November
      19,
      1996
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hello
      again!
      As
      prom-
     
     
      ised,
      this
      column
      will
      be
      about
     
     
      news
      groups.
      News
      groups
     
     
      are,in
      my
      opinion
      one
      of
      the
     
     
      most
      interesting
      features
      of
     
     
      the
      Internet.
      Of
      course,
      they
     
     
      are
      also
      one
      of
      the
      most
      ad-
     
     
      dicting
      features
      of
      the
      Net,
     
     
      which
      is
      why
      this
      column
      had
     
     
      to
      wait
      until
      after
      midterms.
     
    

    
     
      What
      are
      news
      groups?
     
     
      A
      news
      group
      is
      sort
      of
      like
      a
     
     
      bulletin
      board
      system,
      where
     
     
      people
      can
      post
      messages
      onto
     
     
      a
      place
      on
      the
      Net,
      and
      every-
     
     
      one
      else
      can
      read
      them,
      and,
      if
     
     
      they
      wish,
      reply
      to
      them.
      In
     
     
      other
      words,
      it
      is
      sort
      of
      like
      a
     
     
      group
      E-mail
      discussion.
     
     
      Thereare
      hundreds
      of
      Internet
     
     
      news
      groups,
      organized
     
     
      around
      various
      topics
      ranging
     
     
      from
      interests
     
     
      (rec.arts.animation,
     
     
      rec.arts.videogames.sega)
      to
     
     
      cultural
      and
      educational
      top-
     
     
      ics
      to
      some
      really
      strange
     
     
      groups
      of
      people
      (alt.angst,
     
     
      alt.
      barney-the-
     
     
      dinosaur.die.die.die).
      In
      other
     
     
      words,
      anything
      that
      interests
     
     
      you
      probably
      has
      a
      news
     
     
      group.
      Or
      two,
      or
      three,
      or
     
     
      even
      a
      dozen
      and
      more.
     
    

    
     
      How
      do
      you
      access
     
     
      news
      groups
      from
      a
      UPEI
      ac-
     
     
      count?
      Well,
      there
      are
      several
     
     
      ways.
      One
      is
      to
      use
      the
      Trum-
     
     
      pet
      Newsreader
      software,
     
     
      which
      you
      will
      find
      on
      all
      the
     
     
      Net-capable
      computers.
      The
     
     
      problem
      is,
      this
      tends
      to
      have
     
     
      bugs
      in
      it
      when
      you
      try
      to
     
     
      "subscribe"
      to
      a
      new
      news
     
     
      group,
      and
      initializing
      (setting
     
     
      it
      up
      to
      work
      on
      your
      account)
     
     
      the
      program
      dumps
      a
      whole
     
     
      lot
      of
      files
      on
      your
      E-mail
     
     
      cache,
      which
      will
      fill
      it
      up
     
     
      quickly.
      A
      better-and
      actually
     
     
      simpler-way
      is
      to
      use
      certain
     
    
   
   
    
     
      inter
      dit
      Tips
      For
      Students
     
    
   
   
    
     
      to
      read
      the
      news
      groups
      of
     
     
      your
      choice.
      The
      two
      best
      ones
     
     
      are
      (http://
     
     
      www.dejanews.com)
      and
     
     
      (http://www.zippo.com).
     
     
      Dejanews
      is
      a
      service
      which
     
     
      hasarchived
      all
      the
      news
      group
     
     
      articles
      for
      an
      immense
      vari-
     
     
      ety
      of
      groups
      since
      1995,
      and
     
     
      is
      updated
      daily.
      You
      can
      use
     
     
      itto
      search
      for
      any
      news
      group
     
     
      articles
      which
      contain
      topics
     
     
      or
      people
      you
      might
      be
      inter-
     
     
      ested
      in.
      Zippo
      is
      aservice
      that
     
     
      allows
      you
      to
      read
      all
      the
      arti-
     
     
      cles
      for
      the
      past
      week
      on
      spe-
     
     
      cific
      news
      groups.
      It
      is
      up-
     
     
      dated
      every
      fifteen
      minutes,
     
     
      and
      you
      can
      actually
      post
      arti-
     
     
      cles
      through
      it
      as
      well
      as
      read-
     
     
      ing
      them.
      Well,
      have
      fun
      on
     
     
      the
      news
      groups,
      as
      I
      am
      going
     
     
      back
      to
      reading
     
     
      rec.arts.anime.misc....
     
    

    
     
      Chris
      can
      be
      reached
      at
     
     
      chmcneil@upei.ca
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OT
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Yes,
      I
      know
      that
      I
      have
     
     
      been
      noticeably
      absent
      for
      the
     
     
      past
      few
      issues
      or
      so.
      Don't
      let
     
     
      that
      bother
      you
      though,
      for
      I
     
     
      am
      back!
      If
      this
      was
      any
      other
     
     
      column,
      I
      would
      go
      into
      what
     
     
      I
      have
      (or
      have
      not)
      been
      do-
     
     
      ing,
      but
      I
      have
      a
      much
      greater
     
     
      purpose
      than
      self-gratification
     
     
      this
      week.
      My
      topic,
      probably
     
     
      one
      of
      the
      most
      talked-about
     
     
      topics
      on
      PEI
      recently,
      is
      the
     
     
      game
      of
      Island
      politics.
     
    

    
     
      News
      flash
      for
      the
     
     
      swamped
      student--
      PEI
      had
      a
     
     
      provincial
      election.
      The
      lim-
     
     
      its
      of
      this
      printed
      medium
      pre-
     
     
      vent
      me
      from
      getting
      any
      more
     
     
      specific
      than
      that,
      lest
      1
      be
     
     
      totally
      off-base
      with
      my
      half-
     
     
      witted
      pundit
      predictions.
      |
     
     
      would,
      however,
      like
      to
      give
     
     
      my
      opinions
      on
      a
      few
      topics
     
     
      relevant
      to
      the
      campaign.
      (For
     
     
      the
      record,
      I
      have
      no
      associa-
     
     
      tion
      with
      any
      existing
      politi-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      etta
      Lett
      Fieta
     
     
      by
      Joel
      Gillespie
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Panther
      Prints
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tné,
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      cal
      party
      running
      in
      this
      pro-
     
     
      vincial
      election.
      I
      have
      not
     
     
      even
      been
      following
      the
      cam-
     
     
      paign
      closely,
      but
      since
      this
     
     
      anything
      buta
      serious
      column,
     
     
      I
      donot
      think
      you
      will
      find
      this
     
     
      to
      be
      anything
      but
      a
      light-
     
     
      hearted
      romp
      through
      the
      past
     
     
      few
      weeks
      of
      Island
      history.)
     
    

    
     
      If
      |
      wanted
      to
      do
      some-
     
     
      thing
      patriotic,
      |
      could
      com-
     
     
      pare
      our
      rather
      subdued
      elec-
     
     
      tion
      campaign
      to
      the
      outland-
     
     
      ish
      circus
      that
      happened
      south
     
     
      of
      the
      border,
      and
      describe
     
     
      how
      our
      quaint
      rural
      democ-
     
     
      racy
      is
      so
      much
      more
      civilised
     
     
      than
      the
      'winner-take-all'
      presi-
     
     
      dential
      campaign.
      However,
      I
     
     
      will
      not
      be
      doing
      that.
     
    

    
     
      I
      could
      shift
      into
      'Gen-
     
     
      eration
      X'
      mode
      and
      say
      some-
     
     
      thing
      to
      the
      effect
      that
      'shuf-
     
     
      fling
      the
      chairs
      on
      the
      deck
      of
     
     
      the
      Titanic
      doesn't
      make
      much
     
     
      sense.’
      As
      much
      as
      I
      agree
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
         
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SPORTS
      FANS
      TO
     
    
   
   
    
     
      SEND
      US
      YOUR
      INTRAMURAL
      SCORES,
      NOTICES,
     
     
      ATHLETE
      PROFILES,
      GAME
      HIGHLIGHTS,
      AND
     
    

    
     
      TEAM
      PHOTOS!
     
    

    
     
      ALSO,
      LET
      US
      KNOW
      ABOUT
      YOUR
      HOME
     
     
      GAMES
      AND
      WE
      WILL
      SEND
      OUT
      A
     
    

    
     
      PHOTOGRAPHER.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      HELP
      US
      GIVE
      UPEI
      SPORTS
      THE
     
     
      ATTENTION
      THEY
      DESERVE.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      with
      that
      statement,
      I
      do
      not
     
     
      think
      I
      can
      base
      a
      whole
      col-
     
     
      umn
      on
      apathy
      and
      the
      de-
     
     
      basement
      ofa
      provincial
      insti-
     
     
      tution.
     
    

    
     
      If
      I
      had
      the
      inkling,
      |
     
     
      could
      go
      on
      a
      paranoid
     
     
      delusional
      rant
      and
      explain
     
     
      how
      the
      province
      is
      not
      actu-
     
     
      ally
      run
      by
      the
      government,
     
     
      and
      weare
      but
      the
      underlinings
     
     
      of
      a
      great,
      omnipotent,
      yet
      se-
     
     
      cret
      society
      that
      controls
      all.
     
     
      (Fjord.)
     
    

    
     
      Actually,
      and
      I
      know
     
    

    
     
      that
      this
      iseven
      more
      perverse
     
     
      than
      any
      idea
      from
      above,
      I
     
     
      would
      like
      to
      thank
      all
      the
     
     
      candidates
      for
      running.
     
     
      ("What?!?!
      How
      can
      you
      thank
     
     
      a
      bunch
      of
      two-faced,
      lying,
     
     
      hypocritical,
      etc..."
      Please,
      be
     
     
      patient.
      Read
      on.)
      Not
      only
     
     
      has
      this
      campaign
      been
      merci-
     
     
      fully
      short,
      but
      also
      rather
      well-
     
     
      behaved.
      No
      noticeable
      nega-
     
     
      tive
      ads,
      no
      real
      fireworks
      at
     
     
      many
      debates,
      not
      much
      at
      all
     
     
      for
      half-baked
      pundits
      like
     
     
      myself
      to
      elaborate
      upon.
      But
     
     
      therein
      lies
      my
      point
      in
      thank-
     
     
      ing
      the
      candidates.
      I
      doubt
     
     
      many
      people
      would
      volunteer
     
     
      to
      be
      the
      topic
      of
      all
      sorts
      of
     
     
      malicious
      rumours
      and
      con-
     
     
      versations
      and
      be
      the
      butt
      of
     
     
      jokes.
      Ittakes
      courage
      toclimb
     
     
      upon
      the
      provincial
      stage
      and
     
     
      sing
      and
      dance
      to
      the
      elector-
     
     
      ate--
      I
      know
      for
      a
      fact
      that
      I
     
     
      could
      never
      do
      it.
      Once
      they
     
     
      are
      elected,
      however,
      another
     
     
      facet
      of
      politics
      comes
      into
     
     
      play.
     
    

    
     
      I
      guess
      the
      main
      point
     
     
      of
      this
      column
      (since
      I
      have
     
     
      learned
      to
      use
      a
      concluding
     
     
      paragraph
      to
      sum
      upthe
      points
     
     
      that
      I
      have
      made)
      is
      that
      apa-
     
     
      thy
      breeds
      apathy.
      Being
      a
     
     
      politician
      is
      probably
      one
      of
     
     
      the
      few
      jobs
      that
      actually
      gives
     
     
      other
      people
      the
      right
      to
      criti-
     
     
      cise
      every
      move
      and
      decision
     
     
      a
      politician
      makes.
      Living
     
     
      under
      a
      microscope
      is
      not
      an
     
     
      easy
      job
      for
      anyone,
      especially
     
     
      not
      forone
      who
      honestly
      thinks
     
     
      he
      or
      she
      is
      doing
      the
      best
      job
     
     
      for
      the
      province.
     
    

    
     
      (There,
      I
      think
      I
      have
     
     
      broken
      every
      possible
      stere-
     
     
      otype
      of
      the
      apathetic
      young
     
    
   
   
    
     
      pages
      on
      the
      World
      Wide
      Web
      ;
      student.
      Except,
      of
      course,
      I
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PPPRF
      ISIS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OP
      rs
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ee
      Se
      ot
      ee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ee
      ee
     
     
      wats