Zephyr Magazine - Issue 51

                              T H E
  
                           Z E P H Y R
  
                  __     M A G A Z I N E
                 {__]++++++++++++++++++++++++++[] 
                 Issue #51               12-21-87
 
            A weekly electronic magazine for users of 
                        THE ZEPHYR II BBS 
                    (Mesa, AZ - 602-894-6526)
                owned and operated by T. H. Smith
 
                    Editor - Gene B. Williams 
 
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 . condition that the magazine remain complete and intact,   .
 . with no editing, revisions or modifications of any kind,  . 
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                            (c) 1987
  
THIS ISSUE:

   Can you believe it? The New Zephyr Magazine has been around 
for almost two years now. This is Issue #51, which means that 
a new issue has come out on an average of about every two weeks 
all this time. 
   All those issues are available for download. The problem is 
that the few word description may not be enough for you to 
decide which ones you want, and which are of no interest to you. 
So once again I'll run through the issues listing and give a 
slightly expanded description of each.

 
 
                     ZEPHYR MAGAZINE ISSUES

NOTE: Guest issues are noted with the author's name. If no 
  author name is given, the issue is written by Gene B. Williams.
  (Hey! I deserve credit, too!)
 
 
Issue     Date      Topic
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
                             1 9 8 6

ISH.1     1-11-86   Taking Care of Your Computer (humor) - Is your 
printer eating paper? The solution is simple. Take it outside and 
open a fire hydrant on it. The force will bounce the printer down 
the street, jarring loose all the paper dust, and the water will 
wash it away. This and other, er, valuable tips are given.

ISH.2     1-25-86   Beans, Bags and Smiler Jack (fiction) - It 
has been discovered that there are creatures in the atmosphere of 
Jupiter, living in that area of statis where the crushing gravity 
is balanced with the upward pressure of heat. They are bouyant 
creatures, like whales tied to hot air balloons. Jack and his crew 
are going out to make contact. But Jack has a problem. A rather 
gaseous one.
 
ISH.3     2-01-86   Nuclear War - Nuclear Winter (article) - At 
end of World War II the United States demonstrated a new power - 
the atomic bomb. Then came the hydrogen bomb, so powerful that the 
A-bomb was used as a fuse. From blowing up buildings we developed 
the power to blow up whole cities. Then the Soviets came up with 
weapons of their own. The arms race was on. In less than a decade 
we had enough power to kill everything on earth several times over. 
Then came the nuclear winter theory. It has been shown, and 
accepted by the Pentagon, that if as little as 1% of the arsenal 
is exploded, the world will be covered in a cloud of dust, causing 
the surface temperature to plunge far below freezing for months or 
years, possibly spelling the extinction of life on earth.
 
ISH.4     2-9-86    There's Always Tomorrow (fiction) - You've had 
a fight with a friend or lover. It was a silly argument and you 
want to apologize. Your pride gets in the way. "I'll make it up 
tomorrow," you say. But what if tomorrow doesn't come?
 
ISH.5     2-25-86   The Famous Baby Issue (birth) - My son, Danny, 
was born on February 12th. This issue celebrates that by discussing 
what pregnancy and birth is all about.
 
ISH.6     3-07-86   Evolution - Is it fact or fiction? Just a 
theory suported by atheists or the answer to how we got here?
 
ISH.7     3-15-86   The $3.75 (plus tax) Man (fiction) - Now in 
reruns (for the hundredth time?) is "The Six Million Dollar Man." 
He was an astronaut, backed by all the wealth and power of the 
federal government. But what would happen if a crop duster 
crashed in a field of asparagus and was given the medical 
treatment all the rest of us get?
 
ISH.8       3-22-86   Satellite Television - Legal or Illegal? - 
Some of the big companies, such as HBO, began to broadcast 
disclaimers with their programming, saying that it was illegal 
to receive their broadcasts without paying them. In some cities 
teams were sent out, supposedly to confiscate receiving equipment 
and to bring the "pirates" to justice. Even now people are 
confused as to what is legal, and what isn't. This issue will 
tell you exactly what the law is.
 
ISH.9     3-29-86   Getting Started in Broadcasting (by Chris 
Mitchell) - Our first guest issue was written by Chris. In it 
he brought his many years in broadcasting out to help those who 
seek a career in this field. 
 
ISH.10    4-05-86   Writing as a Career - I continued the "careers" 
theme by giving the "low-down poop" on what it takes to do what 
I do as a living.
 
ISH.11    4-12-86   Finding a Job - Whatever your goals, sooner 
or later most of us have to go out in search of a job. A common 
mistake is to be satisfied with reading the want ads and filling 
in countless (and usually ridiculous) application forms. There is 
a better way.
 
ISH.12    4-19-86   The Star Wars Scheme - The arms race is out 
of control. Especially with the prospect of nuclear winter if just 
1% of the existing arsenal is set off, we live in extremely 
perilous times, just the push of a button away from total extinction.
One solution is to set up a system of defense that makes it 
impossible to attack (or rather, to BE attacked). This Strategic 
Defense Initiative sounds like a glorious idea - the end of 
fear. But there are some real problems. Namely, it won't work.

ISH.13    4-26-86   Miscellaneous Stuff - Some years ago I was 
writing several columns for various magazines. My favorite was 
originally called "Rovin'." It consisted of silly bits and 
collections of unusual facts. Some of those are brought to you 
in this issue.
 
ISH.14    5-10-86   Toy From the Stars - Imagine yourself as a 
young boy with a dream. You want to go into space. Then suddenly 
it seems that space is coming to you. While lying outside on 
the grass you see a spaceship coming down. It lands a short 
distance away and a creature comes out. After taking care of your
fears he offers you a trade. One of your toys for one of his own 
planet. 

ISH.15    5-18-86   The Chilton Book Series - Again and again and 
again the users ask me, "What books have you done, Gene?" This 
listing doesn't give them all - and is also more than a year out 
of date. Still, it will give you some of the basics. (If you're 
curious, go into the library some day and look up my name in the 
card catalog. It may, or may not, be more complete.)
 
QUESTION            The Questionaire for those who want to 
                    participate in my newest project

ISH.16    5-24-86   Computer Repair - (part 1) - Many of the books 
I've done for Chilton involve the repair, care and maintenance of 
computers. For this end I wrote a quickie article for you, hoping to 
do a part 2, based on user response and interest. There was very 
little, so this remained as the only one. Even so, it should give 
you some valuable tips.
   
ISH.17    5-31-86   Some Short Stories - One of my favorite things 
is writing or editing the short short. This is a short collection of 
some of those.

ISH.18    6-7-86    Nuclear Power (by Jim Lippard) - Our second guest 
issue came from Jim. He approached the topic of how nuclear power is 
generated, its value, its safety, and some of the problems.

ISH.19    6-21-86   Rovin' - And back we go to bits gleaned from 
my columns.

ISH.20    6-28-86   Ghost of Highway 12 - You've come from one hell 
of a party. Such a party that you find yourself on a road out in the 
middle of nowhere, and no idea where you are or how you got there. 
Suddenly a figure appears in the road ahead. You slam on your brakes 
but to no avail. You skid forward and hit the man. To your horror 
there is no thud. The man slides right through your vehicle, unharmed. 
Then he walks toward you, smiling and with his arms extended to take 
you in. "I've come to release you from this world," he says.

ISH.21    7-11-86   Financial Planning (by Bob Eastman) - The best 
time to begin sound financial planning is when you don't have to. 
Once you need that planning, it's too late. Bob brings his 
expertise to us in this guest issue.

ISH.22    7-22-86   You're In the Army Now . . . and now . . . - I 
grew up under the threat of the draft. Many of my friends are no 
longer alive because they'd been sent to the battles in Southeast 
Asia. There is no longer a draft. Our military is voluntary service 
now. Or is it? 

ISH.23    8-7-86    Home Study (by Bob Eastman) - Bob returned with 
another guest issue on the value - and problems - of taking courses 
at home. 

ISH.24    8-16-86   Finding a Job - There were some unanswered 
questions after Issue #11. Hopefully this issue will answer some 
of those.

ISH.25    8-30-86   More Rovin' - It's just what the title says; more 
bits and pieces from my magazine columns.

ISH.26    9-4-86    Bugs! - There are plenty of real estate scams. 
They're bound to continue. Our "hero" has found the ultimate scam. 
He's not going to develop just a few hundred useless acres - he has 
discovered, and claimed, an entire planet. At first sight it seems 
to be a lush paradise. The "snake" in this Eden is causing him 
quite a problem.

ISH.27       9-17-86   Writing For Zephyr Magazine - We'd had a 
number of guest issues by this time. Quite a few users asked me 
how they could contribute. I put down all the details for everyone, 
all in one place. Want to write for the magazine? Here's how.

ISH.28    10-1-86   Rich Man - Poor Man (by John Arbon) - John 
read Issue #27 and took it to heart. He brings us a piece of short 
fiction with a twist at the end. 

ISH.29    10-10-86  The Monsters of Terrance Peak - You're a young 
boy in the distant future. The nuclear holocaust has come. You and 
your village are the survivors. Up in the mountains nearby are the 
other survivors. Monsters. Mutated by radiation into vicious, 
meat-eating - BOY-eating! - creatures of the night. And because of 
your foolishness you find yourself trapped in those mountains. Night 
is falling. The bushes rustle. One of the creatures of the mountains 
steps out.

ISH.30    11-3-86   Buying a Car - The second largest purchase most 
of us make, and often the first major purchase, is a vehicle. With  
rare exception, the first car turns out to be a bit of a lemon. How 
can you avoid this?

ISH.31   11-22-86   The Geek (by Cathy Cosgrove) - The science fair 
is coming up. First prize is something you need, but what can you 
do to win that prize? Simple. Build a Geek!

ISH.32    12-1-86   The Wish (by John Arbon) - John returns with a 
second short story for us. Geniis and magic bottles aren't always 
what they seem to be.

ISH.33    12-9-86   Christmas Gifts - Perhaps I should have done up 
a new version for this year? 

ISH.34    12-25-86  1986 In Review - Same as this issue.

_________________________________________________________________
                             1 9 8 7 

Issue     Date      Topic
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ISH.35     1-10-87  Amateur Radio - I took my parents to the airport 
about a week ago. The flight was delayed. Traffic was bad on the road. 
My wife didn't have to worry because I'm a licensed ham. I grabbed 
my HT in the car, accessed the auto-patch and gave her a phone call. 
After I got home I was involved in getting medical help to a crash 
victim in the middle of nowhere. Once this was handled I could've 
picked up the microphone and talked to someone in Florida, France or 
Tibet. The cost? Just the electricity, and the time and effort for 
earning my license.    

ISH.36     1-30-87  Home Video - Part 1  - Camcorders are the newest 
electronic craze. What are they all about? How do you use them? How 
can you make the best purchases?

ISH.37     2-12-87  Home Video - Part 2 - This completes the two 
part series on this subject. 

ISH.38     3-1-87   VTR Maintenance - In a sense, this is a Part 3. 

ISH.39     4-10-87  How to Use Zephyr - Zephyr is a powerful system, 
with many features. Quite often even the experienced user misses much 
of the power. This article will show you all the ins and outs. It's 
a good one to have around as a print-out.

ISH.40     5-26-87  Out-of-Body Experiences (by Steve Jackson) - This 
guest issue deals with astral travel. Does it exist? Or is it little 
more than hallucination?

ISH.41     6-6-87   Odds 'n' Ends (by Chris Mitchell) - Chris tries 
his hand, and very successfully!, at a piece of short fiction. Can a 
stray cat save your life?

ISH.42     7-20-87  Mecham Recall - It's still news. But why? What's 
going on? Why is Arizona making history?

ISH.43     7-29-87  Nicaragua and the Contras - This is still news. 
So is the scam of Iran-gate. Are the Contras freedom fighters? Or a 
group of petty terrorists? Find out by reading this issue.

ISH.44     8-16-87  Sound, Light, Antennas and Relativity - At about 
this time there was a conversation going on the Public board about 
upping the frequency of sound until it became light, and about travel 
in space. I'd given some short answers on the Public board. This is a 
more in-depth treatment of the topic.

ISH.45     8-24-87  A Country Born - America! Often thought of as 
being born on July 4th, 1776, wasn't actually a country until nearly 
12 years later. Our history isn't the simple, watered-down version 
often taught in grade school. It's MUCH more interesting!

ISH.46     9-11-87  Unusual Seeds - There is a group located in 
Tucson called Seed/SEARCH which is dedicated to finding and 
preserving plant strains which are threatened with extinction in 
the name of progress. You can take part in this grand and 
important project. For no more than you would pay for "ordinary" 
seeds, you can grow the same kind of corn or squash or whatever 
that the ancients Hopis grew.

ISH.47     9-20-87  Vegetarianism (by Chris Mitchell) - There is 
an incredible amount of misinformation and misunderstanding as 
concerns vegetarianism. Chris, a vegetarian for many years, knows 
it from the inside. If you want some twisted version of truth, 
fine. If you want the truth from someone who knows, read this 
issue.

ISH.48    10-06-87  A New Force in Physics (by Alan Hamilton) - Just 
this year - a couple of months ago - a new force was discovered. One 
that has yet to be explained in full. One that doesn't even have a 
name as yet.

ISH.49    11-10-87  Run For Freedom - At about the time Columbus 
went out onto the Atlantic, got lost, and ended up in the Americas, 
a family called Romanov took over in Russia. The maintained their 
regime until the beginning of this century. As is so often the case 
with descendent rule, the offspring thought of themselves as better 
than the common person. The common person suffered, then rebelled. 
In 1917 World War I was ending, and the Bolshevik Revolution began. 
One reign of terror was replaced with another, made even worse when 
Lenin died and Stalin took over. The Gruber family was caught in the 
middle. This is a true-life adventure - one that I'm turning into a 
book.

ISH.50    11-27-87  Santa's Little Heroes - Maybe you saw us on 
the news. Jerry Foster was there, as was Mayor Goddard, astronaut 
of Apollo 17 Ron Evans, Ronald McDonald, Santa, etc. The group was 
created and organized by local ham radio operators to help children 
in desperate need. The majority are seriously ill, with that illness 
causing the family to be thrust into poverty to pay the medical 
bills. Nothing left for Christmas. 
   The saddest part, in my opinion, is that of our hundreds of users 
on the board, only 5 were touched, and only 2 made efforts for these 
kids.
   As I write this, I've just come back from the party. The room was 
filled with more than 500 children and parents. I met and helped 
Timmy, a 6-year-old boy who won't be here next Christma. And Chad, a 
5-year-old who carries a life-support system with him and drags hoses 
along behind. And Renee who suffered a respiratory attack when her 
belt pack wore down. And the dozen plus kids who were there only 
because the National Guard had supplied the generators and power stations 
that made it possible to keep their complex life support systems running. 
   At one point Dr. Clay of Worlds of Wonder - creators of Teddy Ruxpin - 
came up and put his arm on my shoulder. "Aren't you glad that Danny is 
well and happy?" At another Ron Evans made the comment on how the 
systems that kept him alive in space and on the moon were temporary for 
him but permanent for some of these children. The 14-year-old who sat 
in the Teddy Ruxpin costume almost passed out from the heat because he 
couldn't bring himself to stop giving out hugs to these kids who so 
much needed it. A fellow ham operator who'd donated his time had to 
sit down after 6 hours of helping the kids because his arthritis was 
making it impossible for him to stand.
   To Jay Tuberville and Neighborhood Pro, my deepest possible thanks! 
To Sue Widemark, Chris Mitchell and Pat Nickels, all of whom go out 
of their way to help the needy in other ways, and all of whom made the 
offer to help, THANKS! To those of you who didn't bother, or who can't 
be bothered . . . . .

ISH.51    12-21-87  Issues Review - You've just read and/or 
captured it.


Until Next Time

   Merry Christmas everyone!
   It's not too late. Do something for someone else. Skip that 
Big Mac and chuck a couple of dollars into the Salvation Army 
bucket. Better, contact Save the Children and give up $20 per month 
to help some child somewhere in the world (you can even pick the 
place!).
   It takes so little. 
   Imagine the effect if each of the 350 users of Zephyr kicked in 
just $1.
   Can't afford $1? No problem. St. Vincent dePaul and other groups 
have desperate need of your time. 
   Don't know how to start? I'll make it even easier. There are 
hundreds of care centers for the elderly, many of whom have been 
virtually abandoned by those who are supposed to love them. Walk in 
to any one of them, Valley-wide, and ask, "Who hasn't been visited 
recently?" Almost certainly they'll give you a list of names. Go on 
in and spend just 1 hour.
   Still too much? Okay. Help someone in need change a tire on the 
road. Or to load a basketload of groceries into the car. 
   Still too much? Then make peace with an "enemy." Or tell someone 
(parents, a friend, whoever) that you love and appreciate them. 
   Still too much? How about giving a smile to a stranger in the 
store who accidentally bumps you? 
   Still too much?
   Merry Christmas anyway.