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MIKE'S COMMENTARY
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MIKE'S COMMENTARY AND SOME BITS OF WISDOM:

4th of July - History “Thus may the 4th of July, that glorious and ever memorable day, be celebrated through America, by the sons of freedom, from age to age till time shall be no more. Amen and Amen.”                                                    Virginia Gazette on July 18th, 1777 Schoolchildren in America learn the basic history of the events surrounding the Fourth of July, but the details of this monumental occasion in American history somehow fall through the cracks. Although July 4th is celebrated as America’s official split from Britain’s rule and the beginning of the American Revolution, the actual series of events show that the process took far longer than a single day.  Taxation without representation! That was the battle cry of the 13 colonies in America who were forced to pay taxes to England’s King George III with no representation in Parliament. As dissatisfaction grew, British troops were sent in to quell any signs of rebellion, and repeated attempts by the colonists to resolve the crisis without war proved fruitless. The original resolution was introduced by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia on June 7, 1776, and called for the Continental Congress to declare the United States free from British rule.  On June 11, 1776, the colonies’ Second Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, formed a committee with the express purpose of drafting a document that would formally sever their ties with Great Britain. The committee included Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston. The document was crafted by Jefferson, who was considered the strongest and most eloquent writer (nevertheless, a total of 86 changes were made to his draft!) The final version, the document that we know as the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, although the resolution that led to the writing of the Declaration was actually approved two days earlier. The following day, copies of the Declaration of Independence were distributed and, on July 6, The Pennsylvania Evening Post became the first newspaper to print the extraordinary document. On July 8, 1776, the first public readings of the Declaration were held in Philadelphia’s Independence Square to the ringing of bells and band music.  All of this had occurred with some of the delegates to the Congress not even present; New York, for example, did not even vote on the resolution until July 9th. (Did you know that that not a single signature was appended to the Declaration on July 4th. While most of the fifty-six names were in place by early August, one signer, Thomas McKean, did not actually sign the Declaration until 1781.) One year later, on July 4, 1777, Philadelphia marked Independence Day by adjourning Congress and celebrating with bonfires, bells and fireworks. The custom eventually spread to other towns both large and small, where the day was marked with processions, oratory, picnics, contests, games, military displays and fireworks. Observations throughout the nation became even more common at the end of the War of 1812 with Great Britain. On June 24, 1826, Thomas Jefferson sent a letter to Roger C. Weightman, declining an invitation to come to Washington, D.C., to help celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. It was the last letter, Jefferson, who was gravely ill, ever wrote. In it, Jefferson says of the document: May it be to the world, what I believe it will be ... the signal of arousing men to burst the chains ... and to assume the blessings and security of self-government. That form, which we have substituted, restores the free right to the unbounded exercise of reason and freedom of opinion. All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. ... For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them.  In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a legal Federal holiday. Today, communities across the nation mark this major midsummer holiday with parades, fireworks, picnics and the playing of the "Star Spangled Banner" and marches by John Philip Sousa. Many Fourth of July customs have not changed since our earliest celebrations. But some communities across the nation have developed their own special traditions:     * Celebrants in Seward, Alaska, take part in a six-mile foot race to the top of Mount Marathon and back. Further north in Kotzebue, Alaska, traditional Inuit contests are held.     * The citizens of Lititz, Pennsylvania have spent their winters since 1818 making thousands of candles so that the children of the town can light them during a special "Festival of Candles" the night of July 4.     * And, on the morning of July 4, the community of Tecumseh, Nebraska, raises more than 200 flags around the courthouse as a way of remembering those who have served in our country’s armed forces. Each flagpole bears the name of a man or woman from Tecumseh who has served in the United States military.     * On July 4, 1976 major celebrations throughout the country marked America’s 200th birthday. In Washington, D.C., 33 tons of fireworks were exploded in the sky above the Washington Monument, along with Laser beams that spelled out " 1776-1976, Happy Birthday, USA." In New York, a succession of tall sailing ships from all over the world sailed up the Hudson River. ~  This history from   http://www.twilightbridge.com/hobbies/festivals/independence   ~

~ Written by Johnny Cash ~ I walked through a county courthouse square, On a park bench an old man was sitting there. I said, "Your old courthouse is kinda run down." He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town." I said, "Your flagpole has leaned a little bit, And that's a Ragged Old Flag you got hanging on it. He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down. "Is this the first time you've been to our little town?" I said, "I think it is." He said, "I don't like to brag, But we're kinda proud of that Ragged Old Flag." "You see, we got a little hole in that flag there When Washington took it across the Delaware. And it got powder-burned the night Francis Scott Key Sat watching it writing _Oh Say Can You See_. And it got a bad rip in New Orleans With Packingham and Jackson tuggin' at its seams." "And it almost fell at the Alamo Beside the Texas flag, but she waved on through. She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill. There was Robert E. Lee, Beauregard, and Bragg, And the south wind blew hard on that Ragged Old Flag." "On Flanders Field in World War I She got a big hole from a Bertha gun. She turned blood red in World War II She hung limp and low by the time it was through. She was in Korea and Vietnam. She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam." "She waved from our ships upon the briny foam, And now they've about quit waving her back here at home. In her own good land she's been abused -- She's been burned, dishonored, denied and refused." "And the government for which she stands Is scandalized throughout the land. And she's getting threadbare and wearing thin, But she's in good shape for the shape she's in. 'Cause she's been through the fire before And I believe she can take a whole lot more." "So we raise her up every morning, Take her down every night. We don't let her touch the ground And we fold her up right. On second thought I DO like to brag, 'Cause I'm mighty proud of that Ragged Old Flag."  This is the only poem ever written by Johnny Cash that was not intended to be sung. He performed this a number of times at the "Pops Goes the Fourth" concerts in Boston on the 4th of July.  His book "Man In Black" reveals the inspiration behind it.

 

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The first KCnet Techno Teens Camp for 2006 ended on Friday with a wrap-up of the week's accomplishments and a cookout.  Wow, what a week! The talent of local teens is impressive.  And the changes in technology were put to use.  The kids learned how to do pod casting, photo manipulation, build a computer and created web pages of their own.  They also integrated some musical talent, too. There will be another week of Techno Teens Camp, starting on August 7 at 9 AM.  Cost is only $50 for 5 days, 9 AM to 2 PM, lunch included.  It's an affordable opportunity for Middle School Students to learn and rub elbows with the people who work in technology daily.  And, if you know a student who possibly can't afford the full fee, we have some scholarship money, donated by members of the Advanced Users Group that meets at KCnet every Wednesday morning. The other new kids program is KCnet Techno Tots.  The 6-day session, started on May 26 and continued each Wednesday afternoon for 6 weeks, was a great experience, too.  This program was partly supported by Sovereign Bank Foundation.  Their $2,500 grant was used for equipment and computer programs for the Kids.  The next session for Pre-Schoolers starts July 11.  Registration is due no later than July 5. The first KCnet Camera Club meeting was held last month. The next meeting is July 10 at 6 PM, at KCnet. Twenty-two people, young and old, came in to start this new group. And, there's been some interest from others since that first, startup meeting. We hope this will blossom into an active group that will be able to dawn our halls with art, enter some on-line competitions, and show their accomplishments to others in this area - even world-wide through the web. Bill Raco is the organizer. Bill's the KCnet President of the Board and a member of the Clinton County Arts Council. He's locally known and has also won several national awards for his photos. Another member of the club, Michelle Peters, has recently won an on-line photo contest. I'll tell you more about this club and the members in another Note from Sue. And, Tim Yoho sent the following, which I can relate to - can you? "Long before it's in the papers" June 28, 2006 The science of sniping on eBay June 25, 2006 Courtesy American Physical Society and World Science staff If you often bid in online auctions, chances are you’ve been sniped.  That is, someone came along and placed a high bid just moments before the bidding deadline—eliminating your chance of winning. Many people consider sniping unethical, robbing other bidders of a chance to buy an item and impoverishing sellers by stifling fair competition.  But ethical or not, it turns out sniping is the best way to win an auction, scientists say. Researchers at Seoul National University produced a model that mimics bidding behavior on eBay and a Korean auction site, auction.co.kr.  The model backed previous statistical studies of winning bidders, they said.  These studies found that people who refrain from bidding until the last seconds are much more likely to win than people who take part in earlier, incremental bidding. Although snipers miss out sometimes—if their late bids are not registered in time for the auction close—they are usually successful, the study found.  The researchers’ advice: unless online auction companies adjust their rules to extend bidding deadlines when large, last-second bids come in, as live auctioneers do, you’ll be better off sniping if you really must have that rare Pokemon card or Chia Pet planter. Until next time… KCnet Board Of Directors Officers:   President Bill Raco, Vice President Bob Rolley, Secretary Jon Ahrens,  Treasurer Don Miller and Past President Judy Yoho.   Other members of the board:  Carolyn Carl, R.  Keith Kelly, Paul Korn, Donna Lannan, Amy Lapriola, Tom Livingston,  Ray McGill, and Rich Wykoff.

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