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Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #146

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 29 Mar 2004 14:59:00 EST    Volume 23 : Issue 146

Inside This Issue:                             Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Stern Fans Filing Complaints to FCC Against Oprah (Monty Solomon)
    Shock-Jock Turns Tables; Takes Oft-Complaining Listener (Monty Solomon)
    Sorry -- No a la Carte Cable (Monty Solomon)
    Cable Industry on High Alert in Rush to Legislation (Monty Solomon)
    Customer Disservice (Monty Solomon)
    Policy Post 10.05: Privacy Guidelines Needed Counter-Terror (Solomon)
    GILC Alert v8i2 (Monty Solomon)
    Tensions of Securing Cyberspace: Internet, State Power (Monty Solomon)
    HDTV - Looking at an All-Digital World (Monty Solomon)
    Recordable HD: A Clearer Picture (Monty Solomon)
    Comcast to Beef Up On-Demand Video But Plans no Big Net Phone (Solomon)
    Online Symposium on the National "Do Not Call List" (Monty Solomon)
    Turning Online Privacy Into a Joke (Monty Solomon)
    When the Network Meets the Net (Monty Solomon)
    Black Star: Ghana, Information Technology and Development (M Solomon)
    When You Hear The Heavy Accent & The Poor Connection (Dave Garland)
    Re: GMAC Customers' Data Put At Risk By Laptop Theft (Sammy@nospam.biz)
    Re: Norstar Voicemail Toll Fraud Using 1010 Dial Arounds (Scott Dorsey)

All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the
individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other
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included in the fair use quote.  By using -any name or email address-
included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article
herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the
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               ===========================

Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be
sold or given away without explicit written consent.  Chain letters,
viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome.

We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we
are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because
we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands
against crime.   Geoffrey Welsh

               ===========================

See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details
and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest.  

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

Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 22:23:29 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Stern Fans Filing Complaints to FCC Against Oprah

By: Scott Ross

WASHINGTON - The first step of Howard Stern's call to action against
the FCC crackdown on indecency is underway - the FCC today confirmed
that they have received a number of complaints against the Oprah
Winfrey Show for an episode that defined a number of sexual terms
popular among teenage girls.

After Infinity Broadcasting was fined earlier this month for a Stern
show that aired in 2001, Stern became furious when an episode of Oprah
was rerun last week that contained terms comparable to the terms that
led to Stern's fine and requested that fans complain about Oprah to
the FCC.

http://www.avn.com/index.php?Primary_Navigation=Articles&Action=View_Article&Content_ID=78201

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I always did thing Oprah always tried
to act so goody-goody; once she claimed that 'my guests are nothing 
like the ones Jerry Springer has on his show; mine are so much better.'
Fact is, many of her guests are a bit more sophisticated (many times
Springer's guests are downright ignorant and crude) but her guests
do not act out right there on the stage (as Springer's do) but they
are not any better, IMO, than the people about whom *she* complains.  PAT]

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

Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 22:25:54 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Shock-Jock Turns Tables and Takes Oft-Complaining Listener to Court


By P.J. Huffstutter, Times Staff Writer

CHICAGO - A nationally syndicated radio disc jockey has filed a
$3-million lawsuit against a Chicago listener who repeatedly has
complained about the shock-jock's show to the Federal Communications
Commission.

Erich Muller, who goes by the on-air name "Mancow," claims that David
E. Smith has been trying to harass him by filing more than 60
"spurious" FCC complaints in the last two years.

The complaints were designed to interfere with Muller's business and 
to drive advertisers away from his show, "Mancow's Morning Madhouse," 
according to the suit. Muller broadcasts out of a Chicago radio 
station, WKQX 101.1 FM.

The lawsuit, filed last week in Cook County circuit court, also seeks 
to block Smith and his organization -- Citizens for Community Values 
of Illinois -- from submitting further complaints to the FCC.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-djsuit28mar28,1,2655098.story

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

Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 22:31:37 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Sorry -- No a la Carte Cable


Channel Packaging Is So Much Cheaper, Incredulous Senators Are Told

By Frank Ahrens
Washington Post Staff Writer

In the dream world of some television viewers, they would pay their
cable or satellite companies only for the channels they want. Some
might not pay for MTV, because they don't want their 8-year-olds
watching it. Others would turn down ESPN Classic, because they've
already seen the 1975 World Series. Others would eschew TeleFutura,
because they don't speak Spanish.

Reality is far different.

No U.S. cable or satellite company offers what are called "a la 
carte" plans. In order to get the Discovery Channel from Comcast 
Corp. cable company, for instance, Washington viewers have to pay for 
an "expanded basic" package that includes MTV, FX, MSNBC and 33 other 
channels.

That may change, if some lawmakers and consumer groups get their way, 
as the cable industry finds itself under increasing scrutiny. 
Lawmakers report that their constituents are angry about cable bills 
that have risen at three times the rate of inflation since the 
industry was largely deregulated in 1996. Others want government to 
do something about the rising incidence of profanity and nudity found 
on pay-television systems.

One possible solution being proposed is a la carte cable, a way to 
give consumers more choice over what they watch and how much they pay 
for it. But it's not an answer the cable industry will swallow 
easily, if a Senate Commerce Committee hearing yesterday on cable 
rates is any indication.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A25188-2004Mar25.html

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

Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 22:34:11 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Cable Industry on High Alert in Rush to Legislation


By Andrew Wallenstein

As broadcasters brace for a new era of tightened federal indecency 
regulations, the cable industry is worrying whether it might be next.

Congress is weighing whether to extend its scrutiny of indecent 
programming beyond over-the-air stations to basic cable and satellite 
channels. In addition, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the 
powerful Senate Commerce Committee, raised hackles in the cable biz 
Thursday by suggesting that the industry should be forced to allow 
consumers to assemble their own basic channel packages on an "a la 
carte" basis.

Although seemingly unrelated, the recent hearings on indecency -- 
sparked by Janet Jackson's breast-baring incident during CBS' Super 
Bowl telecast last month -- helped lawmakers dust off McCain's 
long-dormant advocacy of a la carte pricing and the potential 
formation of a family-friendly programming tier.

The double dose has upped anxiety levels among programmers and 
operators who have their lobbyists on high alert on Capitol Hill. 
Although self-regulation is the preferential option even to 
politicians, concern is growing over the combustible nature of 
federal policy in the wake of the Super Bowl incident.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000473849

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

Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 22:38:11 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Customer Disservice


These Days, Consumers May as Well Keep Their Complaint To Themselves

By Caroline E. Mayer
Washington Post Staff Writer

When Mary Culnan's three-year-old Kenmore washing machine broke in 
February, it took three appointments before a Sears repairman showed 
up. Before he even examined the machine, he blamed the problem on 
Culnan, telling her that she had not only used the wrong detergent 
but also the wrong cycle. The permanent press setting, he said, could 
have burned out the machine's contacts. "I have no idea what that 
means," said Culnan, a Boston area professor. The repairman finally 
traced the problem to a defective circuit board, which fixed things 
 -- for a while.

When Scott Rozett bought a family cell phone plan last June, the 
salesman assured him he could make and receive calls in San Francisco 
at no extra charge. But in November, one month after the Idaho 
resident visited the Bay area, he received a $160 bill for roaming 
charges. When he called AT&T Wireless to protest, a customer service 
representative told him the company was not responsible for promises 
made by a salesman.

When an error in Manon Matchett's Sprint PCS bill caused her service 
to be disconnected in December, she spent three days trying to get it 
restored. She called at least twice a day, she says, and each time 
was transferred from one department to another as she tried to get 
credit for payments that had never been posted to her account. She 
talked to at least nine people, but "no one could make a definitive 
decision," said Matchett, an office manager in the District. Nor 
could she ever reach a manager, even in the middle of the day. "I was 
told no managers were available. It was pure hell," Matchett said.

Forget voice-mail hell. As Culnan, Rozett and Matchett have 
discovered, customer service has deteriorated into a new kind of 
purgatory, one in which companies pass the buck, frequently from one 
corporate division to another. Or customer service representatives 
pin the blame on other companies. Or even, worse, they fault their 
customers.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28784-2004Mar27.html

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

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 00:48:34 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Policy Post 10.05: Privacy Guidelines Needed for Counter-terror 


CDT POLICY POST Volume 10, Number 5, February 26, 2004

A Briefing On Public Policy Issues Affecting Civil Liberties Online
from The Center For Democracy and Technology

(1) GAO Echoes CDT Criticisms of CAPPS II; Coalition Calls for Hearings
(2) DHS Privacy Office Issues Report Criticizing JetBlue Disclosure
(3) Privacy Plans for US-VISIT Need Further Attention

http://www.cdt.org/publications/pp_10.05.shtml

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

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 00:51:22 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: GILC Alert v8i2


Welcome to the Global Internet Liberty Campaign Newsletter.

Welcome to GILC Alert, the newsletter of the Global Internet Liberty
Campaign. We are an international organization of groups working for
cyber-liberties, who are determined to preserve civil liberties and
human rights on the Internet.

We hope you find this newsletter interesting, and we very much hope
that you will avail yourselves of the action items in future issues.
If you are a part of an organization that would be interested in
joining GILC, please contact us at <gilc@gilc.org>.  If you are aware
of threats to cyber-liberties that we may not know about, please
contact the GILC members in your country, or contact GILC as a whole.
Please feel free to redistribute this newsletter to appropriate
forums.

===============================================
Free expression
[1] Chinese gov't formally charges Net dissident
[2] Vietnamese Net dissident faces trial
[3] Vote coming on EuroDMCA proposal 
[4] New trade pact may bring DMCA-type laws to Australia
[5] Belarus court fines journalist over Net writings
[6] Iranian Net users continue struggle against gov't censors
[7] File-sharing legal battles spread to Canada, Australia
[8] Canadian ruling poses Net jurisdictional speech issues
[9] DVD copying equipment maker loses initial court battle

Privacy
[10] South Korean wiretapping surges upward 
[11] U.S. Net telephony spy rules controversy still unresolved
[12] U.S. President threatens veto of privacy restoration bills
[13] WebFountain Internet trawling device: TIA-lite?
[14] Major privacy problems found in South Korean websites
[15] U.S. universities suffer online security breaches
[16] Microsoft criticized over slow security patch rollout
[17] MyDoom computer bug hits hard

http://www.gilc.org/alert/alert82.html 

http://www.hrea.org/lists/huridocs-tech/markup/msg01114.html

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

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 02:22:30 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: The Tensions of Securing Cyberspace: the Internet, State Power


The tensions of securing cyberspace: the Internet, state power & the 
National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace

by Michael T. Zimmer

Abstract

The National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace exposes a growing tension
between the nature of the Internet and the regulatory powers of the
traditional nation-state. The National Strategy declares, with all the
strength and authority of the United States government, the desire to
secure a space many consider, by its very nature, chaotic and beyond
the reach any organized or central control. This paper will argue that
both the structural architecture of the Internet and the substantive
values codified within it clash with governmental efforts to "secure
cyberspace."

Contents:

Introduction:

A brief history of the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace.
The architecture of the Internet.
The structural tensions with state power.
The substantive tensions with state power.
Conclusion

http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_3/zimmer/index.html

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

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 10:03:28 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: HDTV - Looking at an All-Digital World


The digital television (DTV) transition is moving into more American
homes via over-the-air broadcasting, cable TV, satellite and other
formats. Nearly 7 million U.S. households have bought digital TV
monitors and other display devices to take advantage of this
opportunity. Another 11 million homes are expected to buy DTV
equipment this year, and the number will grow to about 34 million
households by the end of 2006. To discuss the opportunities and
challenges, Vision spoke with a true DTV pioneer, Peter Fannon, vice
president, technology policy and regulatory affairs,
Panasonic/Matsushita Electric Corp. of America.

http://www.ce.org/publications/vision/2004/marapr/p04.asp

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

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 09:59:10 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Recordable HD: A Clearer Picture


By Phillip Swann

Sam Diaz knows something about technology. After all, he's the 
personal technology reporter for the San Jose Mercury News . However, 
after recently trying to master the seemingly endless number of DVD 
recording formats while helping a cousin record a home movie, Diaz 
wonders about his chosen profession. With look-alike formats such as 
DVD+R and DVD-R, and DVD-RW and DVD+RW, it's enough to make a grown 
man cry. What works on one DVD player may not work on the next.

"The movie turned out great, and being able to pop it into the living
room DVD player to watch it on the TV set-just like a Hollywood motion
picture-made it that much better," Diaz says. "But when he took the
DVD to the grandparents' home and pressed Play on their DVD player,
nothing happened. The older DVD player wouldn't recognize the homemade
DVD."

Of course, technology companies are not deliberately trying to
confound people, despite what some might think. Multiple formats exist
for many legitimate reasons, from feature differences to company
disagreements over what should be the industry standard.

But Diaz is not alone in his frustration. Industry research suggests
that some consumers are not buying new CE products, such as DVD
recorders, because of format confusion. They are afraid that today's
hot product could be obsolete tomorrow. They also fear that the
product might not be compatible with similar machines. For instance,
as Diaz learned, some recordable DVDs will not work with certain DVD
players.

The war over formats-and feature differences-is expected to heat up
during the next year as technology companies launch various products
that permit the recording of high-definition TV (HDTV) programs. From
new DVD formats to hard-drive HD recorders, the industry hopes the new
services will further boost sales of HD sets. For the first time, an
HDTV owner will be able to make a copy of a HD show and play it back
for friends at any time, creating more awareness of the technology.

However, could the explosion of new products and formats add to
consumer confusion, as seen with past technologies, such as the DVD
recorder? With that in mind, here's a look at the future of recordable
HD formats, services and products-and their likely impact on HDTV
sales.

http://www.ce.org/publications/vision/2004/marapr/p20.asp

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

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 10:12:38 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Comcast to Beef Up on-Demand Video But No Big Net Phone Discounts


By Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff, 3/25/2004

Comcast Corp.'s New England customers can expect to see thousands more
hours of "video on demand" programming this year, and cable boxes with
Tivo-like recording features, chief executive Brian L.  Roberts said
yesterday.

But as Comcast prepares to launch a trial offer of 
voice-over-Internet service in Western Massachusetts and Hartford 
that could expand nationally next year, Roberts said, it will 
probably be priced in the $40 to $45 range for unlimited monthly 
service, rather than at a steeper discount to conventional phone 
service.

Some cable companies and independent providers charge as little as 
$20 to $35 for unlimited monthly calls carried over the Internet.

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2004/03/25/comcast_to_beef_up_on_demand_video_but_plans_no_big_net_phone_discounts/

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

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 11:39:26 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Online Symposium on the National "Do Not Call List"


Richmond Journal of Law & Technology
Volume X, Issue 4, Spring-2004

http://law.richmond.edu/jolt/index.asp

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

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 13:07:51 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Turning Online Privacy Into a Joke


By Donald Daly

Online privacy: It is at once both a libertarian's "cause celebre" 
and a thorn in the side of business and government.

Consumers' passions erupt as marketers seek to "leverage" market
intelligence, sometimes questionably gained. Privacy and its attendant
concerns are shaping where dollars are spent -- particularly on the
Internet -- and businesses better sit up and take notice.

In a survey of the adult online population, conducted by The Customer
Respect Group in February 2004, the importance of respectful treatment
of consumers' privacy concerns was underlined by some dramatic
findings. When survey participants were asked how much they care about
a company's privacy policy when invited to enter personal information
to a Web site, 22.4 percent responded that in the absence of a privacy
policy, they would not offer the information. A further 26.6 percent
echoed this sentiment by indicating that if they were unhappy with a
company's privacy policy they would leave the site.

http://news.com.com/2010-1025-5180140.html

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

Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 13:08:02 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: When the Network Meets the Net


TiVo's Mike Ramsay wants to plug viewers into more than cable and
satellite -- and bets his digital video recorder can make the
connection.

By John Battelle, April 2004 Issue

TiVo (TIVO) is under siege. From Hollywood to Madison Avenue, the word
itself is almost a curse. And those who aren't muttering it are
copying it. In the latter camp are most of the cable and satellite
companies, which are mimicking TiVo's groundbreaking digital video
recorder -- the Internet-era successor to the VCR that finds the TV
programming you want, when you want it. Some 830,000 Time Warner
(TWX), Comcast (CMCSK), and other cable subscribers now use cheap DVRs
from Scientific-Atlanta (SFA), which has orders for hundreds of
thousands more.

You'd think all of this would spook CEO Mike Ramsay. But Ramsay, a
veteran of Silicon Graphics, is ready for the fight; he cheerfully
mentions that TiVo has already battled Microsoft (MSFT) and won
(Microsoft canceled UltimateTV, a competing DVR, in 2002). He's
bolstered TiVo's subscriber ranks to 1.3 million with the help of
DirecTV; half of them now come through the satellite-TV company. And
he's suing EchoStar, the other major satellite provider, for patent
infringement.

Ramsay's offensive plan is even more interesting. He's trying to make
friends on Madison Avenue by putting tiny video commercials, similar
to movie trailers, in TiVo's programming guide. (Fox and BMW are among
the advertisers that have tried the new format.) Nielsen is adding
TiVo viewers to its ratings panels. Despite the common wisdom that
TiVo was toast, the little company based in Alviso, Calif., has
thrived: Its stock has soared from a low of $4.50 a year ago to nearly
$12 today.

http://battellemedia.com/archives/000506.php

http://www.business2.com/b2/web/articles/0,17863,599229,00.html

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

Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 11:47:14 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Subject: Black Star: Ghana, Information Tech and Development in Africa


by G. Pascal Zachary

Abstract

Accra, the capital of the West African country of Ghana, is
technologically marginalized by any measure. But over the past ten
years, the introduction of the Internet, wireless technology and freer
radio broadcasts have vastly expanded communications and
information. The Internet is widely available. E-mail usage is
soaring. Wireless telephony is growing rapidly. Radio stations are
proliferating. Once mired in information poverty, the people of Accra,
Ghana now face the challenge of using information and connectivity to
their best advantage. In examining how Accra adapts to technological
change, we gain a better understanding of how people in poor African
cities use technology and what they want from it.  Debates over the
so-called "digital divide" can be enriched by close studies of lived
experience in parts of the world where the revolution in information
technology remains more prospect than reality.

Contents

Preface
Chapter one - To the promised land
Chapter two - Virgin territory, distant shores
Chapter three - The human factor
Chapter four - Revolt of the elites

http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_3/zachary/index.html

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

From: Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com>
Subject: When You Hear The Heavy Accent The Poor  Connection, HANG UP!!!
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 2004 15:11:07 -0600
Organization: Wizard Information


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: We did NOT get the original on this
thread here at telecom.  But it discussed the Nigerian spam phone
calls.  PAT]

It was a dark and stormy night when Victim_Of_Hype@vuvbyjuk.ks.us wrote:

> When You Hear The Heavy Accent & The Poor Phone Connection... HANG UP!!  

Spam.  Though the irony is, if the spammer had just left off the random
text at the end, it would probably have been somewhat on-topic.

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

From: Sammy@nospam.biz
Subject: Re: GMAC Customers' Data Put At Risk By Laptop Theft
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 2004 06:04:13 -0800
Organization: Cox Communications


Monty Solomon wrote:

> By Paul McDougall, InformationWeek

> A division of GMAC Financial Services has been quietly informing about
> 200,000 of its customers that their personal data may have been
> compromised due to the theft of two laptop computers from an
> employee's car at a regional office near Atlanta.

> In a letter to its personal insurance customers, GMAC Insurance
> indicates that "a random theft" of the laptops from a locked vehicle
> may have left them vulnerable to identify theft. The letter --
> obtained by InformationWeek -- indicates that the stolen laptops
> contained customers' names, addresses, dates of birth, Social
> Security numbers, credit scores, marital status, and gender. "For
> incidents like this, government regulatory agencies recommend that
> you place a fraud alert on your credit file," the letter advises
> customers. The letter was dated March 12. The theft took place on
> Jan. 26.

Well, I guess if anyone of those so notified subsequently becomes a
victim of identity theft they will have a deep pocket from which to
seek redress.

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Oh, no! I think if you look at the
terms and conditions for the 'priviledge' of being in debt to GMAC
you'll see one of the conditions you agreed to when you first signed
somewhere on the dotted line was that GMAC did not guarentee you any
privacy at all; that in fact they disclaimed and disavowed any 
responsibility for anything at all.  PAT]

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

From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey)
Subject: Re: Norstar Voicemail Toll Fraud Using 1010 Dial Arounds
Date: 29 Mar 2004 11:33:13 -0500
Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000)


Marc Bequette <ringding@comcast.net> wrote:

> Our vendors all were baffeled -- about 5 diffrent techs tried to stop
> these calls, all of them saying they couldn't tell me how it was being
> done -- they had theories, but when I asked them to show me, they
> couldn't do it.  These techs were Nortel certified.

You need to put a recorder on the line that they are coming in on and
actually listen to what they're doing to the PBX so you have some
notion of what is actually going on.  Once you have an actual record
of a call, you should have no problem identifying the blame.

> I am wondering if anyone with a Norstar ICS system going over a PRI
> (no csu/dsu) out there has heard of this happening, or knows who
> should be held liable for this fraud.  Our Norstar/Voicemail system is
> RENTED, and the vendor denies responsibility, as does the company that
> we PAY to 'maintain and update' the system (maintnance contract
> company).  Our Local/LD carrier claims that we owe them for
> "INTERNATIONAL TERMINATION FEES" from these calls, and since they
> claimed to not be able to block 1010-nnn calls from the CO, they want
> us to pay them, and the worst thing is they want a HUGE amount of
> money just to "terminate" the 1010 calls.

Until you have an actual record of a transaction, you don't know who
is really to blame.

--scott

Sorry I couldn't send you e-mail ... Comcast is blocked at the firewall
here because of the huge volume of open relays in their space.

"C'est un Nagra.  C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

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

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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #146
