crunch@well.UUCP (John Draper) (12/28/88)
I just recieved another fairly long response from Moscow. It comes in 2 parts, so I'll post them that way. One is a complete summary of the recent ICC Convention in Moscow, and the other one (Most important) is a plea for help in the Armenian Relief effort. The message was addressed to Me, but it's intended for any of those who can help out. Below, is an un-edited version of the message I got from ICC, relating to the Armenian relief effort. This should give one an idea of the stuff they need, and how they are working on the problem. I encourage anyone out there, who has access to InterNet and ARPANET to please get this posted where it would do the most good. And anyone who has access to Genie, Compuserve, and other networks. I got BIX, and the WELL already covered. All Correspondence and offers for help should be directed to me at the Email box below. I shall pass them on to the Soviets. They need things like Error correcting Modems, Old PC's currently not being used, Etc. You can send this stuff to: Armenian Relief Society 51 Commonwealth Ave San Francisco, Calif. 94118 Message follows: ***************** Now, I have to tell you a few things that are not so cheerful but still need our full devotion. We at the Conference announced that the first project of the Club will be devoted to the ARMENIA relief effort. The following priorities were specified: 1. To establish data banks helping to trace the location of Armenian children evacuated in a hurry to different places in the USSR from the devastated regions. Parents and relatives that survived or live in other parts of the Soviet Union want to find and take care of them and it's URGENT. ICC is going to set up a central data bank facility and have local correspondents collecting data on children's whereabouts, etc. But the Club does not have enough PCs, modems, etc. to set up a network and though we have brilliant people we also need a solid experience in organizing electronic rescue service of that magnitude. Also a lot of Armenians live abroad and they start enquiring about what happened to their relatives here. We would have to link our data bank "on peoples fate" to hosts in USA and some other countries. We can't manage it by ourselves in such a short period of time... We should have had it yesterday... Perhaps, you would think of ways to help ICC cope with this task? Maybe people on all networks in USA and the whole world would come up with a quick solution? Can we, after having a conference "Let's talk to the Soviets", launch a new conference "The Russians (Armenians) love their children too" (Springsteen's song)? Would it be possible to set up an enquiry center for Armenians living in America electronically linked to ICC center in Moscow and Yerevan? Via San-Francisco - Moscow Teleport? We have already prepared the site for ICC center in Moscow and have a direct link to Yerevan. The center is located in Moscow Institute of Aviation and is serviced by well-trained programmers. Student teams are ready to take telephone enquiries and work on-line with other teams in other cities. If there are volunteers to come here, bring over the necessary equipment and help animate it, they all would be ICC guests and all their expenses (including air fares on Aeroflot flights, board, lodging and pocket money) would be taken care of by the Club. May be there would be people wishing to donate their computers for this purpose? Will somebody collect the equipment and bring it over to air companies for transportation? The list of questions can go on. We are asking the same questions ourselves now and the snowball of answers has already started to roll. 2. ICC has received a donation of 20 PCs for two class rooms to be located in schools where evacuated Armenian children are now studying. This came from one of the cofounding organizations - Industrial and scientific consortium called "Scientific Search" in Zelenograd near Moscow known as a center of electronic industry in the USSR. This is a first step to fulfill our second priority - to help organize education process for evacuated children in new locations and to make it as interesting for them as possible. Computer training is part of it. We also think of finding resources to cover all the electronic equipment lost in the Quake and to reconstruct computer training classes for Armenian schools in the region. Maybe we can do it together as well! Volunteer teachers in computer literacy will be welcomed by the Club. 3. Now, on a medium term basis we face the problem of creating a reliable telecommunication system of ICC (besides those existing on a government level and used for government purposes) linking Yerevan to Moscow and to the rest of the world to help process some information on the help needed and received that would be used by social organizations, particular companies and individuals. This system would be the backbone of what we think to be the core of ICC Armenian project in the long run. That brings us to the fourth priority. 4. ICC would like to create a global data bank accumulating international knowledge and experience in coping with such natural disasters as the Armenian Quake. This data bank should be constructed from peaces of intelligence (covering seismology, medicine, construction, etc. etc.) from all countries which have gone through the same ordeal and from all those who know how to cope and to provide help in such situations. We think that this global bank of knowledge providing guidance in crisis situations, be it an earthquake or another ecological disaster, is essential for the survival of humanity and should be free and easily accessible to use by anynation in trouble. The Council of Founders of the International Computer Club is therefore appealing to everyone who is in the position to contribute to this common effort to send over the relative information to ICC Headquarters in Moscow via all available means of communication. ****************** John, the Armenian relief project is very important to us and we highly appreciate that you are able (like you said) "to use this fantastic publishing power to help those in Ar menia, by getting messages to those people over here that can help". This is the one message that should reach them and we would be very obliged if you would pass it on to the American Computer Network users and post it to every system on the Network. We believe, and already we have proof of that from messages you have transmitted to us, that very few people on the Network would be left untouched by our appeal. I want to quote here only one message that came from Apple Mackintosh Conference when it was linked to "Let's talk with the Soviets!" from a man called David Jospeh Brightbill (djb) Sat, Dec 11, '88 (11:39). He said: "I'd also like to say, that as a disaster volunteer with the American Red Cross, I know that the Soviet people are in the middle of a terrible situation with the earthquake last week. The thoughts and prayers of much of the world are focused on your country. Peace." Thank you, David! Your words strengthen our belief that helping one another even by an encouraging word is essentially the purpose of the Network and ICC wants to become part of it. John, let me thank you one again for already serving as our "Gateway" into the Network and bringing us news full of interest and goodwill. ------------------------------- The Soviets have asked that I post this on the Net, in the hopes that someone out there can help in SOME capacity. I will post the results of the ICC meeting later... Stay tuned. Please Email me at: uunet!acad!well!crunch if you, or your organization can help. John Draper Programmers Network