Articles

By: Ward Dossche
To: Ross Cassell
Re: Re: Ward Dossche

Ross,

RC> Pay attention to messages written by Steven Leeman in the FIDONEWS and FN_SYSOP echoes and I just read another message from a German sysop in FIDONEWS, lending support to LEEMANS claims.

It seems you are miserably failing at what Fidonet is about: communication.

If a person-A tells something to 10 different people, and these 10 different people then relay it on to third sources and these third sources provide feed- back to you, then how many versions will you get and how will they sound? At the start it was one thing but I bet you will receive 10 different multi-color variations.

The first thing you ought to do is get your facts straight meaning getting another opinion, like at the source for example, because I have never had a confrontation with a German sysop over this and what I've seen only today from German sysops was based on their quest for information rather than on knowledge.

I take serious offense over your barroom-ethics and -manners. If you have a hangover, why waste it on me/us?

My sympathy rather goes to a guy named Stefan Wuyts whom I'm certain you've never heard about. He operates a point-address at Steven Leeman's and at least he wasn't as mentally challenged as you are to set up a peer-to-peer communication in a balanced way to work-out a solution. A proposal to consensus and modus-vivendi was made and I understand it has initially not met with opposition.

Next time you feel like jerking-off again, Ross, do it less public. OK? And if you've got to do it here, please squirt in another direction.

RC> If any of this is true, Dossche ought to resign immediately!

Shall I tell you where you can put such a slogan? ;-)

Have a nice day anyway,

\x/@rd

---
DB 1.58/001877
* Origin: Many Glacier on ADSL now (2:292/854)

By: David Calafrancesco
To: Janis Kracht
Re: Ward Dossche

Janis Kracht wrote in a message to David Calafrancesco:

> listings. What Ward has done (at least as far as I can tell from
> Ross' cross
> postings) is nothing short of extortion.

JK> Well, from what I have heard from Ward, Ward is not removing

JK> Steven's node number. The issue of the .be domain names has been

JK> resolved as well.

The threat of of serious repercussions for monetary gain (A FQDN is an asset with a dollar value attached) is extortion. Whether the person doing the extorting backs down in the face of massed and reasoned opposition or not is irrelevant. Extortion is a crime. The threat of extortion is a crime as well. Someone who has sufficiently shown criminal type behavior should not be the international coordinator of this organization.

Had Ward discussed the issues with Steven instead of moving directly to threats of delisting then it would not be extortion.

As a node in this zone, I would ask that you as ZC of this zone, take steps to determine whether this incident is sufficient to have Ward removed by the ZCC as IC at the least. Abuse of power is one of the worst offenses one in power can commit.

Dave Calafrancesco, Team OS/2
dave@drakkar.org

* Origin: Druid's Grove BBS - (914)/876-2237 (1:2624/306)

By: brenda donovan
To: michael kleerbaum
Re: Domains

mk> Is it so, that you have been acting as the International Coordinator everybody who reserved a domain name including "fido" will have to ask you for permission, and will otherwise be removed from the nodelist?

mk> Yes or no, please.

mk> With one sentence: You just can't remove somebody from the nodelist because he reserved a national www domain faster than you, and even less if he didn't have any opportunity to establish local communication about the contents of the concerning site.

BD> You are correct here. He cannot excommunicate a node over something not techical and outside of fidonet. To do so is abuse of power!

He should retract or resign!

Brenda Donovan
RC10

* Origin: R10 RHUB - TNL Online! - FTP Mail - San Diego, CA (1:10/3)

By: Jerry Schwartz
To: Dave Hamilton
Re: Ward Dossche

Hello, Dave...

Dec 25, 2000 at 14:19, Dave Hamilton wrote to Janis Kracht:

DH> Do you have an opinion of Ward Dossche's treatment of Steven Leeman? Does the RCC have an opinion?

DH> I think it's obscene.

If things are as they were reported, I doubt you'll find many who disagree with you.

I had severe misgivings about Ward. Despite all kinds of assurances that he was really a nice guy, my long-distance opinion has always been that he's a bit overwound. Nonetheless, I'd like to hear more from other sources, if any exist. In particular, I'd like to hear from Ward.

I don't think the "in your face" approach will work with him, in any case; so I'd like to see this handled diplomatically.

Regards, Jerry mailto: jerryschwartz@comfortable.com
http://www.writebynight.com

--- Msged/NT TE 05
* Origin: Write by Night (1:142/928)

NASCAR_CONTEST echo!
Bobby Queen, 1:379/5

For those who are interested in NASCAR racing I just want to spread the word about our NASCAR_CONTEST echo and a little contest we hold every year. This coming Feb 2001 we will be starting our 4th year in holding this contest in FidoNet and being gated with RaceNet and RIME. This past year was a poor one in people staying with the contest till the end of the season.

WE NEED FOLKS who love NASCAR and would like to guess who will win the pole and come in 1st thru 3rd place. Just AREAFIX the NASCAR_CONTEST echo and join in.

The rules are going to be discussed between now and February and then the FUN BEGINS! Can the WOMEN beat the men again like they did in 1999? Or will the MEN get the best of the women like they did when they came back to win in 2000?

Husbands talk your wives into joining with you and wives do likewise and talk your husbands into joining. We have always had spouses competing against each other since our 1st year.

So join me now in NASCAR_CONTEST and lets start the ball rolling on this next exciting season of NASCAR racing into the new millennium!

..... Atlanta to Daytona - The longest 3 months of the year!

Zone 2 participation of FidoNews.
By: Michiel van der Vlist, 2:280/5555,
pa0mmv@vrza.org

Dear FidoNews editor,

MV> It is no secret that the Snooze is largely dominated by contributions from zone 1. I noted that you encourage articles from other zones, albeit without much success. Under the new rules I could have written this article in Dutch also. I choose not to do so. How many people receiving FidoNews can read Dutch? Less than one percent I estimate. For all the others it would just be noise. A too high signal to noise ratio shies off the readers and I think this is precisely the problem with Fidonews as seen from outside zone 1.

WB> Thank you for your response. I'll try to answer your points of concern from an Editors viewpoint about the construction of a edition of the Snooze. Firstly, it is a NA newsletter, and English is the primary language. If others don't want to submit their articles in their language and English translation... that is their loss. I have offered to try to make space available. If you have ten times more sysops in Z2 as you claim, and only "one percent" read-write Dutch I guess the other Languages are English, french, spanish, portuguese, Italian and German all of whom use English as a second language. IF you don't want to submit, why do you bitch about it?

MV> Why do we see so few contributions from other zones? Zone 2 in particular? It counts about ten times as many sysops and who knows how many points. The main reason for the zone 1 domination of FidoNews is imho the fact that it ... is zone 1 dominated.

WB> Well Duh! If you won't participate that only leaves the ones that do and thus the domination. Send me your articles in any Language with English translation. It isn't hard to scan down past any text in any Language.

MV> The cure would be to discourage articles that are only of zone 1 local interest.

WB> Then what would be the need to publish the FidoNews?

MV> In the past month we have seen an increase in the volume of FidoNews due to the ongoing Z1C election. Why?

WB> Because the campaign speeches, the question and answers are the news not only in Zone one but to other readers in the other Zones. Just because you have no interest doesn't negate my responsibility to all the others that look to find out how we do things.

MV> Why do the sysops in zone 1 flood the world with what for many of us this side of the pond is no more than bickering among the locals?

WB> Why do you read it if you don't like it or learn something about the folks who submit articles?

MV> Why can't they be content with discussing it in an appropriate echomail conference like we do when matters of local interest are to be discussed?

WB> We do! What is reprinted in the FidoNews is only a small part, the high-lights, of what goes on in the many echoes.

MV> How would you feel if the German sysops (forming a region bigger than zone 1) started using the snooze as a playground for their petty bickering over an RC24 election?

WB> I would love for them to submit articles, we then could see how some problems are solved in Germany, and apply the knowledge here; and they may learn some tricks from us.

MV> I confess that on several occasions I have hit the "quit editor" key after exclaiming "Oh no, not another article from someone not pleased with the way things go in the Z1C election.

WB> That is the beauty of it all... everyone has the same ability to scan what they are interested in, and skip all that is of no value to them. No shame to confess there. Everyone has different tastes. some would love to have multi-language articles just to brush up on their "other" Languages... and correspond with new friends in other countries.

MV> Process! The snooze is zone 1 dominated because potential contributors from other zones are put off by the zone 1 dominance.

WB> Well, you have broken the ice, <BWG> and I hope we can continue to receive articles from you...next time on things in your Zone so it can have something to read about at home there!

MV> A vicious circle. Maybe you as editor should ask what the readers outside zone 1 are NOT interested in seeing in the snooze.

WB> Why? The FidoNews is for things folks are interested in! All of the articles are interesting to some folks. None would want to know what you or any other individual would "NOT" like. FidoNews is for everyone to peruse as they wish.

MV> My list would be:

1. Articles that cover topics of only local interest, such as RC and ZC elections. They stir some interest but after the third round it gets very boring.
2. Articles in a language I can not read. The idea may be good but it is not going to work. The only examples of successful multilingual magazines I have seen are the fodder that airline companies feed us to keep our thoughts from hitting the ground at a vertical speed higher than the landing gear can take.
3. "Tear jerkers" as Sharon Westons' "The warmth of a smile." Maybe in NA culture such stories are an unconditional 'go', but imnsho it belongs in the Salvation Army's Digest or whatever it is called. My response when I see it in FidoNews is: "What's it got to do with FidoNet?

WB> Thank you for your candor. I hope you submit many more articles.

MV>I respect the tradition of FidoNews editors to publish anything not in violation of the (NA?) law. Maybe it is time however to review this policy. Maybe it is time to define the topic of FidoNews and restrict articles to those that are on topic.

WB> Nope! No censorship of any submission that is acceptable in the perimeters established by Tom Jennings the copyright holder.

MV> Last but not least:
I am shocked to find out that the editor of the snooze is no longer POTS crash mailable. Ok, there is an alternative: Joe Jared at 1:103/301. I say if that is where contributions via POTS should go, Joe Jared is the one that should carry the 1:1/23 aka.

WB> Nope, there too, anything sent to 1:1/23 comes straight to me through my Coeditor at 1:103/301. As Coeditor he could put his name on the /23 address and I did ask him to do so. Joe declined as his "name has nothing to do with the delivery of Netmail with file attache as all POTS to 1:1/23 passes through 1:103/301 to my 1:103/401 Netmail address. So as he pointed out to me, his name hasn't anything to do with the Snooze getting the submitted articles.

Thanks for bringing that to my attention, so that I could clear it up for you and anyone else that may wonder what the path is.

Regards,
Ol'wdb, Ed.

GOOD NEWS JUST IN FROM STEVE LEEMAN

(20381) Fri 29 Dec 00 10:03p
By: Steven Leeman
To: All
Re: New Nodelist
St:

Hello All,

Friday December 29 2000 15:53, michael kleerbaum wrote to All:

mk> 0032-16-580862 skynetbbs2.dyns.cx, Rotselaar 2:292/624
mk> 0032-16-580862 SkyNet Bbs Line2, Rotselaar 2:292/626
mk> The "Hold" is gone and Steven is still in the new nodelist.

indeed...I also noticed from the nodelist (no message from Ward)

mk> I want to thank all nodes and points in the USA, Canada, Germany,
mk> Belgium and the rest of FidoWorld for supporting Steven to
MK> become a
mk> "normal" Node again.

many thanks to you all!

  o     Steven Leeman,
)/\,[_) Sysop SkyNET Bbs
`T7 ]=[ http://skynetbbs.dyns.cx (Dutch/English)

* Origin: SkyNet Bbs <32-(0)16-580862> (2:292/624)