MIKE'S COMMENTARY THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE NEWS & NOTES BY SUE FOUST
MIKE'S COMMENTARY AND/OR BITS OF WISDOM:
It is especially this time of year that I think about two friends, Robert "Bobby" Boyle and James "Taters" Hanna. They were true green, all the way through. They were a bit older than me but I didn't sense that, nor did they. We had good times together over a brew or two, some fifteen years or so in fact. They were the kind of friends that I, or Sue and I, would meet when we were "out." We didn't plan to meet ahead of time; it would just happen. That is not to say that I did not do some traveling with them, because I did. We went to car auctions, visited their relatives in other towns. We also enjoyed playing pool. Those stories, the trips and the pool, are as good as they come, but they will have to be told at another time.
It's the Irish connection I want to tell you more about. Bobby introduced us to Irish Soda Bread. Each year, and only for St. Patrick's Day, Bobby's wife Dolores baked this bread for special friends and for the IC Church festivities at St. Paddy's time. I've eaten a lot of soda bread since, but none like hers.
Now Taters, he was a different cat, a very interesting character, exceptionally bright, witty, generous, and lovable. He qualified as a true free Irish spirit, and I'm sure he still is. He sponsored my membership in two clubs, well known local establishments for enjoying liquid refreshments, food and pool. He enjoyed life, all of it. You could tell that Taters was especially happy when he spontaneously broke into song. That would happen about any day I saw him. His favorite was Danny Boy and he knew all the verses. He did them just dandy too.
Now they are both gone and I think of them at this time. I especially miss talking and laughing with them. Each St. Patrick's Day I try to have at least one frothy mug with them at our local meeting place. By the way, I'm not the only one attending that meeting. We all make sure there is a special stool and a mug for Bobby and Taters. We take as many moments as necessary to revisit all the stories that I said would have to wait to be told at another time. It isn't until then that it's a Happy Saint Patrick's Day.
Patrick was born in the later half of the 4th century AD. There are differing views about the exact year and place of his birth. According to one school of opinion, he was born about 390 A.D., while the other school says it is about 373 AD. Again, his birth place is said to be in either Scotland or Roman England. His real name was probably Maewyn Succat. Though Patricius was his Romanicized name, he was later came to be familiar as Patrick. Patrick was the son of Calpurnius, a Roman-British army officer. He was growing up as naturally as other kids in Britain. However, one day a band of pirates landed in south Wales and kidnapped this boy along with many others. Then they sold him into slavery in Ireland. The was there for 6 years, mostly imprisoned. This was when changes came to him. He dreamed of having seen God. Legend says, he was then dictated by God to escape with a getaway ship. Finally, he did escape and went to Britain. And then to France. There he joined a monastery and studied under St. Germain, the bishop of Auxerre. He spent around 12 years in training. And when he became a bishop he dreamed that the Irish were calling him back to Ireland to tell them about God. The Confessio, Patrick's spiritual autobiography, is the most important document regarding this. It tells of a dream after his return to Britain, in which one Victoricus delivered him a letter headed "The Voice of the Irish."
So he set out for Ireland with the Pope's blessings. There he converted the Gaelic Irish, who were then mostly Pagans, to Christianity. He was confident in the Lord, he journeyed far and wide, baptizing and confirming with untiring zeal. And, in a diplomatic fashion he brought gifts to a kinglet here and a lawgiver there, but accepted none from any. Indeed, Patrick was quite successful at winning converts. Through active preaching, he made important converts even among the royal families. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. For 20 years he had traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion. He developed a native clergy, fostered the growth of monasticism, established dioceses, and held church councils. Patrick's doctrine is considered orthodox and has been interpreted as anti-Pelagian. Although he is not particularly noted as a man of learning, a few of his writings remain extant: his Confession, a reply to his detractors, and several letters. The Lorica ("Breastplate"), a famous hymn attributed to Patrick, may date to a later period. By the end of the 7th century Patrick had become a legendary figure, and the legends have continued to grow since then. There are many legends associated with St Patrick. It is said that he used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the concept of the Trinity; which refers to the combination of Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Hence its strong association with his day and name. Legend also has that, Saint Patrick had put the curse of God on venomous snakes in Ireland. And he drove all the snakes into the sea where they drowned.
If a man is talking in the forest, and no woman is there to hear him, is he still wrong?
If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
KCNET CLASSES:
Beginner Windows 9x/XP 4 session course Topics include an introduction to all parts of the computer, learning about the desktop, mouse features and operation, and features and operation of the keyboard. Also creating shortcut icons, using recycle bin, wallpaper and screen savers, toolbars and taskbars, drag and drop, using window features (minimize, maximize, resize, etc), control panel, accessing the different drives, and more. There is always time for questions and general exploration.
Intermediate Windows 9x/XP 4 session course Topics include organization of windows programs, creating and organizing folders, file extensions, saving files from Internet, folder and file views, formatting floppy disks, installing programs, download programs from Internet, HTML email, uninstall vs delete, scandisk and defrag, email attachments, and more. There is always time for questions and general exploration.
Advanced Windows 9x/XP 4 session course Topics include a review of the management of folders and files, an introduction to photo manipulation, introduction to web page creation, using the sound recorder, attaching recordings to emails, introduction to eyeball cams and Internet transmission, and an introduction to burning your own CDs. There is always time for questions and general exploration.
KCnet Users Group: (formerly know as "Senior Net Learners" most recently called "Advanced Class"). I wanted to call this class "The Abusers Group", but Sue would not hear of that. Attendees are persistent in their search for computer knowledge. They ask great questions and present interesting challenges. The cost for this class is $0.00 for members of KCnet and $2.00 per session for non KCnet members. There is no set format for the sessions. Occasionally we will take a specific subject and do a detailed study over a period of successive weeks. Don't be afraid to ask questions. The folks that have been attending for awhile are always happy for a review and in most cases new or better ways to do things will surface. Questions stimulate in-depth exploration with the usual result being an understanding of how and why. We welcome new attendees from the Advanced sessions and our forever growing KCnet membership. This is an advanced group and we cover a lot of territory. We are kind of free flowing. You never know what will transpire. It is not necessary for attendees to have their own computers but it sure helps with the learning curve. KCnet Advanced Class computer knowledge and Advanced Class computer skills are necessary.
OTHER CLASSES: CLICK HERE FOR ORIENTATION - BEGINNERS - INTERMEDIATE - ADVANCED CLICK HERE FOR SCANNING - MAC- GENEALOGY - WEB PAGE - EXCEL - WORD - DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY - PHOTO MANIPULATION - OTHER SPECIALTIES
THIS WEEK'S CLASS SCHEDULE:
EMAIL CLASS First of Two Sessions -- 9:00-11:00 AM March 14 Instructor: Wayne Smith
BEGINNER WINDOWS Third & Final Sessions -- 9:00-11:00 am March 15 & 17 Instructor: Wayne Smith
BEGINNER WEB PAGE CREATION Third & Fourth Sessions -- 5:00-7:00 PM Tuesday & Thursday -- March 8 & 10 Instructor: Mike Foust
KCnet Users Group: Every Wednesday The starting time is 9:00 AM on this Wednesday March 16. We meet in Computer Lab 1 (The Big Room). This past Wednesday we: Enjoyed having no access to the internet. Not a problem we visited Window situations. Specifically "Send to" options. We looked at two new viruses. (See the Virus category of the Technical page.) We did some cuties too. There were a number of burning questions to address from the group.
This class often becomes idea swapping and we learn by sharing our many experiences and I'll tell you all again, that really happened this week. Thanks to all that brought in suggestions, asked questions, and helped with explanations.
Orientation to KCnet One-Session Class – No Charge for KCnet Members Wednesday March 16 -- 6:00 – 8:00 pm Instructor: Bob Fenton
OTHER KCNET CLASSES STARTING SOON Call KCnet 893-8111 to register
Orientation to KCnet One-Session Class – No Charge for KCnet Members Third Wednesday of Every Month 6:00 – 8:00 pm Instructor: Bob Fenton
Genealogy Third Session -- Mar 28 Final session Apr 25 All sessions start at 5:30 PM Instructor: David Wallace
MAC User Group Meets 2nd Wednesday of each month Time is 4:30 PM Instructor: Clair Falls
For more class details and to register visit: http://www.kcnet.org/class/ Registration can be done online, simply click on the course you are interested in and enter the information requested. Registration can be done via phone 893-8111.
NEWS AND NOTES WITH SUE FOUST:
Do you want to get rid of some of those precious stored items? Do you have an antique, too good to give away but not quite right for your living room? Old dishes, paintings, carvings, ironware and old clocks are some of the items people store forever, never knowing quite what to do with them.
For the past several years, KCnet has conducted classes to teach people how to buy and sell on eBay. And, each time a class ends, the consensus is that buying on eBay is easy, selling on eBay is hard.
Now, KCnet will make it easy for you to sell on eBay. Bring your items in. We’ll take the pictures, help you with a description, and list your item. We’ll take care of the financial deposits and receipts. When your item sells, we’ll send the invoice to the buyer and when the buyer pays, we’ll send you a check. Or, if you choose, you may make a tax-deductible donation of the item. We’ll give you a letter verifying the selling price for income tax purposes.
You pay a listing charge of $5 for most items and when the item is sold, we take a commission, based on the selling price. Of course, there are no charges if the item is a donation.
Many eBay stores charge a commission on each item you list, whether it sells or not. We don’t charge you any more than the initial cost for us to list your item, if your item doesn’t sell.
Items that have had a good success rate at KCnet have been new items, old pen and pencil set, antique miniature cast iron figures, old glassware and dishes, vintage advertising items and memorabilia. Often, items that a person has in his attic or garage, stored or in the way, can be sold and now they are out of the way! And remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. A plate that was destined for the trash bin was donated to KCnet who, in turn sold it on eBay for $11.70.
This is a service that will help people sell what they want to sell, to prospective customers everywhere, and it will help KCnet support itself. For more information, call KCnet at 570-893-8111 or visit us online at http://www.kcnet.org.
Until next week…
KCnet Board Of Directors Officers: President Judy Yoho, Vice President Bill Raco, Secretary Donna Lannan, and Treasurer Don Miller. Other members of the board: Carsten Jon Ahrens, Fred Bierly, R. Keith Kelly, Paul Korn, Amy Lapriola, Tom Livingston, Ray McGill, Bob Rolley, and Rich Wykoff.