F I D O N E W S         Volume 15, Number 50        14 December 1998
     +----------------------------+---------------------------------------+
     |  The newsletter of the     |   ISSN 1198-4589 Published by:        |
     |    FidoNet community       |   "FidoNews"                          |
     |          _                 |        +27-41-515-913    [5:5/23]     |
     |         /  \               |                                       |
     |        /|oo \              |                                       |
     |       (_|  /_)             |                                       |
     |        _`@/_ \    _        |                                       |
     |       |     | \   \\       |   Editor:                             |
     |       | (*) |  \   ))      |        Henk Wolsink    5:7104/2       |
     |       |__U__| /  \//       |                                       |
     |        _//|| _\   /        |                                       |
     |       (_/(_|(____/         |                                       |
     |             (jm)           |   Newspapers should have no friends.  |
     |                            |                    -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
     +----------------------------+---------------------------------------+
     |             Submission address: FidoNews Editor 5:5/23             |
     +--------------------------------------------------------------------+
     |  MORE addresses:                                                   |
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     |    submissions=> editor@fidonews.org                               |
     |                  hwolsink@catpe.alt.za                             |
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     |    please refer to the end of this file.                           |
     +--------------------------------------------------------------------+


                        Table of Contents
     1. EDITORIAL  ................................................  1
     2. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR  ....................................  2
        the Tampering of the Elist  ...............................  2
        Announcing the newly backboned ENGLISH_TUTOR echo!  .......  3
        New WWW server  ...........................................  4
     3. ARTICLES  .................................................  5
        ECHOLADE - refreshing echomail  ...........................  5
        FTSC Administrator vote  ..................................  6
        FTSC Standing Member vote  ................................  7
        Precedent - Must we do it all again?  D. Myers  ...........  9
     4. NET HUMOR  ................................................ 10
        Student Bloopers  ......................................... 10
     5. NOTICES  .................................................. 14
     6. FIDONET BY INTERNET  ...................................... 15
     7. FIDONEWS INFORMATION  ..................................... 18
     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 1                   14 Dec 1998


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

     Greetings,

     Summer is approaching fast in this part of the world, with a
     temperature of 22.5 degrees C outside at this time of the night.
     And inside it's a cool 29 C.

     Happy reading,

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

     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 2                   14 Dec 1998


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


     the Tampering of the Elist

     by Bob Moravsik

     Some of you may have read the drivel posted by Douglas Myers trying
     to justify the tampering of Elist passwords.  Most of his article
     describes the world through the eyes of a person to argues that
     reality is what he claims.  There was no conspiracy to create a
     trusteeship in FN_SYSOP.  The issues was that the FN_SYSOP was held
     in trust through three past moderators hence, its not a new concept.

     The real issue (and only issue) is:  "Do the Elist keeper resolve
     disputes ?"
     Douglas confuses the Elist keeper with a Fidonet position.  Fidonet
     positions are described in Fidonet's policy. The elist keeper is not
     to be found.   Bob Satti place Thom LaCosta in the nodelist as 1/21.
     The position has no description or "powers". Yet LaCosta puffed up his
     chest and began making up "policy".   He resolved a dispute over an
     elisting useing LaCostaPol.    What's LaCostaPol ?   Its this secret
     set of rules that only Thom LaCosta knows.  Whether Zorch or Rob is
     the moderator is not the issue.  The issue is the tampering with the
     Elist passwords using these secret rules.   Since LaCosta's special
     number was given by Bob Satti any controversies should be resolved by
     Satti.  Remember, Satti could assign the 1/21 number to another and
     POOFFFFFF !  Not LaCostaPol.

     There are two sides to this issue.

     1. Moderators "control" conferences and the elisting is their
        property.   This is not supported by any Fidonet policy or the laws
        of any nation (Remember, Fidonet is international)

     2. Moderators serve the participants.

     If one takes the later then the elist password is seperate from the
     moderator.

     LaCosta the "tamperer" took it upon himself to resolve in favor of #1.
     SHOULD HE HAVE RESOLVED ?   I claim the Elist keeper should NOT get
     involved in any disputes over the Elist.  Twits like Douglas Myers
     can't understand this simple issue and try to justify tampering with
     the passwords on logic that very few people in Fidonet agree with
     (less then 100% of the moderators) the concept that moderators own
     conferences.  Then don't.  There is no policy, rule or law that states
     this.

     Without guidance from Satti (who has the power to extend Fidonet
     policy), LaCosta should not have compromised the Elist security. THAT
     IS THE ONLY ISSUE.
     The moderatorship, trusteeship issues etc etc are only smokescreens to
     justify the tampering.
     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 3                   14 Dec 1998


     The elist should be secure.  Tampering with the password once only
     serves as justification for the second tampering, and the third.
     Under what conditions you ask ?  LaCostaPol of course.

     I'm sure we will hear more drivel on its OK because __________ Zorch,
     Satti, Moravsik etc etc etc..... Nope...without a firm method to
     resolve disputes over elist issues, the elist keeper should NEVER
     NEVER EVER tamper with the passwords.

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


     Announcing the newly backboned ENGLISH_TUTOR echo!

     This new echo has been established to assist those who wish to improve
     their command of the English language. I, the moderator, (Andy
     Manninger 1:153/831 or andym@lightspeed.bc.ca) encourage all sysops
     whose users could benefit from this echo to carry it.
     The ELIST describes ENGLISH_TUTOR as follows:

     ENGLISH_TUTOR
          English Tutoring for Students of the English Language
               This echo should be of interest to those who wish to improve
               their command of English, and to those who wish to act as
               their tutors. Participants may submit short texts for
               critique and discussion by literate English speakers in
               English-speaking countries. Discussions of points of
               grammar, usage, standard English and regionalisms are
               welcome. Moderator can be e-mailed at andym@lightspeed.bc.ca
               Status: Active
          Origin:       Vancouver, British Columbia,      Group: FIDO
          Distribution: Z1 Backbone; Telnet: bbs.docsplace.org
          Gateways:
          Language:
          # Nodes: N/A          Volume: N/A          Rules:
          Flags:
          Notes:
          Moderators:   Andy Manninger, 1:153/831, andym@lightspeed.bc.ca

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


     * Original message addressed to: Editor. (5:5/23).
     * Carbon copies sent to: Cindy Ingersoll (1:2623/71).

     THE MAIL BOX BBS said in a message to ALL:

      TMBB> TCP/IP accessible node access information should be submitted
      TMBB> to the FidoNews Editor for inclusion in their Region or Zone.
      TMBB>                  -----------oOo-------------

     I am pleased to announce the availability of filebone and echomail
     distribution services from 1:106/6018 via VMoTelnet or FTP.

     Services are free to members of the TCRS CRP and HealthCareNet (Zone
     60) Membership in the TCRS CRP is not restricted to Houston-area or
     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 4                   14 Dec 1998


     Net-106 members.
     TCRS membership includes unlimited echomail/files, shell account and
     web space on the home.tcrs.org Unix server, a POP3 email account, and
     access to selected newsgroups.

     Others are invited to contribute accordingly. :-)

     I've sent this to both of you via NETMAIL, since it started looking
     like a recruitment advertisement and I was concerned about it's
     appropriateness for the NEWSCHAT echo.

     If you feel it's appropriate to be posted in the NEWSCHAT echo or
     published in the FidoNews, you have my consent. If you would like me
     to resubmit the information in ARTSPEC format, I'll be happy to do
     that if publication seems appropriate for the FidoNews.

      TMBB>
      TMBB>                    Fidonet Via Internet Hubs
      TMBB>
     > Node#      | Operator          | Facilities (*) | Speed | Basic Rate
     > -----------+-------------------+----------------+-------+--------

       1:106/6018 | Lawrence Garvin   | FTP,VMoT       | 64K   | $5/month


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


     this letter is part English and part Russian-through-English:

     Eng: I assume there are many student in your community
     and I want to invite all of them to new Web site: WWW.1800student.com
     this is the place where students can see-buy their books directly to
     each other.
     this site is free.
     I hope it would be helpful to all students.

     If you agree with me - you can share this info with all members
     -----------
     Rebiata, ja priglashau vsech vas posetit moi novyi Web site:
     WWW.1800student.com.
     eto mesto gde vi mojhete pomeniat uchebniki (na sharu).
     poka.

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

     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 5                   14 Dec 1998


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


     ECHOLADE - refreshing echomail

                 . -- -- -- -- --  ECHOLADE  - -- -- -- -- .
                 | A refreshing extract from Fido's echoes |
                 | Purloined without permission by D Myers |
                 ` -- -- -- -- -- --  -  -- -- -- -- -- -- '

     Hans Mangold on the subject of the shrinking nodelist:
     -------------------------------------------------------------------

      AS> Will another year and the consistent loss of 40-50 nodes in
      AS> Zone 1 every week turn a few heads?

     Sure it will -- but, more important, will it make any difference to
     the shrinking nodelist?  Can I blame the RC, ZC or IC for the lack
     of callers to my system?  Heck, I might as well blame you, Clinton
     and Santa Claus for the fact that BBS callers are staying away in
     droves.

     Andrea, there is little you, I, or anyone else can do at this point
     in time with regards to the consolidation of the BBS scene.  Like it
     or not, it will take its course.

     The key is: what will =emerge= after the consolidation?  Send me $64
     million in unmarked bills, and I'll send you the answer......

     In the meantime, something to think about:

     In most of Z1, unemployment is near or at historic lows.  Not only
     that, but today's work pressure is higher than ever before, and
     overtime statistics are running near or at historic highs.  Running
     a successful BBS takes =time=, and, given the economic climate in
     the States, time is presently a genuine luxury for many people.
     Something has to give -- in most cases, it's the hobby that has to
     give, =especially= when the sysop looks at his dismal caller logs at
     the end of the day.  :-(

     I never forget -- almost two years ago, I visited a
     Book/Magazine-Store with a fellow sysop.  The latest Boardwatch
     magazine had just arrived, and I anxiously flipped through the pages
     -- imagine my shock when I discovered that this was the first issue
     which did not have one single BBS-related article or ad.  We had
     seen the writing on the wall before, but that was one heck of a
     wake-up call, a slap in the face.  In view of the realities, my
     friend, who was running our largest hub at the time, took his system
     down shortly thereafter; I decided to stay.  Different strokes for
     different folks.

     Such are the realities of BBS life today, and it makes no difference
     who or what is sitting in the *C chairs, the BBS scene will unfold
     itself according to its own dynamics, the rest is nothing but
     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 6                   14 Dec 1998


     wishful thinking.  Something about the chairs on the deck of the
     Titanic comes to mind....  ;-)

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


     FTSC Administrator vote

     Official announcement - FTSC Administrator vote
     by Mario Mure', 2:335/533 mure@sistemia.it

                             =====================
                                VOTING PROCEDURE
                               FTSC ADMINISTRATOR
                             =====================


     As detailed in the FTSC_PUBLIC echomail conference and in
     FIDO1547.NWS, Odinn Sorensen has informed us that he wants step own
     as FTSC Administrator as soon as another person is ready to take over
     that office.

     To fill this vacancy, an election for a new FTSC Administrator is
     being held.

     Number of positions to be filled:
        1
     Responsibilities:
        See FTA-1001.
     Elegibility for appointment:
        See FTA-1001.

     >From 1998-11-20 until 1998-12-10, nominations have been accepted
     following the process described in FTA-1001.

     The next step is the voting process to appoint a new FTSC
     Administrator.

     Votes:
        Only votes from FTSC Standing Members as per current version of
        FTA-1003 who have not resigned from their position will be
        accepted provided that they are received by the election
        administrator no earlier than 1998-12-11 at 00:00 UTC and no later
        than 1998-12-31 at 24:00 UTC. FTSC Standing Members are encouraged
        to send their votes by crash mail. If they choose to use routed
        netmail they do so on their own risk.
     Results:
        The election administrator shall publish the election result in
        the FTSC_PUBLIC echomail conference no later than 1999-01-07 at
        24:00 UTC.
     Term of office:
        The elected candidate will be appointed for a period that ends
        2002-12-31.

     As election administrator for this election, Mario Mure' has been
     appointed.
     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 7                   14 Dec 1998

        FidoNet address:  Mario Mure', 2:335/533
        Internet address: mure@sistemia.it

     All FTSC Standing Members as per current version of FTA-1003 who have
     not resigned from their position are eligible to vote.

     Voting commences 1998-12-11 at 00:00 UTC and closes 1998-12-31 at
     23:59 UTC.

     Each FTSC Member ballot is to be sent either via:

        *  netmail to Mario Mure' at 2:335/533, or
        *  Internet email to mure@sistemia.it

     Receipt of votes will be acknowledged by return netmail or email.

     Ballots should include a password.  The ballot format is given below.

     Each vote shall be for only one of the 2 candidates. An abstention is
     permitted.

     +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
     |           BALLOT - FTSC ADMINISTRATOR ELECTION, 1998              |
     |                                                                   |
     |          VOTER'S NAME _______________________________             |
     |                                                                   |
     |          PASSWORD     _______________________________             |
     |                                                                   |
     | Please indicate your wishes for ONE of the following candidates   |
     | with an "X" in the "VOTE" column at left. To abstain, leave blank |
     | all "VOTE" columns at left.                                       |
     |                                                                   |
     | Ballots containing more than ONE "X" in the "VOTE" columns will   |
     | be considered nul and void.                                       |
     |                                                                   |
     | There are 2 names, given in alphabetical order sorted by surname. |
     |                                                                   |
     |        "I support the appointment of this individual              |
     |                as new FTSC Administrator."                        |
     +-------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
     | VOTE  |  NAME                     NODE #                          |
     +-------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
     |       |  Radu Malica              2:530/139                       |
     |       |  Colin Turner             2:443/13                        |
     +-------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
                          -----------oOo-------------
     -----------------------------------------------------------------

     FTSC Standing Member vote

     Official announcement - FTSC Standing Member vote
     by Mario Mure', 2:335/533 mure@sistemia.it

                           ======================
                              VOTING PROCEDURE
                            FTSC STANDING MEMBERS
                           ======================


     As detailed in the FTSC_PUBLIC echomail conference and in
     FIDO1547.NWS, a number of FTSC Standing Members have resigned. To
     fill these vacancies, an election for new Standing Members is being
     held.

     Number of positions to be filled:
       Not a definite number. According to FTA-1001 the FTSC shall have
       no less than 7 and no more than 30 members. Therefore a minimum of
       0 and a maximum of 11 new Standing Members may be appointed.
     Eligibility for appointment:
       See FTA-1001.

     >From 1998-11-20 until 1998-12-10, nominations have been accepted
      following the process described in FTA-1001.

     The next step is the voting process to appoint FTSC Standing Members.

     Votes:
        Only votes from nodelisted RC's and REC's will be accepted
        provided that they are received by the election administrator no
        earlier than 1998-12-11 at 00:00 UTC and no later than 1998-12-31
        at 24:00 UTC. RC's and REC's are encouraged to send their votes
        by crash mail. If they choose to use routed netmail they do so on
        their own risk. Votes for Standing Members should indicate what
        candidates each voter is supporting. Only those candidates
        obtaining support from more than 50 % of the total number of RC's
        and REC's casting valid votes will be considered successfull.
        Successfull candidates will be appointed according to the total
        number of supportive votes they have received. The one with the
        highest number of supportive votes will be appointed first etc.
     Results:
        The election administrator shall publish the election result in
        the FTSC_PUBLIC echomail conference no later than on 1999-01-07

     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 8                   14 Dec 1998

        at 24:00 UTC. In case of a tie about the last position to be
        filled this result may be supplemented by the ZCC decision as
        above no later than 1999-01-31 at 24:00 UTC.
     Term of office:
        Elected candidates will be appointed for a period that ends
        2000-09-30.

     As election administrator for this election, Mario Mure' has been
     appointed.

        FidoNet address:  Mario Mure', 2:335/533
        Internet address: mure@sistemia.it

     "Nodelisted RC" is interpreted as anyone in the FidoNet nodelist
     (current on 1998-12-11) shown as the operator of a system with the
     Region keyword as per FTS-5.

     "Nodelisted REC" is interpreted as the first person in the FidoNet
     nodelist (current on 1998-12-11) identified as the REC of her/his
     region. Identification by a REC user flag in the nodelist is the
     preferred way for identification.

     If any single person occupies both the RC and the REC position for
     her/his region, she/he is entitled to two votes.

     All RCs and RECs clearly identified as such in that nodelist are
     eligible to vote.

     Voting commences 1998-12-11 at 00:00 UTC and closes 1998-12-31 at
     23:59 UTC.

     Each RC and REC ballot is to be sent either via:

        *  netmail to Mario Mure' at 2:335/533, or
        *  Internet email to mure@sistemia.it

     Receipt of votes will be acknowledged by return netmail or email.

     Ballots should include a password.  The ballot format is given below.

     Votes shall be "Yes" or "No" for each of the 4 candidates. An
     abstention for any candidate is permitted.

     +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
     |          BALLOT - FTSC STANDING MEMBER ELECTION, 1998             |
     |                                                                   |
     |          VOTER'S NAME _______________________________             |
     |                                                                   |
     |          VOTER'S POSITION   RC/REC______ REGION______             |
     |                                                                   |
     |          PASSWORD     _______________________________             |
     |                                                                   |
     | Please indicate your wishes for each of the following candidates  |
     | with an "X" in either the "YES" or the "NO" column.  To abstain,  |
     | leave both columns blank for that candidate.                      |
     |                                                                   |
     | There are 4 names, so 4 votes are required in total.  Names are   |

     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 9                   14 Dec 1998

     | given in alphabetical order sorted by surname.                    |
     |                                                                   |
     |        "I support the appointment of this individual              |
     |                as an FTSC Standing Member"                        |
     +----+----+---------------------------------------------------------+
     |YES | NO |  NAME                   NODE #        NOMINATED BY      |
     +----+----+---------------------------------------------------------+
     |    |    |  Lothar Behet           2:2446/301    RC 1:13, REC 1:19 |
     |    |    |  Todd Cochrane          1:345/2       RC 1:10           |
     |    |    |  David Hallford         1:208/103     RC 1:10           |
     |    |    |  Sean Rima              2:252/300     RC 1:13           |
     +----+----+---------------------------------------------------------+
                         -----------oOo-------------

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


     Precedent - Must we do it all again?

                                  Precedent
                           Must we do it all again?
                           Douglas Myers  1:270/720

     If there were an award for the most overused term in Fidonet, the
     term "precedent" would be a strong contender.  Bob Satti was
     criticized for firing Bob Kohl because it "set a bad precedent."
     Zorch Frezberg attempted to deny an elected moderator from obtaining
     the elist password because of "precedent."  Indeed, the elist
     software itself has recently been criticized because it doesn't
     operate in precisely the same way as the previous software on the
     basis of "precedent."

     Precedent, if the term is to be taken literally, is simply an event
     which occurs before another.  When used in the various arguments
     occurring in Fidonet, however, there is a strong implication to the
     term which goes beyond simple timing.  The term is used more in the
     sense of a legal precedent.

     Lawyers look for a documented precedent frequently in the course of
     their work.  The theory is that if a similar occurrence of an
     incident was already decided in a court of law, and if the laws
     haven't changed in the meantime, then the ruling should be the same
     no matter which judge or jury decides.

     But Fido isn't a courtroom (despite appearances to the contrary in
     some of the echoes), so does a "precedent" carry the same imperative
     as it would in a court of law?

     Certainly some sense of precedent is appropriate, as few want to
     "reinvent the wheel" each time they approach a problem.  Most of us
     use session-level passwords with our links because precedent has
     shown that it prevents chicanery.  Even if P4 didn't exist, most of
     us would work through the *C structure since it's better than NO
     plan.  Most of us honor moderator requests due to precedent.

     But sometimes precedent gets in the way of progress.  Fidonet
     established a strong structure of geographic organization and

     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 10                  14 Dec 1998

     distribution based on the realities of the telephone tariff
     structure.  Changes in these tariffs, and the dramatic impact of
     internet connections, made these precedents cumbersome.  And so they
     were pretty much discarded with the result that distribution costs
     plummeted and much of that distribution is decentralized now.

     In a court of law, citing a precedent can compel a ruling.  But in
     the world of Fido, precedents are routinely discarded when they have
     outlived their usefulness (and sometimes just on whim).  To argue
     that we've done something a certain way before does not mean that we
     have to keep repeating and repeating it.  We're free to try
     something new... and this is the stuff of which progress is made!

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

     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 11                  14 Dec 1998


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


     Student Bloopers

                               STUDENT BLOOPERS

     This is a compilation of actual student bloopers collected by
     teachers from 8th grade through college (how scary).

     1.  Ancient Egypt was inhabited by mummies and they all wrote in
     hydraulics.  They lived in the Sarah Dessert and traveled by
     Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have
     to live elsewhere.

     2.  The Bible is full of interesting caricatures. In the first book
     of the Bible, Guinessis, Adam and Eve were created from an apple
     tree. One  of their children, Cain, asked, "Am I my brother's son?"

     3.  Moses led the Hebrew slaves to the Red Sea, where they made
     unleavened bread which is bread made without any ingredients.  Moses
     went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments.  He died
     before he ever reached Canada.

     4  Solomom had three hundred wives and seven hundred porcupines.

     5.  The Greeks were a highly sculptured people, and without them we
     wouldn't have history. The Greeks also had myths. A myth is a female
     moth.

     6.  Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of
     that name.

     7.  Socrates was a famous Greek teacher who went around giving
     people advice.  They killed him.  Socrates died from an overdose of
     wedlock. After his death, his career suffered a dramatic decline.

     8.  In the Olympic games, Greeks ran races, jumped, hurled the
     biscuits, and threw the java.

     9.  Eventually, the Romans conquered the Greeks.  History calls
     people Romans because they never stayed in one place for very long.

     10.  Julius Caesar extinguished himself on the battlefields of Gaul.
     The Ides of March murdered him because they thought he was going to
     be made king.  Dying, he gasped out: "Tee hee, Brutus."

     11.  Nero was a cruel tyranny who would torture his subjects by
     playing the fiddle to them.

     12.  Joan of Arc was burnt to a steak and was cannonized by Bernard
     Shaw.  Finally, Magna Carta provided that no man should be hanged
     twice for the same offense.

     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 12                  14 Dec 1998


     13.  In midevil times most people were alliterate. The greatest
     writer of the futile ages was Chaucer, who wrote many poems and
     verses and also wrote literature.

     14.  Another story was William Tell, who shot an arrow through an
     apple while standing on his son's head.

     15.  Queen Elizabeth was the "Virgin Queen." As a queen she was a
     success. When she exposed herself before her troops they all shouted
     "hurrah."

     16.  It was an age of great inventions and discoveries.  Gutenberg
     invented removable type and the Bible. Another important invention
     was the circulation of blood. Sir Walter Raleigh is a historical
     figure because he invented cigarettes and started smoking.  And Sir
     Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100 foot clipper.

     17.  The greatest writer of the Renaissance was William Shakespeare.
     He was born in the year 1564, supposedly on his birthday.  He never
     made much money and is famous only because of his plays. He wrote
     tragedies, comedies, and hysterectomies, all in Islamic pentameter.
     Romeo and Juliet are an example of a heroic couplet. Romeo's last
     wish was to be laid by Juliet.

     18.  Writing at the same time as Shakespeare was Miguel Cervantes.
     He wrote Donkey Hote.  The next great author was John Milton. Milton
     wrote Paradise Lost.  Then his wife died and he wrote Paradise
     Regained.

     19.  During the Renaissance America began. Christopher Columbus was
     a great navigator who discovered America while cursing about the
     Atlantic. His ships were called the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa
     Fe.

     20.  Later, the Pilgrims crossed the ocean, and this was called
     Pilgrim's Progress. The winter of 1620 was a hard one for the
     settlers.  Many people died and many babies were born. Captain John
     Smith was responsible for all this.

     21.  One of the causes of the Revolutionary War was the English put
     tacks in their tea.  Also, the colonists would send their parcels
     through the post without stamps. Finally the colonists won the War
     and nolonger had to pay for taxis. Delegates from the original 13
     states formed the Contented Congress. Thomas Jefferson, a Virgin,
     and Benjamin Franklin were two singers of the Declaration of
     Independence. Franklin discovered electricity by rubbing two cats
     backwards and declared,  "A horse divided against itself cannot
     stand." Franklin died in 1790 and is still dead.

     22.  Soon the Constitution of the United States was adopted to
     secure domestic hostility.  Under the constitution the people
     enjoyed  the right to keep bare arms.

     23.  Abraham Lincoln became America's greatest Precedent. Lincoln's
     mother died in infancy, and he was born in a log cabin which he
     built with his own hands. Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves by
     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 13                  14 Dec 1998


     signing the Emasculation Proclamation. On the night of April 14,
     1865, Lincoln went to the theater and got shot in his seat by one of
     the actors in a moving picture show. The believed assinator was John
     Wilkes Booth, a supposingly insane actor. This ruined Booth's
     career.

     24.  Meanwhile in Europe, the enlightenment was a reasonable time.
     Voltaire invented electricity and also wrote a book called Candy.

     25.  Gravity was invented by Issac Walton.  It is chiefly noticeable
     in the autumn when the apples are falling off the trees.

     26.  Johann Bach wrote a great many musical compositions and  had
     large number of children.  In between he practiced on an old
     spinster which he kept up in his attic. Bach died from 1750 to the
     present. Bach was the most famous composer in the world and so was
     Handel. Handel was half German, half Italian, and half English. He
     was very large.

     27.  Beethoven wrote music even though he was deaf. He was so deaf
     he wrote loud music. He took long walks in the forest even when
     everyone was calling for him.  Beethoven expired in 1827  and later
     died for this.

     28.  The French Revolution was accomplished before it happened and
     catapulted into Napoleon. Napoleon wanted an heir to inherit his
     power, but since Josephine was a baroness, she couldn't have any
     children.

     29.  The sun never set on the British Empire because the British
     Empire is in the East and the sun sets in the West.

     30.  Queen Victoria was the longest queen. She sat on a thorn for 63
     years.   She was a moral woman who practiced virtue. Her death was
     the final event which ended her reign.

     31.  The nineteenth century was a time of a great many thoughts and
     inventions. People stopped reproducing by hand and started
     reproducing by machine. The invention of the steamboat caused a
     network of rivers to spring up.  Cyrus McCormick invented the
     McCormick raper, which did the work of a hundred men.

     32.  Louis Pasteur discovered a cure for rabbis. Charles Darwin  was
     a naturalist who wrote the Organ of the Species. Madman Curie
     discovered radio. And Karl Marx became one of the Marx brothers.

     33.  The First World War, caused by the assignation of the Arch-Duck
     by an anahist, ushered in a new error in the anals of human history.

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

     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 14                  14 Dec 1998


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

                       Future History

       16 Feb 1999
          13th Anniversary of the introduction of EchoMail by Jeff Rush.

       12 May 1999
          12th Anniversary of Fido Operations in Zone 4;
          10th Anniversary of the creation of FidoNet Zone 4.

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

        9 Jun 1999
          Tenth Anniversary of the adoption of FidoNet Policy 4.07.

       10 Sep 1999
          10th anniversary of Zone 5 operations.

       26 Oct 1999
          Thirty years from release Abbey Road album by the Beatles.

       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.

       21 Sep 2000
          10 years of FidoNet in +7 (xUSSR)

        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.

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

     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 15                  14 Dec 1998


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

     This is a list of all FidoNet-related sites reported to the
     FidoNews Editor as of this issue; see the notice at the end.

     FidoNet:

     Homepage    http://www.fidonet.org
     FidoNews    http://www.fidonews.org             [HTML]
                 http://209.77.228.66/fidonews.html  [ASCII]
     WWW sources http://travel.to/fidonet/
     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
                 http://www.nrgsys.com/orb/foti
     List servers:
                 http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/fidonet-discussion

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

     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:

         Net 264:  http://www.net264.org

       Region 17:  http://www.nwstar.com/~region17/

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

       Region 19:  http://www.compconn.net/r19

     Zone 1 Elist  http://www.baltimoremd.com/elist/

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

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

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

       Region 20:  http://www.fidonet.pp.se (in Swedish)

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

       Region 24:  http://www.swb.de/personal/flop/gatebau.html (German)
         Fido-IP:  http://home.nrh.de/~lbehet/fido (English/German)

       Region 25:  http://www.bsnet.co.uk/net2502/net/
     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 16                  14 Dec 1998


        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/  (French)

       Region 30:  http://www.fidonet.ch  (German)

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

       Region 34:  http://www.pobox.com/cnb/r34.htm  (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 (Greek/English)

       Region 42:  http://www.fido.cz

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

       Region 50:  http://www.fido7.com/  (Russian)
        Net 5010:  http://fido.tu-chel.ac.ru/  (Russian)
        Net 5015:  http://www.fido.nnov.ru/  (Russian)
        Net 5030:  http://kenga.ru/fido/  (Russian & English)
        Net 5073:  http://people.weekend.ru/soa/  (Russian)

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

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

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

     Zone 4:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

     Pages listed above are as submitted to the FidoNews Editor,
     and generally reflect Zone and Regional Web Page sites.  If
     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 17                  14 Dec 1998


     no Regional site is submitted, the first Network page from
     that Region is used in its place.  Generally, Regional pages
     should list access points to all Networks within the Region.

     TCP/IP accessible node access information should be submitted
     to the FidoNews Editor for inclusion in their Region or Zone.

                      -----------oOo-------------

                       Fidonet Via Internet Hubs

     Node#      | Operator          | Facilities (*) | Speed | Basic Rate
     -----------+-------------------+----------------+-------+------------
     1:12/12    | Ken Wilson        | FTP            | T1    | $24mo.
     1:13/25    | Jim Balcom        | FTP            | 56k   | $20mo.
     1:106/1    | Matt Bedynek      | FTP,VMoT,UUE   | 64k   | $5/$15mo.
     1:106/6018 | Lawrence Garvin   | FTP,VMoT       | 64k   | $5/mo.
     1:107/451  | Andy Knifel       | FTP, VMoT, UUE | 33.6  | n/c
     1:124/7008 | Ben Hamilton      | FTP,VMoT,UUE   | 64k   | $10/$20mo.
     1:140/12   | Bob Seaborn       | FTP            | T1    | $5/$20
     1:270/101  | George Peace      | FTP            | T1    | $30mo.
     1:271/140  | Tom Barstow       | UUE            | T1    | n/c
     1:275/1    | Joshua Ecklund    | UUE            | 28.8  | $10/yr.
     1:280/169  | Brian Greenstreet | FTP            | 33.6  | $2mo.
     1:2401/305 | Peter Rocca       | FTP,UUE        | T1    | unkn
     1:2424/10  | Alec Grynspan     | FTP,UUE        | T1    | n/c
     1:2604/104 | Jim Mclaughlin    | FTP,VMoT,UUE   | 33.6  | $1mo.
     1:2624/306 | D. Calafrancesco  | VMoT           | 33.6  | $15yr.
     1:345/0    | Todd Cochrane     | FTP            | T1    | n/c
     1:346/250  | Aran Spence       | FTP,UUE        | T1    | $10mo.
     1:396/45   | Marc Lewis        | UUE            | 33.6  | $26/yr.
     1:3651/9   | Jerry Gause       | FTP,VMoT       | 33.6  | $3/$6
     1:396/1    | John Souvestre    | FTP,VMoT       | T1    | $15mo.
     2:33/505   | Mario Mure        | VMoT,UUE       | 64k   | n/c
     2:254/175  | Alex Kemp         | UUE            | 56k   | n/c
     2:284/800  | Jeroen VanDeLeur  | FTP,UUE        | 64k   | n/c
     2:335/610  | Gino Lucrezi      | UUE            | 33.6  | n/c
     2:469/84   | Max Masyutin      | VMoT           | 256k  | n/c
     2:2411/413 | Dennis Dittrich   | UUE            | 64k   | n/c
     2:2474/275 | Christian Emig    | UUE            | 64k   | unkn
     3:633/260  | Malcolm Miles     | FTP            | 33.6  | n/c
     4:905/100  | Fabian Gervan     | VMoT, UUE      | ???   | n/c
     5:7104/2   | Henk Wolsink      | FTP            | 28.8  | n/c
     --
     * FTP  = Internet File Transfer Protocol
     * VMoT = Virtual Mailer over Telnet (various)
     * UUE  = uuencode<->email type transfers
     [I'm only cataloging transfer methods, eg, ftp, email, telnet.
     Specific programs using these protocols are no longer being listed.
     Contact the system operators for details of which programs they have
     available.]

     Compiled by C. Ingersoll, 1:2623/71, (609)814-1978, fbn@dandy.net
     Posted on the 1st of every month in FN_SYSOP, R13SYSOP and Fidonews.

     -----------------------------------------------------------------
     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 18                  14 Dec 1998


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


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

       Editor: Henk Wolsink

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

       "FidoNews Editor"
           FidoNet  5:5/23
           BBS  +27-41-515-913,  2400/9600/V.34/V.90

        more addresses:
           Henk Wolsink -- 5:7104/2,    hwolsink@catpe.alt.za

        (Postal Service mailing address)
           FidoNews Editor
           P.O. Box 12325
           Port Elizabeth,
           6006
           South Africa

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

     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 and/or the Editor.

     Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is
     Copyright 1998 Henk Wolsink.  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
     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.

     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 19                  14 Dec 1998


     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.irvbbs.com/fidonews/
                        ftp://ftp.nwstar.com/Fidonet/Fidonews

        And in non-English formats via:

                        http://www.hvc.ee/pats/fidonews (Estonian)
                        http://www.fidonet.pp.se/sfnews (Swedish)

                                   *=*=*

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

                        jbarchuk@worldnet.att.net

     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:

                        ftpmail@fidonews.org

     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
     FIDONEWS 15-50               Page 20                  14 Dec 1998


     for that year's issues.  The total set is currently about 13 Megs.

                                  =*=*=*=

     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.

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

     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 5:5/23 [5:7104/2] 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

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