F I D O N E W S -- Vol.12 No. 6 (06-Feb-1995) +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | A newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: | | FidoNet BBS community | "FidoNews" BBS | | _ | +1-519-570-4176 | | / \ | | | /|oo \ | Small animal psychology and | | (_| /_) | Spiritual guidance Department: | | _`@/_ \ _ | Rev. Richard Visage 1:163/409 | | | | \ \\ | | | | (*) | \ )) | Editor: | | |__U__| / \// | Donald Tees 1:221/192 | | _//|| _\ / | Sylvia Maxwell 1:221/194 | | (_/(_|(____/ | Tim | | (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. | | | -- JOSEPH PULITZER | +----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+ | Submission address: editors 1:1/23 | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | MORE addresses: | | | | Don -- don@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca | | Max -- max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca | | Tim Pozar -- pozar@kumr.lns.com | | David Deitch -- 1:133/411.411, deitch@gisatl.fidonet.org | | | submissions=> editor@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ | For information, copyrights, article submissions, | | obtaining copies of fidonews or the internet gateway faq | | please refer to the end of this file. | +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ ======================================================================== Table of Contents ======================================================================== 1. Editorial..................................................... 1 2. Articles...................................................... 2 Dear Reverend Visage,....................................... 2 The need for free fax services.............................. 4 False Memory Syndrome on the Backbone....................... 5 Dear Flesh,................................................. 6 3. Fidonews Information.......................................... 7 ======================================================================== Editorial ======================================================================== FidoNews 12-06 Page: 2 06 Feb 1995 There are not very many articles in this week, but I am pleased to see that Doc Logger is back with a missive to the Reverand Visage. He is in fine fettle, as well, taking swipes at all and sundry (even us), but I will get back to that. It is interesting to note that the REG12 sysop echo has been quite rational lately. Funny, or maybe it makes complete sense, but the echo is almost entirely free of flames for the first time in living memory. At issue is the granting of a node number to the heritage front. For those that do not know, the heritage front is a canadian neo-natzi organization that preaches against the existance of second world war concentration camps and the atrocities associated with them. That is an issue almost gauranteed to inflame passion, yet the disscussion has been as civilized as is possible. The two main viewpoints, revulsion at having any association whatsoever with helping to spread lies, as seen by the one side, and revulsion at denying a nodenumber and freedom of expression, therefore sweeping it under the carpet and ignoring it, as seen by the other. Perhaps having to deal with a real decision, one that is important, has made us all a bit more reasonable. Interesting though. Now, Charles, back to the issue of fidogods. I will grant you that no politician should be allowed to feed the cat without watching to see if they snitch the cat food, but there is also a fair amount of work running this damned organization. And that work does get done every week. My sole point is that maybe the people that do the work should at least be allowed a few mistakes without getting taken apart. Besides, if we are going to continue to suck the newcomers into doing all the work, we have to expect a few mistakes. Maybe we can make them so miserable that they only do it once ... is that the idea? ======================================================================== Articles ======================================================================== Dear Editor-beings, Please indicate that the following article was submitted by Charles Herriot (1:163/110) who has just returned from a world-wide search for Chia seeds to repopulate his house full of Chia pets. The search was unsucessful. Roll 'da flick, Sylvia... Swamp Swine Magazine, Shuckmagosh, Ohio Dear Reverend Visage, You must excuse my tardiness. It has been several weeks since I have written but much has happened in my absence. It FidoNews 12-06 Page: 3 06 Feb 1995 seems that our not so beloved RC12, Rick "Weekend With Bernie" Johnston has been inflated sufficiently to move his appendages across the keyboard to call an election. Rick has promised to follow the trail made by the Dodos and run again on his record. Our prayers and our edible underwear should go out to him in his final flameout. Tony "GMD Posterchild" Bearman has been appointed as the Returning Officer. Tony will be so pleased to discover that Rick "Keyboard Virtuoso" Johnston has placed the nodelist entry as "1:21/21." In other news, Bob "Bob" Satti has appointed an "assistant ZC." This is heartening news since now one of them can listen while the other presses the Speak 'N Spell buttons. There is much promise that together they will be able to master the subtleties of English comprehension. Speaking of Fidogods, our Region still waits with breathless anticipation for George Peace to render something that passes for a decision on the matter of Stein vs. Kolin. I shall sacrifice appropriate numbers of hamsters in gratitude for the quick thinkers that seem to populate the Fidonet stratosphere. I noted that the esteemed editor-beings of this organ, or at least one of them, opined that there is altogether too much bad press granted to Fidogods. Perhaps I am mistaken, but the problem with Fidogods may have something to do with the fact that they achieve the zenith of their managerial careers in Fidonet and run amok flexing their first grasp of power. We should probably subsidize a research clinic in Borneo to study the "Fidogod Disease" that seems to plague even the lower life forms once they get elected. Where has Dallas Hinton gone? I fully expected to see a flood or Snooz articles from him with the kind of uplifting messages that he so clearly desires. Hell, I even nailed a plastic Jesus night-lite to my monitor in expectations that his revelations would light up the southern skies. This probably has nothing to do with the fact that it is 45 degrees C. below zero outside and the snowdrifts have covered the house, but I am reminded of Emperor Penguins. It seems that Emperor Penguins lay their eggs in the dead of winter when the Antarctic sun never rises above the horizon. The eggs are incubated by resting them on the feet of the penguins and then dropping a flap of skin around them. If they lose their egg, they will often substitute rocks or lumps of snow and happily incubate the inanimate object. This is where this theme leads back to Dallas. Is it possible, do you suppose, that Dallas has been captured by GIANT Emperor penguins which even now...are sitting on his face until spring? The mind boggles. Senator Sonny Bono. Go ahead, say that without snickering. What with the Righteous Newt leading the charge, who says that all the fun went out of American politics? Just think FidoNews 12-06 Page: 4 06 Feb 1995 of the fun Nixon could have had were he ever granted a Republican majority in the legislatures. Mercifully, we are treated daily to a display of egalitarian justice where, for just three or four million dollars in legal fees, you can obtain the same measure of justice as any other person accused of a crime. Call me a reactionary, Visage, but it would delight me to no end if the jury returned a "not guilty" verdict with respect to O.J., but found that all the lawyers should be sent to Folsom Prison for the remainder of their days. I must go Visage, your secretary has an alarming amount of office implements pointed at tender parts of my anatomy. Her current distemper probably has nothing at all to do with the fact that I spent her paycheque on Mexican Peso futures. As a good and decent gesture, I think that we should send her to Kobe. Regards, Doc Logger, Giant Clam Rancher, Fulaga, South Pacific ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The need for free fax services for telecommunications compliants Andrew Freeman Canberra ACT Australia 3:620/243 I have recently been in touch with Telstra (the major provider of telephone services in Australia) about the need for them to have more 1 800 (no fee) fax numbers for such things as service difficulties, and customer complaints. I am particularly interested in such a service in relation to service difficulties because it gives one the opportunity to provide a screen save of problems at no cost to the sender. I have had a less than enthusiastic response from Telstra in relation to this idea (they tell me they rarely get voice complaints from BBS users, and almost never faxes). I am currently lobbying the Chairperson of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman's (TIO) office on this matter, together with a consumer representative on the Council of the TIO, in an effort to get them to approach the CEO of Telstra to encourage him to take action on this matter. I would be interested in the approaches adopted in other countries to the issue of free fax telephone line provision in all customer service areas by other telecommunications providers, and any experiences of other BBS users in lobbying such providers for such a service. FidoNews 12-06 Page: 5 06 Feb 1995 False Memory Syndrome on the Backbone by David Bloomberg, 1:2430/1 FMS: The False Memory Syndrome Echo A little while ago, I wrote here to tell everybody about the existence of the False Memory Syndrome (FMS) echo. Shortly after that, the FMS echo went on the backbone. As I wrote then, a number of claims stem from recovery of "repressed memories." These claims range from years of incest forgotten by the victim, satanic conspiracies pervading the country, and alien beings kidnapping people from their beds for strange sexual experiments. There are therapists across the country who will tell you that they can help "recover" these memories. Numerous books on the subject have been written, both pro and con. Some of these books encourage people to beieve that they've been abused, even if there is no indication that any such thing ever happened. New books are coming out saying that these other books are full of baloney, and that recovered memories are false memories. Yet other books are saying that claims of false memories are the baloney, and that recovered memories are real. So who is right? There are other echos on FidoNet which deal with some of these claims specifically. UFO, I_UFO, and BAMA deal with claims of alien abductions, among others, and allow varying degrees of debate on the subject, but they don't address all of the aspects of this phenomena. There are numerous "survivor" echos, but none allow any form of debate (to my knowledge), only "support" without "invalidating". In fact, the CHILD_ABUSE echo, I have just learned, has the following statement as part of its rules: "[The CHILD_ABUSE echo] is NOT a forum for FMS, or anything else that denies the existance of child abuse." Unfortunately, the premise of this statement is simply untrue. No rational person "denies the existence of child abuse." Myths such as this one were one of the reasons the FMS echo was created. Proponents of both "sides" of the debate are welcome. Only through discussion can there be understanding. While it isn't necessarily likely that agreement on an issue currently tearing apart the psychological community can be reached on a FidoNet echo, at least we can attempt to do away with the myths such as this one. Here is the EchoList description of the FMS echo: This echo is for the discussion of False Memory Syndrome (FMS) and related topics, including those phenomena thought to be caused by FMS. All viewpoints are welcome, both pro and con, but don't be surprised if you are asked to back up your claims with evidence. The implications of FMS, as well as the evidence, are on-topic. FidoNews 12-06 Page: 6 06 Feb 1995 As I said, ALL viewpoints are welcome on the echo. Please don't assume that the echo tag of "FMS" means only the pro-FMS view is allowed. This is a subject which needs to be critically and rationally examined; there are already too many baseless claims flying around. People are being hurt by the "recovered" memories. Not only the parents and others who are accused, but also the patients. If the memories are untrue, their lives are being ruined. If the memories are true, we have a veritable epidemic on our hands and we have to do something about it. For a copy of the rules, FReq FMS.RUL from 2430/1. You might also want to FReq FILES for my filelist, which includes over 125 files related to FMS, many of which have been distributed on the FMS echo. For the entire file set, FReq FMS, but be ready for an increase in your long distance bill! If you'd like more information, please feel free to contact me! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Dear Flesh, Madam Emilia didn't know there was a flood in California until someone told her. IV GOT seven thin and fine volumes on the desk. One of them, the current Bible, is smooth and green. There're the words BERTRAND LACHANCE line line space STREET FLESH in the colour of wrappers on sour apple flavoured candy, then haze and a rubbly city-scape then horses grazing on a collage of grasses of different resolutions. The collage looks like stuff done with images and computers except it was printed in73. The writing inside is in a funny language, made of english, and the common letter combinations are replaced by fewer letters, so "you" is yu and "the" is th. .Easy to read. What came first, ascii compression or concrete poetry? .that question of images and computers. The December cover of Wired was all white, sitting on the shelf beside sensually colored Mondo, and there were dots embossed on it that looked to me like braille. I don't know how to read braille. Around the same time and Newsweek were covered with pictures of OJ, the same pictures differently rendering. How does one correctly render images? Is it fair to do so at all? I had seen the cover of STREET FLESH a couple of years ago without noticing that it is a collage rather than one photograph. Would Jack Schadbolt's war reportage have been more true if he had used a camera instead of charcoal? i become enchanted by the words "rights activism", to the point of forgetting that doing about what i believe is more important than talking about it. i guess. But i'm affected by what poeple say. FidoNews 12-06 Page: 7 06 Feb 1995 Why do written messages sound different when read in differently laid out editors? Black and white is most stark and clear. Green backgrounds are calming and ennervating. Primary colours on a screen are sobering. I was very inmpressed by a book i saw for a few minutes last week because of the way it was laid out. The title was something about architecture. Why do there seem to be fewer and fewer cash machines around? They are in supermarkets but not in corner stores where they used to be. Sometimes official lines are well and brightly done, so that i buy them. i even pay for them. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ======================================================================== Fidonews Information ======================================================================== ------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ---------------- Editors: Donald Tees, Sylvia Maxwell Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar Tom Jennings "FidoNews" BBS FidoNet 1:1/23 BBS +1-519-570-4176, 300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(DS) more addresses: Rev. Richard Visage -- 1:163/409 Don -- 1:221/192, don@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca Sylvia -- 1:221/194, max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca Tim -- pozar@kumr.lns.com (Postal Service mailing address) FidoNews 128 Church St. Kitchener, Ontario Canada N2H 2S4 voice: (519) 570-3137 Fidonews is published weekly by and for the members of the FIDONET INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR ELECTRONIC MAIL system. It is a compilation of individual articles contributed by their authors or their authorized agents. The contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the rights of the authors. Opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of FidoNews. Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is FidoNews 12-06 Page: 8 06 Feb 1995 Copyright 1995 Donald Tees. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or the eds. Articles by Madam emilia may be retransmitted freely through cyber-space. OBTAINING COPIES: The most recent issue of FidoNews in electronic form may be obtained from the FidoNews BBS via manual download or Wazoo FileRequest, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet. PRINTED COPIES may be obtained by sending SASE to the above paper-mail address, or trade for copy of your 'zine. INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.fidonet.org, in directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews. Anyone interested in getting a copy of the INTERNET GATEWAY FAQ may freq GISFAQ.ZIP from 1:133/411.0, or send an internet message to fidofaq@gisatl.fidonet.org. No message or text or subject is necessary. The address is a keyword that will trigger the automated response. People wishing to send inquiries directly to David Deitch should now mail to fidonet@gisatl.fidonet.org rather than the previously listed address. SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews BBS, or Wazoo filerequestable from 1:1/23 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". Please read it. "Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered trademarks of Tom Jennings, and are used with permission. "It is plausible that these observations may have been set forth at some time and, parhaps, many times; a discussion of their novelty interests me less than one of their possible truth." -Jeorge Luis Borges, from "Partial Magic in the Quixote" -- END ----------------------------------------------------------------------