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Well here we are in the next to last month of the year 2000 and its
busy season starting. We are trying to get this newsletter going
and see to if can make this try work. The first try went to very
large type as I was putting it together and could not make it reduce
in size so we started over and it seems to be going ok for now.
This month's meeting is as follows:
Nov 17th MCG meeting will be Ron Francis from Micro
Center--"Gadgets for Genealogists"
For further information or help about the MCG group check into
the following site of Jacq' Tucker for updates. http://chezjacq.com/MCG_news_0109.htm
which is a link from http://chezjacq.com/MCG.htm#links
here you will find in addition to MCG also FOG updates so check them
as needed. As FOG meets earlier than I get the newsletter
out it would be best to check the web site for FOG program
contents. FOG meets in the meeting room at the Blue Valley
Library at 151st and Antioch. Note the time is 9:00 to
11:00. The new Blue Valley Library at 9000 W. 151st St. is
lovely, and the meeting room is near the entrance.
Presidential ramblings:
I am sure that all of you are aware of changes that are scheduled to
take place at our old MCG meeting place, Bannister Mall. A new
"Kid" is getting ready to move in to the block, and every
one is going to have to sit back and stay out of the way of the new
"Kid". The Jones Store has already been informed that they
will have to move to a less prominent location, because the new
"Kid on the block" wanted that spot. The new "Kid"
on the block is none other that Bass Pro. They apparently are even
going to change the name of Bannister Mall to something like
"Three Trails Mall". That is not only more historical but it
seems more fitting for a sports shop. Now I like to fish a little, but
I have never been much of a hunter. Well, let's face it by a
sportsman's standard I guess I would have to admit that I probably
would not qualify even as a novice fisherman or hunter. I like to eat
fish, but there are not very many wild birds or animals that I enjoy
eating. I tried to take up both of these "sports" (I use
that word with tongue in cheek) when I was a youngster, but somehow it
just never "took". My father loved to hunt and fish (he just
never had the time or money to do much of it) and we ate all of the
bounty, but then back in the depression days, who could afford to be
picky. Some how I just never did develop a taste for eating the wild
animals. Since I did not enjoy eating any of the wild birds or
animals, killing them just for fun, was not fun for me. I guess that
is why I never became an avid hunter and fisherman.
Now that I look back on it, I guess I did a bad thing for both of our
boys when they were at the age of wanting to learn to hunt and fish.
They begged me to take them out to shoot some rabbits and squirrels. I
was willing to do that but I told them that we did not just kill
animals for fun, so if we killed any we had to dress them, cook them
and eat them. Well we did get a rabbit and a squirrel (both of them
were tough old grandpas or maybe great grandpas). They thought that
was great fun. We brought them home and dressed them. They did not
think that was fun. Then their mother cooked them and we ate them.
They did not think that was fun or even good to eat. They never asked
to go hunting again. I fully intended to be a good father for our
three children, but some how I seem to have failed ---- but then I
digress.
I visited the big Bass Pro Shop in Springfield one time. I think I
covered almost every square inch of it and I can honestly say I do not
need to do that again. One time was and is enough for me. I am not a
great big fan of Bass Pro, but for those that do enjoy it or even go
ape over it, I do not hold that against them. I have some real good
friends that would give up their job, wife, children or home just to
go hunting or fishing. They would spend days in a Bass Pro Shop just
looking at, touching, or drooling on the equipment. Any way Kansas
City is going to be honored by the presence of a Bass Pro Shop at
Bannister Mall with in the next year. There are of course a few
"iffeys" in this deal. Bass Pro would have to have all of
the prime locations in the mall that it wants, and every one else will
have to move out of the way. I have not seen any printed details yet,
but I suspect that the city fathers or mothers will have to give them
some enormous tax abatement for the next twenty years for the honor of
having them in Kansas City. Then, of course, the Bannister Mall will
have to be completely refurbished to accommodate such a sophisticated
guest. The Bannister Mall will then ask the city fathers and mothers
to give them a very large tax abatement. That way Bass Pro and
Bannister Mall will not have to be out any thing for the effort. There
is welfare for the unfortunate poor, there is welfare for the
unwilling to work poor and the poor that have developed the habit,
then there is corporate welfare. Any way you call it, the taxpayer
gets the bill in the end ---- but then I digress again.
I have talked with the lady that I usually deal with about our (non
written and un signed) lease on the Community Room and if we will be
able to renew that lease again in April 2002. She, of course, does not
know the answer yet, but suspects that it may be questionable.
Bannister has had another Community Room on the next floor up from
ours, but now they have a paying renter for that room, so they will be
doubling up on the room that we use. I have given her permission to
use our room after 1:00 PM for other purposes if needed. I talk about
this subject because you may all want to keep an eye out for another
meeting place some time in the future. You just have to try to stay
ahead of the hounds, you know.
See you on November 17, 2001
Wayne
Minutes of MCG, October 20, 2001
Judy Revare introduced Ara Kaye from the State Historical Society of
Missouri who spoke about the resources, which are available in the
Society's Newspaper and Reference Libraries. She gave us ideas on how
we can best use newspapers for genealogy research. The first newspaper
in Missouri was printed in St. Louis in 1808. A surname index, all
hard copy, is available in the reference area. The editorial office
has a quarterly newsletter and also an extensive map collection. There
is a large collection of family histories on microfilm that may be
copied. Microfilm may be borrowed. Social schedules, 1850-1880 gives
information on farms and businesses. A social schedule for 1860
provides an overview of what was going on at that time in our history.
Missouri state censuses, which were taken every four years between
1844 and 1876, do not provide much information.
There is a surname index of Missouri volunteers, both Union and
Confederate. Draft registrations for WWI give family information and
address. Pension land records for 1615-1926 and Mexican War records
for 1887-1926 are available. Sandborn insurance maps are on fiche and
some on microfilm. City directories provide helpful information for
periods between census years.
Hours during the week are 8:00-4:30 and on Saturday 9:00-4:30. A
five-page handout will be helpful for anyone looking for family in
Missouri.
Respectfully submitted, Mary Robinson
Some URL site for information:
California has birth and death
Use Infran View to convert photo graphic formats, it is the greatest
graphics program there is and it is free
Heard of a new death index website and is suppose to work. I have not
looked at this one.
For those that are searching for your relatives in the United States
the below web address will take you to where you can write for vital
records in the United States. Mary Alice Jones.
Every now and than someone asks how to preserve pictures. I
found this site.
There is a free program that can be downloaded that calculates all the
dates from the church calendars. It is called Dage or Days. It has an
English version and can be downloaded from http://www.disnorge.no/ny1/prgdivw.htm
or
If you like space in its Aurora Gallery, WWW.Spaceweather.com
has some terrific pictures of the Northern Lights taken in the U.S.A.,
Finland, Norway. Go to aurora gallery in the page to see aurora
pictures from around the world on November 4 and 5th plus lots of
other information on sunspots and other space data can be found at
this site.
Ever wonder what is meant by the URL and its parts, well following is
an explanation I found on an email list.
The URL [Uniform Resource Locator] is one of the cornerstones in what
is called the World Wide Web, together with HTTP and HTML. Its syntax
is determined by a precise grammar described by RFC 1738, see
<URL:" http://www.w3.org/Addressing/rfc1738.txt">.
A URL is made up of several parts. A simplified example is:
|
|
| | |
|
|
| | File [opt.]
|
|
| Path [opt.]
|
|
Port [opt.]
| Address
Access method
In the URL the magical part is "access method://" which
triggers the automatic recognition of a URL and not the
"www" which is often part of the address. Access method
could be one of: file, ftp, gopher, http, https, mailto, news,
prospero, telnet, wais.
The following little story could be called on following reqests as
stated or better yet would be to make sure you ask or state would be
really mean.
Ole and Sven are out in the country shooting rabbits. Suddenly,
right in front of his friend Sven, Ole falls to the ground, throws a
quick spasm, and then lies perfectly still. He doesn't seem to be
breathing; his eyes are rolled back in his head. In fact, he looks
pretty well dead!
Quick as a flash, a horrified Sven whips out his cell phone and calls
911. He gasps breathlessly to the operator. "Ole just fell
to the ground right here in front of me! He's not
breathing. He has no heartbeat! I think he's dead!
What can I do?"
Well accustomed to this sort of situation, the emergency operator
responds with her most soothing tone..."Okay, Sven, now you must
try to stay calm. If there's anything that can be done, we'll do
it but you will have to keep your cool. Then we can take it one step
at a time. Okay?"
"Sure! Sure! Of course, you're right. I'm fine. Just tell me what
must I do?" "Right ... now first of all, lets make
sure he's dead."
The line goes silent, and a shot is heard. Sven's voice comes back
down the network.... "OK! What next?"
And do you REMEMBER
When the worst thing you could do at school was smoke in the
bathrooms, flunk a test or chew gum. And the banquets were in the
cafeteria and we danced to a jukebox later, and all the girls wore
fluffy pastel gowns and the boys wore suits for the first time and we
were allowed to stay out till 12 PM.
When a '57 Chevy was everyone's dream car to cruise, peel out, lay
rubber and watch drag races, and people went steady and girls wore a
class ring with an inch of wrapped dental floss or yarn coated with
pastel frost nail polish so it would fit her finger.
And no one ever asked where the car keys were because they were always
in the car, in the ignition, and the doors were never locked. And you
got in big trouble if you accidentally locked the doors at home, since
no one ever had a key.
Remember lying on your back on the grass with your friends and saying
things like "That cloud looks like a..."
And playing baseball with no adults to help kids with the rules of the
game. Back then; baseball was not a psychological group learning
experience-it was a game.
Remember when stuff from the store came without safety caps and
hermetic seals because no one had yet tried to poison a perfect
stranger.
And with all our progress...don't you just wish just once...you could
slip back in time and savor the slower pace...and share it with the
children of the 80's and 90's.
So send this on to someone who can still remember Nancy Drew, The
Hardy Boys, Laurel & Hardy, Howdy Dowdy and The Peanut Gallery,
The Lone Ranger, The Shadow Knows, Nellie Belle, Roy and Dale, Trigger
and Buttermilk as well as the sound of a real mower on Saturday
morning, and summers filled with bike rides, playing in cowboy land,
baseball games, bowling and visits to the pool...and eating Kool-Aid
powder with sugar.
When being sent to the principal's office was nothing compared to the
fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.
Basically, we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of
drive by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc.
Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! But we all
survived because their love was greater than the threat.
Didn't that feel good, just to go back and say, Yeah, I remember that!
And was it really that long ago?
Well enough for this month on the newsletter. Next month I
hope to be able to enclose a list of the members with email addresses
and such but have to wait another month to see if I got all the
rejects stopped from the mail administrator. First month was 19
and last month was down to 4. Again if you changed email address
let me know about it to keep the records up to date. The server
tells me real fast if it is not right. I noticed that if the
address for a world net user is off the message body doesn't even go
out but if it is on some other provider it all goes out and then they
sent it back saying the following address had a fatal flaw. Also
to those who get a mail copy if you email let me know please to help
hold the costs down a bit and save me some more work on printing and
mailing.
Thanks to those who have sent me articles but if they have not made it
into the newsletter it is just this is new ground for me to do and
have been holding down the size a bit of what I have put in
here. Seen in the new issue of Smart Computing they had an
article on how to sent a fancy newsletter with columns and such from
word but will take some studying to see if can do it and also can
everyone receive such an email format.
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