Jul.21,1990 Atari SIG Mini-Expo & C.O.W.
From: Atari SIG (xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 07/21/90-12:36:35 AM Z
From: xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Atari SIG)
Subject: Jul.21,1990 Atari SIG Mini-Expo & C.O.W.
Date: Sat Jul 21 00:36:35 1990
On Saturday, July 21st, 1990, the Atari SIGOps announced:
The Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIGOps are pleased to announce
the first Atari SIG Mini-Expo. YOU are needed to make it a success.
Information on the event has been published in Z*Net Online Magazine
as well as information on the Children of War Campaign.
If you would like to help out, bring your system, and/or just
would like more information then please respond to this posting.
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Z*Net Atari Online Magazine
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July 20, 1990 Volume 5 No. 29 Issue: 529
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(c=) 1990 by Rovac Industries, PO Box 59, Middlesex, New Jersey 08846
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BBS 201-968-8148 * CIS 71777,2140 * Cleveland Free-Net * GEnie Z-NET
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Staff: Ron Kovacs, John Nagy, Alice Amore, Jon Clarke, Bruce Hansford,
Robert Ford, Mark Quinn, John King Tarpinian, Bruce Kennedy, Eric Gove,
Terry Schreiber and Michael Shutz - German Newswire Editor
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************** A T A R I ***************
************** MINI ***************
************** EXPOSITION ***************
Atari Mini-expo at The Slavic Village Harvest Festival
Sponsored by: The Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG & friends
The first and largest Cleveland public Atari computer and Lynx
demonstration will be held at the 13th Annual Slavic Village Harvest
Festival sponsored by the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG and local
bulletin boards.
The Festival is located on the near East side of Cleveland and is easily
accessible through the I-77 freeway. Instead of expensive outdoor
booths to demonstrate Atari products, the Atari SIG has reserved a store
in the center of the Festival at 5900 Fleet Avenue. About 100,000
people are expected to attend the festival leaving at least a few
hundred to attend the Atari SIG's demonstration.
The demonstration of Atari computers, Lynx and products will be held at
the exact time of the festival. On Saturday, August 18th, the Festival
will be from 4PM to Midnight. On Sunday, August 19th, the Festival will
be from Noon to 9PM.
What will be going on at this demonstration?
The main event will be the display of Atari 8-bit, ST computers and
Portfolio by users to the public. The main idea behind this
demonstration is that we can let people know that Atari is still in
business, they make some pretty nice computers, and that Atari isn't
just a game company. We are taking the main ideas behind what the
Revolution was all about and we are going through with them. It is
word-of-mouth advertising at its prime.
The second event will be the demonstration of Lynx video game systems.
Yes, we know that the Lynx isn't a computer system but it is an Atari
product and if it succeeds in the U.S. then there is more money for
Atari to spend on pushing its computers. At the store, we plan on
inviting any Lynx owner that wants to play multi-player games. They
will not only be having fun but they will also be convincing people to
become Atari Lynx owners.
The last event will be the collection of donated 8-bit computers to the
Children of War campaign. The Children of War campaign has been started
by a woman by the name of Joyce Brabner. (Editor Note: An article
written by Joyce is included in this issue). Her hope is to have 8-bit
computer systems donated that are no longer being used to victims of
crisis.
These people would then access a special computer network by the name of
Peace*Net in order to talk to family and friends across the world that
have been separated and cannot afford to talk or write to each other in
any other way. More information is available on the Cleveland Free-Net
Atari SIG and an article will also be published in the next Atari SIG's
Newsletter so watch for it.
Who is invited to this demonstration? Everyone. However, if you want
to Lynx up your games, bring your computer to demo software or products,
or become a vendor at this event, please write us before doing so and
tell us all the necessary information such as what you plan on bringing
and at what time you plan on appearing. Vendors should be aware that we
are limited in space since the store is only as big as a Radio Shack so
contact us as soon as you can. Also remember that your main customers
(even though there will be a lot of Atari users attending) will be the
public who does not know much about Atari so you may want to bring
products that can be sold and used right away - possibly Atari computers
or Lynx systems.
Of course this will not be a major Atari expo such as World of Atari
shows but if you are in the neighborhood and are interested in showing
off what your computer can do then you are welcome. Remember, the
special thing about this demonstration is that we aren't inviting people
to motels or gymnasiums to see Atari computers, we have taken the
initiative and have actually gone to where the public is to demonstrate
these systems and products.
The public awaits!
The festival will be between E.65th and 55th Streets. You wil be able
to come off of the I-77 freeway to the exit of Fleet Avenue. You may
park anywhere you can find room. People wishing to demonstrate their
computer are encouraged to come early to drop their equipment off before
the street is closed to traffic.
Write to: The Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG
P.O. Box 21815
Cleveland, Ohio 44121
Writing through Internet from Compuserve:
>INTERNET: xx004@cleveland.freenet.edu
Writing through Bitnet:
xx004%cleveland.freenet.edu@cunyvm
************** HARDWARE FOR ***************
************** CHILDREN OF WAR ***************
************** ***************
by Joyce Brabner
Cleveland FreeNet
I guess it's time for me to introduce myself. I'm the person working
with Len, Mark and other Atari SIG members, to put together basic Atari
systems, to be donated to young people from Children of War. The
project is pretty much as Mark and Len have described it.
A few months ago 47 young people from countries like South Africa,
Israel, Palestine, Cambodia, El Salvador, Northern Ireland and the U.S.
got together to tour several American cities, and talk about what it's
like to live in a war zone. This year's tour also included
environmental disaster areas -- 3 Russian teenagers from Chernobyl, and
kids caught up the cycle of gang violence, from places like East L.A.
and South Boston.
(Why? Anywhere kids are being shot in the streets is considered a war
zone.)
What happened? Children of War chapters started in every city they
visited. Teenagers who have seen family or friends killed, who have
themselves survived torture, or been imprisoned, who have had to flee
their countries and start over as refugees, got the chance to ask other
young people in the U.S. for help waging peace. They also formed very
close friendships with each other, during the tour.
These friendships are important. Someone from El Salvador, who has lost
family to the death squads knows what it's like for a Cambodian teenager
to live with memories of "the killing fields". A teenager whose family
fled Iran, now starting over in San Francisco, understands a Palestinian
student's hurt, when classmates make fun of the "terrorist!". An inner
city gang member got his head put on straight, after hanging out with
two South African teenagers.
What's my part in all this? I'm a comic book editor and writer (Eclipse
Comics). I'm writing a comic book about the 1990 tour, which will be
published at the end of this year. I write my comics on an Atari 8 bit,
which I learned to use in three days -- no prior experience. I knew
about Peace*Net-- an international, non-profit computer BBS.
I also knew that Free Net works. When I needed help, Len and Mark
taught me the difference between ascii and binary files, and walked me
through Omnicom. I figured I could donate some money for costs, and I
asked Len and Mark. They're coming through, with help from you.
Philip Chow's hardware helped me connect an 18 year old from a country
7 time zones away, with a 16 year old from Louisville, Kentucky. It's
not safe for him to send or receive letters about politics. Peace*Net
gets him through. Next week, I'll connect a Cambodian teenager, now
living in Los Angeles with her 16 year old friend from Tel Aviv. Then
Brooklyn with San Francisco -- it's working!
Am I writing the Cleveland Atari SIG into the comic book? You bet. Do
we still need hardware? Absolutely. Can I write a lot of checks? Not
really. I'm trying to spend money on user accounts and line time. Most
of these young people have no money. I'll happily send donors an
autographed comic, or a similar thank you. I can connect you with
Peace*Net, and answer other questions about Children of War, if you send
me E-mail.
Finally, it looks like most of the donors are close in age to the Tour
participants (12 years to early 20s). I think that's because you know
what it's like to really, really need to talk to a good friend who
understands better than anyone else what's going on -- family stress,
school worries, uncertainties about the future. This idea didn't need a
lot of explanation at all to take off and yes! Your donations of very
unglamorous, and thoroughly reliable Ataris ARE making a difference
that's felt half-way around the world. Thanks. I'll keep you posted.
Joyce Brabner ah881
Thanks.
Your Atari SIGOps
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