  (That's not because there aren't
scandals and abuses in zone 2 region 25, by the way.  It's simply that
they haven't yet made the news in your columns.)

So, let me use Fidonews to ask the IC, George Peace, and the various
ZCs and RCs and NCs: - Don't you care that there is rottenness within
the *C levels of Fidonet?  Don't you care that the implementation of
Policy is flawed and that these flaws are demonstrated almost week in,
week out?  Or that the very policy itself is flawed?  If you do care,
what is your contribution going to be towards making a better Fidonet
with a better policy and a better implementation?  Or will you leave
it to the electronic mafia and the anarchists to continue tearing the
heart out of it while policy is abused more and more?

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

Gardening in North America
Jesse Tharin
Tucson Arizona USA
1:300/7

Spring is coming up here in North America all the way from the Canadian
plains to the Mexican deserts, and it's time to get ready, so I want
to take this chance to remind all of you with gardening talents and
gardening problems to hook back into the resurrected HOME-N-GRDN echo,
an area dedicated to the many aspects of keeping up the home but
especially the highly therapeutic hobby of grubbing around in the dirt
and feeding our families.

Is it time yet in your zone to start your pepper seedlings? Can you
ignore those larvae you're digging up? Did all your tomatoes wilt last
year? Can't get your hostas to thrive? Tap back into a high-content
low-noise echo.

Do it soon; the season is now!

Jesse

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

THEIST_WATCH Echo now on Backbone!

Christopher Baker
Rights On! 1:374/14

                 THEIST_WATCH Echo Available

Theists of all stripes do many wacky and colorful things in the name[s]
of their various deities and other imaginary superfriends. Some of
these activities are just amusing and some are dangerous to the liberty
of anyone who doesn't subscribe to their particular brand of socially
acceptable lunacy.

Take the case of Salman Rushdie, for example. Here's a perfectly
average writer who points out a few foibles and suddenly has an actual
FidoNews 12-04                 Page:  6                    23 Jan 1995

death order out against him because he supposedly 'blasphemed' a
mainstream monotheism's god. This might be funny if it weren't for the
sobering fact that there are plenty of deranged individuals who would
be happy to kill Mr. Rushdie for this victimless 'crime'. Can't happen
here, I hear you cry? Wanna bet? It wouldn't be the first time.

American Atheists Online Services is now Hosting an Echo to call
attention to the zany and disturbing activities of all kinds of
theists without regard to mainstream or fringe affiliations. This Echo
is called THEIST_WATCH and that's just what it does.

THEIST_WATCH is a news reporting Echo. News items from around the world
are posted here for reference, information, and further distribution.
It is READ-ONLY except to non-theist persons wishing to post actual
news items. It is NOT a religion debate Echo. [That's what HOLYSMOKE is
for.] It is not a bashing Echo. It is a forum for the dissemination of
information about the activities of theists in the public arena;
particularly where those activities encroach upon the separation of
state and church.

It is now a Zone 1 Backbone Echo Hosted & Moderated from AAOS [American
Atheist Online Services] at 1:382/1006 in Austin_TX, by Robin
Murray-O'Hair. Anyone may Areafix it from their Backbone feed as of
15 Jan 95.

The THEIST_WATCH rules are available in the current issue of the ELIST
[ELIST501.LZH at 1:1/201 or ELIST501.ZIP at 1:374/14] for complete
instructions on the Echo's operation.

Also available from AAOS is the AAOS Echo. This is a privately [at
present] distributed Echo for members or prospective members of
American Atheists, Inc. AAOS Echo may be obtained from the source at
1:382/1006 or from the alternate feed at 1:374/14. Send Netmail with
session and Areafix passwords to the feed of your choice for a link.
AAOS Echo contains atheist news and information as well as providing a
direct link to American Atheists.

If you are interested in keeping up with the shennanigans of the theist
community, Areafix THEIST_WATCH from your Backbone source today!

TTFN.
Chris

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

INTERMAIL changing to IM_USER

Recently the INTERMAIL echo has been deluged by misdirected Internet
E-Mail.  And even though we've been attacking the problem fairly
aggressively, it still persists.  Since some of the problem seems to
be caused by the conference tag (INTER _is_ always followed by NET
isn't is?), many of the participants of the echo feel that this
might be a good time to change the tag.  Whether this tactic will
actually help remains to be seen, but we're going to give it a try.

FidoNews 12-04                 Page:  7                    23 Jan 1995

So starting January 28th at 12:01am the new tag for the INTERMAIL
echo will be IM_USER.  If at all possible I would like to request
that mail hubs have the new tag in their control files by that date
and maintain the old one until February 11th.

So far the Z1EC, all the Z1 RECs, the Z1 Stars, and Boyd Goodin at
Planet Connect have recieved direct netmail messages from me
concerning the change.  I still have some netmail to other zones
that needs to be sent, and I'll be sending it as directly as funds
will allow.  If you have some doubts about whether your feed is
aware of the change, please take a minute and drop them a quick
netmail.

The new tag will show up in the February version of the EList
(Elist502).  Here's the info:

Following is the current database entry:

Tagname:      IM_USER                     Area Key: IMUSER
Title:        Discussion echo for InterMail, a Fidonet frontend mailer.
Description:  A general discussion echo about the InterMail frontend
             mailer and InterEcho echomail processor by Peter Stewart.
             The conference serves as a forum for users to discuss
             InterMail and InterEcho as well as exchange information,
             tips and ideas about other third-party utilities for
             InterMail. Restricted to present and prospective users of
             InterMail and authors of related third party utilities.
Origin:
Distribution: Z1-Backbone, InterNational, RBBS-Net
Gateways:     RBBS-Net, PROnet
# Nodes:                   Volume: 250/Week        Rule File:
Flags:
Moderators:   Lee Lefler, 1:280/[email protected]
Seen by:
Paths:
Date added:   3-Jan-95
Last changed: 3-Jan-95     Changed by: Lee Lefler, 1:280/5

Lee Lefler
InterMail Moderator
FidoNet 1:280/5
Internet [email protected]

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========================================================================
                         Fidonews Information
========================================================================

FidoNews 12-04                 Page:  8                    23 Jan 1995


------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------

Editors: Donald Tees, Sylvia Maxwell
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell,
                 Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar
                 Tom Jennings
"FidoNews" BBS
   FidoNet  1:1/23
   BBS  +1-519-570-4176,  300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(DS)

more addresses:
   Rev. Richard Visage  -- 1:163/409
   Don  -- 1:221/192, [email protected]
   Sylvia  1:221/194, [email protected]
   Tim  -- [email protected]

(Postal Service mailing address)
   FidoNews
   128 Church St.
   Kitchener, Ontario
   Canada
   N2H 2S4

voice:  (519) 570-3137

Fidonews is 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 1995 Donald Tees. All rights reserved.  Duplication
and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use
in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or the eds.
Articles by Madam emilia may be retransmitted freely through
cyber-space.

OBTAINING COPIES: The most recent issue 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 by sending SASE to the above paper-mail
address, or trade for copy of your 'zine.

INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.fidonet.org,
in directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews.

Anyone interested in getting a copy of the INTERNET GATEWAY FAQ may
freq GISFAQ.ZIP from 1:133/411.0, or send an internet message to
[email protected].  No message or text or subject is
necessary.  The address is a keyword that will trigger the automated
response.  People wishing to send inquiries directly to David Deitch
should now mail to [email protected] rather than the
FidoNews 12-04                 Page:  9                    23 Jan 1995

previously listed address.

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.

    "the pulse of the cursor is the heartbeat of fidonet"...
-- END
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