F I D O N E W S -- Volume 15, Number 24 15 June 1998

F I D O N E W S -- Volume 15, Number 24 15 June 1998
+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| The newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: |
| FidoNet community | "FidoNews" |
| _ | 1-209-251-7529 [1:1/23] |
| / \ | |
| /|oo \ | |
| (_| /_) | |
| _`@/_ \ _ | |
| | | \ \\ | Editor: |
| | (*) | \ )) | Zorch Frezberg 1:205/1701 |
| |__U__| / \// | |
| _//|| _\ / | |
| (_/(_|(____/ | |
| (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. |
| | -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| Submission address: FidoNews Editor 1:1/23 |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| MORE addresses: |
| |
| submissions=> [email protected] |
| |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| For information, copyrights, article submissions, |
| obtaining copies of FidoNews or the internet gateway FAQ |
| please refer to the end of this file. |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Time To Spray For Pests?

Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1
2. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................... 3
RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL IN FIDONEWS DATED 9 JUNE 1998 ...... 3
3. ARTICLES ................................................. 6
Region 10 Coordinator Election is a Joke! ................ 6
Drivin' That Train ....................................... 6
4. COLUMNS .................................................. 9
Lost Beneath The Fold .................................... 9
5. WE GET EMAIL ............................................. 12
6. NET HUMOR ................................................ 13
International Fart Catchers' Association FAQ Sheet ....... 13
7. NOTICES .................................................. 15
Future History ........................................... 15
8. FIDONEWS PUBLIC-KEY ...................................... 16
FidoNews PGP Public-Key Listing .......................... 16
9. FIDONET BY INTERNET ...................................... 17
10. FIDONEWS INFORMATION .................................... 19
FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 1 15 Jun 1998

=================================================================
EDITORIAL
=================================================================

It's interesting to see how things scurry about when light is cast on
them.

The vocal minority in one instance, demanding an election, gets
exactly what it asks for. What made it all the more interesting is
that no plan, candidate or proposal was in place by this same vocal
minority should they achieve their goal...which effectively indicates
the level of 'deep thinking' that was behind their efforts, which
have been going on for nearly a year.

The 'court of public opinion' is only as astute as the lynch mob that
is behind it...it probably feels great to 'hang the bastard', but...
then what? Wait another year, or accept the first hastily-assembled
plan that they can come up with?

With regard to last week's editorial, I can only state that readers
might want to re-read it carefully, and compare the meanings as
_written_ in opposition to the 'selective quoting' done in at least
one response to it. Perhaps you will see that there is a wide
difference between what you _do_ read, and what you are _told_ as to
the meaning of what you read.

In essence, the concern floating about is that the editorials in the
FidoNews are "too political". Fortunately, the vast majority seems
to understand that in a free society, a free press is critical to its
survival.

There needs to be someone or something to bring out the 'dark side'
of the society and without being concerned about censorship, or there
would be no room for dissent or even difference of opinion...even for
that group that wants dissent or difference of opinion suppressed.

Consider what would happen if editorials were 'trimmed' to be
"politically correct" or "inoffensive".

And, by the same token, the free press, as we have in FidoNet, must
also publish what is submitted to it. The only restriction made is
that the submissions meet the format criteria...justify left, margin
of 70 characters, so that the publication software can handle the
materials.

To that end, there has been a claim by John Souvestre that the
FidoNews has refused to publish articles; further, that 'certain
submissions' are refused acceptance by either NetMail or E-Mail, as
part of some plan to 'censor' articles that I personally do not agree
with.

Such a claim has either one of two purposes...the first, to point out
that there actually has been censorship.

To my knowledge, since becoming Editor, there has been none.
FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 2 15 Jun 1998

If there has been, I ask that those who have submitted such articles
to come forward and present both logs and articles since I have been
Editor.

The second purpose, however, is probably the most likely one...to do
little more than cast doubt on the sanctity of the FidoNews to
FidoNet, and create controversy where none exists...

In other words, to play politics as usual, though I will stop short
of claiming it is to protect his own commercial interests in FidoNet.

One of the key points in FidoNet is that the process itself should
never be politicized or commercialized.

Individuals may be political in their efforts, but the actual
functions and processes themselves should be above that...such as the
granting or removal of FidoNet nodes, or the handling of the EchoList
or EchoMail areas, among others.

When we allow the control of the EchoList to come under the sway of
politics, or even be influenced by commercial entities, the idea of
FidoNet will indeed die off.

The commercial entities exist because of FidoNet...we do not exist
because of the commercial entities.

In other news, several EchoList replacement projects are currently
in the works, the most public being that of Thom LaCosta
(1:261/1352). At present, all projects are in 'testing mode'; I have
been made aware of two specifically, and I've been reminded as well
of the effort to hand over all EchoList functions to Zone 2 as part
of an earlier proposal to merge the Zone 1 and Zone 2 ELIST
functions, along with Zone 3.

But perhaps it is time for the various moderators to gather their
collective thoughts on just *how* an EchoList should be established.

I would caution the moderators not to demand any specific proposal;
rather, to suggest reasonable developments within the confines of
technology and necessity within Fido, as well as rational
administrative concerns on both sides, lest we see yet another
imposed administrative plan from persons with 'vested interests'.

Let's see if cooperation and communication still exist in FidoNet
before we start pushing weight around.

-zf-

### 30 ###

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FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 3 15 Jun 1998

=================================================================
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
=================================================================

Dear Editor, aka Zorch, aka Mark Hernandez, aka Snoopy:

Your editorials contain as much fiction as fact. Last week:

Fact: Adrian Walker has stepped down as the Z1 EchoList Coordinator.

Fiction: Adrian handed over the EchoList or it's source code to me.

Needless to say, your conclusions are equally flawed. Get some
facts!

Regards,

John

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RESPONSE TO EDITORIAL IN FIDONEWS DATED 9 JUNE 1998
By Ben Hamilton, FidoNet 1:124/7008

This letter is in response to the editorial that was included in the
FidoNews issue on June 9, 1998.

The editorial contained several inaccuracies that I would like to
talk about. Hopefully, the personal knowledge I have of some of
the issues will be of more value than the best guesses of the editor.

> Adrian Walker has stepped down as the Zone 1 EchoList Coordinator,
> with the June 1998 ECHOLIST being his final publication. While
> Adrian is admired for his work, it is odd that he would hand over
> his source code, long stated as both his own and not to be
> disclosed, to John Souvestre...

Not odd at all. In fact, Adrian, in his message which notified us
that he was leaving, he praised his working relationship with John.

To clarify, Adrian handed over only the source code to the Backbone
Robot, not the Echolist Robot. The editorial simply says "source
code," which is misleading.

> In another odd development, the RECC, in the guise of Ben Hamilton,
> has cast a 'no confidence' vote against Bob Kohl, the Zone 1
> EchoMail Coordinator.

To me, and I'm sure to many folks, the word "guise" implies some sort
of cover or cloak, and I am wearing none. I am simply a FidoNet
sysop, an elected Region Echomail Coordinator, and a member of the
RECC who has specific personal knowledge of the recent vote of
confidence that was taken.

FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 4 15 Jun 1998

I speak only for myself. I am not the spokesperson for the RECC. I
do not speak on their behalf. They were aware that I was posting the
results of the vote in FidoNews, but they neither assisted in nor
approved any specific wording in last week's submission.

> the RECC holding secret meetings and refusing to discuss matters
> with the ZEC, and other similarly puerile activities, make it odd
> that Ben and the RECC would not include their 'list of grievances'
> that they claim would prove their position...in a public setting.

Much discussion takes place in the RECC Mailing List. This is a
mailing list set up with only the current sitting REC's.

As for a "list of grievances," the ZEC duties that Bob Kohl wrote sum
it up quite nicely, so there was no reason to include one.

Again, to quote the relevant section of Kohl's duties:

>> If the RECC concludes that the ZEC is not active, <<
>> ineffective in his/her job or is just not taking <<
>> care his/her responsibilities; they may take a <<
>> vote of no-confidence. <<

Careful consideration has been going on for about two months.

Also, we never refused to discuss this with the ZC. I think we each
welcome discussing this with Bob Satti at any time.

> After all, the RECC posted the vote in public; why _not_ the
> reasons?

Again, I speak only for myself. My submission last week was not done
on behalf of the RECC. If I had been speaking on behalf of them, I
would have said so and signed the message accordingly.

> Butch effectively disappeared as the OBO after his unilateral
> declaration that all nodes which distribute EchoMail are under
> the direct authority of the OBO and the NAB.
>
> Strange that the RECC was so deathly silent on that issue, acting
> as individuals instead of a group...

There was nothing to say. What Butch said was his own personal
opinion. He is certainly entitled to that. And that declaration
did not produce even a fraction of the controversy that continually
surrounds Bob Kohl.

> It is hoped that the Z1C sees past the rhetoric and lack of
> reasoning involved, and directs the RECC to accept mediation...

We tried mediation for the first month. You may recall Bob Kohl's
first act as ZEC: Advice from the RECC on how to remove an NEC from
their position. It went downhill like a snowball headed for Hell from
there... Bob Kohl did remove that NEC. Then he removed an NC. His
REC quit, naming Bob Kohl as the reason. Kohl allows non-approved
nodelist flags to fly. He discloses in-transit netmail. He routes
FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 5 15 Jun 1998

netmails only when the mail includes text that he personally approves
of, it appears, revoking the routing agreements at will, without
proper notification of such. Sysop-level election? He doesn't even
believe in holding elections in his own region!

Region 10 business, frankly, is none of our business. However, things
that happen in Region 10 do make it easy to see what can happen when
the "multiple hats" suggestion in Policy 4 is ignored.

I considered not responding. The editor certainly has a way with
words. When he turns these around, as I am sure he will, I will be
back to offer what I'm sure will be a quite different personal
perspective known as "the truth."

Again, I speak only for myself. The views expressed in this letter to
the editors do not necessarily reflect the views of any other RECC
members.

-Ben Hamilton
FidoNet 1:124/7008
Internet: [email protected]

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FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 6 15 Jun 1998

=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================

Region 10 Coordinator Election is a Joke!
by Richard Ratledge 1:119/88 (Region 10) [email protected]
Former N119C/N119EC

6/12/1998 00:50
I just received an echomail message posted by Brenda Donovan
which was apparently Bob Satti's (ZEC/IC) instructions on how to
conduct an election for Region 10 Coordinator. He has given until
midnight tomorrow (6/13) to submit nominations. After the
nominees are announced (no date given for that) he is allowing
only until 6/20 for votes.

This has to be the quickest election I have ever seen conducted
in Fidonet. Even our little net elections often took a month to
complete.

It appears to me that Bob Satti and Bob Kohl are in cahoots to
see that a fair election is not held. My only possible guess as
to why is to ensure that Bob Kohl retains the R10C position.

I hope I am wrong in my assessment. I will state for the record
though that if Bob Kohl continues as R10C, I will leave Fidonet.
This decision is based not only on the fact that Bob Kohl has
been a major hindrance to the smooth operation of Region 10 but
now it appears that Bob Satti is condoning BK's actions.

Region 10 (and Fidonet) has already lost its Regional Echo
Coordinator because of Bob Kohl's antics. With the way Fidonet is
being run, it is rapidly losing members. Perhaps I am forseeing
the worst. I hope a fair, honest, responsible and intelligent
person is elected R10C even given the unreasonable constraints of
this election.

Finally, I have to say that I do appreciate the gesture of
holding an election. However, I strenuously object to the manner
in which it is being held.

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Drivin' That Train,
High on Cheesecake?
by Gerry Calhoun, 1:2004/200 [email protected]

In efforts to resolve ongoing problems in Region 10, by all
appearances Bob Satti has adorned himself with a new hat. This new
hat does not look like a traditional Fido one, however. The new hat
is navy blue with white stripes. He must have received it from
someone who works for Union Pacific because he is pulling a railroad
job the likes of which is unheard of in the history of Fido.
FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 7 15 Jun 1998

There has been an election announced for the R10C position. What is
really astounding though is the election schedule. Less than two
days for a nomination period and voting by NC's concludes a week
later. This quick pace sounds like the vote of confidence that Kohl
spearheaded for Satti in the Z1C position last year. For many I am
sure it will be much less than two days for a nomination period
though since I have learned of this "election", not through normal
FidoNet channels, but through a listserv setup by some of the sysops
in R10. A quick netmail to my NC to ask if he had heard anything of
this came back with a "What the hell do you mean? I have never heard
of an election being conducted this quick! " I sent him a copy of a
message by Brenda Donovan, N202C and 10/3 RHUB in which she copied a
message from Bob Satti. I was contacted back by my NC soon
thereafter, and he said he had just gotten netmail on this from
Brenda. He then asked how he was to gather a consensus of who to
vote for in such a short time when the candidates are not even
announced nor any discussion forum decided upon to hear the
candidates platforms. I then reminded him that in the recently
concluded ZEC election, that Kohl did not publish any platform
until after the discussion period. My NC wrote back and told me he
would not expect Kohl to publish his platform until the year 2000
then. Another sysop stated we should vote for a candidate who at
least sets term limits and does not mess with anyones' netmail.

How anyone, especially someone who has the reputation of being fair
as Satti does, can expect a regional election to be conducted with
this kind of time frame is unbelievable. I can not even begin to
think that Satti can expect a true representative outcome from an
election conducted like this. Most of the NC's in R10 are not
elected. To expect open discussions within each net, and to have the
NC's vote according to the wishes of the nodes under them with this
kind of time frame is unthinkable. Let's face it, there is not
enough time allowed for the sysops to know what each candidate may
stand for, let alone who they are. One can only conclude that Sharon
locked Bob out of the house all winter and his brain has not yet
fully defrosted or perhaps he is only suffering a bout of
hypoglycemia from all that cheesecake.

In Satti's message to those in R10, he mentions that "last week Bob
Kohl and I came to an agreement to call for an election for RC in
region 10." This quote almost makes it look as though the election
was forced on Kohl. It could be that Kohl in turn had the task to
devise the terms of the election, but I doubt it. There is no doubt,
however, that both Bobs wish the election to be haste and swift,
witness the following statement on the matter by Bob Kohl, "please
respond in a timely fashion so that we can wrap this up and move on
to other pending matters."

One also has to wonder how Satti can allow Kohl to be a candidate,
while Satti has an active Policy Complaint against Kohl on his desk,
the outcome of which could conflict with Kohl's ability to function
as R10C. A ruling on this PC is due two days after the conclusion of
the election. It would have been prudent to postpone the ballot
period until after the Policy Compliant has received at least
Satti's ruling. This would have allowed a one week nomination/debate
period, and then the ballot. Lest we not forget, there appears to be
FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 8 15 Jun 1998

another Policy Complaint against Bob Kohl waiting in the wings on
the same transgression.

Another thing clearly missing in Satti's notice of election is any
time frame regarding a term of office. What we in Region 10 are
being asked to do is vote for an RC for life. While this is better
than an appointed RC for life, it is not realistic. Bob Kohl has
been the R10C for over 2 1/2 years. With no term defined, there is
no indication that the person who wins will ever be replaced, after
all at that time they will be the elected coordinator for the region.

Satti has said he does not want those outside of Region 10 to be
involved with this election since it does not concern them. I ask
that those of you who would otherwise write Satti on this travesty
to the election process to withhold doing so. He has stated it is an
internal matter to R10. However, since Satti himself is involved, it
is, therefore, an action that the RCC is involved with. If you feel
you must send a message to someone on this Region 10 action, drop a
message to your RC and urge them to bring the matter up with the RCC.

Looking at this, one has to wonder who is driving the train, who is
the conductor and where the hell is the brakeman who can put a stop
to this madness?

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FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 9 15 Jun 1998

=================================================================
COLUMNS
=================================================================

Dear Editorbeing,

This article is submitted by Doc Logger (163/110) who was
busy dodging speed traps on the south shore of the St.
Lawrence River. Fortunately, the drogue chutes on the
mid-life Crisis car opened long enough to haul him to a stop
near a telephone booth. With only minor adjustments with C4
plastique, an acetylene torch, and Lee-Anne Rimes music, he
was able to extract a working pair of phone wires to connect
to the modem.

Roll da flic, Zorch.....

Dear Reverend Visage,

I have heard disturbing reports that you have traveled to
the headwaters of the Orinoco where you have been engaged in
a yage bender which has lasted for weeks. I am sure that I
don't need to remind you that when you reach one of your
tryptamine moments of delirium, you tend to scream about
hordes of attacking ducks. I can only hope that your
secretary is still an excellent shot with the curare dart
gun.

Speaking of paralyzed beasts, Visage, you'd be impressed
that Bob "noted" Satti has remained in stasis...waiting
patiently for a thought to wander through the lonely desert
of his cerebrum. He has informed the Fidoserfs in Z1C that
dealing with Kohl's excesses requires devoting all night,
every night, trying to muster a coherent thought. Our
prayers and our edible underwear (cheesecake flavoured)
should go out to him in his hour of need.

The messages from the tribal drums were garbled, but it
appears that an election for RC has been called in Region10.
The indications are that the nominating period will have
closed 48 hours after the announcement which is pretty
amusing since it takes at least that long for echomail to
escape the event horizon of the screwed up mail distribution
system in the region. There are already vague rumblings that
the fix is in, and that this is another shotgun mandate of
the type particularly favoured by Satti & his Merry
Fartcatchers. What is amazing is that the other RCs (with a
few notable exceptions) appear to have no shame or decency
and have sat idly on their thumbs while Satti & Kohl proceed
in the trashing of a whole region.

If there is an election in Region10 which is sanctioned by
Satti, then this bodes well for applying the same principle
to have the ZC finally stand for election. Satti doesn't
FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 10 15 Jun 1998

have a prayer of obtaining a sysop level mandate which
probably explains his desire to keep scampering beneath the
skirts of policy whenever he is reminded that his
presumptive powers are all in the infertile reaches of his
imagination.

I see that His Zorchness is getting excitable about the Evil
Empire aspirations of John Souvestre and has made his usual
incorrect statements about the ELIST in his latest
editorial. This discussion has reinvigorated the usual
cretinous jackals who question whether His Zorchness should
be the Snoozlord. One of the combatants went so far as to
suggest that the previous editor appointed His Zorchness to
the position which I'd bet half my stuffed armadillo
collection that the claim has little basis in fact. Hell,
the only one who has a prayer of being more fun as the
Snoozlord would be Bob Moravsik who would have to learn to
write in English before taking the job.

I don't think I'll include a pithy quote for this week's
Chautauqua but rather draw from several passing references
to books that have mulched their way to the top of my
reading pile. When I was a teenmonster I used to read
science fiction that often referred to terraforming whole
planets. This generally involved a presumed betterment of
the habitation factor for the humanoid race, and often
neglected to deal with the consequences to other lessor
lifeforms. Rarer still was a philosophical discussion about
whether the humanoids had the moral right to terraform
anything.

The first tidbit that caught my eye was that some of the
hydro megaprojects have subtly altered the orbital period of
the earth. In other words, the masses of water backed up
behind some of the larger dams have been sufficient to
change the centre of gravity of the whole planet. The second
tidbit was the vast scale of underwater grading of the
seabed caused by trawler ships. In some places, such as the
Grand Banks area off the east coast of North America, what
had once been an underwater topography of rolling hills,
valleys and cliffs, have been flattened to uniformity. The
scale is equivalent to bulldozering an area the size of
Montana into a level plain. The third scrap of information
that I've chosen for inclusion in my puzzle is the fact that
some of the lushest rainforests also occupy land which is
almost infertile by botanical standards. The Amazon basin,
for example, which covers an enormous area, has a very thin
soil covering. A typical slash & burn agricultural intrusion
generally lasts only a few years before the soil is
exhausted. The fragile soil chemistry means that recovery
from clearing, or reforestation are unlikely or implausible.

There is compelling evidence to suggest that the desiccation
of the Sudan in Africa, and the expansion of the Kalahari to
the southeast, are directly caused by the agricultural
pressures of humanoids. If this process becomes the pattern
FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 11 15 Jun 1998

in the Amazon the effects on global weather will be
enormous. Similarly, the destruction of the Grand Banks
ecology will have effects on global sea currents.

I think I would have preferred to remain blissfully ignorant
of the consequences of human alterations of the planet. My
focus has been obtained from the strange weather we've been
having in this part of the world. Our winter brought us an
ice storm which ripped down trees and hydro lines. The
broken tangles of trees in the local forests will almost
surely make for forest fire conflagrations in the fall. We
are also currently suffering from an extended drought. I
find it intellectually unsatisfying to blame El Nino for
these atmospheric events. With that in mind, and taking a
whole chapter from His Zorchness' book, I'd like to call
about John Souvestre right now to stop screwing around with
the earth. If His Zorchness is to be believed, Souvestre's
reach is so enormous that he *must* be responsible.

I must go Visage, I'm scheduled to go fly fishing for Blue
Whales off the coast of Newfoundland with Bridgit Bardot.
She's a bit squeamish about baiting the hooks with chunks of
tofu and needs my assistance.

Regards,
Doc Logger,
In transit:
South Armpit, New Brunswick

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FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 12 15 Jun 1998

=================================================================
WE GET EMAIL
=================================================================

Subject: Z4 www
Date: Mon, 8 Jun 1998 20:27:04 -0300
From: "Luis Manterola" <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]

Hi Zorch!

I just wanted to tell you that zone4 home page is now located at
http://www.altern.org/zone4. You may please include this address in
the Internet Home pages section of Fidonews.
I wanted to put it under the domain z4.fidonet.org but after some
months of asking several times without response I put it somewhere
else.

You may also include Region 90's home page as
http://visitweb.com/fidonet and also
the net903 as http://www.playagrande.com/refugio.

Thankyou
Take care
Luis Manterola
Mailto:[email protected]

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FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 13 15 Jun 1998

=================================================================
NET HUMOR
=================================================================

International Fart Catchers' Association FAQ Sheet
By Lesley-Dee Dylan
1:250/525
[email protected]

From: Secretary, IFCA
To: Propeller Head Junior
Subject: FAQ sheet for the
International Fart Catchers' Association

Thank you so much for your recent application to the
International Fart Catchers' Association. Below is a FAQ sheet
to provide you with our rules for membership.

PHJ> How is one nominated for membership?

Membership is usually achieved by nomination by an enemy, but
self-nominations are accepted.

PHJ> Is membership restricted to only international-quality fart
PHJ> catchers?

It is unusual to have someone nominated for membership in
recogition of duties performed at a regional level rather than an
international level, but it can happen.

PHJ> Are there any membership dues?

The membership fee of 24 tins of baked beans should be delivered,
as soon as possible, to Vancouver. This is usually done by the
nominator, but if you are self-nominated, you will have to
perform this duty yourself. And if you are applying for a
membership based on duties performed at a regional level, you
will also be required to deliver a similar membership fee to your
RC.

PHJ> How often are the members required to renew their
PHJ> membership?

In most cases, annually, but in cases where there is outstanding
performance of fart-catching duties, a life-membership is
awarded.

PHJ> Do you have to be a resident of the zone/region in which you
PHJ> are doing your best fart-catching?

We have accepted the nomination of Clay Tannacore for recognition
of fart-catching in a region other than his own and are in the
process of creating a new category of membership. Alec Grynspan
will be required to submit membership dues to Rockledge, Los
Angeles and Vancouver.
FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 14 15 Jun 1998

PHJ> I've seen magenta beanie caps and puce beanie caps. Is there
PHJ> a significance to the color differentiation? Are there any
PHJ> other colors available?

The beanie caps are reversable, and can be worn magenta side to
the brain or puce to the brain. The propellers are always green
and orange striped with purple pokadots. But remember, you must
unscrew the wing-bolt on the underside of the cap to remove the
propeller, and then screw it on upside down when you turn the cap
inside out. Bob Kohl recently found this out the hard way, and
caused some minor injuries. Fortunately, he had a small brain,
and it wasn't too badly hurt by the scrambling it got.

PHJ> How did you get to be recording secetary of such an esteemed
PHJ> body as the Fart Catchers?

Unfortunately, none of the member Fart Catchers are capable of
handling the duties. None of them seem to be able to handle
important details like transferring in-transit mail without
forwarding it to the Chief Farter, or maintaining up-to-date
nodelist segments, or membership lists. One is even unable to
appoint an REC. So the Fart Catchers had to appoint an outsider
as their recording secretary.

The administration of the IFCA is perfectly aware that fart
catching has a harmful effect on the intelligence of the catcher,
since the brain capacity is reduced by the hot gasses caught, so
if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask. We
have learned patience and understanding in the administrative
capacities we choose to serve.

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FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 15 15 Jun 1998

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NOTICES
=================================================================

Future History

3 Jul 1998
FidoNet European Convention (see issue #20 for details).

14 Sep 1998
Start of International BBS Week [thru 20 Sep 98].

22 Sep 1998
First anniversary of the FidoNews domain of www.fidonews.org.

1 Dec 1998
Fifteenth Anniversary of release of Fido version 1 by
Tom Jennings.

24 Jul 1999
XIII Pan American Games [through 8 Aug 99].

31 Dec 1999
Hogmanay, Scotland. The New Year that can't be missed.

1 Jan 2000
The 20th Century, C.E., is still taking place thru 31 Dec.

1 Jun 2000
EXPO 2000 World Exposition in Hannover (Germany) opens.

15 Sep 2000
Sydney (Australia) Summer Olympiad opens.

1 Jan 2001
This is the actual start of the new millennium, C.E.

-- If YOU have something which you would like to see in this
Future History, please send a note to the FidoNews Editor.

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FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 16 15 Jun 1998

=================================================================
FIDONEWS PUBLIC-KEY
=================================================================

FidoNews PGP Public-Key Listing

[this must be copied out to a file starting at column 1 or
it won't process under PGP as a valid public-key]

-----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
Version: 2.6.2
Comment: Democracy Requires A Free And Uncensored Press.

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cB6r8gYHcczTCqGu5qbjDOTftoBXY9vI3/CZNsSbvp0ibQinpN6zSgyy2+4wwPbu
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zEmGKxoFr1SM
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File-request FNEWSKEY from 1:1/23 [1:205/1701] or download it from
IKVHFoT! BBS at 1-209-251-7529 anytime Zone 1 ZMH at 300-9600+ V34.
The FidoNews key is also available on the FidoNews homepage listed
in the Masthead information.

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FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 17 15 Jun 1998

=================================================================
FIDONET BY INTERNET
=================================================================

This is a list of all FidoNet-related sites reported to the Editor as
of this appearance.

NOTE: I am looking for a comprehensive list of Telnet, VMODEM, BinkP,
Argus and other TCP/IP based nodes operating FidoNet on the
InterNet, either by Zone or worldwide, to post here as well.
- Ye Editor

============

FidoNet:

Homepage http://www.fidonet.org
FidoNews http://www.fidonews.org [HTML]
http://209.77.228.66/fidonews.html [ASCII]
WWW sources http://www.scms.rgu.ac.uk/students/cs_yr94/lk/fido.html
FTSC page http://www.goldware.dk/ftsc
Echomail [pending]
WebRing http://ddi.digital.net/~cbaker84/fnetring.html [TFN]
General http://owls.com/~jerrys/fidonet.html

============

Zone 1: http://www.z1.fidonet.org

Region 10: http://www.psnw.com/~net205/region10.html

Region 11: http://oeonline.com/~garyg/region11/

Region 13: http://www.smalltalkband.com/st01000.htm

Region 14:

Region 15:

Region 16:

Region 17:

Region 18: http://techstop.pdn.net/fido/

Region 19: http://www.compconn.net

============

Zone 2: http://www.z2.fidonet.org

ZEC2:
Zone 2 Elist: http://www.fbone.ch/z2_elist/

Region 20: http://www.fidonet.pp.se (in Swedish)
FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 18 15 Jun 1998

Region 23: http://www.fido.dk (in Danish)

Region 24: http://www.swb.de/personal/flop/gatebau.html (in German)

Region 25:
http://www.trak-one.co.uk/net254

Region 26: http://www.nemesis.ie
REC 26: http://www.nrgsys.com/orb

Region 27: http://telematique.org/ft/r27.htm

Region 29: http://www.rtfm.be/fidonet/ (in French)

Region 30: http://www.fidonet.ch (in Swiss?)

Region 33: http://www.fidoitalia.net (in Italian)

Region 34: http://www.pobox.com/cnb/r34.htm (in Spanish)
REC34: http://pobox.com/~chr

Region 36: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/7207/

Region 38: http://public.st.carnet.hr/~blagi/bbs/adriam.html

Region 41: http://www.fidonet.gr (in Greek and English)

Region 48: http://www.fidonet.org.pl

============

Zone 3: http://www.z3.fidonet.org

============

Zone 4: http://altern.org/zone4

Region 90: http://visitweb.com/fidonet
Net 903: http://www.playagrande.com/refugio
Net 904: http://members.tripod.com/~net904 (in Spanish)

============

Zone 5: http://w3.eastcape.co.za/fidonet/index.htm

============

Zone 6: http://www.z6.fidonet.org

Region 65: http://www.cfido.com/fidonet/cfidochina.html (China)

============

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FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 19 15 Jun 1998

=================================================================
FIDONEWS INFORMATION
=================================================================

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

Editor: Zorch Frezberg

Editors Emeritii: Tom Jennings, Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell,
Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar, Sylvia Maxwell,
Donald Tees, Christopher Baker

"FidoNews Editor"
FidoNet 1:1/23
BBS 1-209-251-7529, 300/1200/2400/9600/V.34/V.90

more addresses:
Zorch Frezberg -- 1:205/1701, [email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]

(Postal Service mailing address)
FidoNews Editor
P.O. Box 642
Fresno, CA 93709-0642
U.S.A.

voice: 1-209-446-9038 [voice mail = 'blind' numbers not returned]

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

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 1998 Zorch Frezberg. All rights reserved. Duplication
and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For
use in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or
the Editor.

=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=

OBTAINING COPIES: The most recent issue of FidoNews in electronic
form may be obtained from the FidoNews Editor via manual download or
file-request, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet.
PRINTED COPIES may be obtained by sending SASE to the above postal
address. File-request FIDONEWS for the current Issue. File-request
FNEWS for the current month in one archive. Or file-request specific
back Issue filenames in distribution format [FNEWSFnn.ZIP] for a
particular Issue. Monthly Volumes are available as FNWSmmmy.ZIP
FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 20 15 Jun 1998

where mmm = three letter month [JAN - DEC] and y = last digit of the
current year [8], i.e., FNWSJAN8.ZIP for all the Issues from Jan 98.

Annual volumes are available as FNEWSn.ZIP where n = the Volume number
1 - 15 for 1984 - 1998, respectively. Annual Volume archives range in
size from 48K to 1.4M.

INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via:

http://www.fidonews.org
http://www.fidonet.org/fidonews.htm
ftp://ftp.fidonet.org/pub/fidonet/fidonews/
ftp://ftp.aminet.org/pub/aminet/comm/fido/
ftp://ftp.irvbbs.com/fidonews/

*=*=*

You may obtain an email subscription to FidoNews by sending email to:

[email protected]

with a Subject line of: subscribe fnews-edist

and no message in the message body. To remove your name from the email
distribution use a Subject line of: unsubscribe fnews-edist with no
message to the same address above.

*

You may retrieve current and previous Issues of FidoNews via FTPMail
by sending email to:

[email protected]

with a Subject line of: help

and FTPMail will immediately send a reply containing details and
instructions. When you actually make a file request, FTPMail will
respond in three stages. You find a link for this process on
www.fidonews.org.

*=*=*

You can read the current FidoNews Issue in HTML format at:

http://www.fidonews.org

STAR SOURCE for ALL Past Issues via FTP and file-request -
Available for FReq from 1:396/1 or by anonymous FTP from:

ftp://ftp.sstar.com/fidonet/fnews/

Each yearly archive also contains a listing of the Table-of-Contents
for that year's issues. The total set is currently about 13 Megs.

FIDONEWS 15-24 Page 21 15 Jun 1998

=*=*=*=

The current week's FidoNews and the FidoNews public-key are now also
available almost immediately after publication on the FidoNews Editor
homepage on the World Wide Web at:

http://209.77.228.66/fidonews.html

There are also links there to jim barchuk's HTML FidoNews source and
to John Souvestre's FTP site for the archives. There is also an email
link for sending in an article as message text. Drop on over.

=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=

A PGP generated public-key is available for the FidoNews Editor from
1:1/23 [1:205/1701] by file-request for FNEWSKEY or by download from
IKVHFoT! BBS at 1-209-251-7529 as FIDONEWS.ASC in File Area X. It
is also posted twice a month into the PKEY_DROP Echo available on the
Zone 1 Echomail Backbone.

*=*=*=*=*

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 Editor, or file-requestable
from 1:1/23 [1:205/1701] as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". ALL Zone
Coordinators also have copies of ARTSPEC.DOC. Please read it.

"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
trademarks of Tom Jennings, P.O. Box 410923, San Francisco, CA 94141,
and are used with permission.

"Disagreement is actually necessary,
or we'd all have to get in fights
or something to amuse ourselves
and create the requisite chaos."
-Tom Jennings

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