<<October 29, 1999>>

P. Tapio Varis, Ph.D, Professor
Acting President, Global University System
Chairman, GLOSAS/Finland
Professor and Chair
Media Culture and Communication Education
Hypermedia laboratory
University of Tampere
P.O.Box 607
FIN-33101 Tampere
FINLAND
Tel: +358-3-215 6110
GSM: +358-50-567-9833
Fax: +358-3-215 7503
tapio.varis@uta.fi
http://www.uta.fi/~titava

Dear Tapio:

(1) Many thanks for your msg (ATTACHMENT I).

(2) My sincere congratulations to your receiving the invitation to attend
the InfoDev's symposium on 11/9th and 10th in Washington, D.C.

(3) The symposium agenda attached to your msg is a confidential note and the
web site cited in the invitation letter you received is forbidden for
our access, so that I will refrain to distribute the agenda to our
listserve members.

(4) However, our colleagues would consider that your receiving the
invitation for this high level echelons' gathering is thanks to our
highly successful event at your university last August which was
financed by the InfoDev and others. Therefore, our colleagues would be
very much encouraged by your attendance to this symposium as
representing their effort to our project of establishing a Global
University System with broadband wireless and satellite Internet which
is to be financed with the Global Service Trust Fund (GSTF) in the near
future.

(5) Thanks also for your phone call a few days ago consulting my opinion for
your attendance. Yes, pls attend this symposium at your best effort to
solicit the attendees' interest in our project, although you have very
busy schedules to attend the TeleLearning99 conference in Montreal from
11/6th to 8th, and to cerebrate your son's wedding on 11/12th.

During this symposium, pls convey our sincere thanks to many of
attendees who have encouraged our effort previously -- especially
to Mr. Yoshio Utsumi, Director-General of the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) who provided us with his
stimulating recorded video greeting for our Tampere event. (You
and I visited him at his office when he was assuming his new post
last January.)

(6) Anyway, let's discuss our future directions and strategies in details
during our previously scheduled dinner mtg at Chemists' Club in the
evening of 11/5th in Manhattan.

BTW, when you will be in D.C., pls visit following person;

Ms. Anneli Halonen
Cultural Counselor
Embassy of Finland
3301 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington DC, 20008
tel. 202-298-5823
Mob: 202-262-7468
fax: 202-298-0450
halonen@aol.com
http://www.finland.org

David Johnson of the UTK, Tom Keil of Arizona State University and
I visited her on 10/8th and had very pleasant conversations with
her when David passed on the newsclipping materials of our Tampere
event to her (which you sent David before).

See you soon!

Best, Tak
****************************************
ATTACHMENT I

From: tvaris@helsinki.fi
Date: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 21:59 +0200
Subject: EDELL: Invitation to infoDev Symposium - The Networked Economy - what
do you think Tak: should I go?
To: utsumi@columbia.edu

----------- Alkuper=E4inen viesti -----------
P=E4iv=E4ys: Wed, 27 Oct 1999 13:38:04 -0400
L=E4hett=E4j=E4: tnachazel@worldbank.org
Vastaanottaja: Dpines@Health.Org,
Mhodges@Usa.Healthnet.Org,
Fbukachi@Ken.Healthnet.Org,
Spalmer.Ceche.Dc@Worldnet.Att.Net,
Rmagarick@Jhpiego.Org, Annis@Seed.Undp.Org,
Bilton@Mbox.Vol.Cz,
Anders.Blom@Tbx.Telebox.Fi, Tapio.Varis@uta.fi,
Herbh@Crossingstech.Com, ...
Aihe: Invitation to infoDev Symposium - The
Fax: Networked Economy

Dear Colleague:

The foundations of a networked economy have been laid which are
transforming the world, eliminating geographical barriers and introducing
tremendous opportunities for accelerating economic and social development.
But this carries with it the potential for creating new challenges,
concentrating economic activity and power, with implications for economic
growth, market development and access to basic services such as education and
health care.

On November 9 & 10, 1999, the Information for Development Program
(infoDev) is hosting its annual symposium. The New Networked Economy: What is
at Stake for the Developing World? is an invitation-only event which will
bring together global leaders to brain-storm" on developing a Global
Information Infrastructure which benefits all countries, developed and
developing. I am pleased to invite you to attend this event. A provisional
agenda is attached for your information.

Over the two days, individuals such as President of South Korea Kim Dae-Jung, President of South Africa Thabo Mbeki, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia
Nikolai Aksenenko, Larry Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Oracle, Yoshio Utsumi,
Secretary-General of the International Telecommunications Union, and Muhummad
Yunus, Founder of Grameen Bank will come together to discuss the opportunities
and challenges facing us in this new networked economy. Issues to be debated
include: adapting the way we do business in an Internet-led economy, the
meaning of universal access in a broadband environment, implementing
regulatory policies which optimize economic and social outcomes, and building
application platforms in areas such as education, health, trade to leap-frog
levels of development.

As this is an invitation-only event, you must be registered to attend.
You may do this either by completing the attached form and faxing it to us at
202-522-3186 or visiting the symposium registration website at
www.worldbank.org/infodev/symposium99/registration. Registrations must be
received no later than November 1, 1999.

The potential impact of the information age is limited only by our
imaginations. I do hope that you will join us in this important debate.

Sincere regards,

Carlos Primo Braga
Manager

(See attached file: confirmed.doc) (See attached file: RegistrationForm.doc)
**********************************************************************
* Takeshi Utsumi, Ph.D., P.E., Chairman, GLOSAS/USA *
* (GLObal Systems Analysis and Simulation Association in the U.S.A.) *
* Laureate of Lord Perry Award for Excellence in Distance Education *
* Founder of CAADE *
* (Consortium for Affordable and Accessible Distance Education) *
* President Emeritus and V.P. for Technology and Coordination of *
* Global University System (GUS) *
* 43-23 Colden Street, Flushing, NY 11355-3998, U.S.A. *
* Tel: 718-939-0928; Fax: 718-939-0656 (day time only--prefer email) *
* Email: utsumi@columbia.edu; Tax Exempt ID: 11-2999676 *
* http://www.friends-partners.org/GLOSAS/ *
**********************************************************************

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