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SENIORNET  COMPUTER  LEARNING  CENTER  NEWS

June 1, 2002; Vol. 3; Issue #6; Mail Address: PMB 44,  12819 SE 38th St., Bellevue, WA 98006-1326

Voice Mail: 206-232-5892; Classroom: Phantom Lake Elementary at Bellewood School, Bellevue

For Detailed Information, Class Schedules:  www.seniornetps.org

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By Phil Scheier

 REGISTER FOR NEW, EXPANDED CLASSES THURSDAY, JUNE 27: with more and more seniors anxious to either learn computer basics, or to expand their current skills, SeniorNet Computer Learning Center has announced it will hold registration for a wide variety of hands-on courses Thursday, June 27th, 10-12 noon, at Factoria Mall.  Registration will take place at the Factoria Mall Community Meeting Room, opposite Red Robin. Volunteers are asked to report for assignments from 8-8:30 am. By the registration date, all members should have received their printed catalogue with registration forms and other details. If not call SeniorNet at the phone listed atop Page One, or click onto our website. Registrar Louise Flora announced that Roger Dalton has again taken on the job of planning the registration at the Factoria Mall Community Room.  Assisting Roger is Harry Shedd, backed by a group of volunteers to help students select their courses, and speed the registration process. Numbers will be handed out to early arrivals at 9 am in order of arrival to speed their registration, which starts at 10 am. Those wishing to help can reach Roger at rdaltonesq@aol.com or call him before June 8th at 425-746-5951. Or email Harry at shedd@gte.net.

 

KAFFEE KLATCH TIME AGAIN: That looked-for monthly first Tuesday Kaffee Klatch is scheduled for, of course, Tuesday, June 4th, at 11 am, at the Food Circus at the Crossroads Mall, 156th Ave. NE, and NE 8th, Bellevue. The getting-to-know-you informal, no-host gathering with tables pulled together by arriving members, is one of the monthly highlights of our group. And, all are welcome.

 

SENIORNET AHEAD OF THE LEARNING CURVE: With many seniors upgrading to the new Windows XP operating system, which also comes installed on new PC computers, SeniorNet is moving ahead to provide classes to take advantage of this latest step up in computer operations. Facilities Coordinator Ken Crandall told the May 21 membership Meeting at the Crossroads Mall Community Room Windows XP has been already installed and is ready for the new classes. Curriculum Coordinator John Wise said special orientation sessions for teachers and assistants in the Windows XP classes are slated prior to start of regular classes. Thus, SeniorNet is one of the very few computer learning centers for seniors, teaching the new XP program. Just returned from a trip, Pres. Helen Hesketh presided at the meeting. 

 

MEMBERSHIP MEETING AT CROSSROADS MALL: Next monthly SeniorNet Membership Meetings is scheduled for Tuesday morning, June 18 at 10 am at the Community Room at the Crossroads Mall, 156th Ave. NE, at 8th St., Bellevue. The Community Room inside the mall is adjacent to Bartell's Drug. Pres. Hesketh reports that we will be selecting the top priorities from the brainstorming results for the goals and objective for the upcoming year. The program for the day will be a Roundtable on Spontaneous Questions Trouble Shooting, Spam problems, Pop up Internet ads and Computer Trouble Shooting, led by Facilities Coordinator Ken Crandall.

Using E-Bay on the Internet is a new class that was added as a result of the Curriculum Study Committee survey. Sign up at the June 27th registration and learn how one of the Internet auction services works. Learn how you can both buy items that cannot be found anywhere else and sell some of your own items that are cluttering up your home or sell products that you have handcrafted.

LET'S SUPPORT PHANTOM LAKE SCHOOL All SeniorNet members are urged to support two fund drives by our host school, which includes a great cookbook for $8.00 or $7.50 if you purchase more than one. To purchase a cookbook, simply stop by the school office and leave your order and money, then pick it up a few days later. The cookbook was created from recipes collected from the Phantom Lake community, so you know they have got to be special.

 

USING QUICKEN TO HANDLE INVESTMENTS: With more and more seniors taking advantage of the many free online services to help investors find and analyze stocks, and to maintain portfolios, Curriculum Coordinator John Wise said such a program is scheduled. He told the membership meeting last month classes would be held in the fall on tracking investments with Quicken.

 

DAVE LEWIS ON TV COP SHOW? Television viewers the other week saw our own former SeniorNet Secretary Dave Lewis in a police show. No, not a police case, but the program, "This is your city," honoring the volunteers who work with the Bellevue Police Department to ease the work load there Dave was one of those featured in the program.

 

ERV VERNON FEATURED IN P-I COLUMN: This pioneer with our SeniorNet Computer Learning Center from its earliest days, as an active member and instructor, is also a Navy combat veteran serving with the "Tin Cans" in the Pacific in WW11. The retired Boeing engineer was recently featured in Jon Hahn's widely-read column in the Seattle P-I.  Erv and other survivors of Japanese kamikaze attacks while aboard the destroyers, fondly known as "tin cans," held a large reunion in Everett the other week. In Hahn's column, Erv described one such attack on his ship, which caused many deaths and injuries, and huge damage to the ship. Hahn in his column, which appears three times weekly, had also written an earlier column on SeniorNet.

 

MARINERS EYEING SENIORNET MEMBER? This relatively new SeniorNet volunteer with an impressive computer background, who jumped right in teaching or taking on the job of assistant when needed, is a heavy hitter also with his Issaquah Co-Ed Softball Team. But you have to be over 55-and be able to prove it-to join.  This writer-who also happens to be a senior-- drove out to Issaquah's Tibbet's Brook Field the other week to check out this league. Ross Roberts (No. 14) was playing outfield in the game against the Bellevue team. The grass was green, and if there was a sliding roof as at Safeco Field, it must have been packed away for this sunny day. And some of the very impressive hitters were women. Ross, at his two plate appearances, swung with the best of them. His first powerful, well-aimed hit was a three-bagger. His second appearance later in the game got him to first base. But for some reason, there weren't enough hitters behind him to get him home. Under league rules, the game goes for seven innings if the game is fairly even. If one team in the sixth inning has an overwhelming lead, that team wins. Game ended. Ross' wife Sandy, also a great hitter, who plays when her work schedule allows, wasn't there that day for some needed runs. At last reports, Ross is sitting by the phone, waiting to hear from the Mariners' scouts.

 

Handy Computer Tips

HOW TO TAME OUTLOOK EXPRESS EMAIL: A detailed online treasure trove of easy-to-find tips for those now using this favorite email program provided by Microsoft as part of its Windows package. This actually is the default Windows email program. These tips are provided free by About's Focus on Windows, edited by Douglas Ludens.  To access the site online copy and paste the URL into the address space on our browser:

http://windows.about.com/cs/outlookexpress1/index.htm?once=true&

 

These tips helped this writer revive his Outlook Express email service when "something happened." It includes settings for first-time users, for those wishing to re-install, as in my case, plus lots of other tips. About is a free column distributed via email, as is our SeniorNet Online Newsletter. Another tip: Copy the key settings opened up by going to Tools, and when menu drops, click on Accounts.  A dialogue box appears with a Mail Tab in front and your mail setting showing under Account. Look to the right menu, and click on Properties. The Mail Properties box opens with five tabs, General, Servers, Connection, Security and Advanced. To copy each setting, copy via Alt.-Prnt-Scrn keys on top of keyboard, as each tabbed setting appears, and then paste each one into an Outlook Settings document you set up in your word processing setup.  Strange things sometimes happen to settings. But if you have the settings copied to a paper printout and filed away, it's a simple matter to correct the Outlook Express email problem. The two key Tabs are General and Servers.

 

HOW TO PRINT ONLY PART OF A WEB PAGE: About's free online tutorials show you how to print only a part of any web page, without also printing the graphics ads etc. This is from its Internet for Beginners' Guide. To access this easy step-by-step tutorial, copy and paste the following URL into your browser:

http://netforbeginners.about.com/c/ht/02/05/How_Print_Part_Web1021309806.htm

 

OUR WEBSITE DEVELOPING INTO A REAL SENIOR CENTER INFO SOURCE: Thanks to the excellent and ongoing efforts of our SeniorNet Website creators and operators, it just keeps adding on more information of special interest and service to seniors. Which makes it must reading.  The web site address is listed atop Page One of our Newsletter. But here it is again,  www.seniornetps.org for easy click-on access. In addition to local SeniorNet classes, schedules, catalogue and other news, it also links to the national SeniorNet and AARP, plus helpful articles for those thinking of going back to work. Our local SeniorNet site includes various links to Home Page, Our Classes, Directions to the Center, Our Teachers, Be a Volunteer, Our History, compiled by Hal Mozer, and the link to our Monthly Online Newsletter, which you are now reading. There is also a link for those wishing to learn about investing from the Charles Schwab organization.  Hal and Jay Schlechter got the web site going, and has been joined by Chuck Goldstein as the site continues to improve. At the moment, Jay and Hal are concentrating on checking the speed and look of those moving Newsletter headlines, which change from month to month.  A reminder: click on our website for any information you need.

 

GETTING TO KNOW YOU BETTER:  MEET OUR MEMBERS:

VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR DELORES DAVIS: She joined us some six years ago with an already impressive background with a Master's Degree from Boston College, a key position at the University of Washington Hospital as a medical social worker for 21 years, where she also taught students various disciplines.  And then, while still working part-time, signed on to SeniorNet and still moving at high speed.  Delores Davis, our long-time volunteer coordinator and an instructor of several courses here, plus other duties, is the mother of six children, and the grandmother of 20. How did she wind up in Seattle?  She is a transplant from Chicago, who came here to get away from the weather and attend Seattle University.

 

Delores an only child married another only child, George Davis from Kingston, Jamaica, a few weeks after receiving her Master's Degree. Her husband died some 30 years ago, leaving her with six children. At working at different jobs from the age of 12 both in Chicago and Seattle, she began her long-term service to the UW Hospital, retiring more than 10 years ago. In addition to her work, she has been actively involved for many years in the community professionally, socially and civic activities. Delores then began writing a history of her husband, and also found the world of computers, which led her to SeniorNet. "I tried various volunteer opportunities until I found SeniorNet and computers," she recalls. "I am still employed part-time in addition to my teaching, but I feel my retirement has become richer because of computers." And like most SeniorNet members, she says, she continues to learn and expand her horizons. But most importantly, she admits, "I can converse with my grandchildren on almost their level, which makes me feel like a special grandma."

 

JOSEPHINE & CLAIR HUGH: One of the great husband-wife teams in the SeniorNet volunteer corps, they work together in producing the printed class catalogues and news, among other activities. In addition, up to a few months ago, Jo headed publicity operations for SeniorNet for several years. Jo grew up on a farm in Northeastern Iowa and visit there occasionally, most recently to celebrate her mother's 104th birthday. She met Clair following his return from Army service in WW11, when she attended Iowa State Teachers College. It is now known as the University of Northern Iowa. They were married in 1950 and both taught in the Belmond High School. She concentrated on business subjects and the school newspaper.  He became high school principal in 1952. With the birth of their oldest daughter in 1953, she interrupted her teaching.  Clair in 1956 joined the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co., in Cedar Rapids, where he served for five years before being transferred to Seattle as regional manager. Jo remained home with the children, three boys and three girls, until 1969, when she began teaching at Odle Junior High in Bellevue. She taught there for 16 years. Jo has an undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Iowa in Business Education and Social Science, and a Master of Education from the University of Washington.

 

Clair grew up in Delhi, IA, and attained the rank of Eagle Scout, where he also played the trumpet in the high school band, and played on the hoop team. He graduated in 1941, enlisting in the Army the following years. After service in India, he was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant in May 1946. He graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1948 and that fall began his teaching career in math and science, later rising to the post of principal and then entering the insurance field. Following his retirement, he worked as a consultant to and as a member of the Washington State Investment Board. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Iowa and a Master's Degree from the University of Iowa. And Jo and Clair at presstime were awaiting the arrival of their 13th grandchild.

 

EMIL STANISLOWSKI: A native of Milwaukee, WI, he worked in finance and administration for country government there for nearly 20 years.  Following his career in local government, he was a management consultant for nonprofit agencies and taught graduate seminars in public administration at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

 

He moved to Bellevue some 7 ½ years ago when his wife, Kate Greenquist, transferred here as the Law Enforcement Coordinator Manager for the U.S. Attorney's Office. Since moving here, Emil has served as the director of the Lifetime Learning Center, a continuing education school for adults over 50; a software test engineer for Sierra Online for a year; and as training manager for Sageport, an internet startup company seeking to market an internet bundle of services to seniors. As Emil notes, "Unfortunately, they ran out of venture capital," and his work was terminated. This, he says, "forced early retirement by engaging in voluntary activities such as SeniorNet."  A retirement, Emil says, he is enjoying.

 

CAUTION NOTE: While all computer-operating tips come from usually reliable sources, readers are reminded they use them at YOUR OWN RISK.  Again, in case you have friends who are online, and may be interested in taking classes to expand their skills, forward this newsletter to them by clicking Forward when this message is displayed. Then enter their address in the to box, and click Send. We welcome your personal news items sent to the editor at b26flyer@attbi.com. If you wish to receive this newsletter monthly, email your full name, phone and email address to the above email address. And if you wish to unsubscribe, just send a message to same email address.
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Pres.> Helen Hesketh;  Vice Pres.>Adella J. Granger; Treas.>Bob Swenson; Secy>Patricia Braun;  Registrar>Louise Flora;  Immediate Past Pres.>Clif Wuesthoff; Curriculum Coordinator> John Wise;  Facilities Coordinator> Ken Crandall;  Member-at-Large>Delores Davis;   Volunteers Coordinator> Delores Davis; Public Relations & Online Newsletter Editor> Phil Scheier; Publicity>Bill Kyle

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