• We Say 
• Who's Doing What 
• Chat Date 
• Goodbye WBS 
• Alternative Chat 
• ICQ Numbers 

 

• ForwardScout at the Movies 
• Maggie the Skiwi 
• Saving the World with SB Hawaiian 
• Ask Daila Where's the Website? 
• Cool Links 
• Weird Reuters news 
• The Next Issue 

Woo Hooo! October is here already and this is our 6th issue of the News Letter. 

With Maggie away on vacation during the production of issue #5 Daila stepped into the breach and has now become the newest member of the newsletter production team.  Welcome aboard Daila we're glad to have you! 

September saw the retirement of WBS. Yes, sad but true, even in cyberspace nothing is forever. So while we farewell our old friend WBS we are able welcome some new chat places. See the article 'Alternative Chat' for those details. 

Cheers 
Daggy, Daila and Maggie 
 

Goodbye WBS

On Wednesday the 15th of September we kissed WBS goodbye forever. After 5 years the software which drove WBS could no longer cope with the millions of users and the service was canceled. 

For each chatter WBS has meant something different.  Some have chosen to share their memories and feelings about WBS. 

I remember: 

.....I first came to wbs this was the second room I tried (after getting hounded out of oz chat for sexist remarks ) anyhow it was great then and there were so many different ppl from all over trying to talk to kiwis - I just thought that the nz room was an easier target because I had been there and it seemed like a good starting point to get to now how to travel on the web- so much for going places :) here I am all these years later and still haven't gone anywhere! *LOL*

.....when Nj and I listened to the NBA finals on Real Audio, that was neat because he was in NZ and I was in the States talking about it as it happened.  If you think about that it's so amazing.  It took me one day to get down there and here we were talking about it in seconds.

.....Texas Bear insisted that Texas was the far North Island of New Zealand.

.....first thing that comes to mind is how nice and friendly people were and NZ had such a loyal following. I was amazed with the time differences that people managed to chat. Also I like to travel and well, one thing that made my trip to NZ pleasurable was to meet some chatters.

.....Deb and Torrid singing late at night and us joining in...and Maggie chasing perverts out of the room *LOL*  lots of good stuff.  people met, married, broke up...just like real life i guess....changed their handles and went to AOL.....lol

.....the Chick Charter and feather boas and Jim jumping out of a cake in a leopard skin thong.

.....Nightly drinks with Damon as the bartender and Daggy drinking beer from his dog bowl.

.....when I first found the NZ Chat room, I thought cool.. people just like me.. I've never been so wrong :)

.....the most fun I had was reading dropped PM's!

.....the WBS Home page had a background that looked like red leather

.....when I met my wife on WBS *smile*

....Taking the time to think back on all the ppl that have passed through here (although Im not a kiwi) forgot what I was talking about :)- anyhow I think it went something like - thinking of all the ppl that have passed here over 4 years that I have watched there have been some characters and a few wallies that shouldn't have been allowed a computer to begin with -there have been births deaths:( and a few marriages through this place as well as a few of us actually meeting face to face and sharing a piece of  our lives with others from different cultures (although I did find the beer great anywhere :) ) As Im sure many others that had the pleasure of meeting have had the same experience - anyhow the end is nearly here and I find that I am as I started - alone at my keyboard wondering what the world wide web has in store for me in the future - ( just for linda) don't ask me to repeat or remember what I just typed cause I cant LOL--------------MY LOVE TO YOU ALL AND FRIENDSHIPS MADE HERE TEND TO LAST FOREVER AND A DAY-------- DAGGY

.....WBS was slow and easy to get into, lots of people, fewer hacker problems

.....me? remember back 3 years to WBS? ....I have a hard time remembering yesterday!!

.....I remember when I used to spend hours chatting and wonder now where I got the time!!!!

......The WBS_NZ chatroom was by far the best place to kick back and chat with old and new friends alike.. after having been there for what would have been 4 years come this December, its a sad week to see the
old place taken off-line.  Its really like losing a good friend IMO. The room and people had a charm that couldn't possibly be surpassed,  I want  to thank everyone who I ever had the good fortune of meeting
there for the good memories!  I dare say I even met someone in that room who I consider to be one of my best-friends today even though they live half an ocean away... for that reason alone, I'll miss the chatroom.

.....I remember the time (name deleted *g*) jumped in the bath with me in private messages

......I was just learning kiwi lingo , like cookies are biscuits, biscuits are scones, and I don't what crackers are...it's always a fun topic of conversation.  I remember staying up into the wee hours just to chat with those in a different time zone.
 

Since Go Network has done away with WBS, one might wonder were to chat now. The following are a number of chat systems that NZ chatters have been using:

ICQ- one of the more popular internet communicator tools. Enables the user to communicate with friends (provided they have ICQ) via a contact list. Features include: messages, chat (real time) and lots more. Has been in use among the Chatters for years.. in fact it was used as a back-up in case WBS was slow or just to say hi..no matter where on the internet you may be! This system has come in handy since WBS is no more. 

If you don't have ICQ can download it at: http://www.icq.com/ The following link will take you to some interesting ICQ enhancements
http://home.cnet.com/internet/0-4023-7-117507.html?st.cn.4023-7-117504.nav.4023-7-117507
 

Netmeeting- one of the webphones (voice chat)...did you ever wonder what we sound like. No long distance charges! Download at: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/netmeeting/

Yahoo chat- Thanks to whiffle, we have a room at NZfriends but there are other communities too, you can create your own room if you want. Java chat. No download. Go to http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/nzfriends

Excite chat- Take your pick..chat or voice chat and virtual places (download) I hear Maggie hangs out there Variety of communites, Java. Link to excite chat is http://www.excite.com/communities/

mIRC (Internet Relay Chat) Real time conversations and many channels Download. You can find it at: http://www.mirc.co.uk/

BigBobchat...a chat system similar to the old WBS. It is fairly new. Its at: http://209.238.38.120/webchat/noframes.html

GO Network  Why?

Don't forget our NZ Chatfriends message page 
http://boards.eesite.com/board.cgi?boardset=quill&boardid=chatpals
or our NZchat Homepage. http://www.oocities.org/SouthBeach/Suite/9565/

So, there you have it. No matter where you might chat, please keep in touch!

In an exclusive interview with NZ Chat Newsletter Reporter our very own Steven (Forward Scout) Speilberg tells us about his latest movie successes and his plans for the future.

Friday September 10th was a Gala occasion for the small South Island town of Westport, and a very special occasion for the multitalented ForwardScout, with the screening of 3 short films produced over the preceding months. "We played to a full house and got a standing ovation at the end.  I guess Westport is in short supply of good entertainment..*L*" he jokes.

This premier success can in part be attributed to the considerable 'leg work' put in by Mr Scout and a friend who personally talked to all the shop keepers in Westport prior to the filming. He says "that got them talking to their customers.. you just try that in a big city..*L* " and adds "I didn't expect Westport to support us so much.. its been great.. I feel famous!"

The 3 short films, titled: "KarKutz", "#8 Ship", "Outside In" were 11 weeks in the filming and were originally planned to be no more than 5 minutes each. Mr Scout says "we blew that .. 5 min wasn't long enough" Versatile
FowardScout took on the double roles of Director of Photography and Camera Man on the 7  min long "Outside In" (about a lady from a crisis phonein center who goes insane :)  and was also 1st Camera Unit for "Karkutz"  and Head Animator for "#8 Ship" :) All 3 films have been considered excellent film festival material and Mr Scout and his production team intend to make their films available for showing at the Wellington Fringe Festival .

There is an indication that a low resolution edition may be available on the internet in the future. Should copies of these films come available to the general public either on CD or Video you will be informed via this
newsletter.

As for the future Mr Scout is currently in negotiation to begin another film although he was reluctant to share any details about this new film with us except to express his excitement, "Everything's happening at once!" he said.

Maggie the Skiwi

My first day on the slopes was a 'falling down wetting my pants laughing' kind of day.  Beautiful sunshine and fresh snow and me completely unable to move more than two feet without falling on my butt (or face) in the snow.  I tell you it's a mean trick of mother nature that snow looks all soft and fluffy. 

By day 2 and feeling tired of my horizontal ski style, I hired a French Ski instructor with some kind of weird fruit fetish.  He taught me to ski by having me imagine I had various fruits in my clothing.  Now I can hear you all thinking "oh sick!" but really it works! *laughing*  First I had to imagine tomatoes in the front of my boots, and in order to turn I had to 'squash tomatoes' he also had me imagine I had an orange under my chin so I would remember to look up.  His theory was "If you look at ze snow you kiss ze snow" 

... so imagine the scene if you can. 

Maggie knock knee'd and trembling in skis at the top of the slope (all the while trying very hard to look like a cool ski bunny) and the handsome ski instructor Jean Pierre at the bottom of the slope, shouting "squash tomato left" "squash tomato right" "look up! look up!" all in this gorgeous french accent..... he'd rush to my aid when I fell, telling me "You look at ze snow you kiss ze snow!" and then he'd laugh and say "Life ez tough in ze mountaains hey?"  Well I don't know but I felt more like an iced tomato salad than a ski bunny by the time I'd finished! 

In total we had 5 glorious days skiing at Cardrona, Treble Cone and The Remarkables.  On Day 3 we had the mountain almost to ourselves because of a snow storm, visibility was crap but the skiing was great!  The last day was by far the best, (but only because I could really squash tomatoes by then!) with views for miles from the top of the mountain and acres of freshly groomed snow.  We had a blast! 

Next year we're gonna have a go at the North Island Ski fields!!! 

Maggie the Skiwi 
 

Saving the World with SB Hawaiian

SB Hawaiian (on the right) with his brother Cedric

I received a call from the squadron in early June 1999 to tell me that the Navy was looking for qualified weapons loaders to support the war in Kosovo.  I was also told that they were specifically  looking for load team leaders with quality assurance qualifications.  A week later I received another call that told me to start packing and getting a power of attorney for my wife to take care of you family matters.

I received orders on the 8th of June to go to San Diego to be processed into the regular Navy on the 20th of June.  It took about 5 days to get a physical and processed.  I arrived at Naval Air Station Sigonella on the 21th of June via Pittsburgh, Rome, and Catania.   Sigonella is located on the East coast of Sicily near the town of Catania. 

I was assigned to VP-10 a squadron from Brunswick, Maine.  I worked in the ordanance shop loading bombs, cluster bombs, torpedoes,  mavrick, and SLAM missiles.  These planes flew out of Sigonella and to Kosovo to monitor their ships in harbor and land targets on Kosovo.  As one plane would return we would launch another to take it’s place.  Milosavich kept his ships in the harbor but ground stations did turn their radar on our aircraft and we shot 14 SLAM missiles to take out those radar sites. 

We worked 12 hour shifts with one day off after working 5.  When we were not loading ordnance the aircraft’s weapons systems needed to be repaired and keep in good order.  I was able to take a few tours while I was there.  I took a tour to Palermo the capital, Tiaromina a tourist city, mt. Etna which is an active volcano, and Catania.  Sicily is very dry and hot during the summer.  Winds blow in from north Africa makes it hard to work out on the flight line during the day.  Sicily is more Mediterranean than Italian.  The food was good and the people are friendly.    I also got a trip to Ramstein air base in Germany where my brother was stationed.  We spend the day together driving around the country-side listening to hawaiian music on the tape deck. 

I finally got released on the 6th of August.  I flew back to San Diego for separation from the regular navy and back into the reserves.  I also received 4 ribbons and medal for my support of the squadron with 2  more medals pending.  I was gone about 60 days and as usual the best part of any trip is the coming home.  Thanks to everyone for all your well wishes and prayers.  If you think ordnance loading is dangerous try driving in Italy….

Ciao
Richard

As you know by now there are more than a million web sites out in cyberspace. Did you ever find one and then forget to bookmark it and then try to think where you saw it later, but spent frustrating time looking for it? 
Never fear, check out at your local bookstores....there are books out there devoted to listings of web sites. I bought two little compact books and sent them down to people in NZ unfortunately when I went back to buy 
one for me, they were gone. But never fear, we do have one that resembles the local yellow pages! 

So, we thought we would introduce a monthly column for the newsletter helping chatters find a listing of a website. If you have a topic or particular website you want to find, contact me at daila@hotmail.com. It will be posted in our newsletter. 

In the meantime, here is a website for any one who is considering traveling and it's internationally friendly too!  http://expedia.com/

Talk to you later, 
Linda
(aka Daila)
 

Guess What? Toilet Paper is Essential 

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Using the familiar marketing ploy of "do a product survey and guess whose product wins," paper giant Kimberly-Clark Corp. has conducted a survey aimed at discovering "the small, but important, conveniences of the 20th century that most people take for granted, but can't live without." 

To investigate this burning issue, it commissioned a national survey of 1,000 people, sponsored by its Kleenex Cottonelle Toilet Paper brand. It asked participants to identify the one item they would most like to have if stranded on a deserted island. 

Guess what won. Are you sitting down? And the winner is ... Toilet paper! 

"If feeling clean is important to you, you're not alone," said a news release announcing the less-than-astounding results. It noted that 49 percent of those surveyed chose toilet paper as their greatest deserted island necessity, followed by food, which was favored by 31 percent, even though it would appear to be a prerequisite for needing No. 1. 

The Dallas-based company said that when the issue was presented slightly differently, as in "... What small convenience of the 20th century is most taken for granted?..." a whopping 69 percent voted for t-p, followed by the zipper (42 percent), and frozen foods (38 percent). With another 
oft-forgotten convenience, electricity, readily available, the fondness was for "frozen foods" rather than just any nourishing sustenance. 

As if all of the above wasn't enticing enough,Kimberly-Clark couldn't resist delving further into Americans' "strong feelings -- as well as interesting habits -- when it comes to toilet paper." 

The survey also found that a majority of respondents (68 percent) like their toilet paper hung with the first sheet coming OVER the roll, while 25 percent favored UNDER. 

Not stopping there, the toilet-paper probers also found that 58 percent of those surveyed admitted to folding the paper after they tear it off the roll, while "35 percent weren't as neat, opting to scrunch the tissue." 
Admitting that toilet paper may not be "top-of-mind for many people," the company said the folks at Kimberly-Clark "think about toilet paper every day and the important role it plays in everyone's lives." 

By the way -- that, they said, is why they developed "a totally new technology to produce KLEENEX COTTONELLE with Cushy ripples, a product designed to enhance the clean, fresh feeling." It said the texture is the result of a patented technology that dries the tissue during the manufacturing process without compressing or embossing it. "This method, designed to clean better, permits the tissue to hold its rippled shape when wet," it added. 

With its news release on the survey results, Kimberly-Clark also presented a brief history of toilet paper. But that's another story. 

Policeman Uses Handcuffs To Halt Suicide 

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - An Argentine police officer stopped an 18-year-old woman from leaping off a water tower by handcuffing her and saying if she committed suicide she would take him with her. 

"In extreme situations one does not think about the risks to save a person, but I did think about my family, about my children," policeman Marcelo Miranda said, according to a report published Friday by the state-run new agency Telam. 

The woman, whose name was not released, climbed to the top of a water supply tower in La Plata, south of Buenos Aires, and tied a rope to the tower and her neck intending to jump. It was not clear what drove her to the suicide attempt. 

Miranda climbed up the tower and while talking to her suddenly handcuffed them together and started telling her about his children. After saying to the woman that her death would also mean his, she gave up the suicide bid. 

Police Shoot Monster Rat 

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - German police killed a dog-sized rat which attacked a 59-year-old man outside his home near Frankfurt, Bild newspaper reported Monday. The mass-selling tabloid quoted police as saying the half 
meter (20 inch)-long rat was as vicious as a fighting dog and as big as a dachshund. 

It said the rodent's intended victim, identified only as Horst L., heard something rustling in a bush and then a sharp hissing. He turned around and saw the rat, ready to pounce at him. "I was rigid with fear," said Horst. "I just had time to grab a wooden plank to fend it off." The rat sank its teeth into the plank and Horst ran inside 
his home to call the police. Officers tried to grab the animal with thick gloves but it attacked them so they shot it. 

Clinton's Mother-In-Law Blends Into Crowd 

AUCKLAND (Reuters) - President Clinton almost lost his mother-in-law in a New Zealand crowd Saturday when local security guards mistook her for an onlooker. 

The guards twice stopped Dorothy Rodham as she walked with Clinton and his daughter Chelsea on a shopping jaunt in Auckland where the president is attending an Asia-Pacific leaders' summit. 

Finally, White House officials came to her rescue and gave her a lapel pin designating her as a staff member. 

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