Here is the answer to the frequest question: Is there a central site where I can find newspaper websites? The answer is yes and here it is. http://www.newsvoyager.com/voyager.cfm .
I use it, frequently looking for local stories during football season (Go Ravens!!). Click on the state and select a city. You should be able to follow it.
Bill
Newsosaur has a good article about how newspapers should charge for content. See it here. http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/ .
I have a better way. Give away free online access to subscribers of the print version. For value added, give access to the newspaper text archive. For security, force password changes monthly. Track IP addresses.
A pricing second tier would give online access to archived photos. There would be a download limit each month.
A third tier would give access to selected other regional newspapers in the same chain.
Don’t tell me it won’t work until you have tried it.
Next idea is zone advertising to online readers based upon IP address. Great idea for local advertising.
They won’t try this on either.
Bill
John Clayton really can’t sing. He was kicked out of the choir because he didn’t hit one note.
This Could be a Book
Over the next view weeks I will attempt to explain what happened to the newspaper industry.
It is complex. Not easy to explain. I will try to break it down into smaller pieces. Please bear with me.
The Resume
First, a little about me. A high School graduate, some college, a pretty good programmer, a technology freak. I was a dishwasher in High School, a Computer Operator at NSA (oops, Department of Defense), a gopher and then programmer for Control Data Corporation, a short stint a programmer at Fanny Mae, a few years as a programming team leader at Commercial Credit Corporation and then 28 years in the newspaper industry.
The A.S. Abell Corporation hired me in 1980. At this point, I had been working in some form of technology for over 11 years. Good experience with more to come.
A.S. Abell owned The Sun, Evening Sun and WMAR-TV in Baltimore. The company was on the bleeding edge of newspaper technology. It was a pretty cool place to work. Politics and all.
My previous experience with mini-computers and microprocessors gave me a good jump over many of the other techies.
Before I begin writing about the technical evolution that was hitting, it is important to jump off here for a bit. We have to talk a little bit about “newspaper people” and the “money” of that era.
The People
Up until this point in my career I thought I had met every type of person possible. After all, I worked with Physicists, Computer Engineers, PHD’s, and a lot of people like me. Well, nothing prepared me for what was about to come.
I spent a lot of time with Advertising sales people, Circulation sales people, Distribution people, truck drivers, Pressmen and many others. All normal people. Mostly like me. Oh Lord, I was not prepared for the Newsroom. Holy Mackerel! For the most part they were all highly educated journalists. They were nice. At least, as long as you understood your role, and place. You could watch how they treated the clerks, the copy boy’s and the technicians. It was then that I realized I was part of the “great unwashed”.
I won’t get to deeply into it but just enough to say, many of them thought they were better than us. They didn’t say it but you knew. There was even a different level of respect between the two news rooms. Many of The Sun’s editors and writers looked down their noses at their Evening Sun cohorts. It was like they operated on a different plane.
Later I will tell the story about the column that was written about one of the techs entitled, “Why Johnny, the Technician, Can’t Read”.
But, remember this. These were all newspaper people. The ethics, quality and integrity of those Mastheads meant everything to them. Opinions always belonged on the Editorial Pages, not on the front page. Well, almost always. I remember that when Harry Hughes was running for Governor, The Sun ran it’s endorsement of Harry, in column one, on the front page. Not once, or twice but three or four times. That outraged the public but got Harry the job anyway. I remember people canceling the newspaper. However, they all came back a week or so later.
The reporters reported the news. The columnists wrote an honest column. A fair representation of the story facts. The editors sometimes gummed up the process through their mishandling of words or headlines, but, rarely was it intentional.
Wow, have things changed. More later.
Next, The Money
We’ve been breeding them for years.
The trolls have been trained to pick out our enemies. You’ve seen the enemies, I’m sure. They tend to wear black and yellow and belong to a low brow group called Steeler Nation.
The trolls follow them until they are alone and then swoop in and comsume them on the spot.
The breeding has helped. At first they refused to eat the ugly ones. I told them they would starve if they waited for a good looking Steeler fan. The new trolls are able to consume and digest a higher lard percentage.
My hope is that they are able to get Hines Ward alone.
We’ve been breeding a new troll. They are able to stomach the Indy Irsays.
My niece Lexi, age 4, visited last night. She wanted to go down to the basement. I said it wasn’t a good idea. I finally had to tell her about our trolls. Those damn things keep causing problems and now the secret is out.
Yeah, they just live here in the winter. They shovel coal into the furnace during the winter. When the weather warms they return to their natural haunts.
You’ve seen them. You know them. The PC people have changed their names and their businesses. I didn’t want to tell her about this but it was about time she knew what was going on.
From ancient times the trolls collected a fee when you wanted to cross their bridges or use their roadways. No longer are those fees called trolls (after their takers) but tolls. That’s right tolls. You know those toll takers. They make you pay and the fees keep going up. Probably the worst of the bunch is an Irish troll. The people of Maryland know him as O’Malley. Poor little Lexi doesn’t understand this stuff but I did my best to explain.
I told her O’Malley was a troll. One that fooled the people and became the governor of Maryland. And kids, guess what he did! You got it, he raised those tolls, higher and higher. High enough that he could hire and executive chef at the governor’s mansion.
But Lexi didn’t really understand. She asked their names. I had to tell her. The father is Petra, mom is Lestra, kids are kennestra, Malestra, the baby is Babbetra and of course there is Jimmy.
Her mom said they have EZ-Pass and don’t have to visit the T(r)oll booths. But even mom didn’t understand the cleverness of these wicked trolls. EZ-Pass is a wizardry tool the trolls use to suck the money out of your pocket without you knowing. Oh, those darn pick-pocket trolls.
Lexi now understands these wicked little devils are all connected to a much larger and ominous organization, the Democratic party. She called them all sick bastards and I had to agree. How wise these 4-year olds are.
Lexi wanted to visit with them but I told her they were in Tampa at the Superbowl. See I know their secret. I know where they are, I know the damage they do and now they have taken over Washington.
Poor little Lexi doesn’t really get it. I’ll help her. She’ll be OK. We’ll be OK. Put out your traps, tie them up and keep them in your basement. They’ll be gone in four years. It is just a matter of time.
Be on the lookout for those little bastards. I will be.
Sleep well little Lexi, their natural enemy is on their way. They stampede will come. All will be well. The elephants are coming. Sleep well little Lexi. We love you.
Newphew John Henry Clayton is taking a Choral Class at McDaniel College in Westminster. The boy couldn’t carry a note in a bucket! I can’t imagine what that teacher is in for when she hears the notes…
25. You Can Subscribe to it.
24. Wrap fish in it.
23. Use it for Paper Mache.
22. Wash Windows with it. Vinegar works best.
21. Line the bird cage with it.
20. Take it out of the bag and use the bag to scoop poop.
19. Use it as a tablecloth when eating crabs.
18. Use it like a sponge on a wet floor.
17. Wrap belongings in it when moving.
16. Cover the kitchen table when the kids are finger painting.
15. Use as kindling in the fireplace.
14. Roll it up and throw it at your cat.
13. Use non-color pages as a mulch barrier (put it between the ground and the mulch).
12. Stuff it in the walls for insulation.
11. Give it to a homeless person to stuff in his/her clothes for added warmth.
10. When you get a hole in your shoe, stuff several layers in the bottom of the shoe.
9. Roll it up and and use it for self defense.
8. Recycle it. Always a good thing to do.
7. Cover your car windows when spray painting. (Masking tape required)
6. Shred it and use it for the hogs bedding.
5. Train your dog on it. Go Gipper.
4. Give it to a chimp to see if maybe he can figure it out.
3. Leave it in the driveway and run over it everyday until it turns into mush.
2. You could pick it up and take it in the house.
1. You could read it. Caution: All of the spin will make you dizzy.
I turned 57 in May. Wow, never thought I’d ever be this old. Although I don’t feel old, the years don’t lie. Looking back on my life I think about what I did, the things I could have done and the things I should have done. I began to wonder where I came from, my lineage. I often wondered where my family came from. I knew, or at least thought I knew where the family lived and what they did and where they came from. What I didn’t know about my family, was how little I really did know. The old memories were faulty. The family stories were just as inaccurate.
So, what about me? I remember asking my step grandfather, Paul Becker, where I came from. He told me I came to Baltimore on a German freighter. It was the same way all good German boys came here. That was much better story than some old stork making a delivery. Grand Pop Becker was the only real Grandfather I had. He was a good guy. Truck driver, taxi cab driver and all around swell guy.
A few weeks ago I was thinking about that story. I really started to wonder about the family. Not just my direct family but all of the branches. I didn’t have a clue where to begin. I did the old Goggle thing and searched for what to do or how to get started. One of the first web sites I pulled up was Ancestry.com. I figured, what the heck and signed up for a month. So, I whipped out the credit card and signed up.
That was three weeks ago. Now, I’m addicted. My wife knows it, the kids know it and the family is probably tired of knowing it.
I created a family tree. Added my parents, my wife, my kids, the grandson my wife’s family and then anyone I could remember. Once that was all enter I looked at the tree. It had a lot of empty branches. This is where the addiction comes in.
I used to do those 1000 piece jig saw puzzles. Once I started I was in a rush to get it finished. I’d work on it every chance I had. Putting together the family genealogy was a puzzle just like that. I knew what had to be connected but I didn’t have any names, birth, wedding or death records or where they lived. I knew my father’s father lived in East Baltimore and had been married a few times. I actually met him for the first time in the early 70’s. But, I didn’t know much else. I definitely didn’t know anything about his parents or their parents. This is just an example of what I didn’t know.
I started with my mom’s family. I knew her dad died in the 1930’s. Mom didn’t't remember much since she was such a young girl when he died. I stopped by the family grave site. (Thank you to the care taker at Holy Cross cemetery in Brooklyn Park.) My mom’s brother, Frankie, died of polio in the early 30’s. Her dad, Stanley, was buried in the same grave. The confusion began there. He was Steve Squarinovitch on the tombstone. He was Stanley Skernevich, from Russia, on mom’s birth certificate. Mom told me when I was little that he was from Lithuania. Now what, I had Russian blood? Other questions began to surface. Where in the heck did he get the name Steve? When did he die? Where did he come from? How old was he when he died? What did he do for a living? I didn’t have many answers and my mom is 83 and does not remember much about him. The marker said he died in 1928.
Ancestry.com had the tools for the search. I just didn’t know where to start. Searching for Stanley Squarinovitch didn’t help much.I did find Steve. It was his WWI draft registration card and military record. He served during the great war, was injured and discharged in 1919. Seems someone at the draft board figured Steve was a good replacement for Stanley.
Name: Steve Squarinovitch
Race: white
Address: 616 W. Lombard St., Baltimore
Birth Place: Lithuania, Russia
Birth Date: 15 Sep 1888
Comment: Ind 9/30/17 pvt; corp 7/20/18, Co B 313 Inf; Co A 304 Engrs 1/16/18; Casual Det 15 Engrs 4/23/18; 30 Admin Lab Co Army Serv C 6/12/18; Patient at Hosp AEF 5/6/19; Patient at Base Hosp Camp Merritt N.J.; Patient at 30 Gen Hosp; Demob Gp Camp Meade Md. 7/10/19, Hon disch 7/15/19, Overseas 4/30/18 to 6/6/19.
Pretty good info. Using that bit of info I was able to find the 1930 Census records. A lot of good information here too. He (Steve was listed at Stanley Squirinovitch) worked at the shipyard as a boilermaker. Mom finally remember her mom saying they called him Steve at the shipyard. He was 39 (really 42). Spoke Lithuanian in the home. They owned their home on Wasina Avenue and had paid $1,800 for it. Probably a good price back then. Grandmom Annie (Anna Polyanski), Elizabeth (5 yrs) (that’s mom) and Frankie (2yrs 9 months) were listed. Annie and Stanley were married about 7 years. Mom remembered they were married at St. Alphonsus Church in Baltimore about 1924. Nearly everyone on their block was an immigrant. Bohemians, Romanian, Czechs, Austrians, Poles and other Lithuanians lived on the block. That was pretty typical for Brooklyn in the early to mid 1900’s.
Getting this stuff hooked me. Things I didn’t know were at my finger tips. I just had to learn how to use it all. Wow! I’m still looking for this immigration data. I will stop by St. Alphosus to get a copy of the wedding certificate hoping that Stanley’s mother and father’s namesare on the certificate. I also have an original wedding photo and wonder whether those are Stanley’s parents standing behind the groom.
I couldn’t stop. Mom’s grandfather was Stanley Polyanski. I didn’t know much else except where he had lived. I knew him, he would only speak Lithuanian to me, that is Lithuanian without the false teeth in. So, I put a email into the family whom I hadn’t talked to in years. My cousin’s wife, Lorraine, had posted looking for info on a relative. I spotted it and sent her a note. It seems Stanley was married to Ona (Anna) W Vencekevicinte. I did not know that. I also found Stanley’s brothers and sisters as well as his and her parents and all their kids. Looks like most of them arrived in the 1890’s from Vilnius, Lithuania, lived in Curtis Bay, Maryland.I found some of the records of immigration ships into Baltimore. Names were a little different, like Palianski, but I was able to match them up from data in the records. Aunt Veronka had $1.00 in her pocket when she arrived. More Wow!
From there I was able to link to a small portion of a family tree started by my cousin Ruth and her husband Bill.
Next up, the Steigerwald’s.
Yea, I know! It’s only preseason football. But, the Ravens did man handle the powderpuff team from Philly. 29-3, remember that Eagles fans as you march through the minor league of football called the NFC. Too bad it wasn’t in high-def.
Life is good. Next up – Ravens vs. Giants Sunday night on NBC.
