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From: dorai@psyche.rice.edu (Dorai Sitaram)
Newsgroups: news.groups,soc.culture.misc,soc.culture.nordic
Subject: soc.culture.german? (not quite call for discussion)
Message-ID: <4014@brazos.Rice.edu>
Date: 28 Dec 89 17:51:18 GMT
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Reply-To: dorai@psyche.rice.edu (Dorai Sitaram)
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Organization: Rice University, Houston
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When I see the list of soc.culture.* groups, I notice a yawning hole
where soc.culture.german should be!  This hole is particularly gaping
considering the recent demolition of the Wall, but single-shot
sensational upheavals aside, scg would be an appropriate medium for
postings on the people, culture, customs, events, hopes and fears in
the German(-speaking) part of the world.  

How about it?  I can't imagine there would be anything less than
overwhelming (read newsgroup-forming) interest, both among Germans and
non-Germans, in creating such a newsgroup.  The group need not confine
itself to the (currently) two Germanys, but also address Austria and
Switzerland.  (The name "german" would then be negotiable, I guess,
except in the sense "German-speaking."  This kind of superset group
would be along the tradition of soc.culture.arabic, soc.culture.indian,
soc.culture.nordic and soc.culture.latin-america.)

Anyway, IMHO, scg (or whatever the name) is long overdue, and it would
be a very interesting group should it materialize.  Currently, there
is no other group where would-be-scg topics can be aired, except maybe
s.c.nordic, and that by a long stretch of the imagination.  

This posting is only an informal suggestion.  I'm hoping some
German/Swiss/Austrian (or someone tremendously into these countries)
who also is knowledgeable about newsgroup formation will issue a
formal call for discussion and subsequently votes.

--dorai "just a Germany-watcher with a fragile familiarity with the
	language" 
--
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It may be that the gulfs will wash us down;
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles.
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