F I D O N E W S         Volume 17, Number 53             25 Dec 2000
     +----------------------------+---------------------------------------+
     |  The newsletter of the     |   ISSN 1198-4589 Published by:        |
     |    FidoNet community       |   "FidoNews"                          |
     |          _                 |   1-714-639-0377     1:1/23           |
     |         /  \               |   1-714-532-1586     1:103/301        |
     |        /|oo \              |   BinkD supported both above          |
     |       (_|  /_)             |                                       |
     |        _`@/_ \    _        |                                       |
     |       |     | \   \\       |   Editor: Warren Bonner               |
     |       | (*) |  \   ))      |           editor@fidonews.org         |
     |       |__U__| /  \//       |           wdbonner@pacbell.net        |
     |        _//|| _\   /        |                                       |
     |       (_/(_|(____/         |                                       |
     |             (jm)           |   Newspapers should have no friends.  |
     |                            |                    -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
     +----------------------------+---------------------------------------+
                *+*+*+*+*+* CHRISTMAS EDITION *+*+*+*+*+*+*
                 Happy Holidays to all sysops in Fidoland!
     


                        Table of Contents
     1. HEADLINE  .................................................  1
        *****HEADLINE*****  .......................................  1
     2. CHAT WITH EDITOR  .........................................  3
        -+-+-+EDITORIAL+-+-+-  ....................................  3
     3. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR  ....................................  7
        +++LETTERS+++  ............................................  7
     4. ARTICLES  .................................................  9
        ***ARTICLES of INTEREST***  ...............................  9
     5. OL'WDB'S COLUMN  .......................................... 11
        *Ol'WDB's COLUMN*  ........................................ 11
     6. TRUE STORIES OF FIDONET  .................................. 13
        *TRUE SHORT STORIES*  ..................................... 13
     7. FACTS IN HISTORY  ......................................... 17
        -=+HISTORY of Armadillo+=-  ............................... 17
     8. RECIPES  .................................................. 18
        -=+Recipes+=-  ............................................ 18
     9. GETTING TECHNICAL  ........................................ 21
        *[Getting Technological Help]*  ........................... 21
     10. POET'S CORNER  ........................................... 25
        POETS CORNER  ............................................. 25
     11. HUMOR  ................................................... 26
        A FUNNY THING  ............................................ 26
     12. COMIX IN ASCII  .......................................... 28
        ***CHRISTMAS CARD***  ..................................... 28
     13. WANTED  .................................................. 29
        *****WANTED*****  ......................................... 29
     14. QUESTION OF THE WEEK  .................................... 30
        THIS WEEK'S Question  ..................................... 30
     15. ANSWERS OF THE WEEK  ..................................... 31
        THIS WEEK'S Answer (18680) Wed 20 Dec 00 10:05p  .......... 31
     16. NOTICES  ................................................. 32
        ~~~~~~~~~~NOTICE~~~~~~~~~~  ............................... 32
     And more!
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 1                   25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                                 HEADLINE
     =================================================================


               -=+*MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR*+=-

                          For the New Year

     Not Saving a Thing and I'm reading more and dusting less.  I'm sitting
     in the yard and admiring the view withhout fussing about the weeds in
     the garden.

     I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time at
     work.

     Whenever possible, life should be a pattern of experiences to savor,
     not to endure.

     I'm trying to recognize these moments now and cherish them.  I'm not
     "saving" anything; we use our good china and crystal for every special
     event such as losing a pound, getting the sink unstopped, or the first
     Amaryllis blossom.

     I wear my good blazer to the market.  My theory is if I look
     prosperous, I can shell out $28.49 for one small bag of groceries.

     I'm not saving my good perfume for special parties, but wearing it for
     clerks in the hardware store and tellers at the bank.  "Someday" and
     "One of these days" are losing their grip on my vocabulary.  If it's
     worth seeing or hearing or doing, I want to see and hear and do it
     now.

     I'm not sure what my cousins would've done had they known that they
     wouldn't be here for the tomorrow that we all take for granted.  I
     think they would have called family members and a few close friends.

     They might have called a few former friends to apologize and mend
     fences for past squabbles.  I like to think they would have gone out
     for a Chinese dinner, or for whatever their favorite food was.  I'm
     guessing; I'll never know.

     It's those little things left undone that would make me angry if I
     knew my hours were limited.  Angry because I hadn't written certain
     letters that I intended to write one of these days.  Angry and sorry
     that I didn't tell my wife/husband and parents often enough how much I
     truly love them.

     I'm trying very hard not to put off, hold back, or save anything that
     would add laughter and luster to our lives.  And every morning when I
     open my eyes, I tell myself that it is special.  Every day, every
     minute, every breath truly is a gift.

     Take a few minutes to send this to a few people you care about,just to
     let them know that you're thinking of them.  People say true friends
     must always hold hands, but true friends don't need to hold hands
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 2                   25 Dec 2000


     because they know the other hand will always be there."

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~end~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 3                   25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                             CHAT WITH EDITOR
     =================================================================


     This editorial follows the opinions of Frank, Stewart and Lesley-Dee,
     on who is responsiable....

     By: Frank Vest
     To: Stewart Honsberger
     Re: simple things
     _____________________________________________________________________
     On (22 Dec 00) Stewart Honsberger wrote to Frank Vest...

     Hello Stewart,

     LDD>> Darrell didn't directly intervene.  Kari brought it to the
     attention of the "vocal" crowd in REG12, who immediately went into
     action to try...(missing end of sentence).

      FV>> How did he bring it to the attention of the "vocal crowd"?

     SH> He told us in a supreme gesture of bravado to fsck ourselves, he
     was outta there.

     FV> Ok. I'll assume that you were in the Net that he was NC of?

     LDD> to track down the nodes Kari was attempting to unilaterally
     excommunicate.  We, the vocal crowd in REG12, instructed Darrell that
     Kari should not be allowed to excommunicate his nodes until such time
     as their presence or absence was verified by someone else. Did Kari
     say that he was excommunicating those Nodes?

     SH> Quite plainly, IIRC.

     I hope you recall correctly if you were in the affected Net. :-)

     LDD> Submitting a nodelist seg that excommunicates nodes, or is
     otherwise unacceptably inaccurate, will always lead to the region
     demanding that the RC withhold the seg.

     FV> True, if: The Nodes in the affected Net instruct the RC to
     withhold the segment. False if: The Nodes in the affected Net don't
     contact the RC.

     SH> Completely false if: He cut their feed path, he cut their nodelist
     access; he arbitrarily excommunicated them and didn't give them the
     CHANCE of calling for help.

     FV> They can/could still contact their RC via Crash Direct Netmail.

     FV> From my perception of the way R12 and others that are arguing for
     freedom and democracy here feel, any intrusion by an RC into the
     workings (positive or negative) of a Net shouldn't happen.

      SH> The belief in freedom does not force one to walk past a rape.
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 4                   25 Dec 2000


     FV> In using the arguments that I see in here a lot by both sides...
     We were not talking about a rape.

     SH> Personally, I'd protect the woman's right not to be sexually
     violated, much like we (primarily those who were most proactive in
     organizing feeds for the nodes) protected the rights of the sysops.

     FV> Ah yes, but did the Sysops want that protection?

     SH> In your above paragraph, you forget that the NC is just a clerk,
     and has no power to make arbitrary descisions. Had he come to us with
     a (missing ending).

     FV> You forget that power can be perceived and arbitrary decisions
     made based on that perceived power.

     SH> message saying that he'd received confirmation from each and every
     node in the net that they were shutting down simultaneously, we would
     likely confirm it for ourselves, try to convince them to stick around,
     and failing that, let it go. As for dissolving the net; after he
     submits an entry without himself listed as NC, he no longer has
     control of that net. He can't dissolve one of our nets without our
     consent.

     True, but the segment he submitted should have been honored since he
     was the NC till that segment was processed... or the attempt to
     process made.

     FV> Did the Sysops in the affected Net ask for intervention, or was it
     just the "vocal crowd"? If none in the Net cared enough to act, why
     did the RC intervene?  Isn't that wrong? I'm trying to understand.
     Please forgive me, but Carl didn't state that anyone asked for
     intervention. You didn't state if the affected Sysops asked or wanted
     intervention. From my perception of the wishes of the sysops is the
     intervention without being asked wrong?

     SH> Intervention without being asked is most certainly not 'wrong',
     atleast not in my eyes. The merger of R14+15 was stopped by the "vocal
     crowd" all across zone 1 telling Mouf in no uncertain terms that it
     wasn't going to happen.

     FV> Ah... Now we get to it.  If I remember right, R14 stepped in and
     asked for help once they were notified of/realized the problem. From
     the way this was sounding, the R12C intervened without being asked...
     IOW, uninvited.

      SH> Intervention to save one from his oppressor is a benefeit, not a
      SH> hinderance.

     FV> Only if the one wants to be saved.

     FV> Thank you for your insight and opinion.

     Regards,

      Frank
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 5                   25 Dec 2000


     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     By: Carl Austin Bennett
     To: Foxy Ferguson
     Re: RE: simple things
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     CAB> I'd imagine that anyone who'd choose to follow P4 to the letter
     and avoid eeking a geographical exemption is stuck where they are due
     to P4 itself.

     FF> Wrong. Geographical exemptions have been allowed since P4 first
     FF> went into effect (9th June, 1989, fyi). They are quite acceptable

     CAB> Then why was R12 threatened with PCs for having nodelisted Ruth's
     net?

     FF> Ya'll's sysops "voted with their feet" and moved here, being (so I
     believe) dissatisfied with the practices of R12, specifically that of
     being dictated to as regards their mail links. All quite "legal" per
     P4.

     CAB> Dictated to as regards their mail links? That's news to me. I was
     sure that some of us are feeding from out-of-region and bless my lucky
     southern stars, I have no idea why anyone would've thought that it
     wouldn't be allowed.

     FF> your becoming the R12C is a telling measure of just how much ya'll
     really *DO* acknowledge the existence of the organizational structure
     delineated in P4. If ya'll were truly all =that= anti-P4, you would
     not even HAVE a Region Coordinator. Nor Net Coordinators.

     FF> We just put all those lines in our nodelists so that we don't get
     mistaken for part of Region 11 by software which is following the
     FTSC-0005 specifications.

     FF> Once the sysops are fed up with me they'll just put Ruth or
     someone else there.Even if that means a "sysop-level election" which
     isn't anywhere in your P4.

     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     By: Lesley-Dee Dylan
     To: Frank Vest
     Re: simple things
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     LD> Darrell didn't directly intervene.  Kari brought it to the
     attention of the "vocal" crowd in REG12, who immediately went into
     action to try

      FV> How did he bring it to the attention of the "vocal crowd"?

     LDD> Kari made an annoucement in REG12 that he was doing it.

      FV> Did Kari say that he was excommunicating those Nodes?

     LDD> If the node suddenly disappears from the net, it is unable to
     communicate - therefore it is excommunicated.

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 6                   25 Dec 2000


      FV> True, if: The Nodes in the affected Net instruct the RC to
      FV> withhold the segment.

     LDD> Kari didn't leave the nodes time to do that.  He was their feed -
     and he was constantly disrupting the feed of REG12 to and from his
     downlinks - we would see evidence of it when a message would suddenly
     appear with a 10-day-old time stamp.  To give us time to contact the
     nodes and ask them (since we didn't trust Kari), we asked Darrell to
     delay processing that segment.

      FV> From my perception of the way R12 and others that are arguing for
      FV> freedom and democracy here feel, any intrusion by an RC into the
      FV> workings (positive or negative) of a Net shouldn't happen.

     LDD> No unilateral excommunication of nodes is tolerated in Region 12
     by any NC or RC.  The NC who wishes to be rid of a node (and it does
     happen), does not excommunicate the node - s/he tosses the node up to
     the RC to become a regional independent, or for the RC to find a new
     net for him/her to join.  Like was done to Jim Rysyk.  By Policy 4,
     there were more than enough grounds to excommunicate him
     (counterfeiting mail - both in FN_SYSOP and in Netmail, where he used
     Darren Whiteman's address to send hate-netmail to a non-existent user
     (with my name) on my NC's system).  He had also crashed the NC's
     system repeatedly with defectively configured software, so the NC no
     longer felt he should be obligated to provide him with the mandatory
     nodediff and snooze.  As a regional independent, no NC was obligated
     to provide him with a feed, but he could attain a feed from anyone
     willing to put up with him.

                          ~~~~~~~~~~end~~~~~~~~~~


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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 7                   25 Dec 2000


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



     (18811) Thu 21 Dec 00 11:40a    Rcvd: Fri 22 Dec 11:27a
     By: Carol Shenkenberger
     To: Warren Bonner
     Re: Re: Congrats!
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     *** Quoting Warren Bonner from a message to Carol Shenkenberger ***

      CS> Snicker, silently, while no one was looking, we slipped in 2
     female RC's, a female ZLC, and now the Z1C.. Now, lets play house <g>.
     >                                        xxcarol
     WB> OK! 8^)) [chortle] Pretty slick how the boys got the girls to do
     most of the work... huh?   {Running for cover... heeheh}

     CS> ARGH! So thats the plan! We keep the house and you guys get to
     play! Harumpf!!  (Stomping off, gotta go wash the nodelist...)

                                                       xxcarol

                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     (18608) Wed 20 Dec 00 12:35p
     By: Lesley-Dee Dylan
     To: All
     Re: Seasons Greetings
     St:
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     All................

     From me (the wishor) to you ("hereinafter called the wishee").  Please
     accept without obligation, implied or implicit, my best wishes for an
     environmentally conscious, socially responsible, politically correct,
     low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, celebration of the winter
     solstice holiday, practised within the most enjoyable traditions of
     the religious persuasion of your choice, or secular practices of your
     choice, with respect for the religious/secular persuasions and/or
     traditions of others, or their choice not to practice religious or
     secular traditions at all............. and a financially successful,
     personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of the
     onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2001, but with due
     respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures or sects, and
     having regard to the race, creed, colour, age, physical ability,
     religious faith, choice of computer platform or dietary preference of
     the wishee. By accepting this greeting you are bound by these terms
     that:-
     * This greeting is subject to further clarification or withdrawal.

     * This greeting is freely transferable provided that no alteration
     shall be made to the original greeting and that the proprietary rights
     of the wishor are acknowledged.

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 8                   25 Dec 2000


     * This greeting implies no promise by the wishor to actually implement
     any of the wishes.

     * This greeting may not be enforceable in certain jurisdictions and/or
     the restrictions herein may not be binding upon certain wishees in
     certain jurisdictions and is revocable at the sole discretion of the
     wishor.

     * This greeting is warranted to perform as reasonably may be expected
     within the usual application of good tidings, for a period of one year
     or until the issuance of a subsequent holiday greeting, whichever
     comes first.

     * The wishor warrants this greeting only for the limited replacement
     of this wish or issuance of a new wish at the sole discretion of the
     wishor.

     * Any references in this greeting to "the Lord", "Father Christmas",
     "Our Saviour", or any other festive figures, whether actual or
     fictitious, dead or alive, shall not imply any endorsement by or from
     them in respect of this greeting, and all proprietary rights in any
     referenced third party names and images are hereby acknowledged.
     (That's what you get when your attorney/lawyer/solicitor draws up your
     seasons greetings!)

     Have a nice.......................whatever(?)

                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~end~~~~~~~~~~~~~~



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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 9                   25 Dec 2000


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


     By: mark lewis
     To: Carl Austin Bennett
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
      AS>> And regardless of your reason for not voting,
      AS>> don't forget, you have just lost your right
      AS>> to complain until the next election.

      CAB> So what happens if one of the sysops, for
      CAB> whatever reason, isn't able to find any
      CAB> candidate whom they support or which
      CAB> reflects their individual viewpoint?

     do you think that every election has everyone's support for every
     candidate??? i (for one) can/will tell ya that i haven't agreed with
     any candidates that have run for any office in all the years that i've
     been a registered voter... here in fidonet, there's been many the time
     that, just like on the "outside," one has to vote for someone/thing if
     one wants to have _any_ voice in the subsequent proceedings...

     if you don't vote, you can't bitch... it's plain and simple... those
     of us who did vote have earned the right to bitch... anyone who didn't
     vote is nothing but a whiner and hate monger... these aren't my
     words... they've been around for a lot longer than i have...

     )\/(ark

      * Origin: (1:3634/12)


     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     By: mark lewis
     To: Dale Ross
     Re: simple things
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
      DR>   If they made a concious decision not to vote they
      DR>   forfeited nothing. Declining to vote is a vote.

     then they should have submitted and empty ballot... if they submitted
     no ballot, then they _didn't_ vote... they just stood there scratchin'
     their backsides and hampering those who did want to vote... even now,
     they're still scratchin' their backsides only they don't know it and
     they're trying to figure out where the smell is coming from...

     )\/(ark

      * Origin: (1:3634/12)
                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      From: "Mutha" <mutha@capeonramp.com>
              To:wdbonner@pacbell.net
              Subject:Your Z1C election
              Date: Friday, December 22, 2000 3:03 PM
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 10                  25 Dec 2000


              Those who cast the votes decide nothing.
              Those who count the votes decide everything."
              -- Joseph Stalin

                           ~~~~~~~~~~end~~~~~~~~~~


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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 11                  25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                              OL'WDB'S COLUMN
     =================================================================


                          Dalai Lama on 2001

     This is what The Dalai Lama has to say to Ol'WDB on the millennium,
     which begins 01/01/2001. All it takes is a few seconds to read and
     think about.
                      ++++++++++++++++++++++++++

     Instructions for Life in the new millennium from the Dalai Lama:

     1. Take into account that great love and great
        achievements involve great risk.

     2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

     3. Follow the three Rs: Respect for self,
        respect for others responsibility for all your actions.

     4. Remember that not getting what you want is
        sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

     5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.

     6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

     7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to
        correct it.

     8. Spend some time alone every day.

     9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values.

     10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

     11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think
         back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time.

     12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

     13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current
         situation. Don't bring up the past.

     14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

     15. Be gentle with the earth.

     16. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

     17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for
         each other exceeds your need for each other.

     18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 12                  25 Dec 2000


     19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

     20. And lastly, Never argue with Foxy... you will lose! 8^)

                         ~~~~~~~~~end~~~~~~~~~


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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 13                  25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                          TRUE STORIES OF FIDONET
     =================================================================


                            The Warmth of a Smile

     This is a good story, please read it all the way through.

     I am a mother of three (ages 14,12, 3) and have recently completed my
     college degree. The last class I had to take was Sociology. The
     teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every
     human being had been graced with.

     Her last project of the term was called "Smile." The class was asked
     to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions.

     I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello
     anyway, so, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally.  Soon
     after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I
     went out to McDonald's one crisp March morning.  It was just our way
     of sharing special play time with our son.

     We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden
     everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I
     did not move an inch...an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up
     inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.

     As I turned around I smelled a horrible "dirty body" smell, and there
     standing behind me were two poor homeless men.   As I looked down at
     the short gentleman, close to me, he was "smiling". His beautiful sky
     blue eyes were full of God's Light as he searched for acceptance.

     He said,"Good day" as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.
     The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I
     realized the second man was mentally deficient and the blue eyed
     gentleman was his salvation. I held my tears as I stood there with
     them.

     The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted. He said,
     "Coffee is all Miss" because that was all they could afford. (If they
     wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy
     something. He just wanted to be warm).

     Then I really felt it - the compulsion was so great I almost reached
     out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I
     noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every
     action. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give
     me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray.

     I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen
     as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the
     blue eyed gentleman's cold hand.  He looked up at me, with tears in
     his eyes, and said, "Thank you." I leaned over, began to pat his hand
     and said, "I did not do this for you. God is here working through me
     to give you hope."
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 14                  25 Dec 2000


     I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son.  When I
     sat down my husband smiled at me and said, "That is why God gave you
     me, Honey. To give me hope."  We held hands for a moment and at that
     time we knew that only because of the Grace that we had been given
     were we able to give. We are not church goers, but we are believers.
     That day showed me the pure Light of God's sweet love.

     I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with this story
     in hand. I turned in "my project" and the instructor read it. Then she
     looked up at me and said, "Can I share this?"  I slowly nodded as she
     got the attention of the class. She began to read and that is when I
     knew that we as human beings and being part of God, share this need to
     heal people and be healed.

     In my own way I had touched the  people at McDonald's, my husband,
     son, instructor, and every soul that shared the classroom on the last
     night I spent as a college student. I graduated with one of the
     biggest lessons I would ever learn: UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.  Much
     love and compassion is sent to each and every person who may read this
     and learn how to LOVE PEOPLE AND USE THINGS - NOT LOVE THINGS AND USE
     PEOPLE.

     If you think this story has touched you in any way, please send this
     to everyone you know. Many people will walk in and out of your life,
     but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. To handle
     yourself, use your head, To handle others, use your heart. Keep this
     going.

     Sharon Weston

                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     Holiday Eating Tips:

     The below was written by Craig Wilson, USA TODAY

     I hate this time of year. Not for its crass commercialism and forced
     frivolity, but because it's the season when the food police come out
     with their wagging fingers and annual tips on how to get through the
     holidays without gaining 10 pounds.

     You can't pick up a magazine without finding a list of holiday eating
     do's and don'ts. Eliminate second helpings, high-calorie sauces and
     cookies made with butter, they say. Fill up on vegetable sticks, they
     say.

     Good grief. Is your favorite childhood memory of Christmas a carrot
     stick? I didn't think so. Isn't mine, either. A carrot was something
     you left for Rudolph.

     I have my own list of tips for holiday eating. I assure you, if you
     follow them, you'll be fat and happy. So what if you don't make it to
     New Year's? Your pants won't fit anymore, anyway.

     1. About those carrot sticks. Avoid them. Anyone who puts carrots on a
     holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact,
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 15                  25 Dec 2000


     if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're
     serving rum balls.

     2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt
     scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch.
     You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who
     cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're
     going to turn into an eggnogaholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy
     it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's
     Christmas!

     3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of
     gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of
     your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

     4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk
     or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a
     sports car with an automatic transmission.

     5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control
     your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat
     other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello? Remember college?

     6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New
     Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do.
     This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the
     buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of
     eggnog.

     7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like
     frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position
     yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before
     becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of
     shoes. You can't leave them behind. You're not going to see them
     again.

     8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or,
     if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always
     have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor
     Day?

     9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the
     mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have
     some standards, mate.

     10. And one final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the
     party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention.
     Reread tips. Start over.

         But hurry! Cookieless January is just around the corner ...




               ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~END~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 16                  25 Dec 2000


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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 17                  25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                             FACTS IN HISTORY
     =================================================================


     By: Mike Luther
     To: Michael Grant
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     You betcha Mike!

      MG> Armadillo's burrow, don't they? So long as they can
      MG> get down three feet deep, below the frost, they'll be
      MG> ok..

      MG>  The gophers won't like it, but Saskatchabush is a big province.

     Dig?  Just *TRY* to hold on to one by the tail and pull it out of the
     hole! Now as to how deep, you know with the tons of the fool things
     around here,I've never tried to determine the hole depth!  They can do
     more damage to a nice lawn in one night than ten times their weight in
     gophers!

     They have one other endearing quality!  They are the only other animal
     than man, that I know of, that can host Human Leprosy!  There is a
     statistically positive coefficient of coorelation in a rise in Leprosy
     in folks whose diet has had a regular dose of Hoover Hog..  That's the
     Great Depression nickname for 'em!

     Mike @ 117/3001
                         ~~~~~~~~~~end~~~~~~~~~~


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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 18                  25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                                  RECIPES
     =================================================================


           Title: Sour Creamed Pot Roast
      Categories: Bacon, Beef, Main dish, Pasta, Crockpot
           Yield: 6 Servings

           2 sl Bacon -- diced
           2    To 4 lbs.
         3/4 c  Chopped onion
         3/4 c  Water
           1 ts Salt
         1/4 ts Cumin
         1/4 ts Pepper
           1    Bay leaf
         1/2 c  Sour cream
           2 tb Flour
           2 tb Parsley -- snipped
         1/2 ts Kitchen Boquet -- optional
                Hot cooked noodles
                Beef chuck pot roast

       Cook bacon until crisp. Drain. Reserve drippings in pan. Trim fat
     from roast. Brown in Dutch oven on all sides in drippings. Add onion,
     bay leaf, water, salt, cumin and pepper. Cover and cook on stovetop or
     bake at 325 for two hours. Remove meat to platter. Keep warm. Skim
     any fat from pan. Discard bay leaf. Blend sour cream with flour. Add
     1/4 cup pan juices to sour cream. Return to pot. Cook and stir until
     thick, but DO NOT BOIL. Stir in parsley, bacon and Kitchen Bouquet.
     Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with roast and noodles.
     Crock Pot: Prepare bacon as above, reserving drippings. Brown meat.
     (You may need to cut in half to fit in pot.) Tranfer to cooker. Add
     onion, only 1/4 cup of water and rest of above ingredients. Cover and
     cook on Low for 8-10 hours. Remove raost, discard bay leaf, skim fat.
     Pour juices into saucepan. Return roast to crock pot. Make sauce as
     above. Season and serve as above.
      Recipe By: BHG, Beef Cookbook

                       ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     by: Carol Shenkenberger
     To: All
     Re: OH MY!  Now Thom's at it!
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     Now, Thom, my 23 lb cat, has decided to continue the tradition!  Here
     I was, making up a pot of crawdaddys for the first time in ages (last
     time if you recall, one escaped right into Roscoe's claws and the rest
     decided a hot bath wasnt such a bad idea afterall).

     Well, thesewere frozen ones (Kinda outa season here to get other
     types). Fixed 'em up and set'em on the table. While Charlotte was
     grabbing napkins, the big galoot stole 2 and hid under the xmas tree!
     I figured it out as Charlotte starting giggling at the new
     'decorations'. Yup.  he ate what he could get at, and tucked the rest
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 19                  25 Dec 2000


     on the lower branch of the tree.. Saving it no doubt for later
     attempts <smile>.

     Meantime, seemed best to finally post just how I make'em. I make'em
     fairly mild but you can 'kick it up a notch' rather easy. You've heard
     of Debbie Does Dallas? Here's XX does Crawdaddy!

     Title: Xx does Crawdaddy Categories: Xxcarol, Seafood, Crawfish,
     Diabetic Yield: 4 Servings

     3 lb Whole crawfish 4 tb Old bay seasoning 1/4 c  Vinigar 1/2 tb
     Black pepper, fresh ground 1 1/2 qt Water, or 'to cover'

     Aiiee! This is good and so simple, my daughter Charlotte (age 7)
     helped me make it!  Sadly, she also ate 1/2 of it so '4 servings'
     might be a bit off but for most folks, probably about right <grin>.

       Take the crawdads and if frozen, let defrost first.  This is one of
     the few recipes that will work well with frozen precooked whole ones,
     so take note if that's what you have where you are.

       Fill your pot about 1/2 way with the water, Old Bay, and black
     pepper. Feel free to add more 'Old Bay' or a dash of tabasco or so, if
     you like it nice and hot.  Stir this mix and let come to a low boil.

       Add the crawdads and if pre-cooked, turn off the heat.  If live,
     bring back to a boil for 3-5 mins then turn off the heat. Let sit in
     the hot water, soaking in the flavors for 5 mins or so.  Ready to
     serve then, but they will wait patiently as long as warm, or longer
     if setting the table.

       If serving Crawdads, or other foods with shells, be sure to provide
     a 'shell dish' so your guests/family have a place other than their
     plate to stow them.

                         ++++++PLUS++++++

       From the Kitchen of: xxcarol

           Title: Xxcarol's ColeSlaw Categories: Xxcarol, Cabbage,
     Diabetic, Salads Yield: 8 Servings

       6 c  Cabbage, shredded, 1/2 c  Mayonaise 1/8 c  Brown spicy
     mustard, 1 md Onion, chopped fine 1 tb Black ground pepper

       Ok, that above is the basics. If you like a dryer slaw, add more
     cabbage! If you like one spicier, the basic was above and added to it
     is always some of the below:

       Optionals- 1/3 cup Green or Black Olives or mix (added so often I
     almost tucked this in the 'must' above) :  - Pimentos, pecans or
     walnuts (crushed a bit), sliced cherry tomatos (suggest this be
     garnish as it doesnt last long in the slaw), small crunchy bits of
     leftover raw radish, turnip, jicama, and/or waterchestnut, .

       Salt to taste when serving.  Have a bottle of hotsauce nearby for
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 20                  25 Dec 2000


     those who like that as the flavors blend well.

          From the kitchen of:  xxcarol From: Carol Shenkenberger
                 (The coleslaw is a perfect match). xxcarol

                         ~~~~~~~~~~end~~~~~~~~~~

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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 21                  25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                             GETTING TECHNICAL
     =================================================================


     By: Carol Shenkenberger, Shenk's Express (275/100)
     To: Warren Bonner
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     Hello all! In reference to queries on how to setup a BBS, I have put
     together a simple help file.  It contains examples of some ways to do
     things for a simple, single node system mostly. In order to make it
     easier to follow, I have used 'generic conventional' names and paths
     through out the FAQ.  You do NOT need to use the same ones, and for
     added security you SHOULD change them.  You will find a general
     reference to the names used, at the end.

     The softwares used are primarily FrontDoor version 2.25 and DOS
     version 5.0.  If you have a 28.8 or better modem, you will need to
     upgrade to FD2.12 or higher to support it properly.  While FD is the
     primary one dealt with here it probably isn't that radically different
     in concept for other front end softwares.

     FD2.25 has only one method of passing the errorlevel.  This FAQ shows
     the DOBBS/EXEBBS method required for FD2.25/SW users and usable by
     earlier FD versions.  The second FAQ (shown later) shows the 'one bat
     file, errorlevel method' which may be used with FD2.12/SW or below.
     The essential difference for those using FD2.12/SW and below is in
     having one long bat file, or several short ones.

     There is also some added capability in the DOBBS/EXEBBS method as it
     allows you to pass the time of the next FD event, and /ARQ connection
     information. Suit yourself to what you like best if using FD2.12/SW
     and below.

           1.  Go into FD config, and make sure you have assigned a number
     to each baud rate connecting to your system.  In this example, we used
     errorlevel 200 for all connection speeds and turned on the 'create bat
     file option' in FD.

           2.  Add the following to your 'frodo.bat' file or just replace
     your old one with this example then add in what you need for your
     setup.


     ---- begin FRODO.BAT-----

     @Echo off
     c:
     cd \fd
     :Start


        Cd\fd
     fd
        If ERRORLEVEL 253 Goto Mail_Out
        If ERRORLEVEL 252 Goto Make_Node
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 22                  25 Dec 2000


        If ERRORLEVEL 209 Goto Mail_Test  ;Function Key activated
        If ERRORLEVEL 201 Goto FB100
        If ERRORLEVEL 200 Goto Connect

     Goto end

     :Mail_Out     ;Gecho 1.11+ specific, adapt as needed!
     c:
     cd c:\fd
     AT H1 1
     DEL c:\tg\tgmscan.now
     GEcho toss -NOMGR
     GEcho scan
     GEcho MGR
     MBUTIL pack -renumber -link -purge
     Goto Start

     :Make_Node
     If Exist c:\fd\file\nodediff.* Goto Node_Here
     Goto Start

     :Node_Here
     Copy c:\fd\file\nodediff.* c:\fd\nodelist
     cd c:\fd\nodelist
     editnl
     cd c:\fd
     fdnc /f
     Goto Start

     :FB100        ;external event in FD to do 'stuff' as needed
     CD \tg\FFS    ;for online games and other items needed nightly
     FISHMANT
     CD \FD
     mbutil pack -renumber -link -purge
     cd \tg
     INDEX BUILD ALL
     INDEX SORT ALL
     cd \tg\goc
     maint
     cd \fd
     call tickout.bat      ; processes inbound filebone
     Goto Start

     :Connect       ;here begins the connection sequence
     call dobbs0.bat        ;note FD2.25 makes dobbs0.bat
                            ;FD2.12 and below makes DOBBS.BAT

     :Mail_Test
     IF EXIST C:\TG\ECHOMAIL.TG? GOTO Mail_Out
     Goto Start

     :End
     -----end FRODO.BAT-------

     DOBBS0.BAT is created by FD each BBS call, and it then activates
     EXEBBS.BAT which you design.  (Reminder, in FD2.12 it is DOBBS.bat).
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 23                  25 Dec 2000


     EXEBBS.BAT (This file is activated by DOBBS0.BAT or DOBBS.BAT):

     ----begin EXEBBS.BAT--------------

     C:
     CD \TG
     TELEGARD -B%1 -X%3 -N%4 -C%5 -Q
     If Not Exist c:\tg\ECHOMAIL.TG? GoTo End
     Del c:\tg\ECHOMAIL.TG?
     cd \fd
     Gecho Toss
     Gecho Scan
     :END
     Frodo                         ; your FD batch file

     This is a very basic batch file to startup TG with the DOBBS process.
     Make note that if you use another filename for your 'FD.BAT' other
     than 'FRODO.BAT' you will need to change it here too!  If you dont,
     your BBS will land in 'zululand' because it wont know what to do after
     a caller exits!

     (Note:  %1=baud, %2=port, %3=time till next event, %4=node if
     multinode, %5=other modem connect info such as if it is an ARQ
     connection)

     Informational assistance provided by Kevin Watkins.

     Note, this version shows also how to scan for mail left by a caller
     and packing if they left any outbound mail by checking for the
     existance of a ECHOMAIL.TG? file.  This is optional and the mail_test
     routine shows for local sysop mail.  The echomail.tg? means in place
     of the ? to use J for Jam or S for Squish.  Replace as needed for
     other BBS softwares.

     For informational purposes, here is a rundown of some of the lines you
     may not be familiar with: AT H1 1 -  This is a common software which
     is called AT.COM and manipulates your modem.  In this case, it is
     taking a modem on Com1, offline.  Depending on your modem brand, you
     may not need an extra utility to do this.  Both FD and TG have the
     capability of taking the modem offline for you.  It is there only for
     assistance of those sysops who's modems wont stay offline with FD's
     codes.

       EDITNL - This is one of the many nodediff merging softwares on the
     market. Depending on your version, the addition of the /KILL switch,
     will also delete the old nodediffs.  It was included only as an
     example, and you should use whatever you find at a local dial. Mergenl
     is widely available and does the same thing.

       MBUTIL - Gecho specific packer for message bases.  See the 3rd FAQ
     for other examples of tossing/packing sequences you may use for your
     needs.

      End FAQ 1. xxcarol TG Beta Norfolk

                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 24                  25 Dec 2000


     By: David Hallford
     To: Jerry Schwartz
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     HI Jerry!

      >DH>    One of the ideas I've been playing with is a routing flag. A
     non-traditional node who can only pick up their mail from one source
     would use this flag to tell folks where to route their mail to.

      JS> That raises two problems:

      JS> 1. Just because you fly a RVIA flag doesn't mean I know how to
     reach your feed, nor that I can connect with it.


      DH> True. I'm working under the asumption that the person flying the
     RVIA flag is smmartenough to figure this out or they won't get any
     mail.

      JS> 2. There would have to be some mechanism to prevent circularity,
     and since I don't see how that could be economically implemented in
     the nodelist itself then any software which reads the RVIA flag would
     have to have logic programmed in to keep it from looping endlessly.


      DH> I tend to view these things from my own perspective as a utility
     writer. I don't imagine a mailer author would ever update his/her
     mailer to reflect an changes so I tend to figure out how I would make
     it work with the current version of the software (always starting with
     the software I use - of cours <g>).

      DH> I would write it so that it actually looked for a viable path to
     the region or zone first. That part is not written since I haven't sat
     down and typed any code yet. This idea languished for over a year and
     has only recently been resurected.

                                         with warm regards,
                                           Dave


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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 25                  25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                               POET'S CORNER
     =================================================================


     There's a special day it comes but once a year

     It is very merry with Yule tide cheer
     It brings presents, snow and Eskimo
     Oh don't you know it's Christmas time again.

     It's time for family, and all your closest friends
     Most never want Christmas time to ever end
     Oh don't you know it's Christmas time again.

     Malls are busy shoppers every were
     Lights on houses blinking over here and there
     Oh don't you know it's Christmas time again.

     White snow sparkles, it sparkles every where
     People sing Christmas carols, you here them fill the air
     Oh don't you know it's Christmas time again.

     Children sit on Santa knee while they plead for what they want
     Stocking hung above the fire place, Cookies set down below
     Oh don't you know it's Christmas time again, Ho Ho HO!!!

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 26                  25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                                   HUMOR
     =================================================================


                         "GOODBYE, MOTHER"

     I was walking through the supermarket to pick up a few things when I
     noticed an old lady following me around.  Thinking nothing of it, I
     ignored her and continued on. Finally I went to the checkout line,
     but she got in front of me.

     "Pardon me," she said, "I'm sorry if my staring at you has made you
     feel uncomfortable. It's just that you look just like my son, who
     just died recently."

     "I'm very sorry," I said to her, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

     "Yes," she said, "As I'm leaving, can you say 'Good bye, Mother? It
     would make me feel so much better."

     "Sure," I said.  An odd request, but no harm would come of it. As the
     old woman was leaving, I called out, "Goodbye, Mother!"

     As I stepped up to the checkout counter, I saw that my total was
     $127.50.

     "How can that be?" I asked, "I only purchased a few things!"

     "Your mother said that you would pay for her," said the clerk.

                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
     A couple was touring the capitol in Washington, DC, and the
     guide pointed out a tall, benevolent gentleman as the
     congressional chaplain.

     The lady asked, "What does the chaplain do? Does he pray for
     the Senate or House?"

     The guide answered, "No, he gets up, looks at both houses of
     Congress, then prays for the country!"

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     PUNCTUATION

     The kindergarten class had a homework assignment to find out
     about something exciting and relate it to the class the next
     day. When the time came for the little kids to give their
     reports, the teacher was calling on them one at a time.

     The teacher was reluctant to call upon little Johnnie,
     knowing that he sometimes could be a bit crude. But
     eventually his turn came. Little Johnnie walked up to the
     front of the class, and with a piece of chalk, made a small
     white dot on the blackboard, then sat back down. Well the
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 27                  25 Dec 2000


     teacher couldn't figure out what Johnnie had in mind for his
     report on something exciting, so she asked him just what
     that was. 'It's a period', Johnnie explained. 'Well I can
     see that,' she said, 'but what is so exciting about a
     period?'

     'Damned if I know,' said Johnnie, 'but this morning my
     sister said she missed one. Then Daddy had a heart attack
     and Mommy fainted.'

                     ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


      A guy walked into his friend's office, he found him
     sitting at his desk, looking very depressed.

     "Hey, what's up with you?", he asks.

     "Oh, its my wife," replied the man sadly. "She's hired a
     new secretary for me."

     "Well, nothing wrong in that. Is she blonde or brunette?"

     "Neither, He's bald."

                        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     A Christmas card sent from a Democrat to his Republican Friend:

          The election is over, the results are known,
          The will of the people has clearly been shown,
          Let's forget the quarrels and show by our deeds,
          We will give our leader all the help that he needs.
          So let's all get together and let bitterness pass,
          I'll hug your elephant and you kiss my ass.

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~end~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~






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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 28                  25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                              COMIX IN ASCII
     =================================================================


     To: All
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------

                                                      ._...._.
                               \.O./                .::o:::::.
                               (\o/)                .:::'''':o:.
                           --- xMail 1.00
                                >*<                 `:}_>()<_{:'
                               >0<@<             @    `'//\\'`    @
                              >>>@<<*          @ #     //  \\     # @
                             >@>*<0<<<      .__#_#____/'____'\____#_#_.
                            >*>>@<<<@<<     [_________________________]
                           >@>>0<<<*<<@<     |=_- .-/\ /\ /\ /\--. =_-|
                          >*>>0<<@<<<@<<<    |-_= | \ \ \ \ \ \\-|-_=-|
                         >@>>*<<@<>*<<0<*<   |_=-=| / // // // / |_=-_|
           \*/          >0>>*<<@<>0><<*<@<<  |=_- | `-'`-'`-'`-' |=_=-|
       .___\U//__.    >*>>@><0<<*>>@><*<0<<  | =_-| o          o |_==_|
        \ | | \  |  >@>>0<*<<0>>@<<0<<<*<@<  |=_- | !     (    ! |=-_=|
         \| | _(UU)_ >((*))_>0><*<0><@<<<0<*<|-,-=| !    ).    ! |-_-=|
        \ \| || / //||.*.*.*.|>>@<<*<<@>><0<<|=_,=| ! __(:')__ ! |=_==|
        \_|_|&&_// ||*.*.*.*|_\db//_   (\_/)-|     /^\=^=^^=^=/^\| _=_|
         ""|'.'.'.|~~|.*.*.*|      |  =('Y')=|=_,//.------------.\\_,_|
           |'.'.'.|  |^^^^^^|______|  ( ~~~ )|_,_/(((((((())))))))\_,_|
           ~~~~~~~ ""       `------'  `w---w'|_____`------------'_____|
     =====================================================================

      * Origin: Murphy's BBS  64 3 3519020  Christchurch  N.Z.  (3:770/245)

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 29                  25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                                  WANTED
     =================================================================


     Hello everyone in every nation...
     I am asking you for any articles on anything you deem to be of
     interest to Fidoneters, or conversely, anything you would like to ask
     Fidoneters, seek opinions or solutions to problems you or a friend may
     have.

     Also I have solicited bilingual articles.  Articles submitted in your
     native language and in English, to be published sequentially in an
     issue of FidoNews. That will help strengthen Fido in membership nodes
     as more folks will have a place to practice their hobby, plus sharpen
     their skills with second or third language.

     And lastly, we are looking for programmers who wish to tell us about
     their BBS program products.  We need to revitalize the strong roots
     that the programmers had established in the last two decades.  We need
     new programs also, even old programs reconstructed to work with the
     newer technologies developed in the last couple of years.

     Send any items to:
     wdbonner@pacbell.net
            or
     fidonews@netscape.net
            or
     editor@fidonews.org
           or
     ICQ = warbond #17773628

     Thank you in advance,
     Ol'wdb


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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 30                  25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                           QUESTION OF THE WEEK
     =================================================================


                         WHO WILL BE THE NEXT Z1C...

     Is it going to be: Dallas Hinton?, Ross Cassell? Janis Kratch???

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 31                  25 Dec 2000


     =================================================================
                            ANSWERS OF THE WEEK
     =================================================================

     By: Carol Shenkenberger To: All Re: Official results St:
     ----------------------------------------------------------------------
     20 December 2000

     The election for a new Z1C has concluded and the official result from
     the 10 standing RC's in Zone 1 is:

     Janis Kracht

     Janis, you are now appointed the Z1C per the results.  Enjoy! Turnover
     timeframe is now left to you and Dave, and per his request be
     concluded any time from now but no later than 5 January 2001.

     David Moufarrege, our blessings on you for all you have done over this
     past term!

                                xxcarol
                                Carol Shenkenberger
                                Z1C Election Coordinator - 2000

                           ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 32                  25 Dec 2000


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


          For ROUTED or CRASH Netmail File Attached Please SEND TO:
                Joe Jared CoModerator FidoNews 1:103/301

                         ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 33                  25 Dec 2000


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

     ------------------------------------------------------
     *Fidonet-related sites

                       . -- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- -- .
                       |    FIDONET-RELATED SITES    |
                       ` -- -- -- -- --- -- -- -- -- '
                          Last update:  December 10, 2000

     FidoNet
     Homepage:     http://www.fidonet.org
     FidoNews:     http://www.fidonews.org   [HTML]
                   ftp://ftp.nwstar.com/fidonet/fidonews/
                   ftp://ftp.sstar.com/fidonet/fnews/
     Echolist:     http://www.baltimoremd.com/echolist/
     Echomail links: http://www.osirusoft.com/fidonet/fidoip.html
     SDS Files:    http://fidobbs.dk/download (Web Access to SDS)
     FTSC page:    http://www.ftsc.org/
     General:      http://www.writebynight.com/fidonet.html

     Zone 1:       http://www.z1.fidonet.org
       Region 10:  http://www.r10.org
         Net 102   http://home.earthlink.net/~kayshapero/net102.htm
         Net 103:  http://www.webworldinc.com/club103/
         Net 203:  http://www.geocities.com/Area51/8687/net203index.html
       Region 11:  http://oeonline.com/~garyg/region11/
        Net 2410:  http://www.vector.11.com/net2410/
       Region 12:  http://sparkys.dyndns.org
       Region 13:  http://www.net264.org/r13.htm
         Net 264:  http://www.net264.org/
         Net 275:  http://www.homershut.net/~mahoover/net275/
       Region 14:  http://www.ouijabrd.com/region14
         Net 282:  http://www.rxn.com/~net282/
       Region 15:  <vacant>
       Region 16:  <vacant>
       Region 17:  http://www.region17.net
         Net 140:  http://www.nwstar.com/~net140
       Region 18:  http://techshop.pdn.net/fido/

       Region 19:  http://bise.tzo.com/r19
         Net 124:  http://www.dallasinet.com/net124
                   http://texoma.net/~flv
         Net 130:  http://www.startext.net/homes/net130
         Net 393:  http://www.chatter.com/~wb/

     Zone 2:       http://www.z2.fidonet.org
                   ftp://ftp.sstar.com/fidonet/zone2 (Z2 nodelists etc.)
       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)
                   http://www.was-ist-fido.de/
         Fido-IP:  http://home.nrh.de/fido/ (English/German)
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 34                  25 Dec 2000


       Region 25:  http://www.literary.freeserve.co.uk/net2502/
       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)
                   http://Welcome.to/skynetbbs/
       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://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/4552/
       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
     !    Net422:  http://www.fido.sk (Slovak/English)
       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 5028:  HTTP://5028.nordnet.ru/
        Net 5030:  http://kenga.ru/fido/  (Russian & English)
        Net 5049:  http://www.n5049.z2.fidonet.org  (English/Russian)
        Net 5074:  http://www.z2.n5074.fidonet.net
     ??  Net 5085:  http://www.fidonet.uz/ (Russian)

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

     Zone 4:
       Region 80:  http://fidobrasil.8m.com  (Portuguese)
       Region 90:
         Net 904:  http://members.tripod.com/~net904 (Spanish)

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

     Zone 6:       http://www.z6.fidonet.org
       Region 65:  http://www.cfido.com/fidonet/cfidochina.html
                   (Chinese)


                          Fidonet Via Internet Hubs

     See also: http://www.osirusoft.com/fidoip.html

     a @ preceding an individual's name implies a virtual email
     address. The email is translated as follows
     firstlast@osirusoft.com will automatically route to the
     appropriate individual's email.  Anyone in this list will
     also receive routed notice of this feature.  In my case, it
     would still be joejared@osirusoft.com, but you get the idea.

     Also, as information is provided to me, I will be adding a
     latency field to each node, which is defined as the maximum
     time between when the message is received, and when it is
     sent on to other nodes, or available to be sent onward,
     defined in minutes. A latency of ! implies that there is an
     immediate response, and an attempt to deliver immediately
     after processing, or a "MinuteMail System", as it were.
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 35                  25 Dec 2000


                v-email flag firstnamelastname@osirusoft.com
                | email address or
     Node#      | Operator          | Facilities (*) | Speed,| Basic Rate
                |                   |                |latency|
     -----------+-------------------+----------------+-------+------------
     Zone 1     |                   |                |       |
       10/3     | Brenda Donovan    | FTP,UUE,BinkP  | 384K,30| n/c
       10/345   @ Todd Cochrane     | FTP,BinkP,VMOT | T1,!  | n/c
       13/25    @ Jim Balcom        | FTP            | 56k   | $20mo.
       18/500   @ Ross Cassell      | FTP, BinkP     |128K+,!| n/c
      19/68     | Ben Ritchey       | UUE:BFDS       | 33.6k | n/c
      103/5     @ Mark Luetger      | BinkP          | 384k,!| n/c
      103/153   @ Michael Box       | BinkP          | aDSL,!| n/c
      103/301   @ Joe Jared         | BinkP,FTP,NFS  | 384k,!| n/c
      103/401   @ Warren Bonner     | BinkP          | aDSL,!| n/c
      105/8     | Russ Johnson      | FTP,BinkP,VMoT | 384k  | n/c
      105/72    @ Larry James       | FTP, BinkP     | aDSL  | $50/yr
      106/1     @ Steve Loupe       | BinkP, FTP     | 128k  | ???
      106/6018  | Lawrence Garvin   | FTP, VMoT      | aDSL,60| n/c
      107/453   @ Jeffrey Estevez| FTP,BinkP,VMoT,UUE| 56k,60| $10 mo.
      140/1     @ Bob Seaborn       | FTP,BinkP      | T3,30 | $5/$16
      167/133   | Stephen Monteith  | BinkP          | 128k+ | n/c
      211/417   @ Korombos          | BinkP,UUE,FTP  | T1    | n/c
      218/109   @ Matt Munson       | BinkP,UUE      | 33.6k | n/c
      246/160   @ Mason Vye         | FTP, UUE       | 56K   | n/c
      249/116   | Carl Austin Bennett | FTP, UUE    |ADSL,60 | n/c
      280/169   | Brian Greenstreet | FTP            | 33.6  | $2mo.
      342/3     @ Richard Dodsworth | BinkP,FTP      | 128K+ | n/c
      395/670   | Arthur Stark      | BinkD,FTP      | 128k  | n/c
      379/1     @ Dale Ross         | FTP, BinkP,UUE | 256K+,! n/c
      396/1     @ John Souvestre    | FTP,VMoT       | T1,10 | $5/mo
      396/45    | Marc Lewis        | UUE            | 33.6  | $26/yr
     2604/104   @ Jim Mclaughlin    | FTP,VMoT,UUE   | 33.6  | $1mo
     2613/404   @ David Moufarrege  | BinkP,FTP,VMoT | 128k+,!| n/c
     2624/306   | David Calafrancesco  | VMoT        | 33.6  | n/c
     3407/4     @ jyates@bsdi.ldl.net | UUE,FTP            | 28.8  | n/c
     3632/84    | Robert Todd    |FTP,VMoT,UUE,BinkP | 57.6k | n/c
     3651/9     @ Jerry Gause       | FTP,VMoT       | 33.6  | $3/$6
     --------------------------------------------------------------
     Zone 2     |
       20/11    | Henrik Lindhe     | BinkP          | ???   | n/c
       31/1     | Gabriel Plutzar   | BinkP          | T1+   | n/c
      203/600   | Mikael Karlsson   | UUE            | 64k   | n/c
      221/360   @ Tommi Koivula     | BinkP,UUE      | ???   | n/c
      236/205   @ Michael Kaaber    | BinkP          | ???   | n/c
      246/2098  | Volker Imre       | BinkP          | ???   | n/c
      280/1601  @ Jeroen VanDeLeur  | FTP,UUE        | 64k   | n/c
      292/620   | Eddy Missoul      | VMoT, UUE,BinkP| 64k   |N/C
      292/624   | Steven Leeman     | UUE          | 64k     | N/C
      292/907   | Bart Verhaeghe    | BinkP,VMoT,UUE | 64K   | n/c
      292/2003  | Eric Vaneberck    | BinkP          | 768k  | n/c
      301/1     | Peter Witschi     | BinkP          | 768k  | n/c
      332/807   | Roberto Mascolo   | BinkP          | ???   | n/c
      335/535   @ Mario Mure        | BinkP,VMot,UUE | 64k   | n/c
      335/610   | Gino Lucrezi      | UUE            | 33.6  | n/c
      344/201   | Julio Garcia      | BinkP          | ???   | n/c
     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 36                  25 Dec 2000


      346/3     @ Carlos Navarro    | UUE            | ???   | n/c
      382/100   | Sinisa Burina     | BinkP          | ???   | n/c
      406/555   | Ofir Michaeli &   | BinkP          | ???   | n/c
      406/555   | Marius Kaizerman  | BinkP          | ???   | n/c
      423/81    | Milos Bajer       | BinkP          | ???   | n/c
      464/4077  | Serguei Trouchelle| UUE            | 19.2  | n/c
      465/204   | Va Milushnikov    | BinkP          | 33.6k | n/c
      469/84    | Max Masyutin      | VMoT           | 256k  | n/c
      480/112   | Adam Sarapata| FTP, VMoT, UUE,BinkP| 128k  | n/c
     2411/413   @ Dennis Dittrich   | UUE,BinkP      | 64k   | n/c
     2446/301   @ Lothar Behet      | BinkP,VMoT,UUE,FTP | 64K   | n/c
     2474/275   | Christian Emig    | UUE            | 64k   | unkn
     5030/115   | Andrey Podkolzin  | BinkP          | ???   | n/c
     5100/8     | Egons Bush        | BinkP          | ???   | n/c
     5020/1159  | Gennady Kudryashoff | UUE          | 33.6  | n/c
     --------------------------------------------------------------
     Zone 3
      633/260   @ Malcolm Miles     | FTP,BinkP      | 64K   | n/c
      640/954   | Rick Van Ruth     | FTP,VMot,UUE,BinkP| 56K| n/c
      774/605   @ Barry Blackford|BinkP,VMoT:10023,ifcico,FTP |33.6| n/c

     --------------------------------------------------------------
     Zone 4
      801/161   @ Renato Zambon     | UUE            | 33.6  |n/c
      905/100   | Fabian Gervan     | VMoT,UUE,BinkP | 128k  | n/c
      902/18    | Javier Tejedor    | UUE            | 33,6  | n/c

     --
     * FTP   = Internet File Transfer Protocol
     * VMoT  = Virtual Mailer over Telnet (various)
     * UUE   = uuencode<->email type transfers
     * BinkP = front end mailer for TCPIP networks
     * NFS   = Linux Networking
     ----------------------------------------------
     Fidonet oriented news servers

     news.osirusoft.com
     news.tardis.net

     Fidonet oriented chat rooms.

     room #fidonet  5PM (PDT 11AM GMT) Sundays
     irc.osirusoft.com  (Peers wanted)

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

     Please send updates, corrections and suggestions to
     Joe Jared, 1:103/301, joejared@osirusoft.com.  All email addresses
     here for purpose of corresponding with fidonet members about
     obtaining a feed.  Improper use of the virtual email addresses, and
     most especially, email addressed to blockme@relays.osirusoft.com
     will be considered a request to be blocked by my open relay spam
     stopper at http://relays.osirusoft.com



     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 37                  25 Dec 2000


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

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 38                  25 Dec 2000


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

     + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --  FIDONEWS STAFF - -- -- -- -- -- -- +
     |                                                             |
     | Editor:     Warren D. Bonner, 1:1/23, editor@fidonews.org   |
     | Webmaster:  Jim Barchuk, jb@fidonews.org                    |
     | Columnist:  Joe Jared, 1:103/0, joejared@osirusoft.com      |
     |             (Fido Via Internet Hubs column)                 |
     | Columnist:  Ol' WDB, 1:103/401, fidonews@netscape.net       |
     | Humor:      Chuckles & Grins, emailed to editor             |
     | Sites Bio:  Frank Vest, 1:124/6308.1                        |
     |             (The best site of the week)                     |
     + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +

     + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -  EDITORS EMERITI - -- -- -- -- -- -- +
     |                                                             |
     |       Tom Jennings, Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince      |
     |       Perriello, Tim Pozar, Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees,    |
     |       Christopher Baker, Zorch Frezberg, Henk Wolsink,      |
     |       Doug Meyers                                           |
     |                                                             |
     + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +

     "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.

     Fidonews is published weekly by and for the members of Fidonet.
     Fidonews is Copyright (C) 2000 by Warren Bonner, though authors
     retain rights to their contributed articles.  Opinions expressed
     by theauthors is strictly their own.  Noncommercial duplication
     and distribution within Fidonet is encouraged.  Authors are
     encouraged to send their articles in ASCII text to:
     Warren Bonner at one of his addresses above.


     The weekly edition of Fidonews is distributed through the file
     area FIDONEWS, and is published as echomail in the echo FIDONEWS.
     These sources are normally available through your Network
     Coordinator. The current and past issues are also available from
     the following sources:

     + -- -- -- -- -- -- -  FIDONEWS AVAILABILITY - -- -- -- -- -- -- +
     |                                                                |
     |         Freq FIDONEWS @ 1:140/1, or 1:396/1                    |
     |         ftp://ftp.sstar.com/fidonet/fnews/                     |
     |         ftp://ftp.nwstar.com/fidonet/fidonews/                 |
     |         http://www.fidonews.org                                |
     |         email subscription: majordomo@fidonews.org             |
     |                         (subject: help body: list)             |
     |         ftp mail: ftpmail@fidonews.org (subject: help)         |
     |                                                                |
     + -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +

     FIDONEWS 17-53               Page 39                  25 Dec 2000


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