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Grex > Coop8 > #115: Cyberspace Communications, Inc. finances through 8/31/96 |  |
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aruba
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Cyberspace Communications, Inc. finances through 8/31/96
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Sep 25 13:40 UTC 1996 |
Here is the treasurer's report on Cyberspace Communications, Inc.
finances through August 31st, 1996. It covers both July and August because
I was out of town when I should have posted the report for July, and I didn't
get around to it when I got back.
Beginning Balance $3,696.83
Credits $810.00 Member Contributions
$136.00 Auction Proceeds
$12.00 Mug Sales
$1.60 Balance of Carson's Grexoff pledge
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$959.60
Debits $50.00 Dungeon Rent
$166.00 Electricity
$40.00 Innovative Concepts phone line
$635.44 Phone bills
$13.29 Bank service charges
$105.00 Reimbursement to gregc for hardware
$379.40 Loaned to STeve Andre
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$1,389.13
Ending Balance $3,267.30
Our current balance breaks down as follows:
$3,207.30 General fund
$60.00 UPS fund
As you can see, we ran a deficit. Most if that comes from the loan to STeve,
which will be paid back, but even so we were $50.13 short of our expenses.
Thanks to everyone who contributed in July and August:
alianora, asp, birdlady, bmoran, bruin, carson, coyote, dadroc, eeyore,
font, fredpett, freida, giry, gustitus, hross, jamboe, janc, kami, krj,
laotzu, marian2, mcpoz, mdw, mju, n8nxf, n8rxs, null, obrien, otter,
quail, rickyb, scott, shepherd, and wolver. Thanks everyone!
Our expenses are about to go up, when we move. If you've ever thought about
becoming a member of Grex, now is a great time because we can really use your
help.
Dues are still only $6/month or $60/year. Send cash, checks, or money orders
(payable to Cyberspace Communications) to:
Cyberspace Communications, Inc.
P.O. Box 4432
Ann Arbor, MI 48106-4432
If you pay by cash or money order, *PLEASE* include a photocopy of some form
of ID. I can't add you to the membership roll unless I see some ID. If you
pay by personal check, that's good enough.
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| 119 responses total. |
steve
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response 1 of 119:
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Sep 25 17:58 UTC 1996 |
I have the money Mark; will see you at the board meeting.
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olddraco
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response 2 of 119:
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Sep 25 22:06 UTC 1996 |
Just wrote out a check for $12 for Oct/Nov :-) I'll drop it in the mail
in the morning.
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chelsea
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response 3 of 119:
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Sep 25 22:17 UTC 1996 |
Was the loan to STeve a personal loan, not Grex related?
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popcorn
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response 4 of 119:
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Sep 25 23:07 UTC 1996 |
This response has been erased.
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aruba
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response 5 of 119:
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Sep 27 21:29 UTC 1996 |
STeve has paid us back now.
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ladyevil
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response 6 of 119:
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Sep 29 03:14 UTC 1996 |
Gee, too bad about the ID thing. I have a membership for a year right here,
ready. Oh well..
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nestene
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response 7 of 119:
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Sep 29 07:21 UTC 1996 |
Gosh, I'm sorry, Selena, maybe we're just not willing to BREAK THE LAW
just to give you the chance to do something you've said you don't want
to do anyway (i.e. telnet out); it's been explained more than once that
we're legally obligated to know who our members are, so STOP WHINING.
I will open an item to discuss my shocking attempt to get Selena to stop
poisoning the conferences in the next few minutes. My deepest and most
sincere apologies to anyone else I have offended.
Please respond in the other item. Please allow this item to remain on-topic.
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nestene
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response 8 of 119:
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Sep 29 08:09 UTC 1996 |
I have entered the Item for discussion of my breach of etiquette in coop.
If anyone feels it should be linked or transferred to agora, I have no
objection.
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aruba
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response 9 of 119:
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Sep 29 16:23 UTC 1996 |
This is a good place to point out that Grex accepts ALL contributions that
come its way; they need not be for membership. If you want to contribute to
Grex but don't want to identify yourself, by all means send us cash or a
money order and we will accept it, gratefully.
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mta
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response 10 of 119:
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Sep 30 00:58 UTC 1996 |
View hidden response.
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russ
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response 11 of 119:
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Sep 30 05:27 UTC 1996 |
M-Net accepts anonymous patronships, AFAIK.
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draven
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response 12 of 119:
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Oct 1 02:04 UTC 1996 |
It's also losing $750/month and has been locked out by at least one major
site. It is not a role model.
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tsty
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response 13 of 119:
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Oct 1 06:05 UTC 1996 |
after 12 years that is a role model.
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russ
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response 14 of 119:
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Oct 2 03:23 UTC 1996 |
Re #12: AFAIK, M-Net has *always* accepted anonymous patronships.
This policy pre-dates the current difficulties by quite some time.
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rcurl
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response 15 of 119:
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Oct 2 05:25 UTC 1996 |
Are mnet "patrons" carried on their books as "members" and, is mnet a
member-based corporation? (I vaguely recall they have general elections of
their board, which would make them member based - in which case they are
required to have a membership roster with names and addresses.) Maybe
their patrons are just anonymous to you. Anyone know?
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ajax
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response 16 of 119:
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Oct 2 08:05 UTC 1996 |
Currently, M-Net "patrons" get usage benefits, while "Arbornet members"
get voting benefits. I don't recall any explicit ID requirement for
members, but their elections are held by US Mail, which requires valid
mailing addresses.
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russ
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response 17 of 119:
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Oct 2 10:59 UTC 1996 |
anonymous patrons used to be able to vote, I think.
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rcurl
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response 18 of 119:
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Oct 2 15:30 UTC 1996 |
....illegally, if so.
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tsty
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response 19 of 119:
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Oct 4 06:19 UTC 1996 |
but not unethically ... aside from 'the legislature' where the dickins
did a law like that come from ... and *why*? (perhaps 'when' also)
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dang
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response 20 of 119:
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Oct 4 14:19 UTC 1996 |
Tsty, I'd say it's unethical to violate a law for no reason. There's no real
reason *not* to require id, and the law says we should, so it's ethical to
require id.
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ajax
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response 21 of 119:
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Oct 4 14:54 UTC 1996 |
Re 19, I assume the law came from an effort to assist honest voting,
so it's harder for the same person to pretend to be several people.
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janc
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response 22 of 119:
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Oct 4 16:32 UTC 1996 |
If we're going to tell the government that we are a "member-based"
organization, it seems reasonable that we be able to produce some members on
demand, and not just a list of names like "Mickey Mouse, Darth Vader, and
Shirley Temple." That would sound a little...fraudulent.
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janc
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response 23 of 119:
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Oct 4 17:03 UTC 1996 |
Actually, maybe I answered TS's question the wrong way. Maybe he's asking
why the government should be making any rules about what Cyberspace
Communications can do at all.
Well, you have to remember that "Cyberspace Communications" is entirely a
legal fiction. It isn't a person. It doesn't have any "natural rights".
Back when Mike Myers was sole owner of M-Net, he didn't have to keep a list
of members. We wanted to have a legal fiction that would own Grex but would
not be under the sole control of any one person. There is only one way that
the existance of such an entity and it's right to own property and make
financial tranactions can be recognized, and that is through the law.
There are lots of different forms of corporations defined in the law. We
choose to be a "member-based non-profit corporation" because we felt that
best fit our needs. If we wanted different laws to apply to us, we should
have choosen to be incorporated as something else. To be a "member-based
non-profit corporation" we have to have an identifiable board and identifiable
members. We also have to handle our finances in certain ways, obeying certain
restrictions on what we can do with our money. These aren't random laws
applied to us by some monsterous unnatural government intruding into areas
where it has no business. This is an agreement that we entered into with the
government when we incorporated. If we don't like the terms of the agreement,
then there are ways we can dissolve "Cyberspace Communications" and create
some other entity.
The whole idea of "allowing the marketplace to operate without government
interference" is an absurdity. If the government got out of it, every
corporation on the planet would instantly cease to exist, as would every
contract.
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srw
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response 24 of 119:
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Oct 5 05:41 UTC 1996 |
Well put.
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