Versailles legion Memorial Day Photos

See the photos that were taken over the holiday at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.demaree/MemorialDay07

See a video of the 21 gun salute at:
http://wb9otx.com/youtube/

The Colors

Photo from:
http://www.dailyoverlook.com/

In Memory of our Fallen Heroes

Memorial Day Pages

Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday that is observed on the final Monday of May (observed this year on 2007-05-28). It was formerly known as Decoration Day. This holiday commemorates U.S. men and women who have died in military service to their country. It began first to honor Union soldiers who died during the American Civil War. After World War I, it expanded to include those who died in any war or military action. from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day

Ripley County’s most decorated veteran


Herman W. Jahnigen, 87, 1918 - May 23, 2005

He was a veteran of WWII and was Ripley County’s most decorated veteran.
Herman W. Jahnigen, 87, 1918 - 2005 of Versailles passed away Monday, May 23, 2005 He was a member of the 508th Parachute Infantry of the 82nd Airborne Division and participated in the D-Day landing at Normandy. He also participated in the Battle of the Bulge and was wounded on June 9, 1944 in the European Theatre. Mr. Jahnigen’s citations included the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Silver Star, European Campaign Medal, Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation, French Fourragere, Netherlands Citation, and the Normandy, Belgium, French, and American Defense Medals. On June 27, 1945 he received a battlefield commission promoting him to Lieutenant.

Please see a video tribute to Herman Jahnigen at:
http://www.ripleycounty.net/herman/herman.html

Let us remember Herman, but please remember all the veterans that have served to give us the freedoms we now enjoy in our everyday life. You may, and should, attend the services at Cliff Hill Cemetery, Versailles, Indiana, Monday 10:00 AM May 28 2007 - Contact Versailles Legion Post # 173 at 812-689-6400 for information.

See photos taken at Cliff Hill in 1998:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.demaree/Legion1998

See a few Youtube.com videos on Memorial Day & Veterans:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=te-cKxsBapM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=junPmuTizlc
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-YF9FXzod_Q


I want to add this final note today to the readers of this Blog. I may to some think that I go overboard on the subjects of Veterans, Memorial Day, Veteran's Day and the like, but I feel you can not give enough to these people that gave of themselves for you and I. When I see a flag in a grave yard, see the colors in a parade, or see a tribute to Veterans a tear trickles from my eyes. This in the past use to embarrass me. Now I feel it is the very least I can do, and this is not nearly enough. Now I am proud to wipe the tear.
Jack Demaree

McAfee Not

Q.
My computer came loaded with McAfee which expires in in a few days. Is it a good deal, or should I be looking to purchase something else. What do you recommend?

A:
There are many free and paid for anti virus packages which are much better than McAfee.
I have always recommended AVG Antivirus for years and they have never let me down.
http://free.grisoft.com/doc/1
Avast. is another great free package at:
http://www.avast.com/

To purchase a package go for Kaspersky
http://www.kaspersky.com/
or
Panda Software.
http://www.pandasoftware.com/

Just make sure to un-install your old anti-virus program before loading the new one. Two in this case is not better than one.

all-in-one Player

Q.
Is there a all-in-one video and audio player that will replace all the other single format players? What do you use ol' super geek?
thanks, toni

A.
Seems everyone likes something different, but the player I use is VLC media player. Its free (open source) and will play about everything.
Download it from here http://www.videolan.org/vlc/ Just make sure you get the Windows version.
Thanks for your question

panoramio - another 2 gig for your photos

Panoramio is another free place to store, share, or just back-up your photos.
http://www.panoramio.com
Here are a few of my uploads:
http://www.panoramio.com/user/484977

YouTube Downloader

If you have ever wanted to save a video from YouTube like I have but couldn't figure out how to do it, here is your answer. Its free and works perfect. find the video you want to save on youtube.com then copy the URL and paste it into the downloader. Click "OK" and you will save it to your hard drive. You can view it with the built in player or convert it to a different format to be played in another player such as Apple Quicktime.
Get it here:
http://youtubedownload.altervista.org/

LightScribe - Burn, Flip, Burn, Trash

LiteScribe

I had this great idea to print a clock face and photo on a CD then ad the clock works for gifts. So off to the computer store I went. I have very little patients, so I bought the only litescribe drive they had in stock (IOMagic). Along with the drive I had to have the CDs & DVDs to print on. (at about $1 a piece) Returning home I found that there was no mounting hardware supplied, but I had it on hand, but you may not. I installed the drive into my fastest computer along with the NERO software that came with the drive. I picked out a nice photo and changed it to gray scale (black & white) as Litescribe dose not print in color. I centered it on the CD using the provided software (NERO) then inserted some typed words just to give it a test run. It looked the way I wanted the finished CD to look, then hit the print button. The software told me it was going to take about 30 minutes to complete. I waited the 1/2 hour and low and behold the rom drawer opened ! I can't tell you how disappointed I was to see a very faded image on the CD. You had to hold it just perfect to the light to see the image. I then tried going to their web page to read the help files. This was no help at all (it never is). I tweaked the software every way I could find, still no good. I hate to call customer service but I was stuck. I dialed the toll number that was on the West cost. the recording told me they did not open till 9 AM West cost time. I waited till 12 noon EST and placed the call again. I pushed 1-5-7-then 3 and heard a recording that all agents were taking care of other customers. I listened to canned music for 20 minutes then was disconnected. Not wanting to give up, I went back to the Web page to the customer service chat page (i hate these things) but I typed in all the information but found my drive was not listed. I clicked "connect" but it told me I did not enter the correct information. How could I as my drive was not listed. I fudged and entered a drive that was close to what I had. Clicked "connect" again and a tech typed back "how can I help you". I typed that the image was very dim and almost invisible. He told me to upgrade the driver, I typed "I did" he said to upgrade the firmware, i typed "I did". Every thing he told me to try I had done so already. I finally typed, "I'm returning it, good by".
The next day I returned it to the store but the clerk said he had one and it worked fine. I traded it for a new one. I returned home and tried it again, Same as before, very dim image. After destroying about 6 CDs I was ready to give up and return this 2nd drive. I gave it one last chance by digging through the use-net groups. I found a guy that had the same problem as I and was told how to fix it. A simple check mark was removed from the automatic box, then placed in the 1200 baud rate box. This was done in the NERO software. I tried printing another CD and it came out much bolder. It was almost what I had expected it to look like. I found that you could reprint the image twice and make it look darker, but this takes two times as long or one hour. To end, I would not recommend anyone to buy a LiteScribe drive at this time. They may get better in the future but not yet ready for prime time. The Drives are too expensive and the CDs or DVDs are overpriced also. I also found a few days later that the newer NERO software screwed up another piece of software that I use. Oh well ....................

Subscription sabotage

This is a long article I realize, but it may save you a few dollars by reading it.
I think the best idea is to use AVG anti-virus protection.
----------------jack

IT consultant and Windows Secrets subscriber Bruce Weiskopf received a routine notice that his Norton Internet Security product subscription was about to expire. Then, when he began examining some online forms, he became upset. There, in the fine print, he noticed a clause saying he was already signed up for automatic subscription renewal.

"It's barely noticeable, and, in any event, you aren't given the opportunity to decline at this point," he told Windows Secrets. All he could see was a link for more information. So, he went to the Symantec Web site to find out more.

According to Bruce, what ensued was an onerous process of hoop-jumping before he was finally able to tell the company not to renew his subscription and charge his credit card automatically each year.

"It's really, really an unconscionable scam," Bruce adds. "I'm sure there are many consumers who don't pay attention to their credit card statements, enabling Symantec to make quite a profit at about $50 a pop!"

For those who feel as Bruce does, the unfortunate truth is that the practice of enrolling customers in automatic renewal for antivirus and other security products is not limited to Symantec. Indeed, it has become an industry standard. Microsoft Windows Live OneCare, Symantec, McAfee, and ZoneAlarm all enroll customers into the companies' automatic subscription-renewal programs with the purchase of a subscription-based product. In most cases, customers aren't given a choice to opt out, and only find out about the annual renewals when they receive an e-mail notice or see a charge on their credit card.

For some users, automatic renewal is a boon, since it saves the annual chore of manually renewing subscriptions to new virus definitions. Others view the policy with suspicion, especially since these policies are often not made clear at the outset. Moreover, the amount charged for the renewal each year can change, depending on the going rate for the subscription at the time of the renewal.

In order to get to the bottom of this, I bought products from each of the following four security companies to see how transparent the auto-renewal policy is and just how difficult it is to get out of the scheme once you know about it.

Windows Live OneCare is the least transparent

Of all the companies I tested, Microsoft's all-in-one security and maintenance package, Windows Live OneCare, has the most-hidden automatic subscription-renewal policy and is the most difficult to learn how to cancel.

You begin the process by signing up for a free Windows Live account (basically a Hotmail e-mail account). At the bottom of the form is a link to the Windows Live Service Agreement, a 6,708-word document that hints at what's to come. It reads, "If we informed you that the service will be provided indefinitely or automatically renewed, we may automatically renew your service and charge you for any renewal term."

The actual commitment isn't made until you enter your credit-card information and are allowed to review your data before confirming the purchase. The review page shows no information on the subscription-renewal policy — that is, until you click View Details under Windows Live OneCare. Only if you open the link do you see this policy statement:

* "You have selected a one year subscription to Windows Live OneCare ... This is an annual subscription that will be automatically charged to your credit card every year at the then current price unless you cancel your account or select an alternative plan. You must agree to the Windows Live OneCare Subscription Agreement to access the service. Major credit card required. Prices subject to change. Valid in US only."

Despite the above language, no "alternative plans" are listed. Nor is any information provided on how to get out of the automatic renewal program.

After your purchase, you can go to Microsoft's Billing and account management page and sign in with your Windows Live e-mail and password. There, you can click on the service you purchased (Windows Live OneCare) and see links for complete cancellation of the service itself. But nowhere is there information on simply canceling recurring credit-card charges.

In the end, you have to phone Windows Live OneCare Support at 866-663-2273 in order to cancel only the automatic-renewal aspect of your subscription. (I was told by a Microsoft representative that this toll-free number also can be called from outside the U.S. if international dialing and the country code 1 is used, but I wasn't able to test this.)

McAfee embeds auto-renewal policy in EULA

A somewhat stealthy approach is taken by McAfee. As part of the online purchase process, users see a scrolling box containing a 3,280-word end-user license agreement (EULA). Buried in the scrolling text is a statement that reads:

* "If you have agreed to permit McAfee to automatically renew your subscription to the Software by charging a valid credit card number which you have provided to McAfee, your subscription will be automatically renewed thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of the term and each anniversary thereafter for a fee no greater than McAfee's then-current price, excluding promotional and discount pricing."

According to the license, simply purchasing with a credit card gives the company permission to automatically charge you for a subscription renewal year after year.

How do you get out of it? The EULA goes on to say:

* "McAfee may continue charging you for any subscription automatically renewed unless you inform McAfee´s customer support department at (408) 992-8599 or (866) 622-3911 (or any other local number provided by the respective McAfee entity in your region) not to renew your subscription to the Software at least thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of your subscription to the Software and informing them of your desire not to have such subscription automatically renewed."

Granted, every customer should read the fine print before purchase. But, many would argue that this important information about ongoing charges should be made more apparent.

In case you missed the phone numbers in the EULA, you can always cancel auto-renewal of your subscription at the McAfee Web site. However, finding the right page isn't easy, especially since the site's search feature provides no quick answers. Here are the steps for U.S. customers:

Step 1: Go to McAfee's main U.S. page.

Step 2: At the right end of the navigation bar near the top, click My Account.

Step 3: Log in using your e-mail address and password.

Step 4: In the navigation pane on the left, select Auto-Renewal Setup under My Account.

Step 5: Under Auto-Renewal Setup, the page should have check boxes corresponding to each product you've purchased. Uncheck the boxes for each item whose subscription you do not want to have renewed automatically. Then click Done.

Customers outside the United States may need to contact a customer service representative either by e-mail, phone, or online chat. These options are available at McAfee's main customer service page.

Symantec: Mandatory auto-renewal, but easier to cancel

I found that Symantec actually has the second-best policy of the four security sites I tested. Symantec products give you no choice, requiring you to accept automatic subscription renewal as part of your purchase, but at least this is made pretty clear from the beginning. An explanation just below the credit-card form in Symantec's online store reads, in part:

* "By placing this order, you consent to Symantec automatically renewing your annual subscription. Symantec will notify you by e-mail prior to expiration of your current subscription ... If you do not want to be automatically charged, you may discontinue the auto-renewal feature of Norton Ongoing Protection at any time after completing this order by following the instructions contained on the Symantec Web site and in the confirmation e-mail."

Despite the lack of choice, Symantec at least warns you, both at the time of purchase and in the confirmation e-mail. Moreover, it provides a link to the cancellation page, both in the online receipt and the confirmation mail.

On the chance the buyer might miss these statements, I went to Symantec's main site to see how hard it would be to find the cancellation page on my own. I entered cancel automatic renewal in the search box at the top of the page. The search returned three results, the first of which was an Enterprise Support Knowledge Base article entitled "How to cancel On-going Protection." The article included a link to the cancellation form.

The actual cancellation process is a simple matter of filling out the form online and clicking Submit. (This only cancels auto-renewal, not your current subscription.) The only downside is that you'll need to have your name, e-mail address, order number, product activation key, and product serial number to complete the form! So remember to save your online receipt or the confirmation e-mail you received after your purchase.

ZoneAlarm provides a fairly upfront choice

As far as security products go, Check Point's ZoneAlarm is the least coercive when it comes to automatic subscription renewal. Unlike the other three companies I tested, the order form for ZoneAlarm provides a check box where you enter your credit-card information that reads "Automatically renew my subscription upon expiration." The box is checked by default, however, so if you miss it, you'll be signed up for automatic charges until you cancel. And the confirmation e-mail you receive won't clue you in to this fact.

Once you're signed up for automatic renewal with a ZoneAlarm product, canceling the auto-renewal isn't too difficult — providing you know where on ZoneAlarm's site to look. I had to do a lot of clicking around to find the right page, and the site's search function was little to no help. Here's the solution:

Step 1: On ZoneAlarm's main page, click Customer Support in the navigation pane on the left.

Step 2: On the Customer Service page, click Login to My Account under Customer Service. You may be prompted whether to display both secure and nonsecure items.

Step 3: On the Account Login page, enter the user ID and password you created when you purchased the product. Click Sign In Now! Again, you may be prompted whether to display both secure and nonsecure items.

Step 4: On the My Account page, click Manage Subscriptions under the Manage Subscriptions heading.

Step 5: On the Manage Subscriptions page, look in the section with the Automatic License Renewal heading. Choose Manually renew this license from the Renewal Option drop-down list. Click Submit.

What's behind the hard-to-cancel policies?

Not surprisingly, companies that enroll customers in automatic-renewal programs by default tend to describe the policy as an advantage for customers.

A Microsoft spokeswoman explained that "the goal of implementing the automatic-renewal process was to protect customers from an interruption in their service. Recent studies show as many as two-thirds of antivirus users postpone their subscription renewal." (Microsoft policy prohibits identifying p.r. spokespeople by name.)

John Gable, director of product management for Check Point's ZoneAlarm division, says the company's recently implemented auto-renewal practice was intended "to help consumers keep their subscriptions up to date, as well as in response to feedback from many users who felt subscription renewal reminders were too intrusive."

Corporate altruism doesn't seem to be the only motive in the move to recurring credit-card charges, however. Last year, an article in TechWeb credited Symantec's then consumer-group chief Enrique Salem as saying that automatic renewal of product updates was one of several "revenue-generating" strategies to "pump up the consumer group's bottom line." (A representative I contacted at Symantec did not provide a comment by press time.)

Consumer reaction is decidely negative

Despite the promise of continued service that automatic renewal offers, some customers clearly don't like being signed up for recurring credit-card billing by default. It isn't difficult to find complaints about this practice posted in online forums.

For example, a user with the screen name RideRed claimed in BroadbandReports.com that Symantec charged his credit card at renewal time without his consent, despite the fact that he had turned off automatic renewal at the time he made his purchase.

Similarly, a user of Digg.com comments:

* "I usually don't sign up for services that auto-renew. Why? Because I am surrounded by examples of companies that REFUSE to stop charging when the customer tells them to. They call it an 'error' and keep right on charging — all you can do is call and hope they eventually stop taking your money for a service you've long since stopped using."

Quantifying the level of dissatisfaction is more difficult. None of the companies I was able to reach had (or would reveal) the number of customers who have canceled automatic renewal, although the Microsoft representative did say the majority of customers are auto-renewing their subscriptions.

Nevertheless, it's safe to say most companies track customer complaints and respond when they reach a critical level. As ZoneAlarm's John Gable acknowledges, "We are continuing to run usability testing with regards to placement of the auto-renew option and whether to keep it checked by default or not. Therefore, the way we have it today may very well change based on user feedback."

If you feel the pain, you must complain

No product I reviewed has a completely clean record. ZoneAlarm, to its credit, actually does allow users to opt out of automatic renewal before completing a purchase (but opting out is not the default choice). Symantec, for its part, does make its auto-renewal process apparent and relatively easy to turn off — compared with the worst cases.

I'm the first to agree that the ability to automatically renew a subscription, especially to an important security service, is a convenience most customers should consider. But to compel customers to adopt automatic charges and then hide or obscure that fact is quite another matter. Security companies compound the problem by making the cancellation process difficult and hard to find. In most cases, companies are implementing this policy in every country where they can lawfully do so.

Microsoft's spokeswoman told me that the company "has taken steps to prevent their customers from being surprised by automatic renewals. Sign-up forms make it clear that online customers are entering an automatic-renewal program."

But this is in direct contradiction to my own purchasing experience. It may come as a surprise to Microsoft that not everyone clicks every link to read the fine print during their online shopping experiences.

Although the companies I surveyed send out reminders before the renewal fee is charged, customers can easily lose track of these notices in the deluge of spam and business promotions they receive each day.

Corporations seldom change policies that make them rich, unless enough customers complain. If automatic renewal works for you, then by all means keep the service going. But, if you don't like the way it's been implemented by your security provider, it's time to let them know.
----------------------
From:
https://windowssecrets.com/info/

Create a CD with XP

Q.
I was told I could create a CD if I had XP for an OS. I do not have a commercial program such as Nero. How is this done? Thank you for your help, Tim G.

A.
1. Insert a blank CD-R or CD-RW into the drive.

2. Find, highlight, and right-click the file(s) you want to copy, and select Send To, then select CD-RW Drive or CD-R Drive.

Alternatively, you can drag the file to the CD-R Drive or CD-RW Drive icon in the My Computer window or Windows Explorer.
3. Open My Computer (if it's not open from the step above), and double-click your CD-R or CD-RW drive.

4. On the left, under "CD Writing Tasks", click Write these files to CD. The CD Writing Wizard will appear.

5. Name the CD whatever you like, and click Next.

6. Wait for the CD to finish writing, and then eject it.

Creating an audio CD

Using Windows Media Player, you can copy .mp3 files to CDs. You can also copy tracks from another audio CD.
Creating an audio CD from files on the hard drive

1. Open Windows Media Player, and on the left, click the Copy to CD or Device button.

2. From the "Music to copy" drop-down box, select the playlist or album with the desired songs. Alternatively, select All audio to bring up a list of all audio files currently on the hard drive.

3. Select the titles to copy to the CD, and then click the Copy Music button.

4. Wait for the CD to finish writing, and then eject it.

Creating an audio CD from another CD

1. Put the source CD (the CD that you are copying from) into the CD drive.

2. Open Windows Media Player, and on the left, click the Copy From CD button.

3. Check the boxes beside the tracks you are copying.

4. Select Copy Music. Once the tracks have been converted and copied to your hard drive, insert the blank CD.

5. Click the Copy to CD or Device button, and under "Music to copy", select the correct album.

6. Select the titles to copy, and then click the Copy Music button.

7. Wait for the CD to finish writing, and then eject it.

Thank you for your question.

Ripley County’s most decorated veteran

Herman W. Jahnigen, 87, 1918 - May 23, 2005

He was a veteran of WWII and was Ripley County’s most decorated veteran.
Herman W. Jahnigen, 87, 1918 - 2005 of Versailles passed away Monday, May 23, 2005 He was a member of the 508th Parachute Infantry of the 82nd Airborne Division and participated in the D-Day landing at Normandy. He also participated in the Battle of the Bulge and was wounded on June 9, 1944 in the European Theatre. Mr. Jahnigen’s citations included the Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Silver Star, European Campaign Medal, Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation, French Fourragere, Netherlands Citation, and the Normandy, Belgium, French, and American Defense Medals. On June 27, 1945 he received a battlefield commission promoting him to Lieutenant.

Please see a video tribute to Herman Jahnigen at:
http://www.ripleycounty.net/herman/herman.html

Let us remember Herman, but please remember all the veterans that have served to give us the freedoms we now enjoy in our everyday life. You may, and should, attend the services at Cliff Hill Cemetery, Versailles, Indiana, Monday May 28 2007 - Contact Versailles Legion Post # 173 at 812-689-6400 after 4:00 PM for information.

Mothers Day

Mothers Day Page
Another One

The Story of Mother's Day

Mark locations - share them with others

Wayki specializes in enabling you to mark locations and share them with others. The interface is nice and simple, and it’s the small touches that make the site so pleasant to use. Anyone can easily place a marker on the map, drag it to a specific location, and add messages or pictures. Once a marker has been posted, you’re provided with a simple to link to URL for distribution wherever you wish so that you can send people to your marked location. Visitors who explore the map can even comment on these markers. Here is Stratton - Karsteter's location on wayki:
http://www.wayki.com/?item=1178796363

Try marking your house at:
http://www.wayki.com

What They Didn't Want You To Know

THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT:
http://www.viewzone.com/philadelphia.html

Bugle lessons

I have been taking bugle lessons and I think I'm getting pretty good at it. Click and see for yourself. http://tinyurl.com/28s9yc While your there, look around at some of the other photos. Borrow (download) all you want for free.

What Time Is It ?

Qlock offers a desktop download for Windows, but their Web site functionality is more than enough for anyone looking to quickly figure out what the current time is around the world. Their interactive map shows you which regions are experiencing sunlight and which regions are still in the dark, and all you have to do is point your mouse cursor at or type in the name of the city that you want to see the time for. If you want to get a close-up view of the location, then simply click on the area and zoom in and out as you see fit.

http://www.qlock.com/

Got a Wireless Network ?

It's Time to Shore Up Security
Some words to the wise: if you have a wireless Internet or network connection, make sure you've got the best possible security measures in place. Don't delay, because the basic encryption protection against intruders is increasingly vulnerable to accomplished hackers. Get the Full Story from the FBI.

Vanishing honeybees mystify scientists

I noticed last year while mowing the yard there were very few honeybees on the white clover. Here is an article from CNN on the subject.
Also the Crayfish (crawl fish) that build the mud chimney are very few also. When was the last time you seen a toad in your yard ? Am I nuts - Do you think about this stuff too, am I the only one?

Do you have Crazy Thoughts ?

CrazyThoughts.com
Is just that, you can waste a bunch of time on this site. It will give you lots of thoughts to ponder today. Here is some advice, don't click on any of the banners and of course you may find a pop-under when you close your browser. Hey, someone has to pay for the storage on these pages, I just don't want it to be you.
http://crazythoughts.com

Veterans & the Flag

This is one of the best videos I have seen in a long time and not a word is spoken. Please watch. It is 12 of the most enjoyable minutes you will experience. I guess I'm a little soft, but I got a lump in my throat and a tear ran down my cheek. Thanks to Lin for sending the link to me.
Click here to See the video
or here if on AOL:
http://tinyurl.com/zbmm8