Author: Jack
I retired in 2008 and so I have more time now to devote to several of my interests The blog here is mainly for my interests in some current events but may have the occasional rant on other subjects. I have also decided to keep my genealogy posts here instead of in a second blog (and so simplify my life a little).

The Betrayal of the American Dream by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele

The Betrayal of the American Dream by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele

Posted on by Jack

“The Betrayal of the American Dream” by Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele looks like a great book. OK, I haven’t read it but I did read an excerpt in the Philadelphia Inquirer today. Today was the first of 4.


Barlett and Steele are award-winning investigative reporters (Pulitzer Prizes, National Magazine Awards and others) who document and discuss the betrayal of the middle class and the American dream.

If you think the upper class have used our government to their advantage and the disadvantage of the middle class, you should enjoy this book. If you haven’t quite made up your mind about the current decline of the middle class, this book may be enlightening. On the other hand if you are a member of the 1%, you may find this book aggravating.

I look forward to reading the rest of the excerpts and perhaps the book.

Free resource and free trial: Fold3 for genealogy and history

Free resource and free trial: Fold3 for genealogy and history

Posted on by Jack

Fold3

I just got an email from Fold3. Fold3 holds many documents of historical and genealogical interest. The emphasis is on military records but there are many others. Fold3 just added a set of records called Navy Casualty Reports, 1776-1941.

Free Trial

I had tried a free trial, stayed on for a year, but decided it wasn’t worth it for me after that. But I think I may try again.

But your family and situation are surely not the same as mine. So give it a try. By the way, it really was easy to leave paid membership and go to free membership. Of course, the free membership is the lesser of the two and many documents are called premium images and these are reserved for paying customers (after all, free doesn’t pay the bills). But with free membership you can search and see what is available.

But I think the best deal is to take the free trial and see what they have, including the premium images. If you think there is enoough there to be worth the price, just continue. But if not, simply inform them and move to the free membership. It doesn’t cost to look. You might find stuff duing the trial.

One of the things I had disliked during my trial was I thought the search function was kind of clunky (to use the technical term). A recent Fold3 blog entry discusses the improvements in searching. Here is a link to the Fold3 blog.

My brief experience indicates the search is much better now.

Somethings are free for everyone

Fold3 just added a set of records called Navy Casualty Reports, 1776-1941. Despite the name which would make you think these are Navy seamen only this includes both seamen and others who died in Andersonville Prison. These free offering may change from time to time so you might want to check periodically if you elect not to keep your paid membership.

I currently have the free membership and found a record on the death of Wiliam Greer on the USS Maine when it was blown up in Havana harbor in 1898. Oddly, Fold3 does not have the Spanish American War as a category but you can search by year or year range. Since this event led to the war but was not part of the war, I don’t know if it would have been included in that category even if they had one.

My visit to the National Archives at New York City

My visit to the National Archives at New York City

Posted on by Jack

Earlier this week I visited the National Archives at New York City (NYC) twice. I was very pleased with my visits. I was looking for naturalization records of 2 people in my family tree. Both were naturalized in NY courts in the late 1800s. I had located the relevant index record on ancestry.com that I had all the information I needed. I was almost 100% certain that the 2 index entires I found were my guys.

I simply registered, requested the records, examined them a few minutes later, and then bought copies for 75 cents per page. Unfortunately, the courts of the 1800s did not seem to require very much information so there were only 4 pages of records available and I bought them all. Therefore, the total bill came to $3.00 and I had copies of the whole court record for both. I learned only a few things I had not known from the index so that was disappointing but still well worth 3 bucks.

By the way, you are under no obligation to buy the copies if you don’t want them. But who would not want them if they were the people you are looked for. Still, nice to know in the event that the record turns out not to be the person sought.

The National Archives at New York City is in the process of moving so all records are not there but the naturalization records are there. Here is the National Archives press release.

So for now they are still at Varick and Houston streets in Manhattan but the big move is expected in a few months. Here is a link to the National Archives at New York City so you can get the latest info and you can easily get from there to the main national archives page in case you are interested in another location.

The people there were so helpful and recommended an external site (the German Genealogy Group ) with a naturalization index. Two evenings later, I was checking on that site and found a potential match for John Tracey and decided to revisit the NYC National Archives to be sure.

Since the index record did not have all the info they needed to find the original court record, they checked the record on Fold3. With the info I had found on the German Genealogy Group website, they easily found the index in Fold3 which had additional information. It had both the information they needed to find the court record but also enough info that I knew this was not the John Tracey I has looking for. So I did not get the record I hoped to find. But it was not a wasted trip as there plenty of other things to do.

I had initially thought I’d title this post “Not my John Tracey” but it is really about the NYC archives and how nice and helpful the staff and volunteers are so I decided on “My visit to the National Archives at New York City”.

Certainly worth a visit if you are interested in genealogy and visiting NYC.

Pros and Cons of Chromebook

Pros and Cons of Chromebook

Posted on by Jack

Yesterday,I wrote about using my Chromebook for genealogy. Since I have a bit of extra time this morning I thought it would be good to mention a few pros and cons. Yesterdays post was mainly on the positives but there are a few negatives.

The thing that I see as the biggest downside is that if you don’t have an internet connection, the computer seems like a big paperweight and there is little you can do. But I knew that before I bought and intended to use it with WiFi so this is not a problem for me.

Documents on your Google drive are either unavailable or uneditable depending on where you were when you lost the connection. I believe Google has improved that but I haven’t had much luck with it. (I should mention that this is not the new version of the Chromebook).

A minor irritation but one that comes up often if you are typing is that there is a key next to the ‘a’ key and just above the shift key that opens a new tab in the browser (which is Chrome of course). You very quickly realize what has happened and close the new tab and go back to what you were working on.

You do almost everything in Chrome which seems a bit strange at first but you quickly get used to having everything in different Chrome tabs. For example if you edit a document, it is in Google docs and on your Google drive and done in a Chrome tab.

The touchpad is a bit of genius. You can scroll and move around with it like a laptop but it also serves as your mouse. It takes a bit of getting used to it but you can click, highlight, and so forth. Of course, you can add a real mouse via the USB port but that would partly defeat your desire for a small, compact, and secure computer.

So if you are willing to accept its limitations, the Chromebook is a fine second computer. I don’t think many people would be happy with the Chromebook as a main computer.

My main computer is a desktop and I use the Chromebook as a second computer at home and as a small and secure computer when travelling. Depending on your situation the dataplan may be a plus but it is certainly not needed if you are willing to live with WiFi only.

Once again this blog post was made with my Chromebook.

Chromebook for genealogy

Chromebook for genealogy

Posted on by Jack

A couple months or so ago I bought a Chromebook . For those who not familiar, it is a small computer, very light, highly secure, and it starts up very quickly. Here are the specifications of my model .

My ChromeBook model has both WiFi and a small data plan from Verizon. I use it mainly as a WiFi but the Verizon connection is nice because there are a few occasions when you need to connect but just can’t find WiFi. Since the many of the functions do not work if you lose your WiFi connection, the data plan is very helpful. My understanding is that it is a prepaid plan (and you paid for it with your chromebook) and it is renewed every 30 days by either Google or Samsung. So if you use all your data for the month you have the option of buying more data from Verizon or just waiting until the next 30 cycle.

So after that lengthy introduction, I can get down to why I was writing to begin with. I am spending a few days in New York City and decided I would use the time to look up some genealogy stuff. I have my family tree on Ancestry and thought the Chromebook would be a great way to have my genealogy with me in case I needed to look something up.

Of course you could just do things the old fashioned way and write down what you need, But if you are in a place with lots of information, you could decide to look up someone or something which was not anticipated. In my experience that happens alot when you are in places with lots of information.

For example now I am sitting in the library of the New York Historical Society. I had requested a few items (books and manuscripts) this morning before I came. (This part of the post was writen while I was waiting for my requests.) And depending on the results, I can access the online catalog and request more with my Chromebook (since they have WiFi here). This is particularly nice if you find something unexpected and wish to follow-up. I can also take notes with my Chromebook.

I visited the New York City main library (5th Ave and 42nd St) and made good use of their WiFi. The National Archives in New York (Houston and Varick Streets) does not have WiFi but they do have public access computers. I did use the verizon connection with the Chromebook to briefly check some information I had on the Google Drive but should have thought to write down.

It was a very nice genealogical visit to New York City and I made good use of the Chromebook. I’ll havee to write a bit more about this visit and the Chromebook. I have uploaded this to my blog from Google drive with my Chromebook.

The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva

The Fallen Angel by Daniel Silva

Posted on by Jack

For several years now, I have enjoyed Daniel Silva’s series of novels about Gabriel Allon. Gabriel Allon has a remarkable and unusual set of talents. He is a gifted art restorer as well as a professional spy and assassin.

Daniel Silva also has unusual talents. According to Daniel Silva’s page at Amazon, he “has been called his generation’s finest writer of international intrigue and one of the greatest American spy novelists ever.”

I have been enjoying this series since the late 1990’s and look forward to each new novel. Since I have read most, if not all, I can say with a good degree of confidence that Silva provides enough of a background in each novel that I think it is entirely possible to enter the series anywhere (but there is something to be said for beginning at the beginning). This brief background is certainly not so much that it bores the series enthusiast or bogs down the story in any way. Since only 1 or 2 novels come out each year these backgrounds are helpful to review relevant highlights of story that you might have read several years ago.


The Fallen Angel is the latest addition to the series. Gabriel is retired from Israeli intelligence and is progressing nicely with his restoration a Caravaggio masterpiece in the Vatican. But he is asked to look into a possible murder or suicide in St. Peter’s and quickly uncovers a vast conspiracy, and as he progresses finds great threats to Israel and world peace. As a follower of the series I know that he will get involved with his old job, save Israel and the rest of us, and return to his art restoration.

But how the tale is told is the thing that keeps me coming back. Daniel Silva tells the story well. I hope Gabriel’s retirement is interrupted often in the coming years. All of the books in the series have been wonderful.

Bain Capital and Job Creation or Jobs Outsourced

Bain Capital and Job Creation or Jobs Outsourced

Posted on by Jack

Much in this political season is being made of Mitt Romney’s time at Bain Capital and his role in job creation, job destruction or job outsourcing. The Obama campaign points to jobs lost. The Romnney campaign points to jobs gained. Both are true but not very relevant to who would be the better President.

Jobs are gained in some cases. Jobs are lost in others. Jobs are outsourced in other cases. But job creation was not Mr. Romney’s job. His job was to make money for the investors in Bain which he apparently did very well.

Neither campaign makes much of a case on how this experience relates to the President’s role in the US economy. Neither campaign has much to say about his time as a governor and how that relates to what he hopes to do as President or how his experience with Bain related to what he did as governor.

It would be better for the citizens if the campaigns tried to inform us on some relevant points.

Death Benefits by Nelson DeMille

Death Benefits by Nelson DeMille

Posted on by Jack

Nelson DeMille’s Death Benefits is a short story which will be released by itself as a digital short in an e-book. The story has already been published in the anthology edit by Demille, The Rich and the Dead.

The short story opens with an author past his prime. He once wrote best-seller mysteries but his last few books just haven’t done well. (Nelson DeMille is himself a best selling author but certainly not past his prime.)

The writer still lives well but just doesn’t have the money to support the lifestyle he likes and to which he has become accustomed. He is broke. He resents his agent who took 15% in the good times and the writer sure could use that money now. He has an insurance policy on the agent’s life which he took out in the good times. Can he now commit the perfect crime and be a wealthy man again?

Demille tells the story well. It starts well and just gets better until the twist and the surprise ending.


Athough I haven’t read The Rich and the Dead, I have seen reviews and understand it is a fine collection of short stories by a wonderful group of writers. Death Benefits is just one of the stories.

So if you are interested a short mystery, try Death Benefits . It is available as a digital short for those with e-readers such as the Kindle or Nook. According to the latest on the Amazon site this won’t be release until August 1, 2012 but can be ordered now. If you would like to try a group of short mysteries, try The Rich and the Dead . This is available as an e-book as well as an actual physical book.

The Parties Versus the People by Mickey Edwards

The Parties Versus the People by Mickey Edwards

Posted on by Jack

The Parties Versus the People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans by Mickey Edwards is an important book. I was lucky enough to read an advanced copy via NetGalley .

The United States political system is dysfunctional. Surprise! Surprise!

We the people are theoretically in charge yet the people we elect to represent us refuse to compromise and so are unable to govern and solve our country’s problems. The obvious conclusion is that there is just too much partisanship. Where Mickey Edward’s book rises above the common political discussion is in proposing solutions.


About a year ago Mickey Edwards expressed these ideas in the Atlantic. Mickey Edwards had been a congressman and then a professor of government so he knows what he is talking about.

Yale University Press gave him a platform on which to expand his ideas into a book.

The overriding theme is that we have given up too much of our control to the 2 major political parties. This is done on several levels. Parties limit our choices to a few candidates. Once one of these candidates is “in”, he or she is then beholden to the party for both current power in office (example, committee assignments in Congress) and the chance to be re-elected. Every 10 years the party in power (in most states) gets to redraw the electoral map for its own advantage and usually to the detriment of any real community representation.

At times the book may seem a bit repetitive but that is only because there are so many problems and so many solutions, all related by the common theme – too much power to the parties at the expense of the people. To make it more complicated the rules vary from state to state. And the power of parties to restrict access to those of their choosing and redraw districts is at the state level.

This book is not a diatribe against parties. It is natural to have a diversity of opinions in any large group. It is also natural that people with similar opinions would associate and even sometimes form groups like our political parties. These associations can be useful.

The author is objecting to our current system which is party-driven. He gives many examples of the resulting problems and suggests ways to reduce the power of parties and so enhance the power of politicians to work together for the common good. The book is well worth reading. It won’t be out until late August so you can pre-order now and read the Atlantic article in the meanwhile.

J. D. Salinger: A Life” by Kenneth Slawenski

J. D. Salinger: A Life” by Kenneth Slawenski

Posted on by Jack

“J. D. Salinger: A Life” by Kenneth Slawenski is a good book. I had read “Catcher in the Rye” when in high school and re-read it as an adult. I had also read several books of his short stories. And then I followed his reclusive life in an occasional article. So I had an interest but fairly large gaps in my knowledge of Jerome David Salinger.

I had asked for this book as a Christmas present but I had asked for several books and it took me a few months before I tackled this one. The book was both more and less than I expected.

The less is no fault of the author. Since Salinger was a recluse for much of his life, there is much less biographical material than you would expect for someone of his stature. The more is discussed below.

Slawenski has devoted himself to the study of Salinger as both a man and an author. This biography is not just a biography of what was an interesting and unusual life but a study of the relationship between Salinger’s literary works and life.

As someone with knowledge of just some of Salinger’s works and the bare outline of his life I must admit the biographical aspects of this work interested me more. I found the coverage of his wartime experiences especially fascinating. I enjoyed some of the discussion of the relationship between life events and his literature but I must confess I read through these parts faster.

This book seems to me to be a very good biography, well written by an expert. I was less interested in the literary critique but I do agree with the author’s position that the life is not separate from the literature. I think the book does a wonderful job for those like me with a limited knowledge of Salinger’s life and works. I would think an expert would also find the literary analysis and biography fascinating.

So to put in in a sentence, the book is very good for someone like me but detailed enough to also satisfy the expert.

Here are a few blogs with additional reviews. These links open in new browser window (or a new tab in some browsers):

Conflict between Religious Freedom and Healthcare (Affordable Care Act aka ObamaCare)

Conflict between Religious Freedom and Healthcare (Affordable Care Act aka ObamaCare)

Posted on by Jack

Recently there has been quite a bit in the news about conflict between Religious Freedom and Healthcare. Specifically, the mandate for employers to provide health insurance meeting standards and the freedom of religious organizations to refuse what they feel in morally objectionable. To be even more specific, the administration believes contraceptive services should be included in all health plans but the Catholic Church believes contraception is morally objectionable and that they should be forced to provide such is an issue of religious freedom.

The administration is tasked with outlining minimum standards for health insurance policies under Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare). The administration has decided all policies should cover contraception with an exception for religious institutions such as churches and other houses of worship but the Catholic Church does not want to provide such coverage to employees of its many charitable organizations. The Obama administration has proposed a compromise which is still unacceptable to many.

Although it is often presented as a simple fight between religious freedom and a woman’s right to contraception, it is much more than that. Opens up a whole bunch of questions worth thinking about.

Should the exemption to health care requirements be limited to established churches alone?

What about church-related organizations?

Should any employer because of his or her church be exempt for providing some aspects of health insurance to employees?

Does a church need to be of any particular size before its members are allowed to object to the health care law on religious grounds?

How about employer with religious objections not based on any church?

What if the employer objects to more than contraception? Say the objection is to transfusions, surgery, chemotherapy, diseases related to various lifestyle factors, etc.

If an employer has objection to providing insurance or certain parts of insurance should that employer provide the employee with an allowance comparable to what the employer would pay for a policy they are willing to provide?

Since this is so complicated, should we just skip the employer mandate and move toward a single payer system or individual policies?

Sacrilege by S.J. Parris An historical thriller

Sacrilege by S.J. Parris An historical thriller

Posted on by Jack

Escape from the current political mess and ads with a trip to England in the 16th century. Do it inexpensively and enjoyably with Sacrilege (An historical thriller).

Once again S.J. Parris has presented us with a fine mystery featuring Giordano Bruno, a renagade Italian monk who fled to England to avoid the wrath of The Inquisition. Bruno earns his living working for Sir Francis Walsingham, spymaster for Queen Elizabeth.

I had read the first book in this series (Heresy) which introduced me to Bruno. He was a free-thinker and philosopher and the Pope wanted him burned at the stake as a heretic. Much to my surprise I later learned that Giordano Bruno was a real person.

The second (Prophecy) continued this story. Here are my reviews of Heresy and Prophecy
.


In Sacrilege, Bruno is working in London for the French ambassador (and spying for Walsingham of course) when he runs across Sophia Underhill, a young lady that Bruno fell in love with in Heresy. She asks his help in solving the murder of her husband in Canterbury in which she is accused. He talks Walsingham into sending him to Canterbury where he uncovers a plot which threatens Queen Elizabeth’s realm. But Bruno himself is accused of murder. The mystery is complex and has several twists including one that totally surprised me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this series of 3 historical novels/thrillers based on this character. As mentioned at the beginning of the review, the author does a wonderful job of setting the stage and transporting you back to the time period. Although this novel could be read alone, I think it would be best to read the whole series in order.

Other Reviews:

The Philosophical Practitioner by Larry Abrams

The Philosophical Practitioner by Larry Abrams

Posted on by Jack

I thoroughly enjoyed The Philosophical Practitioner by Larry Abrams . It is an unusual book, a thought-provoking philosophy lesson wrapped in a compelling story with romance and mystery. The story grabbed me at the beginining and made it hard to put the book down. But since I read it on my Kindle, it might be more accurate to say that it was, hard to put my Kindle down.

So what is the mystery? A potential client seems to be seeking his help in deciding on whether she should kill a man. It turns out that the target is the philosophical practitioner. Is she serious? If so, why him? When, where and how add a bit more to the mystery.

The romance progresses as does the practice. Eric, the philosophical practitioner, consults with people with a variety of problems. This consultation is not unlike that of a psychologist but the emphasis of the philosopical practitioner is on getting the client to use reason to find out what is important in each situation. It is interesting to listen to Eric present his reasoned philosophical arguments to his clients. And to think about how you might handle a similar situation.

So this is both a learning experience as well as a good read. The book is available as both a paperback and Kindle edition. The Kindle edition is a fraction of the price so that might be a consideration for you.

So, what is the meaning of life? What is important to us? Whether you agree with Eric or have another philosophy, you are going to learn something about yourself here.