waldron@newport.rutgers.edu (James Waldron) (06/05/89)
This is a CALL FOR VOTES on a proposal to create MISC.HEADLINES.UNITEX --
a moderated newsgroup which focuses on issues that are are of primary
importance to the United Nations and International Governments. UNITEX is
an acronym for United Nations Information and Transfer Exchange.
To properly register your vote, please mail your reply (do not post
your vote) directly to patth@ccnysci.BITNET and, if possible, a carbon
copy to waldron@newport.rutgers.edu A more in-depth look at UNITEX, a
summary of our Discussion Period and a detailed description of How to Cast
Your Vote follows below:
What is MISC.HEADLINES.UNITEX and why is it needed?
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UNITEX disseminates information obtained from original United Nations
databases in New York, Geneva and Vienna. The information consists of
UN Press Releases and associated/related papers and addresses from the
UN General Assembly and the Secretary General. We recently have been
sanctioned by the Tibet-Government-In-Exile (New York Office of Tibet)
to release official news stories by qualified Tibetian journalists
and government approved documents relating to the Tibet situation in
China and the Human Rights Issues involved. ALL this information is
distributed as 'raw', uncensored and un-edited material.
UNITEX also gathers and distributes information from UNICEF and
UndroNet (UN Worldwide Distaster News & Relief Programs) and the
UN Department of Puplic Information. We are concerned with human rights
issues, disarmament, environmental and global ecological problems
(especially the UN Environmental Program, Laws of the Sea), safe uses
of nuclear energy, the peaceful uses of outer space (UNISPACE),
international health and medical issues (vis a vis the World Health
Organization, FDA and other related international agencies), Department
of Defense (DOD) briefings, special reports and bulletins from NASA and
other international issues, such as, technology and information transfer,
crisis resolution, territorial treaties and peace agreements.
UNITEX is an advocate for these issues and is commited to the ethetical
ideals and charter principals of the United Nations. UNITEX helps to
make the goals and efforts of the United Nations more widely known,
add to international understanding, reduce the information inequality
that exists between the industrialized nations and the developing
countries (e.g. North-South Information Gap) and reduce or
eliminate misunderstanding.
The issues that UNITEX presents are many and are somewhat dependent
on the current political topics of interest and the timely international
news and popular global issues. In this sense, we are *not* like a
news service that publishes headlines and news. The kind of information
that we distribute is more long-range and informative
in nature and deals with concepts and trends on a global scale.
For example, Press releases from the UN Environmental Program are
informative and news worthy many weeks or months after their release.
This type of information is not as time-critical or as ephemeral
as 'the evening news'.
We feel this information is interesting and of wide appeal.
UNITEX, as an information and technology supplier, can better
achieve its goal by the formation of MISC.HEADLINES.UNITEX
Results of Call for Discussion
------------------------------
UNITEX posted the initial Call for Discussion on May 11, 1989 for
the purpose of forming a moderated new group. After much discussion
on the naming convention, the general concensus has been to form
MISC.HEADLINES.UNITEX. Since the kind of information UNITEX supplies
is more in the 'news', press release and 'hard' information area
than it is in the discussion or 'talk' areas, it was generally agreed
that the SOC and TALK groups were not as appropriate as MISC.HEADLINES.
In fact, we received many positive replies about forming a new 'top'
group name hierarchy, such as, INFO.NATIONS.UNITEX for the exclusive
purpose of 'housing' newsgroups that are involved with real data,
journal quality news, etc. Althought that seems like a terrific idea,
it would only postpone our plans of going online with a pre-existing,
inplace group, such as, misc.headlines.
UNITEX currently distributes this newsgroup, via the internet,
as a mailing list to over 75 subscribers. We will still maintain
our mailing list for those that want to remain directly linked.
CONCLUSION:
All the feedback from the discussion period definetly
suggests a positive interest in the formation of a
newsgroup for UNITEX. As mentioned above, the majority
of replies were in favor of the name MISC.HEADLINES.UNITEX
HOW TO VOTE
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The call for votes is being posted on June 5 and will last until
July 5. No votes will be accepted after that date. In two weeks.
we will post a reminder of the call for votes and on July 6 the
final voting results will be published. If we receive 100 more
YES votes than NO votes the group will be created shortly thereafter.
DO NOT POST YOUR VOTE. TO CREATE THE NEWSGROUP, MAIL YOUR
" YES, I VOTE FOR THE CREATION OF MISC.HEADLINES.UNITEX NEWSGROUP"
to patth@ccnysci.BITNET.
Please carbon to waldron@newport.rutger.edu
To vote against creating the group, say "no, I vote against the creation
of misc.headlines.unitex newsgroup".
In either case, to make the voting easier, please place a YES or NO on the
subject line of your mail message. We will try to acknowledge the
receipt of each vote.
REMEMBER====> MAIL YOUR VOTE..... A Posted Vote Does NOT Count
Dr. James Waldron, Patt Haring Michael Keyles
Director, UNITEX UNITEX Moderator UNITEX Mailing List Adm.
waldron@newport.rutgers.edu patth@ccnysci.BITNET Michael.Keyles@rubbs.uucp