Conference 7.286::digital

    This morning's "Today Show" did a piece on the service men and women
    getting mail....it was very touching when some of the folks who 
    don't get mail on a regular basis read the letters addressed to
    any serviceman/woman aloud on camera.  
    
    So, instead of targeting your attention at those people who are
    already receiving mail from family & friends, why not concentrate
    on those who aren't?  According to one of the officer's interviewed,
    it's the most important morale booster.
    
    ep

    I just called Fort Devens (Ayer, Massachusetts) and got these two
    addresses:
    
    For the Army - Air Force - Marines
    
    addresss your card/letter to:
    
    Any Service Member
    Operation Desert Shield
    APO New York
    09848-006
    
    For the Navy and Marine Corps
    
    address your card/letter to:
    
    Any Service Member
    Operation Desert Shiled
    FPO New York
    09866-0006
    
    By addressing the cards/letters to 'any service member' they will go to
    the Service men and women who are NOT getting mail.  They suggested you
    could also enclose a picture of your family, pet, neighborhood, etc.!
    
    If you want to send food - she suggested any kind of rolled candy,
    butterscotch candies - or mints.
    
    We're sending a lot of stuff out tomorrow.  She said that it would take
    approximately 8-10 for them to get their mail.
    
    M
    
    
    

    Long list of things that you aren't allowed to send in a package
    ...Saudi's open the mail and refuse to have some of the following items
    enter their country:  Copy of New Testament,
    Crosses,Tobacco,Playboy,magazines like Vogue which have ads depicting
    women in bathing suits, etc.
    
    When I checked with my daughter as to what I could possibly send her
    (don't believe brownies would make it!) she mentioned butterscotch
    candy and life savers...
    
    She also informed me that she would be so far out in the desert that it
    would be rare if she encountered more than a camel - so she wasn't
    expecting problems with the male Saudi population.  
    
    

Shouldn't further replies to this topic be in SOAPBOX, EF90, or DEFENSE_ISSUES?

    I would be happy to put this note in SOAPBOX, EF90 or DEFENSE_ISSUES
    do you know the correct way to add entry in my notesfile so that I
    may do so?
    

    Add ENTRY PEAR::SOAPBOX
    ADD ENTRY COMET::DEFENSE_ISSUES			     

    Is there anything wrong with talking about it here also?

>    Is there anything wrong with talking about it here also?

	This isn't really the place for it. This conference is about
	Digital, the Digital culture and the way things are done around
	the company (hopefully world wide commonalities and differences).
	It's not really for chit chat about pen pals. Although names and
	mailing addresses of DECcies already serving on active duty because
	of this "problem" would be reasonable. I think.

		Alfred

    Re:  8
    
    Flame on...
    
    Although I understand that the DIGITAL notesfile is for discussion
    of the Digital culture, relative issues and 'the way things are
    done around here'....I didn't write the base note for 'chit chat'
    or pen pals.
    
    If our Country engages in active conflict - or at worst - WAR -
    then it WILL affect Digital et al.  If you re-read the basenote 
    you will see that I was requesting names of Digital employees 
    family and/or friends in Saudi Arabia.
    
    These people are fighting for OUR rights, freedom and independence
    and if we lose those - we might lose Digital.  I believe there are a
    number of Digital employees who have been or will be called to active
    duty.  I just felt that giving our soldiers some hope and support is 
    the 'human' thing to do.
    
    Isn't the name of this file HUMAN::DIGITAL?
    
    Flame off...
    
    
    

    
    	Re: .9
    
    	I did re-read your basenote and there's nothing in there
    	about Digital at all.  It was a purely generic request.
    
    	I agree with other responses that this is probably not
    	the best forum.  Your initial request was harmless, but
    	.9 is the stuff SOAPBOX is made of.
    
    	Good luck in assembling the list.
    
    ralph
    

    RE: .9
    
    Flame on!
    
    OUR country? Since when did Digital hire only US citizens? You
    show a shocking incensitivity to the international nature of
    this company and this conference. You only asked about American
    service people BTW. You may not be aware of it but other contries
    are sending forces to Saudi Arabia. There may very well be DECcies
    of countries other then the US over there.
    
    Flame off
    
    		Alfred

re Note 1183.9 by SONATA::BERGERON:

>     Isn't the name of this file HUMAN::DIGITAL?
    
        Sonata,

        That's a common misconception, but "human" is the node name
        and has no logical or necessary correlation with the
        conference name or topic.

        Xanadu Fleischer

RE: .9

	I know this is moving away from the "Digital" theme of this conference 
	but there is no way I'm going to let this one pass!


	Why did the Americans move into Gulf/Saudia?

	Okay they were asked to help out, it's been known for sometime that 
	the Penatgon has been itching to set up a base in Saudia and now 
    	they have a foot in the door...

	The "real" reason for America to take such a stance so quickly is not 
	to protect the Saudia people or the rights of others in the Gulf area 
	it's to protect their supply of OIL.

	What happened when Iraq invaded Iran? Basically NOTHING because Iran 
	were the bad boys then! It was ony later when oil tankers were at risk 
	of being sunk that external powers started to take an active interest.

	If Saudia and the Gulf had no oil or products that America needed I 
	think that you would have seen a totally different reaction.


>    These people are fighting for OUR rights, freedom and independence
>    and if we lose those - we might lose Digital.  I believe there are a
>    number of Digital employees who have been or will be called to active
>    duty.  I just felt that giving our soldiers some hope and support is
>    the 'human' thing to do.

	These people are not fighting for YOUR rights that's a load of BULL, 
	they are primarily looking after the interests of America and that 
	means OIL!

	"freedom and independence" you mean the freedon and independence to 
	carry on driving around in the petrol/gas guzzling cars! Has the North 
	American continent been threatened with agression?

	Before this happened how many Americans could even find 
	Iraq/Saudia/Iran on a map? 

	World geography, history and non-American culture are not exactly the 
	average Americans strong knowledge points are they :-) Now that the 
	"Reds" are considered the good guys who's now top of the paranoia 
	stakes?

	About the only people so far to have benefited from the current Gulf 
	conflict are the blood sucking Oil companies as they are pushing the 
	prices up at the petrol pumps (even though the price has gone down as 
	well as up from day to day). They must be sitting there with a big 
	smile on their face watching all this money being spent to protect 
	their wealth!

	When all this blows over and the world can stand down I just hope 
	people will sit back and reflect on the worlds dependence of OIL. In 
	fact on a television program I saw some folks engineers/scientists in 
	America reckon that there is more energy above the ground than below 
	and they are looking at harnising wind power more actively.

	As I said at the beginning of my note I know that this is out of
    	the scope of this conference but...
    
Dave (flak jacket at the ready)

         OK now, folks.  Let's not trash the conference with this kind of
    argument.
    
         I have to agree that this topic is in the wrong conference.  The
    kind of rathole discussed in .9 and .13 is further justification for 
    slamming the door on this.
    
                                        Greg

    .last few (excepting .14):
    
    There are several places more suitable for discussing geopolitics,
    military affairs, and the like:
    
    PEAR::SOAPBOX
    GIBNEY::SOAPBOX
    TRUCKS::EF90
    LDP::WORLD_FORUM
    COMET::DEFENSE_ISSUES
    
    Dick

    I am also interested in this conversation about the state of affairs in
    the U.S., Middle East, etc.  I thought an interesting place to start
    would be in the VOGON::ARABIC conference.  There is a note in there
    which may be of interest to other readers.
    
    Rgds,
    marcia

From the Worcester Telegram and Gazette:
    
    It all started with a posting on a computer network (some other
    company has a NOTESFILE too?).  A Mrs. Mease of Florida saw the
    message and contacted her husband's ex-squadron with her idea!  
    She asked if she were to solicit donations of home-baked 
    cookies - would the Air Force be willing to transport them and
    they told her they would.  It has now been code-named 'Operation
    Cookie'.  She is getting 40/50 boxes daily and almost all boxes
    have letters in them.  The first shipment has been sent to Saudi
    Arabia and the grateful soldiers have begun to write back messages
    to their generous donors.
    
    The article went on to say that the best type of cookies to send are
    simple drop cookies - such as oatmeal-raisin, gingersnaps...bar
    cookies are also good.  A word of caution - brownies become too
    soft - no icing should be used and those with powdered sugar become
    too gummy.
    
    It goes on to list two cookie recipes that would be appropriate.
    
    
    Make sure you wrap your packages with brown paper (sturdy) tape 
    **AND** string.  Write the address in INDELIBLE ink and make sure
    you mark the box "PERISHABLE".  
    
    Other items that are appreciated are Nestle's Quick chocolate mix,
    tea bags, packages of kool-aid, iced tea or lemonade (the water in 
    some places tastes horrible, this stuff hides the taste), pre-sweetened
    cereals like Cap'n Crunch and Apple Jacks have always received raves, 
    periodicals, especially Reader's Digest (I've never had a problem with 
    sending these), good, soft tissues and toilet paper, etc.
     
    Individuals can tell you all about how they can't get their favorite
    soap, toothpaste and other sundries.  
    
    More appreciated than anything are letters.  Especially now, letting
    the men and women who are serving over there know that we want them 
    to come back in one piece and that we care about what they're doing 
    makes a big difference.  
    
    
    According to the article:
    
    "For a secure package, use only very sturdy boxes.  Cookies should be
    packed in pairs, back-to-back, then wrapped securely in plastic wrap. 
    These pairs should be placed on styrofoam trays that meat and produce
    are packed in.  Another styrofoam tray should be inverted over the top 
    and the two taped together.  Place in the box in layers, with filler in
    between.  Enclose your personal note before sealing.
    
    Then, the box should be wrapped in brown paper and addressed clearly
    to:"
    
    OPERATION COOKIE
    c/o Sub-Trek I
    190 Malabar Road - No. 119
    Palm Bay West Center,
    Palm Bay, Florida  32907
    
    

    I'm very concerned about what's happening in the Middle East and don't
    want to appear to be a hawk.  But my heart does go out to out Service
    people who are over there, especially through the holidays.  If anyone
    wants to send a holiday card to be distributed among our troops over
    there, a local radio station, WSSH, is forwarding them.  There address
    is:
    	Operation Desert Shield
    	PO Box 995
    	Boston MA 02199
    
    I don't think they care where in this world the cards come from.  I
    think it would be a quarter well spent.
    
    				Thanks in advance and on our troops behalf,
    						Carolyn

    Way to go Carolyn,  You can count on me.
    
    
    Regards
    
    
    Bob
                     

   Of course, Sending mail through a boston radio station will just delay it. 
   
   TO Send a generic card or letter, directly. (Standard U.S. Postage is
   required.) Or ask at your local post office. They know the drill...
   
   Address it to 
   
   Any Service Member
   Operation Desert Shield
   APO NY 09848-0006       for Air Force/Army 
   
   and
   
   Any Service Member
   Operation Desert Shield
   FPO NY 09866-0006	  for Navy/Marines.

    Thanks for the other addresses!  It doesn't matter how they get there
    as long as they do!
    
    Thanks again and please pass along any/all addresses to those who may
    not read this conference.

Instead of hiding Topic 1303, maybe the moderators should have simply moved
the notes to this existing topic...

    
In the opinion of the moderators further discussion of this topic is not
relevant to the conference charter - "The Digital Way of Working". 

    Note 1303 and it's replies (which were temporarily hidden), was a new 
    note discussing this exact topic, now has been moved as replies to this 
    note.

This note is now write-locked. Base notes created in the future on this subject
will be deleted from the conference.

    Please see other replies to this note for pointers to conferences where this
    discussion would be more appropriate.
    
-Joe Bates
co-moderator Digital conference