BTN:  Birmingham Telecommunications News

COPYRIGHT 1993           ISSN 1055-4548

September 1993    Volume 6, Issue 9
                  Edition 4

Table Of Contents
-----------------
Article Title                                  Author
Policy Statement and Disclaimer................Staff
From The Editor................................Scott Hollifield
Letters to BTN.................................BTN Readers
The Last Hegemony, Part 2......................Christopher Mohney
Compact Disc Clubs.............................Jeff Vaughn
A Conservative Estimate........................Bernie Starchaser
Con Report: ONE BBSCON.........................James Minton
Gamer's Corner: Syndicate; Buyer's Survey......Richard DeVaney
Local Music In September.......................Judy Ranelli
Cafe Spotlight: Mancha's.......................David Moss
Electronic Frontier Foundation.................EFF press release
Japanimation In Birmingham.....................Jeff Vaughn
Special Interest Groups (SIGs).................Eric Hunt
Known BBS Numbers..............................James Minton

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Disclaimer and Statement of Policy for BTN

We at BTN try our best to assure the accuracy of articles and
information in our publication.  We assume no responsibility for damage
due to errors, omissions, etc.  The liability, if any for BTN, its
editors and writers, for damages relating to any errors or omissions,
etc., shall be limited to the cost of a one year subscription to BTN,
even if BTN, its editors or writers have been advised of the likelihood
of such damages occurring.

With the conclusion of that nasty business, we can get on with our
policy for publication and reproduction of BTN articles.  We publish
monthly with a deadline of the fifteenth of the month prior to
publication.  If you wish to submit an article, you may do so at any
time but bear in mind the deadline if you wish for your work to appear
in a particular issue.  It is not our purpose to slander or otherwise
harm a person or reputation and we accept no responsibility for the
content of the articles prepared by our writers.  Our writers own their
work and it is protected by copyright.  We allow reprinting of articles
from BTN with only a few restrictions.  The author may object to a
reprint, in which case he will specify in the content of his article.
Otherwise, please feel free to reproduce any article from BTN as long as
the source, BTN, is specified, and as long as the author's name and the
article's original title are retained.  If you use one of our articles,
please forward a copy of your publication to:

Mark Maisel
Publisher, BTN
606 Twin Branch Terrace
BHAM, AL 35216
(205) 823-3956

We thank you for taking the time to read our offering and we hope that
you like it.  We also reserve the right to have a good time while doing
all of this and not get too serious about it.

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         F R E E B I E :  G E T  I T  W H I L E  I T S  H O T !

The following boards allow BTN to be downloaded freely, that is with no
charge to any existing upload/download ratios.

ADAnet One              Alter-Ego               Bus System
The Castle              Channel 8250            C.A.B.
The Comfy Chair!        Crunchy Frog            DC Info Exchange
Hardware Hotline        The Holodeck            Homewood's Hell Hole
Joker's Castle          Lemon Grove             Lion's Den
Martyrdom Again?!       The MATRIX              Milliways BBS
The Outer Limits        Owlabama BBS            Owl's Nest
Playground              Safe Harbor             Southern Stallion
Starbase 12             Thy Master's Dungeon    Weekends BBS


(This list includes some systems which are not local to Birmingham and
therefore not included on our BBS Numbers list.)

If you are a sysop and you allow BTN to be downloaded freely, please let
me know via The Matrix or Crunchy Frog so that I can post your board as
a free BTN distributor.  Thanks.

*IMPORTANT!*  Beginning this month, BTN is adopting an official "favored
distribution policy" in regards to this list.  Bulletin boards who offer
BTN as a free download, with no file penalties, are listed here and
receive each issue of BTN as soon after it goes to press as I can
possibly upload it.  I will *NOT* be uploading BTN personally to systems
who are NOT on this list--instead, I now have a small staff of helpers
to do that for me, and they will likely not upload BTN as fast as I
will.  We try to get BTN to all the systems we can, but if you would
like to receive BTN and you are not getting it, please leave me mail on
THE MATRIX or CRUNCHY FROG and let me know.

Back issues of BTN are available on those boards as well.


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                           N E W S  F L A S H


                        ANSI AD CONTEST DELAYED
                           YET ANOTHER MONTH!
                      See "From the Editor" column.


                     ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
                         PRESS RELEASE IN THIS
                             ISSUE OF BTN!
                     Everyone be sure to read this!


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From the Editor
by Scott Hollifield


    It's a gorgeous Sunday afternoon and I'm stuck in here doing *this*
again.
    It's not just a nice day.  It's one of those days where the very
blueness of the sky comes filtering through your window along with the
sunshine.  It's the kind of day where you can only truly notice how nice
it is from inside the house.  Outside, people tend to take that kind of
thing for granted.
    Not that I'm complaining.  I'm an indoors-type person for the most
part, so I can appreciate the situation from both sides.  And it's a
holiday weekend, so I can take my time to appreciate stuff like this.
Some cynical people gripe that we spend too much time admiring the nice
days of life and not enough time worrying about the really important bad
things that are going wrong in the world.
    I think that the problems of the world will definitely take a back
seat to me enjoying my nice today, though.
    Well, that's my excuse for an editoral, and I have little else to
say other than that the "a" key on my keyboard won't shift properly,
that I like the new David Letterman show, and that things are getting
better every day despite what some people say.
    I'm proud to say that we have a fairly hefty little issue this
month, one that's sure to tease 'n' please.
    Christopher Mohney continues his controversial three-part article on
telecommunications and who really controls it; this month, he tackles
some people you probably know.  Hide the kids.
    If you've been paying attention to the news lately (or to The Matrix
for that matter), you've probably heard about how the media has been
paying more and more attention to BBSs and telecommunications,
particularly about how bulletin boards have come under scrutiny of the
law.  The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a group working to
make sure that we get to keep our rights as BBS users and
telecommunications users; they're doing some interesting stuff, so be
especially sure to peruse their press release in this issue.
    We officially recognize Richard DeVaney as a new regular contributor
this month by resurrecting the "Gamer's Corner" column title begun by
Osman Guner some years ago.  I only hope he can handle the
responsibility.
    David Moss also begins what may be a regular feature here in BTN
(and, as we all know, regular features means regular writers!): it's a
restaraunt column called Cafe Review, and we look forward to our article
pile growing well-fed as David himself does.
    In addition to all that, we have an exclusive report from ONE BBSCON
in Colorado from our BBS Man Himself, James Minton.  Jeff Vaughn has two
articles this month, at least one of which will hopefully be of interest
to everyone.  Our old friend Bernie Starchaser is back with some
opinions about the national economy.  And our resident guitar-playin'
fool Judy Ranelli is here to tell you club types exactly where to go and
what to hear for maximum music moxie.
    As the News Flash for this month says, our ANSI BBS ad contest is
still stuck in the larval stage; hopefully, it will be nurtured and grow
into a presentable pup by next month and we'll be able to show it off to
everyone.  Until then, read this issue, then go away and live a fruitful
life for about 30 days before coming back.

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Letters to the Editor


[Ha!  An actual letter this month.  Granted, it was sent in by someone
who's written for us before, but I'll take what I can get. - Ed.]

FROM: Damion Furi

Scott:

    I don't remember the issue number, but one or two issues before I
started writing for BTN I sent you a short note of congratulations for
assuming the editorial helm with style.

    BTN #61 impressed me again.  Chris Mohney did an excellent job of
addressing a number of issues that have been nagging me off and on
since I installed a modem in this blasted machine.  I don't think he's
right, but I thoroughly enjoyed the article and look forward to BTN #62
and 63.

    The majority of BBS users are casual users and enthusiastic
hobbyists.  No doubt it is easy for them to forget those of us that rely
heavily on information exchange in order to make a living.  And it is
easy enough to forget or ignore most of the time.  I think the only time
it really hits them, and that only lightly, is when it's time to renew
their subscription to The Matrix or one of the national services.  To
this extent, I think Chris has the issue in perspective.

    Beyond that point, I have a few problems with the article.  For one
thing, Chris seems to think that information packaging is a new thing.
It isn't.  We've had it since the first neanderthal tattletale received
an extra helping of roast dinosaur haunch for his trouble.

    Furthermore, telecommunications has more than 150 years of history
behind it; the modem was really nothing more than a minor exercise in
cryptology after Alexander Graham Bell finished tying the wires together
for his telephone.  Telephone lines use an analog signal; all a modem
does is translate digital to analog and back again.  Modulation and
demodulation.

    The technological explosion Chris refers to actually began in 1837
when Samuel Morse patented a functional telegraph system.  In 1876 Bell
filed patent on his voice transmission system.  After that, there is a
long list of patents filed for communications breakthroughs.  The United
States's launch of Telstar in 1962 was the last major contribution to
the communications industry until microcomputers hit the scene.  After
that, there are no surprises.  Forever after, the masses have the
ability to be free *because* of the availablity of information available
in channels that are going to be hellishly difficult--if not impossible
--to regulate in any manner useful to governments.

    The hacker ethic notwithstanding, information has never been free.
The price has simply increased with our ability to gather it, package
it, distribute it, and apply it.  "Information wants to be free" is a
hacker delusion.  Boiled down to basics, information has always had
survival value and always will.  Remember, knowledge is power.  The more
you know, the more power you have.  Among the power brokers, even
knowing a thing isn't enough; who knows it first knows the score - and
wins the game.  Chris analyzed this part correctly.  But feeling sad
about it strikes me as both pointless and contra-survival.

    There's a theory that says the primary difference between Man and
his closest cousins is the ability to use tools.  Well, a chimpanzee
can be taught to use a monkey wrench and dolphins use what amounts to a
typewriter.  But monkeys eat bananas, and people eat information--
measured in wordage and bytes rather than calories.

    I think his comparison of information distribution to economics was
right on the money, so to speak, and I'm looking forward to his analysis
of the telecommunications community's impact on "normal" society.

    But can we drop the non-word "telelectronic" in favor of a real word
such as "telecommunications"?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
========================================================================
The Last Hegemony:  An Information Age Cosmology
========================================================================
    by Christopher Mohney

--------------------
Preface to Part 2
--------------------

In this section, I will be naming names.  The sole purpose for this is
to provide support for the extended analogy used in this essay.  No
slanderous or libelous intent, no insidious agenda of character
assassination motivates these words.  Admittedly, some portion of the
effectiveness of this section will be lost on those individuals who do
not know of the names I'll be using.  That's too bad, but I find the
subject interesting enough that I'm willing to take that risk.  Again,
anyone who wishes to discuss this with me or send me legal notices of
intent to sue may contact me at cmohney1@ua1vm.ua.edu.

------------------------------
Part 2:  KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR
------------------------------

    For everything to be consummated, for me to feel
    less alone, I had only to wish that there be a
    large crowd of spectators the day of my execution
    and that they greet me with cries of hate.

    - Albert Camus

    When people get together in groups, certain dynamics begin to
evidence themselves.  Among the most basic of these are the competing
dynamics of conflict and consensus.  Under the watchful eyes of Father
Chance and Mother Choice, something like social evolution takes place,
assuming the society survives.  The telelectronic community has evolved
particularly fast, because by its very nature the "rate of mutation" is
geometrically faster than in its biological counterpart.  This is
because instead of biological reproduction, the genetic coin of the
realm in the BBS world is of course information, interacting only with
capital as various systems reproduce and evolve. When one looks at the
various persona who've percolated around in the Birmingham BBS scene
over the years, there are essentially three types of people.

    The vast majority are peasants, the support base for the community,
the patrons of equipment dealers, subscription services and other
species of information merchants.  The second type are priests, who are
often as not running boards themselves but are always concerned with the
running of boards in general.  The third and most recent type is the
king, for whom a BBS is like as not a means to an end; yet, kings are
much more likely to be running boards than priests.  In fact, they may
insist on it.

    There are, of course, exceptions.  Some people do not fit this
analogy exactly, tending to have considerable influence but fitting
several of the three molds, or none of them.  If nothing else, most
everyone was at one time a peasant; it just comes with the territory.
Some kings were formerly priests, and some priests were once kings or
had aspirations in that direction.  Still, discussion of overlapping can
be safely delayed pending more thorough examination of the three primary
types, via example. Of the peasant, there are too many to name and
probably just as many subtypes.  The peasant is the taxpayer, the
junkie, the voter, the spear- carrier, the John Q. Public of the
telelectronic community.  There are many spokespeasants of note, but the
peasantry is usually treated with as a dialectic force rather than a
collection of individuals, as is any subject population.  Typically,
they are simply called the "users." The greatest principle of the dogma
of virtuality implies an almost Platonic disconnection from the world of
physicality - and since information, the currency of the virtual world,
"wants to be free," there is no place for private ownership BY THE USER.
The user simply "uses," and in return provides capital to whatever
priests or kings supplies his local markets.  Priests spend their time
thinking about how to influence the mass of users, while kings attempt
to discern how best to take advantage of current user society.

    Priests are many and varied.  Examples of characters local to
Birmingham (past and present) who fit this archetype are Ed O'Neill, Tim
Straughn, Kathy Maisel, Tom Egan, Maggie Harden, Joe Kearley, Bill
Freeman, Willie Moore ... the list could go on.  There's probably a
whole posse of them out there these days that I'm unaware of since I'm
relatively removed from the nitty gritty of Birmingham.  The priest is
roughly equivalent to the itinerant sysop, cosysop, or high-profile user
-- an example of the latter might be someone like Brett Thorn, myself,
or the recently vanished Jet Thomas.  However, plain vanilla priests are
more equivalent to ascetic monks; a true priest is deeply concerned with
the dual movement of capital and information as it affects his stake in
the industry.  As in Part 1, a brief tip of the hat to the pure
hobbyist, however acknowledging that they affect the larger situation
only in the capacity of additional peasantry.  A priest must deal with a
large base of peasants on a regular basis, in order to be as informed as
possible and (eventually) to extract capital from them.  A priest often
is a sysop, or at least heavily associated with one and the operation of
his or her BBS.  A priest may run a free-access BBS, but that is a
vanishing breed.  The moment the priest begins to request a tithe, his
or her niche in a functioning process of economic competition is
assured.  Success is not assured, though. Many priests fall back into
the ranks of peasantry or convert to kings, for personal reasons as
often as economic.  The telelectronic priesthood is a harsh and
demanding order.

    Of course, the priest par excellance could be none other than Rocky
Rawlins, the Virtual Bishop of Birmingham.  Given the rampant network
interconnection that the Matrix is currently undergoing, Rawlins is
probably responsible for more data flow than everyone else in the local
telelectronic community combined.  He is the Magic City's pre-eminent
information merchant.  America Online was one of the first boards to go
subscription, despite a sentimental nostalgia that until only recently
prevented the Matrix from becoming all-subscription.  Rawlins now
controls a thriving data business, and has expanded his personal diocese
from just his old compatriot Tom Egan to a small army of underpriests
such as Eric Hunt.  As a whole, the Matrix is a dynamic locomotive of
the virtual religion, with Rawlins as its methodical conductor.

    Kings are more uncommon than priests, being the most recent
development in the evolution of the telelectronic community.  There are
a few good examples, but most likely the first king to appear in
Birmingham would have to be Mark Maisel.  While priests such as Rawlins
have influenced the peasantry, Maisel has quite likely had the greatest
influence of any one single person on the BBS's themselves.  Maisel has
previously spent time as both peasant and priest, in both cases being
one of the first.  It would be a mistake to assume that the relationship
between king and priest is the same as priest and peasant; there is no
vertical hierarchy that places a king like Maisel over a priest like
Rawlins.  They are simply two different animals, Rawlins and Maisel
being the most accomplished local example of each.

    The goals and methodology of a king are quite different from that
of a priest.  While a king is more likely to run or have run a BBS, he
possesses more of a user mentality.  The king is less interested with
influencing the peasantry for direct extraction of resources or capital
than with utilizing the entire telelectronic community as a tool for
personal ends.  The king is a user on a grand scale.  Hence Maisel's
establishment of BTN, an attempt to carve out a personal niche that had
nothing to do, directly, with gain of lucre or information.  Scott
Hollifield, the current editor, has inherited a bit of this and its
attendant noblesse oblige, which amounts to a minor kingship of his own.
Maisel has since turned his attentions in other directions and has done
admirably well by using the experience gained both as a priest and a
larval king to further his personal ends. Another note about another
king, mostly because of the interesting repercussions he created.  Bob
Crawford was probably the second legitimate king that Birmingham has
seen.  Note that a king is merely a name assigned to this type; no
assumption should be made that a region can have only one "king" any
more than it can have only one priest.  Crawford managed to attract a
clique of a stripe that had failed to gel around Maisel, yet quite
similar in structure to the "court" that was often joked about
concerning Maisel's circle of intimates.  People like Lurch Henson and
Douglas Griffin ended up gravitating more to Crawford than to Maisel.
Interestingly, Crawford and Griffin soon had an apocalyptic falling out
over various matters both personal and economic - one might conjecture
that Griffin longed for the role of Chief rather than that of Indian
(Crawford even circulated a simplistic parody to explain his side of the
situation, characterizing the telelectronic community as a medieval
fairy tale--the feudal model seems to have a wide appeal).  Much like
Maisel occasionally did, Crawford frequently stages or participates in
various events that increase his standing and reach.  Like Maisel, he
appears to be doing quite well; however, a certain abrasive cockiness in
his character has prevented him from assembling a court to match the
sheer size of Maisel's at its heyday.  This is largely immaterial for
his apparent aims at present, though.

    Given these three types, a final illustration of them all
interacting is in order.  No better example can be found than the
recent furor over a Channel 13 television news story about digital
pornography.  When the story was being shot, Bob Crawford was named as a
personable spokesperson.  I have not seen the segment, but claims have
been made that certain of Crawford's remarks were taken out of context
or somesuch, and BBS's were represented in a less than positive light as
purveyors of filth.  Ignoring for the moment the empirical truth of that
claim, an analysis of various reaction in the light of the above
arguments proves quite diverting.

    First, consider what motivates Channel 13.  They, too, are
information merchants, but they have slightly different concerns than
those of their virtual counterparts.  A TV station has a set bandwidth;
they can only cram a certain, fixed amount of information into their
allotted time slots.  Their goal is to sell advertising, and to get
people to watch that advertising.  To do this the information they
broadcast between ads must be attractive and interesting.  Some would
even say sensational, as the Channel 13 story was often characterized;
an interpretive distinction at best.  In any event, the story was
presented in such a way as to be most effective for the station's
purpose, while functioning within the bounds of legality.

    So there we have it.  The reaction from the peasantry comes
quickly; some are outraged, some offended, some begin to pick at the
factuality of the reporting or even its ethicality.  The peasantry, as a
whole, know when their borders are being threatened.  Debates begin, get
sidetracked, get censored by topic cops, all the usual furniture of a
BBS debate.  A few sporadic vows about letter writing or phone calls are
made.  Ultimately, sound and fury, signifying nothing.  It's just the
telelectronic community, talking to itself. Neither is there any
reaction from the kings.  Mark Maisel, by all reports, evinces only a
clinical interest--at best, detached amusement.  Bob Crawford is
hip-deep in one of his own projects and does nothing more than voice
some vicarious support.  Where, then, does the real action come from?

    The priests, of course.  From out of nowhere, almost everyone who
ever even thought about being a sysop begins swearing mighty oaths about
their pornography-clean systems.  Some say little, but many admit that
they will correct any problem that might exist.  From the priests come
the most virulent diatribes against Channel 13, for they recognize that
television is in many ways a competing priesthood.  And naturally
enough, Rocky Rawlins is the prime instigator of the protest against
Channel 13.  He knows that his method of extracting capital from the
peasantry is threatened by the accusations made in the news story.
Caught in the unfortunate position of being in a business evolutionally
too advanced for local ethics, Rawlins organizes the protest, thus
presenting the telelectronic community as a united entity ready to
tussle rather than just another information bank that competing
information priesthoods can raid for raw material.  Those who were
morally outraged by the injustice of the story are rigorously toeing
Rawlins' party line; moral outrage always originates in the dictates of
a priest.

    As said previously, there are those who exist outside of this little
analogy-set.  Dean Costello is probably the most notorious; he might be
analogous to a court jester in this scheme of things (a
characterization that would please him, whether he admits it or not),
but only in the truest sense in the function of the Fool.  There are
others, but for the most part, they have as little impact as pure
hobbyists on the larger arrangement of things. So, there it is: a little
bit of home flipped around and dressed up in new clothes.  Too few
people in the telelectronic community are willing to think in terms like
these (in the larger sociological sense, not just this limited feudal
model); too many are just willing to accept their roles as peasants.  Be
aware of who is doing what and consider what could really motivate such
people as you know to act as they do.  This virtual world will
ultimately result in more than just a social revolution and the
catapulting of the race into the Information Age.  It will cause the
birth of a new society altogether.

    The best place to watch this process gestate is, of course, the
Internet.

--------------------
Next: THE ANT FARM
--------------------

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Compact Disc Clubs: A Comparison and a Word of Warning
    by Jeff Vaughn


     Hello again.  By now, any of you who've read my articles know that
I'm really deep into music and music-related facts about bands and
things.  Well, here's a little something that's a bit different but also
has something in common.  Let's talk about compact disc clubs.


BMG Music Service
-----------------

    In early 1990, I joined the ranks of a well-known CD club called BMG
Music Service.  This was probably one of the biggest mistakes of my
life.  It at least ranked in the top twenty.

    When I signed up, they offered eight tapes for a penny and allowed
you to order two more at a really cut price.  Okay, cool, I signed up.
Within six months time, I must have ordered at least a hundred or more
tapes from them.  It lapsed on into 1991, and every month I would order
two or three tapes from the club.  Let's say that I had a rather large
collection (and that's being modest).

    In September 1991, I moved into my first apartment and
expeienced the wonderment of the compact disc player in my own abode.
My roommate Glen had one.  Well, after that, I was in gridlock and
bought nothing but CDs.  This is when the major trouble started.

    Glen and I ordered nine CDs in one month.  It took over six weeks
for the first CD to appear.  Up until that time, BMG had been billing us
and sending threats about collection agencies.  We let it pass and paid
the bill for the CDs.  It was a disgrace. One of the CDs were cracked
and the others looked almost as if another person had owned them for
over a year.  We were frustrated, but we're decently easy-going, so we
let it pass again.  The CDs worked, so, no big deal.  Then it happened.

     We started getting bills about some CDs I ordered over three months
prior and had sent them back to the company.  Threats again about the
bill collectors.  I sent them back a letter explaining that we had
returned the CDs over three months ago and that they must be out of
their minds if they thought I was going to pay for them. Somewhere in
the midst of it all, a package of tapes I had previously ordered showed
up, or at least SOME of them.  BMG wanted the entire bill paid before
they would send the rest of the order.  This was not the agreement or
service I had signed up for.

    In that order, they sent me a tape (and this had happened before)
that I didn't order. I sent it back to them explaining that I didn't
order it and to clear it from my record.  They sent me an outrageous
letter saying, "WE DID NOT SEND THIS TAPE TO YOU!  IT WAS NOT ON YOUR
ORDER FORM!  THIS TAPE ISN'T ONE OF OURS!"  ("No kidding, Sherlock!" I
thought.)  Then someone with a scrap of intelligence must have decided
to read the label on the tape that said "Manufactured BMG Music Service"
because a letter came back that said, "our mistake".  Not even an
apology for their pompous attitude.  Geez, what jerks!

    Well, I finally got fed up and just packed my last order back up
and sent it back to them.  You see, after I completed the introductory
orders (6 tapes in 3 years), they were supposed to send me a "Valued
Member" prize (like a Walkman or something) and give me discounts.  It
never happened.  I also explained that to them in SEVERAL letter.  It
was pointless; the only valid view was theirs as far as they were
concerned.  The fact that they never came through on their part of the
deal was of no interest to them.

    My final word to you is DO NOT order from "BMG Music Service".  It
is a bad experience that you don't need and the servies is terrible
(that's being VERY nice on my part).  I had thoughts of writing to the
Better Business Bureau, but I figured there was no point to it.  I had
written them before and got no results.


Columbia House
--------------

    In August of 1992, I joined the ranks of Columbia House.  I was a
little weary about them because of all the stories and rumors floating
around about how Columbia House "screws" people.  Much to my surprise, I
found this was not the case.

    I got the first order back in two weeks.  I finished my intrductory
order and Columbia sent me my "Valued Member" card and I have used it
ever since.  The deliveries are quick, the staff is very nice if you are
late on a CD payment, and the CDs are always in excellent shape.  All my
fear about Columbia House had been wiped away in less than a month.

    Since then, I have signed up six people to the service and none of
them (that are fairly responsible about their billing) have had a single
complaint about any of their orders.  This is the kind of service I've
come to expect since I've joined up with them.  It is no less than any
customer deserves.

    Now, I will say that all departments of Columbia House are not as
reliable as they should be.  I was given the offer to join their video
club as well.  I did so and ordered SEVERAL movies within two months.
But, that old problem about sending the wrong movie showed up and I
said, "No, not again".  So I packed them all up and sent them back.

    Again, much to my surprise, Columbia House was very courteous about
the whole thing and even sent me a free movie for being such a valued CD
customer.  I got my choice from about fifty movies for the freebie.
Not a bad deal in the long run.  I highly recommend Columbia House in
any department over any other company because of the main fact that they
are willing to admit mistakes and they treat you decently in the long run.
They are very concerned about their reputation, it seems, because they
have never given me a raw deal.

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

A Conservative Estimate
    by Bernie Starchaser

    Greetings, all!  This is my first of what will hopefully be many
articles here in BTN.  Finally back after a long Hiatus. Before I begin,
I would just like to announce to everyone that I am now married (no
groans!) to a lovely lady who says hello.  Now on with the show.

    Understandably, there is a lot of talk roaring through the nets
regarding Slick Willie and his "Income Reduction Plan".  Now, you'll
pardon my facetiousness for a moment while I tell you all just what I
think of it.  Any of you who are die hard liberals: I intend to pull no
punches here.  If you are a supporter of our current regime... uh, I
mean administration, and you are offended by criticism of her... uh, I
mean him, then I suggest you move on to the next article.

    That said, here goes...

    There are only a few main points about the Deficit Reduction Plan
about which the public has been made aware.  One of the most hotly
debated of these is the income tax rate increase on persons making more
than a certain amount per year.  Now, at the time of this writing I do
not have the exact dollar figure, but what it amounts to is that the
already unfairly biased tax system is going to slap another disincentive
on the successful.  Many people no doubt think that this is just what
needs to be done, although their personal principles to one side, I do
not think they would be playing the same song if THEY were in the
bracket getting soaked.  Anyhow, here's a scenario for you to think
about.

    It costs an employer, on average, about one-and-one-half times as
much as an employee is paid, before taxes, to have that employee.  This
takes into account the employer portions of FICA and Medicare, benefits
like insurance, administrative costs, State Unemployment Insurance, etc.
Let's assume that we are talking about an employee who makes minimum
wage.  A full-timer would make 40 hours times $4.25 = 170.00 per week,
or $8,840.00 per year.  Tax increase isn't going to affect them, is it?
No?  WRONG!  Because one of the major groups falling into the income
category being increased are Small Business owners.  Non-incorporated
business owners must report their business earnings as PERSONAL INCOME,
even though a relatively small portion of this would be considered
discretionary.  So back to our full time employee.  It's going to cost
that employer $13,260.00 to have that employee.  That means, given a
certain level of profit as a goal, every $13k more in taxes a small
businessman must pay as a result of this plan is ONE JOB GONE!  Whoops!
Tax increase DID affect our little minimum-wage guy, didn't it?

    Let's assume our small businessman is a good guy, and he doesn't
want to just drop the employee like a stone.  So his other alternative
is to increase his profit margin.  This means cutting expenses and or
raising prices.  Both of THESE will also affect lower wage-earners,
won't they?  Not only that, but if he wasn't careful, either of these
options COULD reduce his sales so that he must fire the employee anyway,
or lay him off.  In that case, the only ones who win are those who
recieve the government benefits that the majority of the new taxes will
be used for.  And if prices increase enough, even THEIR money won't go
much further than it did.

    It's simple enough for even the weakest mathematical mind that
growth in the economy is the result of profitable business taking place.
Equally simple, increased expenses in the form of more taxes = lower
profits = no economic growth, and there's no two ways around it.

         (Any comments or inquiries are welcomed, and may be addressed
         to me on The Crunchy Frog BBS in the argument conference or
         sent via the internet to chris.phillips@the-matrix.com.)

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

My Trip To ONE BBSCON
(or How I Spent My Summer Vacation)
    by James Minton

    About a year ago I saw a review/ad in Boardwatch magazine talking
about a BBSCON.  I thought to myself, "Hmmm... Wonder what that could be
about?"  Once I read about it, I was hooked.  I decided that I would
have to attend the next one that would be held in August of 1993.  I
started scraping together my meager pennies and soon had enough money.

    For those that don't know what the ONE BBSCON is, here's a bit of
background information.  ONE BBSCON was started by ONE, Inc. founded by
Phil Becker and Jack Rickard, both heavyweights in the BBS industry.
ONE BBSCON was held in Colorado Springs, CO from August 25-29, 1993.
There were over 137 educational sessions and over 100 vendor exhibits.

    The big day finally arrived.  I, my wife, my mother-in-law and my
wife's aunt loaded in the car and set off.  Being that my wife has
family in the Colorado Springs area, it was a good way for her to stay
occupied while I entered BBS heaven.  The trip took a little over 24
hours, mostly due to the fact that I'd never been any further west than
the Mississippi River and wanted to look around a bit.

     We arrived August 23rd, just a little frazzled from the drive with
no sleep, so the first item on the agenda was a nice long nap.  On the
24th we did a little sight seeing.  A ride to the top of Pike's Peak is
a MUST if you ever get to Colorado Springs.  Being born and raised in
Alabama, I had never seen a REAL mountain.  The city and the state are
both very beautiful places.  I got signed in and registered at the
Broadmoor Hotel where the conference was held, picked up my compli-
mentary tote bag (which would come in VERY handy in the next few days),
BBSCON program guide, etc.  At this point I was almost quivering with
anticipation.

    Thursday, the 25th, finally came, and I hopped on the shuttle bus
for the trip to the Broadmoor.  The first session I attended was on
CDROMS & BBS's, a pretty good seminar, gave me some good information on
networking and CDROMS with a BBS.  Next came the BBSing for Profit I &
II sessions.  By far these two had the highest attendance of any of the
sessions given.  Those sessions marked the end of the first day.

    I won't continue with a day by day listing of everything I did
because it would take up a whole lot of space and there was actually
way to much to remember!  On Friday the Vendor Exhibits opened at 9 a.m.
I was standing at the door at 8:45 in eager anticipation.  I got to
meet/talk to someone from all of the major BBS software companies.
PCBoard, Wildcat!, Major BBS, Searchlight, Synchronet, and TBBS all were
there with displays set up.  By far the friendliest group was the
Searchlight and Major BBS folks.  The people from Zoom Telephonics held
a party the night before and hinted at a BIG suprise to be announced
today.  I went over to their booth to see what they meant.  Well, it was
a big suprise: Internal Zoom modems 24.4k(v.fast) 14400 v.32bis with
14400 fax for only $99.  No, that is not a misprint, $99.  The external
model was $119.  Needless to say, I ordered two.  I saw some people
ordering in excess of 10-15.  Across the aisle, not to be totally
shut-out, the ZyXEL modem people had knocked a big chunk off their
prices as well.  Their U1496E external modem was dropped to $199 from
the regular Sysop price of $299.  I already owned one of their modems
and really liked it so I bought two more of them.  The other modem
makers were present but I really didn't stop and look.  Call me a modem
bigot if you must.

Now for a bit of a summary, for those that hate long articles, I'll
rate how each company I talked to came across to me.

PCBoard :       Nice sales/support people, not many people around the
                booth most of the time.  Most people I guess were still
                hanging around the Zoom booth ordering modems.  No new
                features I hadn't already heard about.

Wildcat!:       I run Wildcat! BBS software and have been a loyal
                customer for a few years now.  I was really
                disappointed at the way I was treated by the MSI staff.
                They were bowing and scraping to the people who hadn't
                bought anything yet, but to the people who owned their
                stuff already they acted kind of cold and aloof.  All I
                wanted was a stinking t-shirt, to which they replied,
                "We can't give you one unless you buy something."  Oh
                well... Nothing new from them.

Searchlight :   Definitely one of the nicest people I spoke to.  I
                talked with the author of the software and he answered
                all my questions and even took the time to sit down and
                show me a demo.  Their RIP graphics support is truly
                the best I have seen.  RIP Menus on the fly, which
                means no more need for RIPaint unless you want it.

Synchronet :    Talked to their people for a few minutes just asking
                them about general features, etc.  Very friendly and
                helpful.  I think this software has a lot of potential
                and is growing better by the minute. Will be releasing
                a full blown OS/2 version in the fall.

Major BBS :     The folks were also very friendly and helpful.  They
                also threw a really nice party which could have biased
                my opinion a little. I've always been impressed with
                how versatile this software is, if you have the cash.
                Lots of nice games coming out for their software from
                third party vendors.  They were giving away t-shirts
                like crazy.  I ended up with two.

Telegrafix:     Another friendly and helpful group. Their booth was
                crowded ALL the time.  I went to their session on
                RIPaint and RIPGraphics and as soon as it was over, I
                bought a copy of RIPaint. Very nice software, even if
                it is a bit pricey.

TBBS :          I'm really not all that familiar with their software.
                Their booth was pretty crowded most of them time so I
                didn't get a chance to really examine their software.
                They were selling a demo copy of it for $10.  Talk
                about money grubbing!  Yet another vendor that threw a
                good party.

IBM :           They were GIVING AWAY copies of OS/2 v2.1 to everyone to
                try out. You have 3 months to evaluate it, and if you
                like it, you are supposed to make a note on your
                opening screen that you are running it. If you don't,
                it's a "shelf copy".  It's free, so, what the heck, I
                got one myself.

ZyXEL Modems :  Threw a real nice party.  Gave away a few modems and
                lots of tote bags.  Very helpful and friendly.  I still
                haven't been able to duplicate the 6000+ cps they were
                getting with the modems.  They announced a new
                ZyCellular modem that looked really nice.

Zoom Telephonics : They also threw a nice party.  Got the most
                attention of anyone opening day with their modem
                specials.  I heard a lot of people talking bad about
                their modems, but for that price with a seven-year
                warranty, how can you lose?

    I tried to go by just about every booth in the place.  Some of them
I just kept on walking by after picking up some literature.  Others I
stopped by and pestered with questions.  USRobotics was there but hadn't
marked down anything for the show.  $1000+ for a modem?!?  Please...

    The trip home was sheer torture.  I had a trunk full of new toys and
couldn't play with any of them.

    Overall, I would say the show was a definite pleasure to attend.  I
was hoping it would be worth the long drive, it was, and then some.  I'm
going to start saving for next year's.  Maybe it'll be somewhere not so
far away.  I had hoped to find someone else there from Birmingham or
even Alabama but couldn't find anybody.  Were you there and I just
missed you?  If you are a Sysop and enjoy running a BBS, this is THE
show to see.  You won't be disappointed.

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

Gamer's Corner
    by Richard DeVaney

This month: Syndicate by Bullfrog Productions
            Distributed by Electronic Arts
            (Demo available but not easy to find)

I've got many things to cover this month so this review will not be as
long as last month's article.  Simply put, this is a great game.
Cyberpunk at some of it's finest.  Here is a summary.

       The time is somewhere in the near future.  Governments have
       gradually lost power and corporations have taken over the world.
       Street warfare is a daily occurrence between rival corporations.
       A new device known as the CHIP (ooohh, original) has given these
       corporations (or should I say syndicates) the ability to control
       their forces by artificially stimulating their Intelligence,
       Perception, and Adrenaline by drug injections through the CHIP.
       You are an agent of a European Syndicate whose job is to remove
       the world of your rivals and truly have a global corporation.

Folks, this is NOT a nice game.  Those with a hyper-sensitivity
disposition will find this game a little too violent.  While hovering
in your blimp, you control your four agents from an overhead view.  This
is not new to the gaming world and it does have one drawback.  You
cannot see into buildings that you might send your agents through and if
you send your agents behind a building you cannot see them there either.
They can still be tracked on your scanner but if an enemy agent is
lurking behind there, it can be very difficult to hit him.  Speaking of
Hitting, Id made a warning for Wolfenstein called PC-13 for Profound
Carnage.  Such a warning should be used for this game.  Enemy agents,
police, and civilians die quite nastily in this game.  This is not a
game that glorifies death.  Anybody that you, or an enemy agent hits
falls over and proceeds to bleed on the pavement.  If you happen to
catch them with a flamer, they proceed to dance around while screaming
before collapsing into a heap of ashes.  Your agents are usually free to
kill anyone they want, no matter if it's civilians or police. Despite
that fact that you DO play a bad guy, I found this game to be extremely
entertaining.  The opening has some of the best graphics I have seen in
a long time.  The sound and music work to convey a very dark atmosphere.
Another aspect to this game I forgot to mention is that you have to
learn to control the taxes of your population or they will rebel.  Your
revenue is spent on research and with purchasing weapons.  You start
with simple weapons (shotguns, pistols and the favorite Persuadotron).
Spending money on research will give you weapons like Uzi's, Mini-Guns,
Lasers, Flamers and my favorite, the Gauss Gun.  The Gauss Gun will
is very good at blowing up things and killing people and later on in the
game you will need it.  In fact, later in the game you will wish you had
even more powerful weapons because the game starts fairly easy but
quickly becomes very hard.  The last mission still thwarts me.  However,
when you finally conquer a territory, the game gives you a nice parade
to watch with everyone 'celebrating' your victory (even though in the
course of the mission you probably killed several civilians and law
enforcement officers.  Well with that out of the way it's time for the
Official Gripe List(tm).

1. I mentioned this one earlier.  The inability to see your agents when
   they are behind a building or inside a building.  This can make
   things somewhat confusing if there is a firefight going on.

2. Perhaps I practice bad economics but it seems my territories aren't
   very happy with my tax rates no matter where I set them. (I yelled
   "I feel your pain" at my screen but that didn't help any.)

3. The computer voice that speaks when you choose an item or a agent.
   It took me about 20 games to figure out what he is saying.  At first
   I thought he said "Syndicate" but turns out he is saying "Selected".
   Not much of a gripe but considering the detail of the rest of the
   game, Bullfrog could have done better on the voice.

To the big board:
        +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +
        0                               ^   10
                                       9.0

Summary: If you are looking for a game with excitement and a good dose
of violence with a dark theme, then this is the game for you.


Now on to my next subject:

I have seen poll after poll after survey after survey of the best games
to own but I don't ever remember a survey of WHERE to get those games.
This is a survey to remedy this.  You may reply in several ways.
Cut ,snip, paste this section and send your reply in.
Snail-mail them to:
                       Game Survey
                       c/o Richard DeVaney
                       3033D Panorama East
                       Birmingham, AL 35215

or send them private Email to any of the addresses listed after the
survey (preferably The Matrix).  Answers will be posted in the October
issue of BTN (or November if responses are slow)

----------------------------------------------------------------------
                       PC Game Buyer's Survey

1.  Where do you purchase most of your PC game software?

    ________________________________________________________________

2.  How would you rate the game software selection at the location you
    gave in question #1? (Scale 1 to 5, 1 poor - 5 excellent)

    _________

3.  How would you rate the service at the location you gave to question
    #1? (Scale 1 to 5, 1 poor service - 5 excellent service)

    _________

4.  How would you rate current PC game software prices:
    [ ]  Unjustifiably high

    [ ]  High, but justified due to pirating

    [ ]  Fair,  I don't object to prices

    [ ]  Low,  They could charge more but thankfully they don't.

5.  Who is your favorite shareware game software distributor?

    ________________________________________________________

6.  If you are a member of an on-line service (CIS, America Online,
    Prodigy, etc.) and play their games, which is your favorite?  (Please
    give on-line service name and game name.)

    On-line Service:________________________________________

    Game Name:______________________________________________

7.  What is your favorite Bulletin Board System Door Game and where do
    you play it the most? (Please give BBS name and Game name.)

    BBS:_____________________________________________________

    Game Name:_______________________________________________

Send your responses either to the snail-mail address above or private
e-mail to any of the systems/addresses below.  Thank you for
participating.


Coming Next Month: Cheat Codes for your favorite games.
(Sneak preview:  Make your corporation's name 'COOPER TEAM' and you get
all the weapons and mega $$$....have fun)


Questions or suggestions for a game YOU would like me to review can
be sent to the following places:
This is also the pickup places for survey answers.
The Matrix
The Outer Limits
Crunchy Frog
Internet:richard.devaney@the-matrix.com
Fido Netmail:Richard DeVaney [1:3602/12]
America Online: Htseeker

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

Local Music in September
    by Judy Ranelli


Wed. 8
    NRBQ at Zydeco
    The happiest band on the planet.  Everyone who loves them has a
favorite member of the band.  Come pick out yours.

Thurs. 9
    FUZZY SONS/50 POUND HEAD at The Nick
    Well, have you seen a stranger looking marquis than these guys/gals
will have?  Twirly musings with short skirts.

Mon. 13
    BIG DIXIE at The Nick
    I heckled them so badly that Don Tinsley leaned over to the mike to
tell me to shut up.  Well, the Helen Reddy songs weren't forthcoming,
but if you have true rockabilly requests...

Wed. 15
    TUMBLING DICE at The Endzone (Tuscaloosa)
    Ex-Rolling STone and Friends.  No dinosaurs here, though, just lots
of gin and dirt under the fingernails.

Thurs. 16
    FREE BEER AND CHICKEN BAND at Dugan's
    Gets dumbest band name award. Worse than "Subject To Change" but if
"Wise Owl" had made it out of the practice room they would win.  Don't
view this as a recommendation, by the way; I have no idea what they're
like.

A Week to Go to the Movies: Fri. 17-Wed. 22

Thurs. 23
    MARCIA BALL at Louie Louie (new owners)
    Big, as in very tall, New Orleans lady will undoubtedly shake the
walls to a packed house.

Fri. 24
    MR. BUBBLE/SHAME IDOLS at The Nick
    Well, everyone else will be there. Mr. Bubble is a reunion of
original members.  Shame Idols are Tim Boykin songs ver. 4.

Friday Oct. 1
    Here's a tough decision for you!  We have MYSTIC WARRIOR at the
Caribbean Cookhouse or SUGAR SMACK/MAN OR ASTROMAN at The Nick.  You
tell me.  (For the uninitiated, Sugar Smack is the former Fetchin'
Bones.  Coool.)

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

Cafe Spotlight
    by David Moss

                              THIS MONTH:
                                Mancha's
                         1207 20th. Street So.
                                939-3304

               Hours: 11 am - 11pm, Monday thru Saturday

    If you are ever in the mood for Mexican food, I have the place for
you.  Mancha's!

    You won't find "Atmosphere" at Mancha's.  It is located in an old
building on the Southside, which appears to have the same interior since
it's beginning.  You won't find a lavish amount of room at Mancha's; in
fact, you may bump into the pool table as you walk in the door.  The
place could easily qualify as "a hole in the wall".

    You won't be greeted by a host or hostess.  You won't find fancy
linens on the tables.  You won't see any fancy crystal glasses, or
china that has been imported from England.  You won't be waited on by a
waiter in a tuxedo, in fact, you won't be waited on by a waiter at all.
You have to get up and order your dinner from the counter.  They will,
however, bring it to you when it is ready.  You won't hear any fancy
music playing in the background, they play the "oldies."

    What you will find is some of the best Mexican food available
anywhere.  Like their Killer Whale; a Burrito Supreme smothered with
homemade chili, cheese sauce, grated cheddar cheese and topped with
sliced jalapeno peppers. ($5.09)

    Or their Nacho Supreme, fresh fried tortilla chips covered with
chili, cheese sauce, grated cheddar cheese, lettuce, onions, sour cream,
sliced jalapeno peppers and a corn shuck tamale. ($5.09)

    If you're in the mood for tamales, Mancha's has the best.  Hand
rolled and wrapped in corn shucks, a tradition at Mancha's for 60 years.
The tamales are $ 1.25 each or $11.00 for a dozen.

    If you are the type that has a hearty appetite, then there's the
Mexican Platter, included is a Burrito Supreme, Taco, Tamale, Nachos and
refried beans.  ($7.29)

    I've personally had the Tacos, and I easily consider them to be the
best I've ever had.  At $1.99 each, you could make a meal of them by
their selves.

    Mancha's has a variety on the menu, including imported beers, as
well as domestic (which goes very well with Mexican food).

    Mancha's is home to some of the best Mexican food anywhere.  You
don't have to get dressed up to dine there.  Feel free to bring your
cigarettes, because it is a smoking environment (rare these days).
Overall, I enjoyed the experience very much.  And I will be going back
again, soon.

    Oh yeah, I forgot something.  Mancha's makes a sauce named "Agent
Orange", that is the absolute HOTTEST sauce you will ever try.  I tried
this sauce, and liked it so well that I bought two bottles ($3.00 each)
to bring home with me.  After I got home, I read the label, and it
states the following: "Warning: Do Not Spill On Clothing, Cars and
Floors, Can Be Used For Cleaning Coins or Removing Old Paint."

    If you find this sauce too hot to your liking, then they also make a
hot sauce named "Nuclear" that is not as hot as "Agent Orange." For the
person that can't tolerate any hot sauce, they also make a "Wimp" sauce.
(You may want to start with the "Wimp" sauce and work your way up.)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

************************************************************************
General Information About the Electronic Frontier Foundation
************************************************************************

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) was founded in July of 1990
to ensure that the principles embodied in the Constitution and the
Bill of Rights are protected as new communications technologies
emerge.

From the beginning, EFF has worked to shape our nation's
communications infrastructure and the policies that govern it in
order to maintain and enhance First Amendment, privacy and other
democratic values. We believe that our overriding public goal must
be the creation of Electronic Democracy, so our work focuses on the
establishment of:

* new laws that protect citizens' basic Constitutional rights as they
use new communications technologies,

* a policy of common carriage requirements for all network
providers so that all speech, no matter how controversial, will be
carried without discrimination,

* a National Public Network where voice, data and video services are
accessible to all citizens on an equitable and affordable basis, and

* a diversity of communities that enable all citizens to have a voice in
the information age.


Legal Services

EFF sponsors legal cases where users' online civil liberties have been
violated. The Steve Jackson Games case, decided in March of 1993,
established privacy protections for electronic mail and publications
that are kept online. We continue to monitor the online community
for legal actions that merit EFF support.

EFF provides a free telephone hotline for members of the online
community who have questions regarding their legal rights.

Members of EFF's staff and board speak to law enforcement
organizations, state attorney bar associations and university classes
on the work that we do and how these groups can get involved.


Civil Liberties

EFF has been working to make sure that common carrier principles
are upheld in the information age. Common carrier principles require
that network providers carry all speech, regardless of its
controversial content. Common carriers must also provide all
speakers and information providers with equal, nondiscriminatory
access to the network.

Last year, the FBI introduced legislation to require communications
technologies to be certified as open to lawful government
surveillance before those technologies can be deployed. EFF
organized a broad coalition of 39 computer, telephone and public
interest groups to oppose this measure.

EFF is working to convince Congress that all measures that support
broader public access to information should be enacted into law. For
example, the law that establishes citizen access to information, the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), does not require government
agencies to turn over the electronic version of information, which is
often the most useful version. EFF supports an Electronic Freedom of
Information Act and other legislation to make information more
accessible to citizens.

EFF supports both legal and technical means to enhance privacy in
communications. We, therefore, advocate all measures that ensure
the public's right to use the most effective encryption technologies
available.


National Network

EFF has been working with policymakers to establish a national
network, or network of networks, capable of transporting video
images and data, as well as voice. Our "Open Platform Proposal"
advocates a network that is accessible to all citizens at an affordable
price. For the near-term, EFF supports the implementation of ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network) technology. ISDN makes it
possible for the current telephone network to be used to send voice,
video and data at a low cost to consumers.

EFF has written a white paper that describes ISDN applications that
are currently available for use at home, school, the workplace and
beyond.

EFF has been working with policymakers on legislation that
encourages individuals and organizations to create tools that make
the Internet and the National Research and Education Network
(NREN) easier to access and use.


Community Building

EFF, in conjunction with the Consumer Federation of America and the
American Civil Liberties Union, coordinates and sponsors the
Communications Policy Forum (CPF). CPF enables nonprofit
organizations, computer and communications firms, and government
policymakers to come together in a nonpartisan setting to discuss
communications policy goals and strategies.

In order to foster community and openness, EFF works with local
organizations that support online communications issues. In January
of 1993, EFF sponsored a summit of groups from around the country
to discuss common goals. We also participate in an online mailing list
for organizations that share our interests.

EFF is a funder and organizer of the annual Computers, Freedom and
Privacy conference, where academics, civil libertarians, law
enforcement officials and computer users all meet to discuss the
privacy implications of communicating online. Each year at the
conference, EFF presents its Pioneer awards to individuals who have
made significant contributions to computer communications.

EFF publishes a biweekly electronic newsletter, EFFector Online, that
is sent to subscribers at their e-mail addresses. We also publish a
quarterly hardcopy newsletter entitled Networks & Policy.

EFF maintains several communications forums on the Internet. We
have our own Internet node, eff.org, which houses our ftp and
gopher sites, as well as our discussion areas, comp.org.eff.talk and
comp.org.eff.news. EFF also maintains a conference on the Whole
Earth 'Lectronic Link (WELL).


HOW TO CONNECT TO EFF

Internet and USENET:

General information requests, including requests to be added to the
EFFector Online mailing list, can be sent to eff@eff.org.

If you receive any USENET newsgroups, your site may carry the
newsgroups comp.org.eff.news and comp.org.eff.talk. The former is a
moderated newsgroup for announcements, newsletters, and other
information; the latter is an unmoderated discussion group for
discussing EFF and issues relating to the electronic frontier.

For those unable to read the newsgroups, there are redistributions
via electronic mail. Send requests to be added to or dropped from the
comp.org.eff.news mailing list to eff-request@eff.org. For the
comp.org.eff.talk mailing list, send a note to eff-talk-request@eff.org.
Please note that eff.talk can be extremely high-volume at times.

A document library containing all EFF news releases and other
publications of interest, including John Perry Barlow's history of EFF,
"Crime and Puzzlement," is available via anonymous FTP from
ftp.eff.org. Send a note to ftphelp@eff.org if you have questions or
are unable to use FTP.

To be added to a mailing list specifically discussing technical and
policy issues, send a note to pub-infra-request@eff.org.


The WELL:

The WELL is host to an active EFF conference, as well as many other
related conferences of interest to EFF supporters. Access to the WELL
is $15/month plus $2/hour. Telecom access is available through the
CompuServe Packet Network for an additional $4.50/hour. If you
have an Internet connection, you can reach the WELL via telnet at
well.sf.ca.us; otherwise, dial +1 415 332 6106 (data). The WELL's
voice number is +1 415 332 4335.


CompuServe:

Our forum on CompuServe is also open. GO EFFSIG to join. Many of
the files on ftp.eff.org, as well as other items of interest, are mirrored
in the EFFSIG Libraries.


America Online:

EFF has just opened up a Special Interest Group on America Online as
part of the Macintosh Communications Forum (MCM). GOTO Keyword
EFF to join. Many of the files on ftp.eff.org, as well as other items of
interest, are mirrored in this forum. In addition, EFF sponsors an
interactive discussion on this forum every Saturday night at 9:00
p.m. ET.


OUR ADDRESSES

Electronic Frontier Foundation
666 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E., Suite 303 Washington, DC 20003
+1 202 544 9237
+1 202 547 5481 FAX
Internet: eff@eff.org

Until June 1, 1993, we also have an office at:

Electronic Frontier Foundation
238 Main St.
Cambridge, MA 02142
+1 617 576 4500
+1 617 576 4520 FAX
Internet: eff@eff.org

MEMBERSHIP IN THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
=============================================================
Print out and mail to:
Membership Coordinator
Electronic Frontier Foundation
666 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E., Suite 303 Washington, DC 20003


I wish to become a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. I
enclose:

$__________ Regular membership -- $40
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I wish to make a tax-deductible donation in the amount of
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The following documents are available free of charge from the
Electronic Frontier Foundation. Please indicate any of the documents
you wish to receive.

___ Open Platform Proposal - EFF's proposal for a national
telecommunications infrastructure. 12 pages. July, 1992

___ An Analysis of the FBI Digital Telephony Proposal - Response of
EFF-organized coalition to the FBI's digital telephony proposal of Fall,
1992. 8 pages. September, 1992.

___ Building the Open Road: The NREN and the National Public
Network - A discussion of the National Research and Education
Network as a prototype for a National Public Network. 20 pages. May,
1992.

___ Innovative Services Delivered Now: ISDN Applications at Home,
School, the Workplace and Beyond - A compilation of ISDN
applications currently in use. 29 pages. January, 1993.

___ Decrypting the Puzzle Palace - John Perry Barlow's argument for
strong encryption and the need for an end to U.S. policies preventing
its development and use. 13 pages. May, 1992.

___ Crime and Puzzlement - John Perry Barlow's piece on the
founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the world of
hackers, crackers and those accused of computer crimes. 24 pages.
June, 1990.

___ Networks & Policy - A quarterly newsletter detailing EFF's
activities and achievements.


Your Contact Information:

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

Japanimation in Birmingham
    by Jeff Vaughn

    [Editor's Note: The following article reveals a number of plot
details about the animated movie "Fist of the North Star".  Skip this
article if you don't want the story revealed to you!]


    Recently, a friend of mine who I used to work with happened to drop
a copy of a video in front of me and told me to take a look at it.  He
said it was a "Japanimation" video.

    Now, I had heard of Japanimation, but really never seen anything
more than cable flicks like RoboTech, Racer X, or Voltron when I was a
kid.  I am not sure if "Transformers: The Movie" was Japanimation or
not, but there were a ton of Asian names in the credits of the movie.

    Anyway, getting back to the original idea I was working on.  The
flick was called "Fist of the North Star" and I LOVED it.  I have to
admit, it was on the unbelievable level, but that's what movies are for.

    "Fist of the North Star" is basically a post-Armageddon scene and
features big time martial arts.  There are three brothers involved in
the movie among other main characters.

*    Ken, the Fist of the North Star.  Ken is the one who holds the true
     title and is the main "good guy" of the movie.  Ken was trained by
     an old man that taught him his martial arts skills and entitled
     him to be "Fist of the North Star".  Ken seems to be the only one
     of the three brothers who holds any true values.

*    Jeckie, the younger brother.  Jeckie is, of course, a bad guy but
     he's also the schemester who gets all the problems started and
     causes all the conflict in the movie.  He's also is skilled in
     martial arts and has the inherent powers, but is nowhere near as
     powerful as Ken.  Jeckie makes an attempt to kill Ken by tossing
     him off a cliff and cutting off a piece of the cliff to flatten
     Ken on the way down.  Yeah, I said "a piece of the cliff".  These
     are some mondo-powerful dudes.

*    Raal, the third and apparently oldest brother.  Raal is the
     ultra-evil guy and he turns out to be the most powerful character
     in the movie.  He almost kills Ken in the end, but some little girl
     with telepathic powers persuades him to let Ken live.  Raal killed
     the teacher of the three and claimed himself Fist of the North Star.

    On the side of other characters, there are a few in name that have
some signifigance.  I don't recall all the character names.  The funny
thing is, when you see this flick, you'll swear you've seen the
characters before.  Japanimation has a habit of sticking with faces.

*    Ray, the one independant martial artist of the group.  Ray has the
     unusual ability that his hands virtually slice through almost
     anything and they leave blue trace lines behind as he fights.  It
     makes for cool special effects.  Ray is looking for his sister who
     is kidnapped by one of the evil armies.

*    Shen, on time friend of Ken's.  Shen is now convinced that only the
     strong survive and renders Ken pretty helpless in the very
     beginning of the movie.  Apparently, he and Ken studied under the
     same teacher.  I don't know if Shen claims the title "Fist of the
     South Star" or what, but he takes Ken's girl after seriously
     messing Ken up.

    Early in the movie, you come to find out that Ken did not die in the
little cliff incident.  Like I said, these are TOUGH dudes.  The little
girl appears and some of the bad guys try and kill her.  She makes an
empathic call to Ken (which she's not even met him yet--go figure). Ken
walks out of the dust, chops a skyscraper, and as it falls, it breaks in
half when hitting him on the head.  I ended up laughing for ten minutes
on that one.  Ken just kinda keeps walking like nothing ever happened.
He kacks the bad guys and saves the little girl and her young male
buddy.

    Ray and Ken meet halfway through the movie and it turns out that
Jeckie kidnapped Ray's sister.  To make a long scene short, Ken and
Jeckie have it out.  Jeckie gets kacked.  Ray ends up slicing and dicing
Jeckie's personal little army and he and Ken walk out leaving the place
in smoulders.  The saying, "We came, we saw, we kicked arse" DEFINITELY
applies there.

    Ken and Ray eventually split up.  All the armies that Shen, Raal, and
other independant lords of the land duke it out.  Shen and Raal meet for
a showdown.  The last part I saw of it was Shen saying, "Alright.  Let's
get this over with".  One thing I know is that Shen's army get totally
wasted.

    Ken finally finds Shen's ruins of a city and walks right in.
There's nobody to stop him cause the entire army got wiped out.  SOMEHOW
Shen lived and he's sitting on his throne when Ken walks in.  Well, they
get down to a VERY short confrontation and Ken kacks Shen.  Shen sorta
clears the air before dying to Ken.

    There's a few minutes of Raal and his army slaughtering a few other
armies and Raal running into this giant who can turn himself to steel
(look out Colossus).  Without me telling you, you can probably figure
that Raal wastes this guy without breaking a sweat.  It just seems there
is nothing that can take more than two punches from the Fist of the
North Star.

    Raal ends up trying to crucify Ken's girlfriend for some reason or
another and Ray walks in.  They get into a small battle and the little
girl does another empathic scream to Ken because she knows Ray isn't
going to last ten minutes aginst Raal.  Yep, Raal wastes Ray.  Ken
manages to get there and a few friendly words are said and Ray dies in
Ken's hands.

    In the end, Ken and Raal finally duke it out.  As I said in the
begining, Ken loses.  I must say that it was the longest lasting fight
in the whole movie and they level the entire city in the process of it
all.  Not too bad.

    Now, I've done a little research into it all and come up with a few
answers.  If you want to buy any Japanimation titles, go to Lion and the
Unicorn.  L&U has about fifty titles to choose from (there Hunter, i
finally gave you a good rating on something).  If you want to just rent
some of the Japanimation, go to Prime Time video in Hoover.  I got the
scoop from an Inverness Prime Time employee that the Hoover store is the
only location you can find them at.  [Editor's note: the Cobb Prime Time
location in Homewood has a fairly extensive Japanimation section.]  She
explained to me that Prime Time was putting the titles up as an
experiment and if all goes well, all the stoes will carry them.  No
other well known video stores really carry good Japanimation.

  Enjoy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SIG's (Special Interest Groups), Computer Related
-------------------------------------------------

BIPUG                              Alabama UniForum
Birmingham IBM-PC Users Group      Homewood Public Library
UAB Nutrition Science Blg          1st Tuesday
RM 535/541                         Shawn Cleary 870-6130
1st Sunday (delayed one week
if meeting is a holiday)
Marty Schulman 967-5883

Birmingham Apple Core
Informal breakfast meeting every Saturday, 9am - 11am
@ Kopper Kettle, lower level Brookwood Village Mall
Formal meeting held second Saturday of each month, location
variable (to be announced at breakfast meetings and in the
user group's newsletter "The PEEL".)
President: Sam Johnston - 322-5379
Vice-Prez: Marie Prater - 822-8135

The SIG listing is being re-verified. If you know of an active
Computer Related user's group, please let me know.

I can be reached via Internet email at
eric.hunt@the-matrix.com or drop me a note directly on the
MATRIX.

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

Known BBS Numbers For The Birmingham Area

Sysops, PLEASE check your listing to make sure everything is correct,
especially the networks.  Corrections should be mailed on the Matrix to
James Minton or in a Sysop Comment on Outer Limits.

*IMPORTANT* Starting this month a new BBS must be up and running for 60
days before being included in the list.  I'll still take the information
and verify the board as usual.

Also, if anyone has any information about networks listed at the bottom
with "uncertain at press time", let me know.


NAME                    NUMBER     BAUD RATES   MODEM    BBS SOFTWARE
                                   SUPPORTED    TYPE

ADAnet One (Nodes 1-3)  250-0013   1200-2400             PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, fi, ad]
ADAnet One (Node 4)     254-6050   2400-14400   USR DS   PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, fi, ad]
Alcatraz BBS            608-0880    300-9600             VBBS 6.0
    [he, vi]
Alter-Ego BBS           925-5099   1200-9600    USR HST  PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, mn]
Baudville (Node 1)      980-1089    300-2400             Major BBS 6.10
    [none]
Baudville (Node 2)      991-2095   300-14400             Major BBS 6.10
    [none]
Baudville (Node 3)      991-9144    300-2400             Major BBS 6.10
    [none]
Baudville (Node 4)      995-0013    300-2400             Major BBS 6.10
    [none]
Bus System              987-5419    300-2400             PCBoard 14.2
    [none]
Byte Me!                979-BYTE!  2400-14400   USR HST  WWIV 4.12
    [ez, th, al]
Castle, The             841-7618    300-2400             Image 1.2
    [none]
Channel 8250 (Node 1)   744-8546   300-14400    USR DS   PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, un]
Channel 8250 (Node 2)   744-5166   300-14400    USR DS   PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, un]
Cherry Tree             681-1710  1200-14400             TriBBS 4.01
    [none]
Christian Apologetic    808-0763  1200-14400    V.32bis  Wildcat! 3.55
    [ez, wi, bc, ru]
Crocodile Country BBS   477-6283  1200-16800    USR DS   Searchlight 3.0 *RIP*
    [sl]
Crunchy Frog (Node 1)   823-3957   300-14400    USR DS   PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, mn, lu, ll]
Crunchy Frog (Node 2)   823-3958   300-14400    USR DS   PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, mn, lu, ll]
Crystal Village         856-3749   1200-2400             ???
    [none]
Den, The                933-8744    300-9600    USR HST  ProLogon/ProDoor
    [ez, mn, il]
Digital Publishing      854-1660    300-9600    V.32     Wildcat! 3.01
    [pl]
Electro-BBS             491-8402   300-14400    V.32/42  ??
    [fi]
Family Smorgas-Board    744-0943    300-2400             PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, fi, mj, bc, fa, ic, cf, cd, np, ag, ve, ad]
Final Frontier          838-5634   300-14400             VBBS 6.10
    [al, he, re, fn]
Flip Side, The          798-3961    300-2400             Renegade 8.27
    [none]
Genesis Online(Nodes 1-6) 620-4150 300-14400   V.32bis   Major BBS 6.11
    [mr]
Guardian, The           425-1951  1200-14400   V.42bis   VBBS 6.0
    [vi]
Hardeman's BBS          640-6436  1200-14400             Wildcat! 3.51
    [wi, di, bc]
Hardware Hotline        631-6629   300-14400   V.32/42   PCBoard 14.5
    [mn, fi, ca]
The Holodeck BBS        663-7229   1200-9600    V.32     TriBBS 4.02
    [cc]
Intruder Enterprizes    969-0870    300-9600    V.32     VBBS 5.6
    [vi, al]
Joker's Castle          664-5589   300-14400    USR DS   PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, mn, un]
KickAxis BBS            733-0253  1200-14400    USR DS   VBBS 6.0
    [he]
Lions Den               969-5733   300-14400    USR DS   Wildcat! 3.60
    [none]
Lumby's Palace          520-0041   300-14400             VBBS 6.0
    [he]
Magic City              664-9883   300-14400    USR DS   Wildcat! 3.55
    [cc, di, tr, wi]
Magnolia BBS            854-6407   300-14400    USR HST  PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, mn]
MATRIX, The (Nodes 1-14)  323-2016 300-2400              PCBoard 15.0 *RIP*
    [ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr]
MATRIX, The (Nodes 20-23) 323-6016 9600-14400   USR DS   PCBoard 15.0 *RIP*
    [ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr]
MATRIX, The (Node 25-26)  458-3449 9600-14400   V.32bis  PCBoard 15.0 *RIP*
    [ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr]
MetaBoard               854-4814   300-14400    USR DS   Opus CBCS 1.73
    [fi, ad]
MetroMac BBS (Node 1)   323-6306   1200-14400   V.32bis  TeleFinder 3.1
    [none]
MetroMac BBS (Node 2)   252-0582   1200-14400   V.32bis  TeleFinder 3.1
    [none]
Milliways BBS (Node 1)  956-3177   1200-2400             Major BBS 6.11 *RIP*
    [none]
Milliways BBS(Nodes 2-6)956-2731   1200-2400             Major BBS 6.11 *RIP*
    [none]
Missing Link            853-1257   300-16800    USR DS   C-Net Amiga 2.63
    [cl, cn]
Neon Moon               477-5894   300-14400             TriBBS 4.0
    [dx]
Optical Illusion        995-9145  1200-14400    V.32bis  VBBS 6.0
    [al]
Outer Limits (Node 1)   426-5611  1200-16800    ZyXEL    Wildcat! 3.90 *RIP*
    [fi, do, ec, er, pn]
Outer Limits (Node 2)   425-5871  1200-16800    ZyXEL    Wildcat! 3.90 *RIP*
    [fi, do, ec, er, pn]
Outer Limits (Node 3)   426-2939  1200-16800    ZyXEL    Wildcat! 3.90 *RIP*
    [fi, do, ec, er, pn]
Owlabama BBS            856-2521  1200-14400             GTPower 17.06
    [gt, ez, mn, cc, tr, sc, ab]
Owl's Nest              680-0851   300-14400    USR DS   PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, mn]
Party Line              856-1336   300-14000    V.32bis  TriBBS 4.0
    [cc, tr, di]
Penny Arcade            699-4625    300-2400             Running Force! 3.75
    [none]
Playground              681-5070  2400-14000    V.32     TriBBS 4.0
    [tr, di, cc, ez, al, fr]
Posys BBS               854-5131    300-9600    V.32     PCBoard
    [none]
Programmer's Shack      988-4695   1200-9600    HST DS   Renegade
    [ae, di, ws, fi, it]
Quiet Zone              833-2066    300-2400             ExpressNet
    [none]
Razor's Edge            995-0412   1200-2400             VBBS 5.6
    [he, al]
Safe Harbor (Node 1)    665-4332    300-2400             GTPower 17.06
    [gt, ez, mn, il]
Safe Harbor (Node 2)    665-4355   300-14400    USR DS   GTPower 17.06
    [gt, ez, mn, il]
Sam's Domain            956-2757  1200-14400             VBBS 6.0
    [da, he]
Safety BBS              581-2866    300-2400             RBBS-PC 17.4
    [none]
Southern Stallion       322-3816   300-16800    ZyXEL    PCBoard 15.0
    [an, ez, lu, pr, th]
Sperry BBS              853-6144    300-2400    V.32/42b PCBoard 14.5
    [none]
ST BBS                  836-9311    300-2400             PCBoard 14.2
    [ez]
StarBase 12             647-7184    300-2400             TriBBS 4.0
    [ez, mn, cc]
The Light               979-0368   300-14400    V.32bis  PCBoard 15.0
    [ch, nl]
Thy Master's Dungeon    940-2116   300-57600    V.32/42b PCBoard 14.5
    [fr]
Torch Song              328-1517    300-9600    V.32     Wildcat 3.6
    [pr, se, st, do]
Weekends BBS            841-8583  2400-16800    USR DS   Wildcat! 3.9
    [ca]
Willie's DYM (Node 1)   664-9902    300-2400             Oracomm Plus
    [or]
Willie's DYM (Node 2)   664-9903    300-2400             Oracomm Plus
    [or]
Willie's DYM (Node 3)   664-9895    300-2400             Oracomm Plus
    [or]
Willie's DYM (Node 4)   664-9896    300-2400             Oracomm Plus
    [or]
Ziggy Unix BBS          991-5696    300-1200             UNaXess
    [none]

*RIP* = BBS Software is RIP Graphics capable. You must be using a RIP
compatible term software to view them. RIPTerm or QmodemPro v1.50 are
the only two I know of that support it at this time. RIPTerm is shareware
and can be downloaded from most BBS's. QmodemPro is a commercial product.

The two-letter abbreviations you see on the line below the names of
many of the bbs' in the list signify that they are members of one or
more networks that exchange or echo mail to each other in some organized
fashion.

ad = ADAnet, an international network dedicated to the handicapped
ae = ANet, uncertain at press time
ag = AgapeNet, a national Christian network, multi-topic
al = AlaNet, a local network, multi-topic
an = AnnexNet, an international network, multi-topic
at = AdultNet, a national network, adult-oriented
bc = BCBNet, a local network, religion-oriented
bh = BhamTalk, a local network, multi-topic
ca = CafeNet, a local network, restaurant/dining, recipes, etc.
cc = City2City, a national network, multi-topic
cd = CDN, a national Christian network for file distribution
cf = CFN, a national Christian network, multi-topic
ch = ChristNet, a national Christian network
cl = CLink, uncertain at press time
cn = CNet, multi-topic
cy = Cybernet, uncertain at press time
da = DateNet, uncertain at press time
de = DevNet, an international network for programmers and developers
di = Dixie Net, a regional network, multi-topic geared toward the south
     eastern United States
do = DoorNet, a national network for the distribution of BBS doors
ec = EchoNet, an international network, multi-topic
er = ErosNet, an international network, adult oriented, files & messages
ez = EzNet, a local IBM compatible network
fa = FamilyNet, an international network, multi-topic
fi = FidoNet, an international network, multi-topic
fn = FrontierNet, uncertain at press time
fr = FredNet, a regional network, political discussion
ga = GameNet, a local network, uncertain at press time
gl = GlobalLink, an international network, multi-topic
gt = GTNet, an international network, multi-topic
he = HellNet, a local network, multi-topic
ic = ICDM, an international Christian network, multi-topic
ie = Intelec, a national network, multi-topic
il = ILink, an international network, multi-topic
in = InterNet, an international network, linking businesses,
     universities, and bbs', multi-topic
it = ITCNet, uncertain at press time
ll = LlamaNet, a national network, freeform correspondence
lo = LocalNet, uncertain at press time
lu = LuciferNet, an international network, adult oriented
ma = MAXnet, a local network, connecting WWIV and VBBS systems
mj = MJCN, an international network for Messianic Jews
mn = Metronet, an international network which echoes RIME, multi-topic
mr = MajorNet, an international network, multi-topic
nl = NewLife, uncertain at press time
np = NPN, a national network for new parents
or = OraNet, a national E-mail network
pl = PlanoNet, a national network, multi-topic
pn = PoliceNet, an international network, law-enforcement only
pr = PrideNet, a local homosexually oriented network
rf = RF Net, a national network for ham radio users and hobbyists
ri = RIME, an international network, multi-topic
rb = RoboLink, a national network, multi-topic
re = RealityNet, uncertain at press time
rp = RPGnet, a local network for role-playing games
rs = RoseNet, a national network, technically oriented
ru = RushNet, a national network for Rush Limbaugh fans
sc = Science Factor Net, a national network, science and technology
     oriented
se = SEC, a regional network, homosexually oriented geared toward the
     southeastern United States
sh = Shades N Shadows Net, a national network for role-playing games
sl = SearchlightNet, a national network, multi-topic
sm = SmartNet, a national network, multi-topic
sn = ShadowNet, a national network for role-playing games
st = StudsNet, a national network, homosexually oriented
te = TECHnet, a local network, hardware and utility oriented
th = ThrobNet, an international network, adult oriented
tr = TTN, a national network, multi-topic
un = U'NI-Net, an international network, multi-topic
ve = VETLink, a national network for military veterans
vi = VirtualNet, an international network, multi-topic
wi = WildNet, a national network, multi-topic
ws = WishNet, uncertain at press time
ww = WWIV-Net, an international network, multi-topic


The following boards were unable to be verified and were dropped from
the list:

    Asgard                  The Bone Yard           Boy's Room
    Homewood's Hell Hole    Lemon Grove             Nirvana
    Venus BBS

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


