Use Internet wisely

I love the Internet. I have loved it since my first online experience, back in those early, primitive days when AOL was the only online portal available to the public.

The Internet was filled with scientists, which is where it really all began, college professors, and other intelligent computer users--geeks if you will. God I love geeks! Every time I logged on to the Internet, I learned something.

Today, the Internet is becoming a horror. My email inbox is choked with jokes, inspirational messages, words of wisdom, and political rants with a large percentage that amount to no more than the latest Fox News BS.

ENOUGH ALREADY!

The Internet helped elect our President, because he and his handlers were bright enough to tap into the technology available to them. And that practice was not lost on every nut ball and wacko from Alaska to Mexico who wants the next taxpayer-funded gig to make them rich.

With so many political wannabes online, learning is much more difficult and I no longer have faith in things I read.

The result of having everyone use the Internet, the result has diluted information resources and watered-down content. Advertising is worse than it has ever been with startling windows that pop up from seemingly nowhere just to startle and annoy me. They are never in an obvious place, so it is difficult to know how to turn them off. I usually just hit the mute button on my keyboard until I can find which of my multiple windows contains the offending ad and where it is located.

Even my beloved Google is no longer what it was. Being number one no longer means much as far as quality is concerned. Too many people who think they are writers who are more interested in search engine optimization and correct keyword placement than research. Plagiarism runs rampant online. Worse yet, the content that writers steal and copy is often times incorrect.

I'm tired of email jokes by well-meaning friends. So many of them think they understand my sense of humor. I hate to admit this, but my sense of humor is often times commensurate with what is going on that day. What I may get a kick out of one day may annoy me to the hilt the next. For the most part, I just don't have time to read jokes all day. I am a writer. I use my computer for work, not jokes. Besides, if I want to read a joke, I will Google 'jokes' where I will find just what appeals to me at the time. Funny, I never do that. Maybe I don't have time for jokes!!!

Then there are those inspirational messages with the beautiful music and glittery shapes. If I needed inspiration, I would turn off the computer and read a book or watch TV or look out the window. If I wanted to see NASA photos, I'd search 'NASA.'

My inbox is filled with newsletters, correspondence, and other items that are essential to me. There is no room for jokes and well-meaning inspiration.

But the worst is the political crap. I consider myself a student of politics. I love it. Trouble is, most of the junk that is sent to me is from people who know nothing about politics, and brazenly claim to hate it. So send me political emails?

One word of advice; if you don't like politics, don't forward political rhetoric to me and above all, don't send me spam that is verifiably wrong.

One last message...

If my inbox is any example of the kind of election season we are going to have, I cringe. We get the government we deserve. But I don't deserve it. Do me a favor, if you are not bright enough to understand the issues, don't vote.

Email Mystery--How's This for Nostalgia?

I got a big surprise recently when I opened an email from a friend.

While I appreciate the gesture, as a general rule I ignore forwarded emails meant to inspire, enlighten, or entertain me. First, I don’t want to contract a computer virus. Second, I have far too many unread emails already. I usually delete them, but there are always exceptions. At times, a good joke is just what I need. The email I reference here, came to me twice from two different people. The first time I took notice, but the second time, I really took notice.

As a baby-boomer with a penchant for the good ole days, I decided to take a look at this one, entitled, "How's this for nostalgia?"

Perhaps you have seen it too. It began with a picture of 'those ugly gym uniforms' we all used to wear. I smiled as I scrolled down looking at the pictures that resonated with me from the past.

When I got to the part that statement, "They (teachers) threatened to keep kids back a grade if they failed…and they did it!" there was a picture attached that really caught my eye. 

Immediately upon seeing the picture, I recognized some of the kids.

This is my class, I thought. As I looked at them, I began to remember a few of their names—Gilbert, David, Elmer, Sue, Sally, Jimmy, Rosanne, Theresa, Sharon, and Cynthia. That was all I could muster. I have no idea any of their last names were, except for Sharon. I attended her birthday party. She lived across the street from our school. I wasn't in this picture, but I still believe this to be my class. If this was my class, this picture had to be taken around the late 1950's.

I struggled to read any identifying information on the plaque placed on the floor, front and center with the name of the school and date the picture was taken, but to no avail. It was all too blurred to read. I could tell that it said, Chicago, Ill., however.

I immediately went to an old photo album where I located my kindergarten and first grade pictures—1957 and 1958. The pictures contained those same kids I mentioned. I believe this picture was taken the following year after my family had moved out of that school district.

The picture above is from my first grade class. That's me—front row, fourth from the left.

In '57 and '58, I attended James Hedges Elementary School on Chicago's south side. The school is still there today, but the website yielded no information about those good ole days. I plan to write to the Chicago Public School District to see if there is any way to verify this information.

This picture so haunted me that I googled "How's This for Nostalgia." I learned that several sites by that name contained similar, but not identical information. Only a few sites contained this picture. That leads me to believe that someone, perhaps one of my long-lost classmates, added their own school picture to the nostalgia email.

I would love to solve this mystery, so if you know anyone in this picture, or anything about the origination of this email, please comment or send me an email.

Are you like me? sick of stupid email "jokes"

I have received one too many stupid emails. This morning, I decided I'd had enough. I responded to the sender and all the others who have forwarded it.

This particular email was supposed to be a partisan joke.

"When your friends can't explain why they voted for Democrats, give them this list. They can then pick a reason." It listed the top-10 reasons that frankly, were more annoying than funny.

The email was not only sent to me, a registered Democrat, but it was sent to many others whose names and email addresses were shown on the header.

This is a big no-no in my book. I don't want my name and/or email address to be a part of any list that includes the likes of Rush Limbaugh. In addition, listing multiple recipients in an email shows computer geeks like myself, that the sender is at the very least, an unsophisticated computer user who is not just technically-challenged but probably believes forwarding jokes is a major function of a computer. I personally have much better things to do with my computer.

It is presumptuous to assume that some of us have nothing better to do than to read jokes. Many of the recipients who received and forwarded this email originated from their place of business. So much for workplace productivity.

It is galling when someone who doesn't know me at all assumes they understand my sense of humor and political affiliation.

Sick of stupid jokes cluttering my inbox, I decided to respond to this one with the following:

If this email is intended to be funny, it isn't. It is offensive and typical of a political system out of control.

To answer the question—No, I vote for the candidate. If he is a Democrat, it is probably because I share the philosophy that all people should be treated equally. Some, who cannot fend for themselves should be cared for, especially in a country as rich as ours. That does not mean we should live in a welfare state or that we should encourage or tolerate lazy and undesireable behavior. Able-bodied people should work because work is good for the body, mind, and soul. Government should not run our lives. More government is not better. More laws are not better.

I often vote Democrat because I believe the democratic philosophy is more akin to how I believe. It seems that Republicans these days will stop at nothing, including sending stupid emails like this one, to denigrate those with whom they disagree. That does not mean I agree with someone just because he is a Democrat. Generally, I support people who are strive to do the job well, not the one who holds and abuses it.

I believe members of both parties take their "party" too seriously. I consider myself a Democrat, but have voted for Republicans and Independents. This year, I will likely vote for some Green candidates.

The only time that partisanship should matter is during a campaign when members of a party can band together for the purpose of simple unity. Once elected, an official should cease being partisan. In the context of his job as a member of a larger body, he should consider the larger picture. While he should represent his constituents, he must be mindful of those outside his jurisdiction and the consequences of his actions overall.

Current practices are all wrong. The goal should not be 'just to get re-elected.' Real compromise among those who share a different philosophy, but similar goals—good governance—should dictate behavior at all levels of government.

It is wrong to blindly bash members of another political party, blindly follow and parrot talk radio personalities, and/or self-made celebrities. I do not believe in public displays of religion. I believe in the science of evolution rather than in hocus-pocus creationism. I believe man has harmed the environment that sustains him. I do not believe I am better than anybody or that anybody is better than me. I believe things should be done because of inspiration, not greed. I could go on but by now you must get the picture...

      Please remove me from your email list. I disagree with you.