NUMBER OF LINES: 999 001=Usr:0 Null User 06/30/87 20:34 Msg:0 Call:0 Lines:19 1$If you are in need of help, you need but ask... 2$************************* INSTALLED: 25 JUN 89 *************************** 3$Welcome to BWMS II (BackWater Message System II) Mike Day System operator 4$************************************************************************** 5$GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS II IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION 6$ PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM. 7$BWMS II was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS II is a privately 8$owned and operated system which is currently open for use by the general 9$public. No restrictions are placed on the use of the system. As the 10$system is privately owned, I retain the right to remove any and all 11$messages which I may find offensive. Because of the limited size of the 12$system, it will be periodically purged of messages (only 999 lines of data 13$can be saved). To leave a message, type 'ENTER'. Use ctrl/C to get out 14$the ENTER mode. The message is automatically stored. If after entering 15$the message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to 16$replace the line. To exit from the system, type 'BYE' then hang up. 17$Type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system. 18$************************************************************************** 19$ 002=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY 06/25/89 23:35 Msg:4033 Call:22098 Lines:2 20 Success is like a fart, only your own smells sweet. 21 ************************************************************************ 003=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 06/25/89 23:47 Msg:4034 Call:22100 Lines:10 22 &*&*&*&*'s 23 I'm at the TOP! 24 25 Ok, now that that is over with. 26 27 I like this disks quote. Not quite the truth, but close enough for life. 28 29 An Astral Dreamer 30 &*&*&*&*'s 31 004=Usr:286 Jeff Marten 06/26/89 01:18 Msg:4035 Call:22104 Lines:13 32 33 {+}{+}{+}{+} 34 35 CLIMB... 36 EVERY... 37 MOUNTAAAAAAIIIINNNN ! 38 39 -+|[ ThingFish ]|+- 40 The Air Sure Is Thin Up Here 41 42 {+}{+}{+}{+} 43 44 005=Usr:287 Ralph Steadman 06/26/89 12:03 Msg:4036 Call:22107 Lines:94 45 696969696969 46 47 I find it an extremely telling comment on the "society" and 48 "culture" in this country that the richest neighborhood in the country has 49 spawned the poorest neighborhood in the country. The rich get richer at the 50 expense of the poor who get poorer. Today's tribute the Republican-run HUD: 51 52 RICHEST SUBURB NEAR CHICAGO:-6/26/89 53 The richest suburb in the nation is Kenilworth, Ill., near Chicago where 54 annual per capita income averages $61,950, reports the June 26 Newsweek. Other 55 rich suburbs and their per capita earnings include: Bloomfield Hills, Mich., 56 $59,830; Hewlett/Woodsburgh, N.Y., $59,300; Ladue, Mo., $55,300; and Missions 57 Hills, Kan., $55,136. 58 POOREST SUBURB NEAR CHICAGO: 59 The poorest suburb in the nation is Ford Heights, Ill., near Chicago, 60 where annual per capita income averages $4,943, reports the June 26 Newsweek. 61 Other poor suburbs and their per capita income include: Cudahy, Calif., 62 $5,170; Bell Gardens, Calif., $5,337; Alorton, Ill., $5,795; East St. Louis, 63 Ill., $5,973; Coachella, Calif., and $6,185; Huntington Park, Calif., $6,298. 64 65 THE RICHEST: $61,950 66 THE POOREST: $ 4,943 67 68 CHINA PURGES PARTY LEADER:-6/26/89 69 In a major push by hard-liners, the head of China's 47 million member 70 Communist Party, General Secretary Zhao Ziyang, was ousted during the weekend 71 for "supporting the turmoil" of pro-democracy demonstrations. Two members of 72 the Standing Committee - the party's most powerful body - also were removed 73 for being moderate. 74 Jiang Zemin replaces Zhao Ziyang as the new head of the Chinese Communist 75 Party. Zemin has preferred economic, rather than political solutions during 76 his career as an engineer and manager. A graduate of Shanghai's Jiaotong 77 University, Jiang, 61, knows several languages. A former mayor of 78 Shanghai,he's in charge of the campaign to cover up the massacre on Tiananmen 79 Square. 80 HONG KONG GRIPPED BY FEAR:-6/26/89 81 In Hong Kong - from fashionable high-rises on "The Peak" to teeming 82 apartments amid industrial districts in Kowloon - there are signs of fear. 83 Students hand out pamphlets urging Hong Kong's 5.7 million citizens to keep up 84 the struggle for democracy - and their free-wheeling capitalist way of life. 85 The reason for fear: The reversion of the colony to Chinese authority on July 86 1, 1997. 87 The turmoil in China has had a dramatic effect on the financial markets of 88 Hong Kong, China's largest trading partner. For two decades, the British 89 colony has funneled foreign investment into China. But all that changed. The 90 demonstrations and the massacre in Beijing will have lasting effects, says 91 Deborah Kuenstner, an investment strategist at Merrill Lynch International 92 Research. 93 94 TOUGHER SPILL LAWS DEMANDED:-6/26/89 95 Pressure will build for Congress to enact tougher laws to prevent oil 96 spills after tanker mishaps this weekend in waters near Rhode Island, Delaware 97 and Texas, experts say. "This will galvanize support," says spill specialist 98 Richard Golob. The 1.5 million gallons spilled is 13 percent of that spilled 99 in the Exxon Valdez disaster. 100 Cleanup crews worked feverishly Sunday on oil spills in Rhode Island, 101 Delaware and Texas while residents worried about its effects in their 102 backyards. The Delaware spill appeared to be the worst - molasses-like blobs 103 threaten wildlife in rivers and wetlands. In Newport, R.I., about 200 National 104 Guard troops, 200 volunteers and 120 state prison inmates fought the oil. 105 Sen. Quentin Burdick, D-N.D., promised Sunday to take up oil-spill 106 legislation once the Senate returns for business on July 10. Among bills 107 introduced since the March 24 Exxon spill: a $1 billion cleanup bill; improved 108 safety guidelines on tankers; and tougher background checks on captains. 109 Rhode Island has filed charges against the operators of a Greek tanker 110 that dumped 420,000 gallons of heating oil into Narragansett Bay. The state 111 says that Ballard Shipping of Athens, Greece, and the tanker captain broke 112 state law by operating a ship too close to shore without a local pilot. A 113 court hearing is set for Wednesday. A federal investigation is also under way. 114 In Delaware, crews Sunday refloated the Uruguayan tanker Presidente Rivera 115 and took it to a dock. The ship spilled 800,000 gallons of oil into the 116 Delaware River Saturday; it held 19 million gallons of refined oil. 117 A tug-driven barge in Texas' Galveston Bay ruptured Friday when it 118 collided with a cargo ship. Most of the oil flowed into a narrow channel, 119 where cleanup crews could easily contain it. Joe Carr, harbormaster of the 120 Houston Yacht Club, says he's seen no wildlife killed. 121 122 Conspiracy or Coincidence? Too much oil's been spilled. 123 124 POLL - CANADIANS DISLIKE YANKS:-6/26/89 125 Twenty-nine percent of Canadians see U.S. citizens as "aggressive, 126 obnoxious, pigheaded snobs," while 43 percent of Americans think of them as 127 "friendly, good neighbors," according to a poll of 2,000 for the Canadian 128 magazine Maclean's, on stands Monday Sixty percent of us think Canada should 129 be a state while 14 percent of Canadians do. 130 131 696969696969696969 132 133 As Lee Atwater, head of the Republican National Committee said: "If we can 134 just spill enough oil, destroy enough wildlife, let enough Chinese students 135 die, maim enough Nicaraguans, sell enough drugs in this country, and let AIDS 136 kill enough of those Liberal Democrats, we could have a Republican majority in 137 the House" 138 006=Usr:219 Friar Mossback 06/26/89 14:52 Msg:4037 Call:22111 Lines:42 139 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 140 141 I have the following items for sale, due to a restructuring of my 142 economy. (We are going to have a daughter.) All items are in good 143 working condition. Call and leave a message at 777-xxxx, or leave 144 a note here. 145 Offers considered. 146 . 147 Hardware - 148 1 IBM 8513 VGA Color Monitor $ 500.00 149 w/Hercules VGA card $ 600.00 150 1 20 MB hardcard $ 150.00 151 1 64K Parallel printer buffer (hardware) $ 30.00 152 1 Compaq portable (early) two drives, 153 10 MB hardcard $ 600.00 154 2 IRMA 3278 emulators. (new) $ 500.00/ea 155 1 Uninterruptible Power Supply (up to AT) $ 150.00 156 (Keep that BBS on line all the time) 157 1 TRS 80 model 600 laptop $ 250.00 158 (Not IBM compatible, but has WP, SS, Modem) 159 . 160 Software - (all legal with original disks and documentation) 161 Diplomacy $ 10.00 162 Gunship $ 15.00 163 Pinball Construction Set $ 5.00 164 Archon $ 5.00 165 Orbiter $ 15.00 166 Arctic Fox $ 5.00 167 Silent Service $ 15.00 168 . 169 Miscellaneous 170 500 foot roll of teflon coated coax. $ ???.?? 171 (sells for .45/foot at norvac) 172 Captains Bed (needs paint) $ 50.00 173 Full size mattress with split foundation $ 75.00 174 Upright Freezer - 15cf $ 100.00 175 . 176 Thank you for your support. 177 Dave Johnsen 178 179 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 180 (Known by another name in this reality.) 007=Usr:340 van perley 06/26/89 15:37 Msg:4038 Call:22113 Lines:2 181 hi........mike day......how are you a doing? 182 008=Usr:465 Gregg Harris 06/26/89 19:23 Msg:4039 Call:22117 Lines:18 183 )(**&)((*&)(&)(*&)((*&)((*&)((*&)(*&)(**&)((*& 184 185 Yo, Milch toast. I will happily participate in the 186 festivities at the appointed spot and time 187 188 (same bat channel, same bat time, same ... ) 189 190 Next sunday be fine. Schwarzenne-G-GER vill there be to 191 do you into little bitty pieces make. :-) 192 193 Ack, some commie mutant tritor has brain washed me. 194 who was it. *Zot* *Fizz* *Pop*. gee, elmer accidentily 195 got in my line of fire:-) 196 197 The Mole 198 199 )*&(*&)(*&)(*&)((*&)((&)((&)(&)(*)((*&)(*(&)(*(&)* 200 009=Usr:333 Bartender Slug 06/27/89 00:05 Msg:4040 Call:22122 Lines:3 201 202 All Purpose Marker #1 203 010=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 06/27/89 01:28 Msg:4041 Call:22126 Lines:3 204 205 FLY! theres a waiter in my soup! 206 011=Usr:332 Night Watcher 06/27/89 21:21 Msg:4042 Call:22139 Lines:1 207 HOW UTTERLY CLEVER! 012=Usr:465 Gregg Harris 06/27/89 21:45 Msg:4043 Call:22141 Lines:4 208 )**&)(*&)(*&)((*&)((*&( 209 :-) 210 )(*(&)(*&)(*(&)(*&)(*& 211 013=Usr:498 Hagbard Celine , 06/27/89 23:29 Msg:4044 Call:22143 Lines:29 212 {} 213 214 ThingFish - you forgot! The OTHER message was: 215 216 WORK HARDER 217 INCREASE PRODUCTION 218 AND, 219 BE HAPPY. 220 221 Interesting to note "their" religion and government and economy 222 interacted as a whole - Prayer Booths give economic messages, 223 the government requires you to be on sedatives to increase 224 your production in a dangerous environment, and the religion helped 225 to distract the masses away from all of this. Then there was the 226 part about how "All of the insides are missing from these people...", 227 which the "Hologram" said to THX. Another "social" point - all 228 of the holograms were black, all of the "outside world" was white. 229 To top it off, the hologram complains about "not being in the 230 real world", so he "left" his station. 231 232 I already have enough hairs standing on end without watching that 233 again - but I admit, I love that movie. 234 235 Makes you wonder about "the real world" ;->) 236 237 Hagbard Celine 238 239 {} 240 014=Usr:333 Bartender Slug 06/27/89 23:41 Msg:4045 Call:22144 Lines:3 241 242 Bartender Slug Lurked Here, June 27, 1989 11:50 pm. 243 015=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 06/28/89 21:01 Msg:4046 Call:22161 Lines:10 244 &*&*&*&*'s 245 246 Hmm, I havn't seen that movie. Sounds worthwhile. 247 248 Has anybody here seen terror vision? Outstanding flick, though the end is a 249 bit dark for my tastes. Also good are Dark Star and night of the Comet. 250 251 An Astral Dreamer 252 &*&*&*&*'s 253 016=Usr:287 Ralph Steadman 06/28/89 21:40 Msg:4047 Call:22164 Lines:100 254 696969696969 255 256 APn 06/26 1989. The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 257 WATERBURY, Vt. (AP) -- Are Oreos politically correct? 258 More than 400 shareholders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc. debated that 259 question and other issues more related to politics than profits at the ice crea 260 maker's annual meeting last weekend. 261 Shareholder Ross Connelly of Hardwick complained that the board of directors 262 of such a socially conscious company shouldn't be "all white and all male." 263 Company co-founder Ben Cohen said efforts were being made to rectify the 264 problem. 265 Shareholder Elizabeth Kmon of Massachusetts questioned the company's use of 266 Nabisco products such as Oreos in some of its ice cream flavors. She said she 267 boycotts Nabisco because the company is owned by a cigarette maker, R.J. 268 Reynolds. 269 Ben & Jerry's officials said they're looking for a substitute for Oreos, but 270 have not yet found another cookie that remains crunchy while submerged in ice 271 cream. 272 273 DELAWARE CLEANUP SLOWS DOWN:-6/28/89 274 Heat hampered Delaware River cleanup efforts Tuesday as huge globs of oil 275 liquefied into a sticky mass. Only 65,000 gallons out of 306,684 gallons 276 spilled Saturday by a tanker have been cleaned up, prompting the state to file 277 a suit against the tanker's operators for the slow cleanup pace. The oil 278 apparently won't mar beaches, officials said, and wildlife suffered minimal 279 damage. 280 281 RHODE ISLAND BEACHES REOPEN: 282 Most Rhode Island beaches will be open for swimming by the upcoming 283 holiday weekend, state officials say. Three days of bright sunlight and warm 284 temperatures have evaporated about 85 percent of the heating oil spilled 285 Friday by the grounding of a Greek tanker. Beaches in Upper Narragansett Bay 286 were reopened Monday. 287 288 INVESTIGATIONS LOOKS AT SPILLS: 289 Federal investigations have begun of weekend oil spills by ships in Rhode 290 Island and Texas. At a hearing Tuesday in Houston, tanker Capt. Michael Gale 291 said he was stopped in the channel when a tugboat towing a barge rammed into 292 him. In Rhode Island, tanker helmsman Konstandinos Paraskevopulos wouldn't 293 talk, citing the Fifth Amendment. 294 DEBATE - OIL-- USA TODAY'S OPINION: 295 Finally the effort to develop new oil-spill technology must be stepped up, 296 at oil industry expense. The federal budget for spill research has been cut 80 297 percent in three years. The people in six states who have had to fight oil 298 spills in a single week are fed up. So are the rest of us. It's time for 299 results. No more promises. 300 PATRICIA NELSON LIMERICK, historian at the University of Colorado: We have 301 made it through eight years of one president smiling and telling us not to 302 worry, and now we face four years with another president whose attention seems 303 focused on the care of puppies and the protection of the American flag, not on 304 oil spills. 305 CHARLES J. DIBONA, president of the American Petroleum Institute: The 306 three oil spills last weekend have intensified calls for legislation to 307 correct the problem. No one can guarantee that all spills can be prevented. A 308 better job can be done, however, and the industry is going forward with its 309 best efforts. 310 ALLEN MURRAY, CEO, Mobil Oil: "Recognizing the extreme difficulties 311 presented by a catastrophic spill ... industry can promise only its very best 312 efforts in responding to such spills." 313 ARTHUR MCKENZIE, director, Tanker Advisory Center, on resistance to using 314 double-hulled tankers: "The oil industry is acting the same way the auto 315 industry did in fighting seat belts." 316 WAKEFIELD, R.I., Fran Gould, 26, restaurant manager: "Companies need to 317 pay more attention to whom they are hiring. A lot of ship captains are not 318 following proper navigation rules. The spill that occurred in our area 319 happened because there was not even a captain directing the ship. We need 320 stiffer penalties ..." 321 PARLIN, N.J., Len Spanjersberg, 66, retired window dresser: "I think we 322 should start using more modern ships to transport oil instead of the pieces of 323 junk we're using now. These old tankers have been around since World War II. 324 That's what is causing so many accidents and spills ..." 325 DELAWARE CLEANUP SLOWS DOWN:-6/28/89 326 Heat hampered Delaware River cleanup efforts Tuesday as huge globs of oil 327 liquefied into a sticky mass. Only 65,000 gallons out of 306,684 gallons 328 spilled Saturday by a tanker have been cleaned up, prompting the state to file 329 a suit against the tanker's operators for the slow cleanup pace. The oil 330 apparently won't mar beaches, officials said, and wildlife suffered minimal 331 damage. 332 Federal investigations have begun of weekend oil spills by ships in Rhode 333 Island and Texas. At a hearing Tuesday in Houston, tanker Capt. Michael Gale 334 said he was stopped in the channel when a tugboat towing a barge rammed into 335 him. In Rhode Island, tanker helmsman Konstandinos Paraskevopulos wouldn't 336 talk, citing the Fifth Amendment. 337 (It's all Greek to me, he said) 338 339 HAIR DRESS A CUT ABOVE-6/28/89 340 When Martha Hayes wants to clean her favorite dress she just shampoos it 341 and gives it a quick blow dry. 342 Because Martha's one-of-a-kind, knee-length, short-sleeve dress is made 343 from human hair. 344 The North Carolina hair-weaver says she spent months sewing the furry 345 fashion -- a process that included stitching hair into wafts that resemble a 346 grass skirt. 347 Then she tacked the wafts onto a size 7 black slip starting with ink-black 348 hair at neck and ending with auburn along the hem. 349 Hayes says most of the lucky ladies who've sported the hairy outfit report 350 feeling more feminine, but others thought it was hot and itchy. 351 Despite mixed reviews, Hayes says she wouldn't part with her precious 352 hairpiece dress for any price. 353 In fact, she considers it a work of art and thinks it should be displayed 017=Usr:287 Ralph Steadman 06/28/89 21:57 Msg:4048 Call:22165 Lines:88 354 in the Smithsonian. 355 356 BOMBS BLOW OUT COLD FUSION-6/28/89 357 It appears that so-called "cold fusion" power is a lot of hot air. 358 But there's a new source of energy that could power cities for decades to 359 come: hydrogen bombs. 360 According to California physicist Ralph Moir (Moyer), exploding nuclear 361 bombs in specially designed caves would eliminate the energy crisis. 362 Here's the idea he outlined in the journal Fusion Technology: 363 First, dig a cave the size of a football field in a mountain. Next, line 364 the cave with steel and fill it with salt droplets. Finally, detonate a 365 hydrogen bomb every 40 minutes. 366 Moir (Moyer) says the explosions will vaporize the salt and produce enough 367 heat to turn a giant turbine on the surface. 368 Moir (Moyer) says detonating about 8,000 bombs per year should run a power 369 plant about the size of today's nuclear reactors.--M.D. 370 PHONER > Ralph Moir (415) 422-9808or contact Donna Schreiber 423-1405 371 372 CHINA UNREST MIGHT SPREAD:-6/28/89 373 The Chinese economy, facing serious troubles aggravated by Beijing's 374 crackdown on dissent, could soon stir a new wave unrest that might extend 375 beyond the cities into the country, according to Western diplomats monitoring 376 the situation in Beijing, Wednesday's Washington Post reports. 377 A 21-year-old student leader, wanted for his role in protests preceding 378 the Tiananmen Square massacre in Beijing, predicted China's leaders would 379 capitulate to the pro-democracy movement. Wu'er Kaixi, who did an interview 380 from Hong Kong on the NBC Nightly News, was last seen in public before troops 381 opened fire on protesters in Beijing June 4. He was smuggled out of the 382 country. 383 384 HUD WOES BLAMED ON COMPUTER:-6/28/89 385 Housing and Urban Development officials are blaming inadequate accounting 386 computer controls as a factor in the agency's management scandal. 387 Investigators are searching for more than $20 million in HUD revenues that 388 might have been misappropriated. The June 26 Government Computer News reports 389 that lax computer recording systems possibly prevented earlier detection of 390 the missing funds. 391 392 BUSH WANTS TO OVERRULE COURT:-6/28/89 393 President Bush denounced flag-burning as "wrong" and vowed to lead the 394 fight for a constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's 395 protection of the act. The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 last week that the First 396 Amendment protected flag-burners. House Speaker Thomas Foley, D-Wash., has 397 suggested new laws rather than a constitutional amendment. 398 President Bush is sailing into perilous waters by taking the lead on a 399 constitutional amendment to ban flag-burning, legal experts say. "Amending the 400 Constitution is tortuous, slow going, and it's difficult to succeed," says 401 University of Virginia law professor A.E. Dick Howard. Though 10,375 402 constitutional amendments have been proposed in Congress, only 26 have passed. 403 404 U.S. REWARDS ARE YOURS-6/28/89 405 Do you want to make a few extra bucks? 406 Just become a stool pigeon for the government. 407 That's the word from the book "Rewards Offered by the United States." 408 It tells how to cash in on zillions of government rewards by being a rat 409 fink. 410 Author Larry Dreyfus says you could make $100,000 by snitching on someone 411 who owes one million bucks in unpaid taxes. 412 But that's chicken feed compared to the reward for squealing on a nuclear 413 weapons smuggler. 414 The government will give you half a million dollars for that tip. 415 Dreyfus says the largest government rewards come from illegal money schemes 416 such as laundering, counterfeiting or drug dealing. 417 The former U.S. Customs Agent even includes a "10 commandments of 418 collecting rewards" in his book.--M.D. 419 PHONER > Larry Dreyfus, Chicago, IL (312) 787-5524 420 421 WADSWORTH, Ill. (AP) -- Zoning officials didn't object to 422 or the shark-filled moat. But they had enough when Jim Onan put a 45-foot statu 423 of a pharoah on his front lawn. 424 The town took him to court under a zoning ordinance that puts a 25-foot limi 425 o structures in residential neighborhoods. 426 The 52-year-old Onan, a construction contractor, decided on a way of getting 427 around the regulation: He's burying the 200-ton statue of Ramses II in gravel u 428 to its knees. 429 Onan says he intends to spend $25,000 to bury all but 25 feet of Ramses II. 430 "I love it because they're making a fool of themselves," Onan said in a 431 telephone interview from his pyramid home Friday. 432 The choice of Ramses II is fitting: He ruled Egypt from 1290 to 1224 B.C., 433 and was known for his ambitious building projects -- much like Onan. 434 Onan completed his 5-story-tall, gold-plated pyramid five years ago near 435 Wadsworth, a town just south of the Wisconsin border. 436 Townspeople haven't exactly rallied to Onan's defense in the statue case. 437 "I don't think there's anyone who had anything good to say about it," said 438 Village President Ed Tomkowiak. 439 440 696969696969696969 441 018=Usr:4 Milchar 06/29/89 23:30 Msg:4049 Call:22190 Lines:9 442 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 443 To all good citizens who have replied: The Computer has not let your 444 loyalty go unnoticed. To further prove yourself in its sensors, 445 however, you must be certain that Mr. GameMaster Sir knows of the 446 scheduled Traitor Roast. Such knowledge is BLUE level, however; after 447 informing Mr. GameMaster Sir of such plans, please report to the 448 nearest Inner Happiness and Termination Center immediately. Thank 449 you for your cooperation. 450 +++++++++++++++++++++ Milch +++++++++++ June 29, 1989 +++++++++++++++ 019=Usr:286 Jeff Marten 06/30/89 01:27 Msg:4050 Call:22193 Lines:31 451 452 453 {+}{+}{+}{+} 454 455 -|-| B A T N O T E S |-|- 456 457 If the Academy Awards really had anything to do with with who 458 actually did some good acting this year...Jack Nicholson would 459 walk away with three, maybe four of those little toads. 460 461 Gotham City was truly a work of art, reminiscent of Los Angeles 462 2017 in BLADERUNNER, which itself was inspired by Fritz Lange's 463 METROPOLIS. 464 465 The Batmobile, charging down the leaf strewn country lane made 466 my bowtie spin...and the Batwing against the full moon blew my 467 argyles off. Brief but satisfying moments of visual rapture. 468 469 The only real disappointment was the Lloyd Cinemas. 470 When I saw INDIANA JONES (and The Last Ark of Doom) at Tigard 471 Cinemas, Mr. THX Dolby Sound was cranked up so loud and full it 472 sucked the air out of your lungs. At Lloyd the sound was so meek 473 the music had no drama, I missed some of the dialogue, and the 474 Surround Sound was a complete loss. THX isn't worth a tinker's 475 damn at polite volume levels. 476 477 ......Who ARE You ?!?!! 478 -+|[ I'm ThingFish ]|+- 479 480 {+}{+}{+}{+} 481 020=Usr:666 james kolbet 06/30/89 09:56 Msg:4051 Call:22197 Lines:10 482 *************** 483 Hey, now wait a minute! I just saw INDIANA JONES at Tigard, and I thought the 484 sound was just fine. Sure, it started out a little loud, and shocking, when 485 they introduced their sound system, but it's a lot better than other cinemas! 486 For those of you who missed me, since I haven't been on since last Feb., I'm 487 back again! Astral Dreamer, HI! (especially since you are the only name I 488 recognized. Ooops! Sorry Hagberd, I didn't mean to forget you!) 489 Anyway, if anyone out there really did miss me, hello again! 490 Kaitlyn 491 *************** 021=Usr:219 Friar Mossback 06/30/89 14:49 Msg:4052 Call:22200 Lines:3 492 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 493 I'm crushed. Apparently Kaitlyn *did* mean to forget me. 494 [][][][][][][][][][][] Friar [][][][][][][][][][][][] 022=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 06/30/89 19:19 Msg:4053 Call:22206 Lines:8 495 &*&*&*&*'s 496 Hello! Good to see you again. life at BWMSII continues. 497 498 Well, not much to say, been up way to long on to little sleep. 499 500 An Astral Dreamer 501 &*&*&*&*'s 502 023=Usr:465 Gregg Harris 07/01/89 01:32 Msg:4054 Call:22217 Lines:6 503 )(**&)((*&&)(*&&)(*&&)(*&)(*&) 504 o Ooo. Lurkin'. Ii am a lurkin'. Yo o, a lurkin'. 505 506 The Mole 507 )(*&)((*&&)((&&)((**&)((*&)((*&)((*& 508 024=Usr:4 Milchar 07/01/89 17:42 Msg:4055 Call:22225 Lines:9 509 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 510 And why do lurkers lurk? And when they lurk, why do they post messages 511 saying they lurk? If a message left by someone calling themselves a 512 lurker says nothing but "I am lurking", are they still lurking? Haven't 513 they entered something? Granted, the content of such communication is 514 very low, but it still expresses an idea of sorts. And do messages about 515 lurking count as lurking, or perhaps psych credit at college? Will my 516 future thesis be, "The LifeStyle and Habits of Modern Lurkers"? Stay tuned. 517 +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milchar +++++++++++++++++ 890701.1755 ++++++++ 025=Usr:465 Gregg Harris 07/01/89 18:35 Msg:4056 Call:22228 Lines:5 518 )(*(*&)(*(*&)((**)((**&&)((**&&)(**&)((*&)(*)(*&)((*&* 519 *Thought of Writing about Lurking* 520 The Mole 521 )(*&)(*&)((**&()*&)((*&&)((*&&)((*&)((*&(()*&)(*&)((*& 522 026=Usr:286 Jeff Marten 07/01/89 19:49 Msg:4057 Call:22233 Lines:20 523 524 525 {+}{+}{+}{+} 526 527 Just for the record..... 528 529 When I said the Tigard Cinemas ran their THX Audio at volume 530 levels that would "suck the air out of your lungs" 531 I meant it as a supreme compliment. I only wish more theaters 532 would let 'er rip like that. 533 534 For $5.50 per ticket...I want to FEEL that movie in my BONES. 535 536 -+|[ ThingFish ]|+- 537 He Bangin' On Dem Bongos Like A Chimpanzee 538 539 540 {+}{+}{+}{+} 541 542 027=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/01/89 21:58 Msg:4058 Call:22237 Lines:8 543 &*&*&*&*'s 544 545 Saw Earth Girls are easy today. Great movie. Especialy if you go during the 546 cheap time. I'd give it 3.5 stars out of 4. 547 548 An Astral Dreamer 549 &*&*&*&*'s 550 028=Usr:33 Mike Stanfill 07/01/89 23:12 Msg:4059 Call:22238 Lines:17 551 /*/*/*/*/*/*/* 552 553 I have no idea why i'm posting this, just something that 554 stuck in my head this week... 555 556 "They've got the Red Book, they've got the New Look, 557 little people like they're living in China 558 They've got the answers to all the questions, 559 little people like they're living in China 560 The solution is revolution <--- hmmm 561 Oh, little people like they're living in China 562 They've got ping pong, egg foo yung, 563 oh, little people like they're living in China" _ 564 - Men w/o Hats, "Living In China" /#) 565 n n n (#/ 566 mostly just a swoblurk / ~~~ ~~~ \/ 567 lurklurklurklurklurklurklurklurklurklurklurklurklurklurk/___/____\__\ 029=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY 07/02/89 14:05 Msg:4060 Call:22243 Lines:6 568 I'm a lurker. He's a lurker. She's a lurker. 569 Wouldn't you like to be a lurker too? 570 Be a lurker... Just a lurking. 571 Be a lurker... Just a lurking. 572 Wouldn't you like to be a lurker too? 573 10-2-6-10-2-6-10-2-6-10-2-6-10-2-6-10-2-6-10-2-6-10-2-6-10-2-6-10-2-6 030=Usr:53 prince dragon 07/02/89 22:52 Msg:4061 Call:22262 Lines:6 574 .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.prince dragon 575 fire mode ON 576 i do not call this bbs to read a lot of B.S. i can get off USENET(tm) 577 i call to see lurkers writeing all kines of good thingys 578 .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-no news on BWMSII.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-. 579 031=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/03/89 00:39 Msg:4062 Call:22265 Lines:10 580 &*&*&*&*'s 581 I like the news. I don't have time to read all the news groups, and it's 582 great to me that somebody takes the time to collect interesting stuff. 583 (Whatever the source may be.) 584 585 So I say, keep it up! 586 587 An Astral Dreamer 588 &*&*&*&*'s 589 032=Usr:286 Jeff Marten 07/03/89 04:35 Msg:4063 Call:22269 Lines:18 590 591 {+}{+}{+}{+} 592 593 { ahem..... 594 595 696969696969 596 and A.D. 597 have an admiration society 598 69 is the man 599 A.D. is the fan 600 and forever they post 601 ever so happily 602 603 -+|[ ThingFish ]|+- 604 Forgive Me, I've Been Hearing Those Damn Voices{Again 605 606 {+}{+}{+}{+} 607 033=Usr:4 Milchar 07/03/89 08:36 Msg:4064 Call:22271 Lines:10 608 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 609 Voices? You mean like those voices in my head that tell me to get a 610 high-powered laser rifle and blast those bits of tree branch that 611 block my window? Are they male, female, both, or neither? Do they 612 whisper to you about the future? Can you understand them at all? 613 Or are these more like the voices that tell you to go out and dive 614 into a swimming pool filled with lime jello so as to improve Earth's 615 chances of being accepted into the InterGalactic League? I just 616 wanna know about these guys you hear! 617 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milch +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 034=Usr:33 Mike Stanfill 07/03/89 17:08 Msg:4065 Call:22277 Lines:14 618@rz 619 620 /*/*/*/*/*/*/* 621 Posts like these make me believe more and more than insanity is 622 contagious. 623 624 "Sometimes, when I drive across the desert in the middle of the night, 625 with no other cars around, I start imagining: "What if there were no 626 civilization out there? No cities, no factories, no people?" And 627 then I think, "Then who made this car? And this highway?" And I get _ 628 so confused I have to stick my face out the window /#) 629 into the driving rain." -Jack Handey n n n (#/ 630 / ~~~ ~~~ \/ 631 /*/*/*/*/*/*/* -swob (a Self-Willed Orange Blancmange) /___/____\__\ 035=Usr:4 Milchar 07/03/89 22:19 Msg:4066 Call:22282 Lines:14 632 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 633 swob: *PLEASE* don't do that! It sends terminal programs with Auto 634 Download into a frenzy. It will still work, but there is a LOOONG 635 pause while my terminal program figures out what is going on. I got 636 rid of it. (I could turn off ADL, but the work involved isn't worth it). 637 Of course, I could just put my terminal into dumb mode, which means no 638 interpretation of anything but CR/LF, but then I couldn't use all those 639 fancy ANSI escape sequences. Some time ago a few Inngoers tried to find 640 a control character that could be inserted into text 641 just like this, to delay words. We couldn't 642 find one that didn't mess up someone's terminal, somewhere. 643 Enough, I think. "Where do you get those wonderful quotes?" to badly 644 quote someone else. :-) 645 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milch +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 036=Usr:196 Cheryl Singer 07/04/89 01:28 Msg:4067 Call:22285 Lines:8 646 This board is getting too weird for words...its awfully small to be posting 647 news articles, isn't it? Better to go to Agora or someplace for that. 648 What has always been the best part of this board is the intelligent 649 conversation -- not just "lurking" or copying articles. So, what do 650 people THINK about the current events like cold fusion and Chinese 651 politics and Exxon? 652 653 ***Cassandra*** 037=Usr:131 THE VISION 07/04/89 01:49 Msg:4068 Call:22286 Lines:20 654 _________________________________T_H_E__V_I_S_I_O_N_______________________ 655 656 Well, Cassandra, it's kinda late for me to be thinking about anything. 657 I don't really keep up on all the current political events anyway. I know 658 about the Exxon "event" but not all the major details. I figure that I 659 can't do much about it or anything else so why worry? So I just don't even 660 try to think about all the problems and enjoy life. I suppose I should 661 though since I am only 16. It's kinda late so goodnight for now. Hey AD! 662 How's it going pal? Haven't talked w/you for a long time!! How's life? 663 Well--I will be back tomorrow (gasp) to see what's going on on this truly 664 live and bitchin board... It's the first one I called in my (perhaps brief) 665 return to modeming... 666 _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_ 667 668 __T_H_E__V_I_S_I_O_N__ 669 670 2:08pm 02 7/4/89 671 672 Happy Fouth everyone!!!!! 673 038=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/04/89 13:54 Msg:4069 Call:22294 Lines:13 674 &*&*&*&*'s 675 Things are looking up for me, now all I have to do is find some place to move 676 by friday... 677 678 About exxon et al, I tend to keep my politics on other boards, as the group 679 here at BW is rather small, and I find them much more interesting to talk too, 680 rather then debate. 681 682 Bring back the News! 683 684 An Astral Dreamer 685 &*&*&*&*'s (Gee, I guess the News thing is a debate!) 686 039=Usr:343 black art 07/04/89 16:14 Msg:4070 Call:22298 Lines:7 687 The normal state of mind is not "normal". As for downloaded news, I do not 688 mind as long as it is not the standard info/garbage from the snoregonian. 689 (And they do not take up too much space.) One person's intelegent conversation 690 is anothers raving. pay attention, cassandra, you might learn something. 691 (Then again, you might not...) 692 ** Black Art ** 693 040=Usr:4 Milchar 07/04/89 22:53 Msg:4071 Call:22305 Lines:16 694 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 695 #include 696 Cold fusion: Last time I looked, it seems that low temperature fusion 697 is a reality. It isn't something that can be done by a beginning 698 chemistry student, as once was thought (the conductors must be flushed 699 of any hydrogen contamination, and *KEPT* that way during the process, 700 which means continuously flushing the gases emitted with argon). What 701 it might be used for and how is still very much up in the air. 702 Exxon: I tend to feel that cleaning efforts should begin as soon as 703 word of the spill reaches management, and DA*N the cost. I like a 704 tidy planet, don't you? 705 China: I haven't heard anything about this recently. The dead count 706 keeps changing apparently at random. Anyone heard anything more 707 recent? 708 >>> This set of random ravings brought to you by: 709 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milchar +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 041=Usr:131 THE VISION 07/04/89 23:13 Msg:4072 Call:22306 Lines:16 710 _________________________________T_X_E__V_I_S_I_O_N________________________ 711 712 Why do you have to move by Friday AD? Where you staying closing down, 713 or someone kick you out... (haha) Seen "Batman" yet? It was hyped major 714 715 and was only fair. I personally thought keeping up with the Indiana 716 Joneses was more fun (but that's just one man's opinion). That's my 717 1/2 peso for this evening... later all (anyone burn their hand off doing 718 fireworks??... or was it just me??) hahah 719 720 _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*O*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_ 721 722 __T_H_E__V_I_S_I_O_N__ 723 724 11:31pm 32 7/4/89 725 042=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/05/89 19:21 Msg:4073 Call:22316 Lines:10 726 &*&*&*&*'s 727 Well, I told the people around here that I'd be moving out today, but I havn't 728 found anyplace to move to. I have offers from a couple of friends, but 729 I'd like to find someplace of my own if at all possible. 7300 731 Tommorow is D day. Wish me luck! 732 733 An Astral Dreamer 734 &*&*&*&*'s 735 043=Usr:465 Gregg Harris 07/05/89 21:35 Msg:4074 Call:22320 Lines:2 736 This is a blank line. 737 The Mole 044=Usr:53 prince dragon 07/05/89 22:18 Msg:4075 Call:22321 Lines:3 738 .-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-.-=-. 739 #############################################################poof 740 .-=-.-=-.-=-.etc... 045=Usr:286 Jeff Marten 07/06/89 03:46 Msg:4076 Call:22329 Lines:19 741 74" 743 {+}{+}{+}{+} 744 745 Time now for CHURCH CHAT 746 With Your Host...The Church Lady 747 748 Today on CHURCH CHAT we'll be discussing the so called 749 "New Age Music" phenomenon that's sweeping the country. 750 Is it harmless, pastoral meditation music... 751 or a slow dance with The Beast-Master ? 752 You be the judge. 753 754 -+|[ ThingFish ]|+- 755 Isn't That Spatial 756 757 758 {+}{+}{+}{+} 759 046=Usr:428 Mercury X 07/06/89 08:31 Msg:4077 Call:22334 Lines:6 760 ((((((((((((((())))))))))))))))))))) 761 On lurking... 762 763 Can anybody lurk? If n, who c an't? Why? Is lurking merely psychological or 764 is it physical also? Why lurk in the first place? 765 ((((((((((((((Mercury))))))))))))))) 047=Usr:131 THE VISION 07/06/89 18:19 Msg:4078 Call:22338 Lines:11 766 _______T_H_E__V_I_S_I_O_N________ 767 Good luck, AD!! Let me know what 768 happens. I hope you don't end up 769 on the street bud! that would 770 suck royal. mercury, I sometimes 771 lurk when I have nothing to say, 772 just to see what has been going 773 on but having nothing to contribute. 774 This is often for me. LAterAD! 775 _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*__ 776 048=Usr:84 Michael Miller j 07/06/89 18:33 Msg:4079 Call:22339 Lines:19 777 &*&*&*&*'s 778 One YEAR! (OK, so it ain't dhat long compared to some people.) Today is the 779 first anniversary of my arival at BWMSII. 781 782 Ok, Thats done with. 783 784 Vision, I won't be living on the streets, a friend has offered me a loan on 785 his living room. Being a former college student means I don't have much 786 stuff either, so I should be able to just about fit. :-) 787 788 I still need to find somthing more permanent, and with any luck I'll be 789 making a bit more money this month. Things in general are looking up. 790 791 Enough blathering, I'm Outta here! 792 793 An Astral Dreamer 794 &*&*&*&*'s 795 049=Usr:333 Bartender Slug 07/06/89 22:15 Msg:4080 Call:22343 Lines:3 796 797 Baby call my line, call me anytime. 798 050=Usr:131 THE VISION 07/07/89 00:58 Msg:4081 Call:22349 Lines:16 799 ______________T_H_E__V_I_S_I_O_N________________ 800 A pretty nice friend to offer you space, AD. 801 Hope it works out good for you. Where you work 802 now? (if you want to say). I might start working 803 at Baskin Robbins near our house but I don't know. 804 I do need to get a job though. So far this summer 805 I haven't done anything but see, make, and talk about 806 movies. WEll, that is it for now. Later ADreamer, 807 my good friend, and good night (it's 1:16am!!!). 808 _*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*__ 809 810 811 Ba ba ba bab babab baby... don't forget my number 812 i've been searchin high high high i've been searching low low low 813 bababba ba ba ba b ab a ba b ab b baby 814 051=Usr:131 THE VISION 07/07/89 15:44 Msg:4082 Call:22361 Lines:4 815 816 LURKING 817 NOTHING GOING ON HERE TODAY 818 052=Usr:287 Ralph Steadman 07/07/89 15:50 Msg:4083 Call:22362 Lines:80 819 696969696969 820 The key is to learn which is "news" and which is fantasy. 821 822 (June 25,1989) 823 10 of the Most Overplayed Records and Artists 824 825 I've got to get this off my chest. There are a number of records and 826 artists that are constantly overplayed on radio stations of almost every format 827 Many of these records may have been considered good or significant at one time, 828 but the subsequent exposure suggests that Peter Finch's actions in the movie 829 "Network" are relevant here (when he yells out the window that "I'm mad as hell 830 and not going to take it anymore"). In no particular order, here are my choice 831 for the 10 records or artists that are heard far too much. 832 833 1. The Way It Is - Bruce Hornsby & The Range. Disc Jockeys have always bee 834 soft touches for records that allegedly "say something". And with references t 835 civil rights, war and all the other horrors of the last 30 years, this record 836 makes a statement. But come on guys, enough is enough. The background music i 837 droning, and Hornsby's vocals are unspectacular. 838 839 2. The Boxer & Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon and Garfunkel. This is 840 tie between the two worst records of their career. Both songs are extremely 841 overlong, dull and really, make little sense. Never mind the Grammy Awards, if 842 you want to avoid a tedious 5 plus minutes of nothingness, turn your dial. 843 844 3. Hey Jude - The Beatles. With all the great music the "Fab Four" gave us 845 I have never understood how this annoyingly repetitious song was their all-time 846 biggest hit. For a refreshing diversion, try Wilson Pickett's soulful 1969 847 version of "Hey Jude". 848 849 4. Nights In White Satin - Moody Blues. I can handle the shorter 1972 850 single version of this, but forget the long "Days of Future Passed" album 851 version or anything else in that set. Despite the raves of critics, the Moody 852 Blues have not had a good record since their early releases of "Go Now" and 853 "Stop" in the middle sixties. 854 855 5. American Pie - Don McLean. I immediately reach for the Maalox when thos 856 immortal words "A long long time ago" come on the radio. This is a record mean 857 to be played about once a year, similar to looking at an old photo album, 858 perhaps to reflect on the past. 859 860 6. Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby Stills and Nash. Yes, this was a great 861 album when released in 1969, when these three superstars were brought together, 862 but the opening track has suffered from 20 years of overexposure. 863 864 7. Crimson and Clover - Tommy James & The Shondells. And let's give 865 honorable mention to "Crystal Blue Persuasion". None of the Tommy James record 866 will find their way into the Smithsonian, or even the Rock and Roll 867 Hall-Of-Fame, but how about a little "Say I Am" or "Mirage" once in a while? 868 869 8. My Sweet Lord - George Harrison. If you apply the descriptions of one t 870 seven above, they are all apropos here. Ditto the "All Things Must Pass" album, 871 a~ unimpressive three record collection of "My Sweet Lord" type songs. 872 873 9. Almost any song by Credence Clearwater Revival, Doobie Brothers or 874 Steely Dan. I loved these groups when they hit the pop scene (I still have the 875 first two Steely Dan albums) but these groups are played in disproportion to 876 their influence or significance. Oddly, Steely Dan's best record "FM (No Stati 877 At All)" is rarely heard. 878 879 10. Judy In Disguise - John Fred & His Playboy Band. How this record got 880 to Number 1 in early 1968 was a mystery then. Why it is constantly played on 881 oldie stations, especially in either poor or non-existent stereo is a enigma 882 now. Along with "Disco Duck" by Rick Dees in 1976, and "Dominique" by the 883 Singing Nun (1963), this is probably the worst record to hit the top of the 884 charts in the entire rock era. 885 886 Also worthy of being included on this list are the following: "La Bamba" b 887 Richie Valens; anything by Harry Chq`in; "Get Together" by the Youngbloods; the 888 long version of "Time Has Come Today" by the Chambers Brothers; "Lola" from the 889 Kinks; "You Made Me So Very Happy by Blood, Sweat and Tears; and virtually all 890 1960's records of the Beach Boys and the Supremes. 891 892 Although no one can throw rotten tomatoes at me through the computer 893 screen, I await your outrage and criticisms. Many of us are accustomed to 894 blindly accepting the gospel of the critics and music is no exception. But if 895 you think about it, I just may be right.- Ira Bruce Simmons 896 897 696969696969696969 898 053=Usr:428 Mercury X 07/07/89 18:52 Msg:4084 Call:22368 Lines:9 899 (((((((((((((((((((((((((((((()))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 900 901 902 The Vision...Thanks. 903 904 --(What is this? It appears on my screen for no reason!) 905 I shall lurk... 906 lurklurklulurklurklurklurk... 907 (((((((((((((((((((((((((Mercury)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))) 054=Usr:219 Friar Mossback 07/07/89 20:29 Msg:4085 Call:22372 Lines:11 908 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 909 Well, I agree on most of them, but you left out a few. 910 Anything at all by Willie Nelson should not be played to sober people. 911 Anything at all by Julio Iglesias should be thrown out. 912 I think we can do without "The Mamas and the Papas" for the most part. 913 914 On a more important note, they should stop turning good music into 915 commercial jingles or, much worse, elevator music! 916 [][][][][][][][][][][][] Friar [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][] 917 PS. I rather like Harry Chapin, but in small doses at infrequent intervals. 918 [][][][][][] F. 055=Usr:287 Ralph Steadman 07/07/89 20:43 Msg:4086 Call:22373 Lines:81 919 696969696969 920 1,400 DIE IN GUN ACCIDENTS:-7/7/89 921 The National Safety Council said this week that about 1,400 people died 922 from accidental firearm injuries in 1988. According to National Rifle 923 Association statistics, there are between 180 million and 200 million guns in 924 the United States, owned by 70 million Americans. The NRA estimates that half 925 the households in the United States contain a firearm. 926 NRA CREDITS SAFETY EDUCATION:-7/7/89 927 Accidental firearms fatalities have declined almost 52 percent during the 928 last 20 years, say National Safety Council statistics for 1987. The National 929 Rifle Association says that during the same period, the number of NRA 930 certified firearms instructors and individuals enrolled in NRA gun safety 931 courses has increased to more than 26,000 teachers and about 750,000 students 932 annually. 933 1,400 DIE IN GUN ACCIDENTS:-7/7/89 934 The National Safety Council said this week that about 1,400 people died 935 from accidental firearm injuries in01988. According to National Rifle 936 Association statistics, there are between 180 million and 200 million guns in 937 the United States, owned by 70 million Americans. The NRA estimates that half 938 the households in the United States contain a firearm. 939 940 Computer firms suffer July 7-9, 1989 Source: USA TODAY/G 941 ion Network 942 After two years of firecracker growth, the U.S. competer industry is 943 starting to fizzle. A computer sales slowdown, expected and dreaded for nearly 944 a year, is here. Nobody is saying that conditions are anywhere as dismal as 945 they were in the industry slump of 1985-86. However, experts predict that the 946 computer slowdown will get worse before it gets better. 947 HOW BAD IS BUSINESS? 948 Companies can expect losses and layoffs during the next six months to a 949 year. In recent weeks more than a dozen high-flyers have stunned the 950 investment community with news that sales and earnings will be lower than 951 expected, including Apple Computer Inc., Digital Equipment Corp. and Hewlett- 952 Packard Co. 953 ARE OTHER COMPUTER COMPANIES SUFFERING? 954 Worse yet, others - such as computer software maker Ashton-Tate Corp., 955 workstation company Sun Microsystems Inc., and minicomputer makers Wang 956 Laboratories Inc. - say they could report a loss. Last week Amdahl Corp. said 957 its quarterly net income would be down 25 percent, its first quarterly decline 958 in three years. 959 WHY ARE QUARTERLY PROFITS DOWN? 960 LSI Logic Corp. says it too will have lower quarterly profits because 961 computer customers are delaying orders of its computer chips. The latter news 962 hit hard, prompting investment banking house Kidder Peabody to slash earnings 963 estimates on a rash of chip makers. Those that aren't dead are badly wounded, 964 says Richard Shaffer, editor of the Computer Letter. 965 ARE THERE OTHER INDICATIONS OF A SLOWDOWN? 966 Two precursors to the 1985-86 slump have surfaced again: Unused computer 967 chips are stacking up, lowering orders for the March through April period. 968 And, electronics employment in Silicon Valley, the nation's technology 969 heartland, has edged downward for four consecutive months, a first since the 970 fall of 1986. 971 HOW ARE CUSTOMERS REACTING? 972 Perhaps the most distressing element of this slowdown is the reason given 973 by most experts: customer confusion - which also was the culprit in the 974 disastrous technology recession of 1985-86. Customers are baffled by the mad 975 jockeying of firms as each pushes its own computer design to be the most 976 widely accepted - the de facto standard. 977 WHAT ARE OTHER REASONS FOR THE INDUSTRY'S CURRENT STATE? 978 Other reasons for the slowdown: the onslaught of truly powerful PCs has 979 many questioning the need for mini computers and other big smart boxes. And, 980 long delays in getting announced products to market is putting off buyers. 981 WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM? 982 The industry is making the same mistake it made in 1983, says Fred 983 Gibbons, chairperson of Software Publishing Corp. There are too many options. 984 There are 20 different standards. The industry is forgetting who the customers 985 are and giving them overblown, overkill products. Customer confusion is more 986 than a glitch, it's a problem, he says. 987 WHY ARE TOO MANY CHOICES A PROBLEM? 988 In the past year, buyers have been besieged by a multitude of choices. 989 Worse yet, there has been a rash of rhetoric about how all of them will 990 survive in the market. The reason is that some computer designs use radically 991 different software that cannot always be interchanged. It would be like trying 992 to run a VHS video cassette tape in a Beta VCR. 993 COULDN'T IT BE MADE TO WORK? 994 It just wouldn't work. This isn't new in the industry, but it's gettinw 9)5 wildly complicated as new computer designs hit the market. Instead of two main 996 designs of a couple years ago - by IBM Corp. and Apple Computer Inc. - there 997 are now seven possibilities. If one adds in smaller players, such as Atari 998 Corp. and Commodore International Inc., it rises to nine. 999 696969696969696969