472 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
472 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
F I D O N E W S Volume 17, Number 11 13 Mar 2000
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| The newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: |
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| FidoNet community | "FidoNews" |
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| _ | 1-717-732-6820 1:270/720 |
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| / \ | |
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| /|oo \ | |
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| (_| /_) | |
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| _`@/_ \ _ | |
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| | | \ \\ | Editor: Douglas Myers, 1:270/720 |
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| | (*) | \ )) | DougM@paonline.com |
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| |__U__| / \// | |
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| _//|| _\ / | |
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| (_/(_|(____/ | |
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| (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. |
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| | -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
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Table of Contents
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1. EDITORIAL ................................................ 1
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A Horse Tale ............................................. 1
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2. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................... 3
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More on TheLitterBox ..................................... 3
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3. COLUMNS .................................................. 4
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Ol'WDB: Strange Facts .................................... 4
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This Weeks Web Page ...................................... 4
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4. NET HUMOR ................................................ 6
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Forrest Gump & St. Peter ................................. 6
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The Pudding Gang ......................................... 7
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5. COMIX IN ASCII ........................................... 9
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COW-ngratulating a Bull .................................. 9
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6. FIDONEWS INFO ............................................ 10
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Masthead ................................................. 10
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FIDONEWS 17-11 Page 1 13 Mar 2000
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EDITORIAL
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A Horse Tale
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Doug Myers
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The story of the EQUUS echo unfolding in the echo MODERATOR reads
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like a Zane Gray novel of the Old West. It features some of Fido's
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most notorious cow-poke locked in a feud over the fate of this horse
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pasture.
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The Tale: it begins with Bob Kohl, the ancestral baron of this echo,
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slowly losing his grip on it. In the days when the Backbone split
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into the NAB and Z1B, Bob decreed that his echo could no longer be
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carried by the newly formed Z1B... possibly to rob this new
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organization of the horsepower EQUUS would lend it. The result of
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that decree, according to sources in MODERATOR, seems to be that the
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echo could no longer reach half it's audience, and that at least one
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sysop decided to leave Fidonet now that her favorite echo was no
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longer available to her.
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Earlier this year, the EQUUS echo fell into neglect with Bob Kohl
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failing (or choosing not) to relist the echo in the required six
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month intervals. According the the code of the ELIST, such echoes
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are dropped from the echolist and become fair game for anyone to
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homestead.
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After the EQUUS echo fell from the elisting, Lesley-Dee Dylan, the
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noted SuperBitch who had quarreled with Bob Kohl over water rights
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(or something involving the flow of netmail) in the past staked her
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own claim to EQUUS. She employed the infamous echo pirate, Bobby
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Queen, to carry out the dastardly deed, and now his actions are
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being branded as horse thievery by Judge Roy Witt, acting as the Law
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west of the Elist Robot.
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The Editorial: It's difficult for this editor to see the claimed
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wrongdoings in this saga.
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First, it doesn't appear that the echo EQUUS was being run for the
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benefit of the echo participants in the first place... the fact that
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it was used as a pawn to make some political statement in the
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NAB/Z1B squabble at the expense of cutting off half of the nodes
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hardly conjures a scene of benign, caring shepherding of the echo.
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Secondly, the fact that it fell from the elist when all that was
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needed was some form of echomail or email to updated it at any time
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in a six-month period indicates that there was little concern about
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the echo on Bob Kohl's part.
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Bobby Queen is taken to task for relisting the echo without
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subsequently offering it back to Bob Kohl. Roy Witt maintains that
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this was Bobby's announced modus operandi in the past, and so it
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becomes an obligation for Bobby to continue operating in the same
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manner. I'm not sure how Bobby incurred this obligation, though,
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FIDONEWS 17-11 Page 2 13 Mar 2000
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and I'm not sure I can agree with this reasoning.
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Whether Lesley-Dee has taken over the echo in an effort to do a
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service to the echo participants, or whether she is simply garnering
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revenge for past conflicts with Bob Kohl... it's difficult to see
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how Fido gains a worse echo in either case. It appears that the
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echo was "pirated" fair and square.
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FIDONEWS 17-11 Page 3 13 Mar 2000
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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More on TheLitterBox, http://www.TheLitterBox.org (1:109/263)
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Echomail from the FIDONEWS echo
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from Tony Campbell to Frank Vest
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Subject: Site Review in last week's Fidonews
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---------------
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(Douglas, if you want to cut/paste for the snooze, be my guest...)
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Frank,
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Thank you for the pleasant surprise that I got at work today.
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Somebody handed me a hard copy of the snooze. Surprise!
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First, there is no need to protect the sender, as I already know who
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it was. One of the voices of the 'Nugget Chorus', as I call my user
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base, went very quiet when the others started to crescendo. MF. I
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will see him later this week and I will be getting some 'ragging'
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in.
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Second, thank you for kindly pulling punches on some things, like
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the Affiliation typo, and the html new user problem. That is much
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appreciated.
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Third, I want to acknoledge the real sources of that page. That
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page started as a reference to myself, but open to all to use. The
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credit for the large quoted what is Fidonet section goes to Andrea
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Santos. The credit for the FidoNews archive goes to George Peace,
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The credit for the nodediff/list archive goes to Ruth Argust. Other
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credits go to John Souvestre, Marcus Fair, Robert Stoner, and many
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others.
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Fourth, if we are missing something, I hope others will contribute.
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Take care,
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Tony
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FIDONEWS 17-11 Page 4 13 Mar 2000
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COLUMNS
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Strange Facts
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*Dug up by*
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WDBonner@pacbell.net
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I bet ya' didn't know:
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Blaise Pascal, the celebrated French mathematician, while working as
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a bookkeeper at the age of 19, invented a calculating machine in
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1642.
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---------------------------
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The snake house of ancient Epidaurus, Greece, was visited by mental
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cases whose physicians felt that the sights there could cure them by
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the power of shock. (Is it too late for me? :-)
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_CHURCH SIGN_
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It is unlikely there'll be a reduction in the wages of sin.
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Forbidden fruit creates many jams.
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Try our Sundays. They are better than Baskin-Robbins.
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Have trouble sleeping? We have sermons--come hear one.
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Parking is for Church patrons only.
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Trespassers will be Violated...
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Violators will be baptised!
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---------------------------
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I bet ya' didn't know:
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The mosque of Mohammed Ali in Cairo, Egypt, which took 28 years to
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complete, pleased the Pasha of Egypt so much that he granted a
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generous pension to the architect Yusif Bulim--then he ordered him
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blinded so he could never duplicate it. (1857)
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---------------------------
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This Weeks Web Page
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by Frank Vest
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1:124/6308(.1)
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What: PPoint Professional Point System
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Where: http://www.alcuf.ca/ppoint.htm
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Writer's note:
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There are many ways to participate in Fidonet and BBSing. Many
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times, the only way we think of accessing messages is by being a
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User calling a BBS or a Sysop operating a BBS. The "middle ground",
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if you will, is access by becoming a "Point". Of course, becoming a
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Point requires a little more knowledge on the User's part and some
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work on the Sysop's part. It is, however, good for both. As a Point,
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the User's phone and the BBS line aren't tied up for long reading
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sessions. This writer is a Point off of his BBS... Why? Read the
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FIDONEWS 17-11 Page 5 13 Mar 2000
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above again and you'll understand. :)
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Ok... Into it:
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This page isn't large and doesn't have "mega links" on it. It is the
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author of PPoint's page. The page starts out with a logo for PPoint.
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Under that is the copyright statement and links to other software by
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Harvey Parisien. His E-Mail address is there also. It's nice to see
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an author that puts the E-Mail at the top instead of at the bottom.
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Made me feel good.
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Next, you find a link to some screen shots of PPoint. One can get a
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"feel" of how the program works from this... good idea. Under this
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link are "links" to download the PPoint program and other files
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needed to go with PPoint. Yes, there is a Windows and Dos version of
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PPoint. This writer currently uses the Dos version under Windows. It
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works very well... It's a tribute to an author that can write a Dos
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program that runs well under Windows. :)
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At the bottom of the page, is an invitation to join the "Points"
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echo on Fidonet which Harvey Parisien moderates. I read this echo
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and it is a good place to get information on Point software of all
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types as well as ask questions on "how to" and such.
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If you're interested in becoming a Point, drop by this site and DL
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the software. Then drop into the Points echo on your favorite BBS
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and ask questions. If your Sysop doesn't carry the Points echo, ask
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him/her to do so and find out if s/he offers Point access.
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See ya next week. Become a Point in Fidonet. :)
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Frank, flv@texoma.net
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FIDONEWS 17-11 Page 6 13 Mar 2000
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=================================================================
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NET HUMOR
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Forrest Gump & St. Peter
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The day finally arrives:
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Forrest Gump dies and goes to heaven. He is greeted at the Pearly
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Gates by St. Peter himself. The gates are closed, however, and
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Forrest approaches the gatekeeper.
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St. Peter says "Well, Forrest, it's certainly good to see you. We
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have heard a lot about you. I must inform you that the place is
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filling up fast, and we've been administering an entrance
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examination for everyone. Tests are fairly short, but you need to
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pass before you can get into Heaven".
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Forrest responds "It shore is good to be here St. Peter. I was
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looking forward to this. Nobody ever told me about any entrance
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exam. Sure hope the test ain't too hard; life was a big enough test
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as it was."
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St. Peter goes on, "Yes, I know Forrest, but the test I have for you
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is only three questions:
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Here is the first:
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What days of the week begin with the letter T?
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Second:
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How many seconds are there in a year?
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Third:
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What is God's first name?"
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Forrest goes away to think the questions over. He returns the next
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day and goes up to St. Peter to try to answer the exam questions.
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St. Peter waves him up and says, "Now that you have had a chance to
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think the questions over, tell me your answers."
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Forrest says, "Well, the first one, how many days the week begin
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with the letter "T"? Shucks, that one's easy. That'd be Today and
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Tomorrow.
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The Saint's eyes open wide and he exclaims, "Forrest! That's not
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what I was thinking, but.....you do have a point though, and I guess
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I didn't specify, so I give you credit for that answer". How about
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the next one?", asks St. Peter.
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"How many seconds in a year?, "Now that one's harder", says Forrest,
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"But I thunk and thunk about that and I guess the only answer can be
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twelve."
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Astounded St. Peter says, "Twelve! Twelve! Forrest, how in Heaven's
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name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?"
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FIDONEWS 17-11 Page 7 13 Mar 2000
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Forest says "Shucks, there gotta be twelve: January second,
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February second, March second.....".
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"Hold it," interrupts St. Peter. "I see where you're going with
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this, and I guess I see your point, though that wasn't quite what I
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had in mind, but I'll give you credit for that one, too. Let's go on
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with the next and final question. Can you tell me God's first name"?
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Forrest replied, "Andy."
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"OK, OK," said a frustrated St. Peter, "I can understand how you
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came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in
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the world did you came up with the name, "Andy", as the first name
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of God?"
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"That was the easiest one of all," Forrest replied.
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"I learned it from the song....
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"ANDY WALKS WITH ME,
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ANDY TALKS WITH ME,
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ANDY TELLS ME I AM HIS OWN...
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Found on the web and shared with you by:
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wdbonner@pacbell.net
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The Pudding Gang
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Thanks to Roy Reed
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This is just too funny not to share. From an article which appeared
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in the Dublin Times about a bank robbery on March 2, 1999:
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Once inside the bank shortly after midnight, their efforts at
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disabling the internal security system got underway immediately.
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The robbers, who expected to find one or two large safes filled
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with cash and valuables, were surprised to see hundreds of smaller
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safes scattered throughout the bank. The robbers cracked the first
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safe's combination, and inside they found only a bowl of vanilla
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pudding.
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As recorded on the bank's audio tape system, one robber said,
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"At least we'll have a bit to eat."
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The robbers opened up a second safe, and it also contained nothing
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but vanilla pudding. The process continued until all the safes were
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opened.
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They found not one pound sterling, a diamond, or an ounce of gold.
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Instead, all the safes contained covered bowls of pudding.
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Disappointed, the robbers made a quiet exit, each leaving with
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nothing more than a queasy, uncomfortably full stomach.
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The newspaper headline read:
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FIDONEWS 17-11 Page 8 13 Mar 2000
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IRELAND'S LARGEST SPERM BANK ROBBED EARLY THIS MORNING.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FIDONEWS 17-11 Page 9 13 Mar 2000
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=================================================================
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COMIX IN ASCII
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=================================================================
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______________________________
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/ \
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( For he's a jolly good fellow! )
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\________________ ____________/
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) )
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(__) //
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(__) (oo) / (___)
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/(oo)---\/ (o o)
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/-------\/ || \ /-------\
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/ | ||----|| O|| | \
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* ||----|| ^^ ||---,|| *
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^^ ^^ ^^ ^^
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Two cows COW-ngratulating a bull
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FIDONEWS 17-11 Page 10 13 Mar 2000
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=================================================================
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FIDONEWS INFO
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=================================================================
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Masthead
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+ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- FIDONEWS STAFF - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +
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| Editor: Douglas Myers, 1:270/720, DougM@paonline.com |
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| Webmaster: Jim Barchuk, jb@fidonews.org |
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| Columnist: Joe Jared, 1:103/0, jarhead@osirusoft.com |
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| (Fido Via Internet Hubs column) |
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| Columnist: Warren D. Bonner, 1:103/401, wdbonner@pacbell.net |
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| (Warren uses the pen name "Ol'WDB") |
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| Humor: Roy Reed, rcreedv@juno.com |
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| Features: Frank Vest, 1:124/6308.1 |
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+ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +
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+ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - EDITORS EMERITI - -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +
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| Tom Jennings, Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince |
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| Perriello, Tim Pozar, Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees, |
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| Christopher Baker, Zorch Frezberg, Henk Wolsink |
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+ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +
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"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
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trademarks of Tom Jennings, P.O. Box 410923, San Francisco, CA
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94141, and are used with permission.
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Fidonews is published weekly by and for the members of Fidonet.
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Fidonews is Copyright (C) 2000 by Douglas Myers, though authors
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retain rights to their contributed articles. Opinion expressed by
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the authors is strictly their own. Noncommercial duplication and
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distribution within Fidonet is encouraged. Authors are encouraged
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to send their articles in ASCII text to Douglas Myers at one of his
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addresses above.
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The weekly edition of Fidonews is distributed through the file area
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FIDONEWS, and is published as echomail in the echo FIDONEWS. These
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sources are normally available through your Network Coordinator.
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The current and past issues are also available from the following
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sources:
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+ -- -- -- -- -- -- - FIDONEWS AVAILABILITY - -- -- -- -- -- -- +
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| |
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| Freq FIDONEWS @ 1:270/720, 1:140/1, or 1:396/1 |
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| ftp://ftp.sstar.com/fidonet/fnews/ |
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| ftp://ftp.nwstar.com/fidonet/fidonews/ |
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| http://www.fidonews.org |
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| email subscription: majordomo@fidonews.org |
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| (subject: help body: list) |
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| ftp mail: ftpmail@fidonews.org (subject: help) |
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+ -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- +
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FIDONEWS 17-11 Page 11 13 Mar 2000
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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