Stay Safe This Holiday Season

This is the time of year crooks and thieves look forward to.
With all the hustle and bustle of running around trying to get
things done we can become distracted and fail to notice our
surroundings. Don't be a victim due to carelessness.

Here are a few tips to help you stay safe.

Try to do your shopping during the daylight hours.

Try to park close to store or mall entrances, and in well lit areas.

Keep your packages in the trunk of your car or hidden from view.

When walking through parking lots, stay alert, look around for any
thing suspicious.
Walk with authority. Keep defense sprays at the ready.

Don't dangle handbags from your shoulder. Carry it tucked firmly
under your shoulder. Even better, try not to carry a hand bag at all.
Instead, put your driver's license and credit cards in a front pocket
so your hands will be free.

Be careful when using ATM's. Use those in populated places, but be
alert for suspicious persons hanging around. Avoid using ATM's at night.
If you must go at night, use a well lit ATM that is visible to passing
traffic.

Before leaving a store put your cash and credit cards out of sight.
Don't walk out counting your change or putting away your check book
or credit cards.

Lastly, don't forget safety and security in the home. While you are out
shopping burglars may decide to do their shopping in your home.

Hopefully, you will find this information helpful in keeping you and
yours safe this holiday season and throughout the year.

NOV. 17TH MEETING INFO.

HELLO! HELLO! HELLO!

WE HAD SUCH A GREAT TURN OUT AT OUR LAST MEETING,
WE WOULD LIKE TO TURN THE NEXT ONE INTO A MEETING-GET TOGETHER.

WE NEED SPACE FOR MOVING AROUND TO MUSIC, PLAYING CARDS,
AND SOCIALIZING.

IF ANY CLASSMATE HAS A CLUB HOUSE IN THEIR COMMUNITY
THAT WE COULD HAVE FOR THE NIGHT, CALL ME.

ANY SMALL FEE WOULD BE PAID FOR FROM CLASS FUNDS.

IN THE EVENT THAT NO OTHER FACILITY IS AVAILABLE,
WE WILL MEET AT 4025 SARSFIELD ST.!!

PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE MEETING.
I WILL SEND ANOTHER E-MAIL OUT SOON TO FINALIZE OUR
NOV. 17TH MEETING!!!

DOREATHA JOYNER
630-1226

Date Change For Next Meeting

HELLO CLASSMATES,

IT SEEMS AS IF THE NOV. 3RD DATE IS A "NORFOLK STATE
AWAY GAME".

I HAVE GOTTEN SEVERAL E-MAILS ASKING IF THE DATE CAN
BE CHANGED.

I THINK NOV. 17TH IS A GOOD DATE BECAUSE NORFOLK STATE
WILL BE PLAYING WINSTON-SALEM HERE IN NORFOLK, AT 1:00PM.

HOPEFULLY, THIS DATE WILL ALLOW OUR OUT-OF-TOWN
CLASSMATES TO ATTEND.

BECAUSE THE GAME TIME IS EARLY, WE CAN MEET AROUND
5:00 OR 6:00, SERVE A LITTLE DINNER, MAKE A FEW DECISIONS,

AND STILL HAVE TIME FOR YOUR CHOICE OF SOCIALIZING.

SOUNDS WIN-WIN TO ME!!!!

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!!!!!!

DOREATHA (757-630-1226)

Or click the comments link just below this post and
leave your ideas.

New Information re: Our 40th Anniversary

Greetings All!

A very successful and enjoyable class meeting was
held at Doreatha Winfield's home on Saturday,
September 29th. New class officers were chosen.

They are:

President: Denise Morgan

Secretary: Sharon Mayfield

Treasurer: Doreatha Winfield

Co-Treasurer: Sharon Wallace

Due to Increased costs of supplies and services
and to fund upcoming events for our 40th anniversary
it was agreed by those present that a monthly dues
of ten (10.00)dollars should be assessed each member.
This can be paid monthly, or cumulatively.

Make checks payable to: Booker T.Washington Class of 1968

Send to: Doreatha Winfield Joyner
4025 Sarsfield Ct.
Virginia Beach,Va. 23456

Tentative plans for our 40th anniversary celebration
include a Saturday picnic/cookout followed by a dance
that evening, and a breakfast buffet the following Sunday.
It was also suggested that the class attend church services
after breakfast. Date to be announced.

Also in the works are plans to go to Las Vegas. We were
briefed by a travel agent who will give more definitive
information at our next meeting on November 3rd 2007.

Please feel free to leave your comments and input regarding
the above information.

Are They In The NBA or the NFL ?

NBA OR NFL?

36
have been accused of spousal abuse


7
have been arrested for fraud


19
have been accused of writing bad checks


117
have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses


3
have done time for assault


71,repeat 71
cannot get a credit card due to bad credit


14
have been arrested on drug-related charges


8
have been arrested for shoplifting


21
currently are defendants in lawsuits, and


84
have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?

NBA or NFL ?


Neither, it's the 535 members of the United States Congress.

The same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws each year
designed to keep the rest of us in line.


AND THEY JUST VOTED THEMSELVES $15,000 PER MONTH PENSION FOR LIFE AFTER SERVING ONLY ONE TERM IN CONGRESS!!

More Cook Out Photos

Here are a few more photos from Rufus' cookout.
Some may be a bit grainy because they were cut
from video.

Anyone who was there can share their photos by
emailing them to:BTWCLASSof68BLOG@gmail.com or,
btw68@aol.com.

"...And A Good Time Was Had By All"

Thank you Rufus for inviting us.
It was the perfect day for a cookout.
And the perfect weekend for a scenic drive.
A wide variety of food,drink and desserts.
No fights broke out, no shots were fired,
and a good time was had by all.

Here are a few photos from Rufus' Cookout.
More to come.




Regina



Druscilla



Randolph



Sharon



Mr. Epps



Doreatha



Beverly

COOKOUT INFO. & NEW MEETING DATE!

HELLO EVERYONE,
HERE IS A REPEAT OF "THE JACKSON'S COOKOUT" INFORMATION. ALSO I HAVE INCLUDED HOTEL INFORMATION..........

** AUGUST 11, 2007 - RUFUS JACKSON'S ANNUAL COOKOUT **
HOSTED BY RUFUS & NINA JACKSON
TIME: 4:00 PM - UNTIL
WHERE: 7400 EARNSHAW DR.(THE JACKSON HOME)
BRANDYWINE, MD. 20613
204 - 305-2499
ALL MEATS PROVIDED - SIDE DISHES & BEVERAGES APPRECIATED!!
PLEASE "RSVP" SO THAT RUFUS CAN PROPERLY PREPARE!!!


RECOMMENDED HOTEL INFO. (BOTH ARE IN WALDORF, MD....VERY CLOSE)
. HOLIDAY INN .......1-800-465-4329
. COMFORT INN SUITES......1-800-424-6423



***SEPTEMBER 29, 2007 - MEETING DATE****
THIS DATE WAS SUGGESTED BECAUSE IT IS THE 5TH SATURDAY OF THE MONTH. SINCE THIS DOES NOT OCCUR EVERY MONTH, MOST PEOPLE WILL NOT HAVE REGULARLY SCHEDULED ACTIVITIES. WHAT DO YOU THINK??? PLEASE GIVE FEED BACK ON THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!! AFTER WE HEAR FROM YOU, MORE INFO. WILL BE COMING.

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION. IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO IS NOT GETTING BTW '68 E-MAILS, TELL THEM TO LET DOREATHA KNOW (630-1226). THANKS!!!

CANCELLATION OF MEETING!!

HI AGAIN,

AFTER THE LAST E-MAIL, SEVERAL CLASSMATES REQUESTED THAT
THE "YOK PARTY MEETING" BE CHANGED TO ANOTHER DATE BECAUSE
OF THE BTW '67 REUNION.

BECAUSE WE WANT A HUGE INTEREST IN BTW '68 REUNION, WE WILL
CHANGE THE MEETING TILL SOMETIMES LATER!!

HOPEFULLY, RUFUS WILL HAVE A BIG TURNOUT AT HIS COOKOUT (AUGUST 11)
AND WE CAN BEGIN TO DISCUSS THEN.

HOWEVER, THE YOK PARTY, TO BE HOSTED BY WALTER WILLIAMS, WILL BE RESCHEDULED!!!!
HOW ABOUT A MIDDLE SEPTEMBER OR EARLY OCTOBER MEETING???? E-MAIL YOUR THOUGHTS!!!!!

PLEASE CALL IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS.
ALSO, PLEASE MAKE ALL CLASSMATES YOU KNOW AWARE OF THIS CHANGE.

DOREATHA

630-1226

CHANGE "YOK PARTY" DATE!!

HI ALL,
IT SEEMS AS IF THE BTW CLASS OF 1967 IS HAVING
THEIR REUNION THIS WEEKEND AND THIS WILL CAUSE A CONFLICT.

THEREFORE, OUR "YOK PARTY" MEETING DATE WILL CHANGE TO JULY 29TH,
THE FOLLOWING SUNDAY. WE WILL START AROUND 4:00 PM.
PLEASE CALL FOR FUTHER INFORMATION....630-1226.

DOREATHA

BTW Reunion Info

DEAR BTW '68
IT HAS BEEN "A MINUTE" SINCE WE HAVE ALL BEEN TOGETHER.
THAT IS ABOUT TO CHANGE!!
PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND THE FOLLOWING TWO EVENTS.......

** JULY 28, 2007 - REUNION PLANNING MEETING/YOK PARTY **
HOSTED BY WALTER WILLIAMS
YOK PREPARED BY SHARON WALLACE SHELTON
TIME: 5: 00 PM - UNTIL
WHERE: 4025 SARSFIELD ST. (DOREATHA'S HOUSE)
VA. BEACH, VA. 23456
757 - 630-1226
(BYOB!)

** AUGUST 11, 2007 - RUFUS JACKSON'S ANNUAL COOKOUT **
HOSTED BY RUFUS & NINA JACKSON
TIME: 4:00 PM - UNTIL
WHERE: 7400 EARNSHAW DR.(THE JACKSON HOME)
BRANDYWINE, MD. 20613
204 - 305-2499

ALL MEATS PROVIDED - SIDE DISHES & BEVERAGES APPRECIATED!!
PLEASE "RSVP" SO THAT RUFUS CAN PROPERLY PREPARE!!!

FOR DIRECTIONS OR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT EITHER EVENT,
YOU MAY CALL DOREATHA!!

PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH ALL CLASSMATES
AND FRIENDS OF BTW '68 THAT YOU KNOW!!!

Happy Anniversary to Lee and Pamela!

HI EVERYONE,
CHECK OUT THE FORWARDED INVITATION!!
WE HAVE ALL BEEN INVITED TO CELEBRATE
THE 5TH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR CLASSMATES
LEE & PAMELA ROBINSON.
PLEASE PUT THIS DATE ON YOUR CALENDAR
AND PLAN TO ATTEND THIS WONDERFUL OCCASION.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL DOREATHA (630-1226)
OR RESPOND TO THIS E-MAIL.


Share a special time in the lives of
Mr & Mrs. Lee Robison as we celebrate our
Fifth Anniversary on Saturday, the fourteenth of July
two thousand and seven seven o'clock until midnight at:

9056 Club, Inc.
(Benedict Hall)
5351 Virginia Beach Boulevard
Virginia Beach, Virginia

Muhammad Ali's Visit To BTW

Here's a photo of a blow-up of a famous photo of Muhammad Ali
playing around with four other guys. I think they made a couple
of records or something. This was around 1963-4.

I remember one Spring (1968?) when Ali came to Norfolk and
spoke at Norfolk State College. (now University) Someone
suggested he go to the nearby high school (BTW) and speak
there. That someone probably wasn't fully aware of our
reputation.

Mr. Ali came and spoke to us over the P/A system.
He recited his amusing poems including his notorius
"Hell no, I ain' gon' go." etc., which roused us to a
fever pitch.

During his speech, the 5 minute buzzer went off letting us
know we had that much time left before class ended. On this
occassion that was the equivalent of "On your mark, get set....

I was in Mr. Thad Rhodes' last bell English class in
room 116 that day. When the bell sounded ...GO!" students
on all three floors poured out of their classes and headed
for Mr. Holmes' office area. That's where the P/A system was
located and, "The Greatest" himself.

We would not let the man leave. Neither Mr. Preston,
Mr. Holmes, nor Mrs. Alston could budge us. As some of you
may recall these were powerful administrators and they
commanded respect.

Finally, a compromise was suggested by Mr. Ali's staff.
All the students should meet on the athletic field and
Mr. Ali would come there and shake our hands. Grudgingly,
we made a path and Mr. Holmes led "The Champ" out of the
building.

We gathered on the football field and two cars were parked
close together so we could pass through them in an orderly
fashion and shake Muhammad Ali's hand.

While waiting my turn I got the idea to go through the line
twice. Once for the proper right hand shake, and again for
a left hand shake. That way I would have the special memory
of shaking both his hands.

Well, I did that, and on the way home (I walked) I thought
maybe this is something I will tell my children about.

The memory was special after all because a couple of months
ago my son and I were watching a biography of Muhammad Ali
on T.V. and I told him this story.
Read "Muhammad Ali at Norfolk State-May 8th, 1968" Edward West
mr.westsr@gmail.com or,
BTWCLASSof68BLOG@gmail.com

This,too,shall pass

The other day I was feeling kinda blue because
I felt I hadn't achieved all I wanted to at this
time in my life. This, after reading about others
who appeared to have done much more with their lives.

While moping through the local Home Depot, I ran into
a guy I knew from the past and we began to talk about
old times. During this conversation another man whom
we both knew showed up. (what are the odds?)

The first man began talking about his son whose
repetitive negative behavior had landed him in the
state hotel (prison), and all the court dates involved
and the humiliation and disapointment he felt. He also
spoke about having recently lost his mother who I knew
from childhood.

The other man told us about his wife being very ill and
that he, too, was not in the best of shape. Surgery was
imminent for both. Plus they are raising their grand
children.

Both men spoke of other problems they had. I guess they
had to talk to someone. I listened.

While listening to these men, I reflected on my life and
thought how blessed I am not to have any major negative
events going on in my life. Yes, I've had my troubles,
but nothing like what they were going through.

Then I realized that my achievement issues were not all
that important,just do some re-inventing, and adapt a
more positive outlook.

When we do experience major difficulties, they seem to be
all encompassing,and take what seems like forever to be
resolved. One way or another, in time,they will be.
Remember the verse "This ,too, shall pass".

So, if at times, you find yourself feeling troubled,
remember there are those whose lives are much more
difficult than yours.

In my case I left the Home Depot remembering the song from
the early '70s by William DeVaughn,
" Just Be Thankful For What You've Got".

And I am.

Edward West
mr.westsr@gmail.com or,
BTWCLASSof68BLOG@gmail.com

New Information For You

I hope all is well with everyone,

I am including more links that may be of interest to some. See the links frame at the right.

Anyone who wants to can post links they feel are useful. Just post them in the comments section at the end of each post, or send them to the blog's email address BTWCLASSof68BLOG@gmail.com, and I will put them in the links column.

Also,I want to inform you of Google's Gmail (email) accounts. Many of you may have already created your own by now but, for those who haven't, give it a look see.

Go here for first hand info. http://mail.google.com/mail/help/tour/start.html.
It's free so there's nothing to lose.

The class blog gmail address is BTWCLASSof68BLOG@gmail.com.
Use this address to send comments about( great blog,or this blog sucks), or info of interest to our blog.

Once again I am asking that everyone take a little time to post or send in info that you feel may be of interest to the class as a whole. That way more fresh and varied content can be added to our blog to help make it more interesting.

Thank you for reading.

1ST OLD SCHOOL B. T. WASHINGTON HS REUNION

DEAR CLASSMATES,
THIS IS AN EVENT THAT WOULD BE NICE TO HAVE THE CLASS OF 1968 REPRESENTED! I PLAN TO ATTEND. WE CAN RESERVE OUR OWN TABLE IF 10 CLASSMATES WOULD ATTEND. I WILL PAY FOR THE TICKETS AND YOU CAN PAY ME BACK AT THE EVENT. PLEASE CALL ME FOR MORE INFORMATION AND SO THAT I CAN ACT ON THIS ASAP!!!!!
DOREATHA (630-1226)


Dinner / Concert

THIS IS GOING TO BE AN EXCITING EVENT TO BENIFIT
THE BERNARD SHELL SR. SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The First Annual B.T.W. High School Reunion will
include all persons that attended the "Old B.T.Washington
High School".
Each Class is encouraged to secure a table for ten.
Place: The Murray Center Norfolk,Va.
Time / Date: 4:00 p.m. Sunday, June 3rd, 2007
Cost: $25.00 per person (Note) A table seats 10

Please call DOREATHA JOYNER - 630-1226
Please call before May 15th in order to secure seating

Many Thanks

Don't Pump Gas On May 15th

Dear Class,

...in April 1997, there was a "gas out" conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight.

Let's do our part to stop fattening the pockets of President Cheney
and his front man George W Bush.

On May 15th 2007, all internet users are asked to not go to a gas station in protest of high gas prices. Gas is now over $3.00 a gallon in most places.

There are 73,000,000+ Americans currently on the internet network, and the average car takes about 30 to 50 dollars to fill up.

If all users did not go to the pump on the 15th, it would take
$2,292,000,000.00 (that's almost 3 BILLION) out of the oil companies' pockets for just one day, so please do not go to the gas station on May 15th and lets try to put a dent in the Middle Eastern oil industry for at least one day.

Let's all participate in this national effort.

Please send this message to all on your contact list. With the title ''Don't pump gas on May 15th".

Send Large Files Quickly And For Free

Greetings All,

Here are some useful links and a brief description of each one

If this problem hasn't hit you yet... it will.

With the ever-increasing popularity of sharing home-videos, mp3 audios, and other large files online, actually transferring those files to your customers, friends, and family presents a problem.

Most email systems limit the size of the files you can send, and often completely restrict some file types, such as .exe, from passing through their email servers.

Most computer geeks say, "Just ftp it to your server and I'll download it from the Web."

Unfortunately, that solution often proves too much of a hassle, and actually rates impossible for those without ftp access to a website and the knowledge to use it.

To solve this problem, a new breed of website file transfer service has emerged to help the technically or time- challenged masses share their huge files online.

First is YouSendIt.com

I discovered this website as most people discover new sites, I saw someone else using it.

Log on to www.yousendit.com.

After you create a user name and password:

(1)Enter the recipient's email address, (2) chose the file to be sent by browsing your hard drive, (3) enter your email and type in a brief message, and (4) click the "send" button.

The service uploads the file to the web and sends the recipient an email message with a link to download the file from their website.

After downloading the file, you can click a link to delete the file from their server.

If you don't click that link, the server would automatically delete the file after 7 days.

This service allows you to send up to a 1 gigabyte file.

This enables you to send virtually anything you can think of to anyone with an email address and Internet connection.

In order to send files larger than 1 gigabyte you will have to use one of their pay plans.


Next is DropLoad.com

DropLoad.com also enables users to send large files, though they restrict file sizes to 100 MB.

However, DropLoad.com offers one extra feature lacking in YouSendIt: delivery confirmation.

Dropload enables you to know when the person you sent the file to actually clicks the link to download the file.

This cuts down on the "I never got the file" claims and acts like the Post Office making them sign for registered mail.

You can't prove they read it, but you can prove they received it.

DropLoad.com does require you to register for a username and password, but the service is free.

Overall, both services do an excellent job of solving a growing problem for a huge audience worldwide.

Also, if you sell information products customers download from the Internet, the link expiration and confirmation features can come in handy (such as giving out free samples or preview copies to potential joint venture partners).

Hopefully, many of you will find these sites helpful in your business or home needs.

Please leave your comments as to whether this info was useful or not.

A SPECIAL ONE TIME TAX CREDIT ON YOUR 2006 TAX RETURN

This is from CNN Money.com. http://money.CNN.Com/2006/05/25/news/
telephonetax_refund/index.htm

When it comes time to prepare and file your 2006 tax return,
make sure you don't overlook the "federal excise tax refund credit."

You claim the c redit on line 71 of your form 1040.

A similar line will be available if you file the short form 1040A.

If you have family or friends who no longer file a tax return AND they
have their own land phone in their home and have been paying
a phone bill for years, make sure they know about this form 1040EZ-T.

What is this all about?

Well the federal excise tax has been charge to you on your phone bill
for years.

It is an old tax that was assessed on your toll calls based on how far
the call was being made and how much time you talked on that call.

When phone companies began to offer flat fee phone service,challenges
to the excise tax ended up in federal courts in several districts of
the country.

The challenges pointed out that flat fee/rate phone service had nothing
to do with the distance and the length of the phone call.

Therefore, the excise tax should/could not be assessed.

The IRS has now conceded this argument.

Phone companies have been given notice to stop assessing the federal
excise tax as of Aug 30, 2006.

You will most likely see the tax on your September cutoff statement,
but it should NOT be on your October bill.

But the challengers of the old law also demanded restitution.

So the IRS has announced that a one time credit will be available
when you and I file our 2006 tax return as I explained above.

However, the IRS also established limits on how BIG a credit
you can get.

Here's how it works.

If you file your return as a single person with just you as a dependent,
you get to claim a $30 credit on line 71 of your 1040.

If you file with a child or a parent as your dependent, you claim $40.

If you file your return as a married couple with no children ,
you claim $40.

If you file as married with children, you claim $50 if one child,
$60 if two children.

In all cases, the most you get to claim is $60 - UNLESS you have all
your phone bills starting AFTER Feb 28, 2003 through July 31, 2006
(do not use any bills starting Aug 1, 2006.), then you can add up
the ACTUAL TAX AS IT APPEARS ON YOUR BILLS AND CLAIM THAT FOR A CREDIT.

Now if you have your actual phone bills and come up with an
ACTUAL TAX AMOUNT, you cannot use line 71 on your tax return.

You have to complete a special form number 8913 and attach it to your
tax return.

Individuals using the special from 1040EZ-T will have to attach this
form 8913 also.

One final point - this credit is a refundable credit.

That means you get this money, no matter how your tax return works out.

If you would end up owing the IRS a balance, the refund will reduce
that balance you owe.

If you end up getting a refund, the credit will be added and you get
a bigger refund by that $30 to $60, depending on how many dependents
are on your return.

Feel free to pass this on or make copies for family and friends who
don't have computers.

http://www.blackwebportal.com/

As some of you might know, a dynamic young African-American Internet duo,
Rob and Roz Rucker have created a brand new search engine and portal site
called The BlackWebPortal.

The site is designed with African-Americans in mind. Right now their
viewership is the low thousands. They need to cross the hundreds of
thousands barrier to have any real chance of keeping this site online at all.

Some of you are thinking...why does it matter?

It matters because BlackVoices is wholly owned by the Tribune Company;
Black Families by Cox Communications; BlackPlanet.com by an Asian company;
and Soul City HBO by AOL-Times/Warner.

The BlackWebPortal is the only
site that is 100% African-American owned.

The BlackWebPortal needs all of us to start emailing our friends, relatives,
etc., all over the world to start using the resources at the BlackWebPortal.

The important thing is that they need the help getting the word out about this
site.

Let's help this site out by visiting and seeing what they have to offer.
So please tell EVERYONE about the Black Web Portal.

Don't just bookmark it for yourself. Spread the news!

This is a new millennium! We must begin truly supporting black technology
efforts in the same way we cheer on our movie and athletic stars.

If we don't, they'll end up having to do the same as other black web sites by getting assistance from elsewhere, thereby losing the original flavor they have.

PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD! BlackWebPortal

Nursing Program @ UDC

Nursing Program/free tuition

If you know of anyone between 18-28 years old,
interested in the Nursing field,
University of the District of Columbia (UDC)
is offering FREE tuition, FREE books,
a $250 monthly stipend, and guaranteed job
placement as a nurse at Providence Hospital
upon graduation (it's a 3 year program)
with a starting salary of $40,000.

The program is recruiting new students now!!
Please contact Ms. Beshon Smith (202)266-5481
or email Bsmith@urbanalliance.org

Thanks to Mr. Harry Banks for passing on this
valuable info.

What is Google Pack?

The Google Pack is a collection of free, very useful software
programs from Google and other companies.

The Google Pack software helps you browse the web faster, remove
spyware and viruses, organize your photos, and more.

You can download and install the entire Google Pack, or select
only those programs you want with just a few clicks.

The included Google Updater keeps the Google Pack software up-to-date
and advises you of new programs as they become available.

Programs included in Google Pack are:

Google Earth

This program enables the user to view any location on the earth using
satellite imaging.Just type in a location and click and Google Earth
takes you there as if you were flying. You can zoom in on a specific
address or an area of interest.

What you see are actual satellite photos of the location.
Google Earth is great for viewing driving directions, trip planning,
finding a business, house or apartment hunting.

The "layering" feature allows you to see available lodging, restaurants,
and schools, etc. in your area of interest.

Google Earth is truly an "armchair adventurer's" dream. See the all the
exotic places on earth without leaving your P.C.
Uppgrades are are available with even more powerful features for a
reasonable price.

It's also MAC compatible.


Google Desktop - Desktop companion

It"s not just a screen full of folders and icons. Not only can you
quickly search your computer for files, emails, and web history,
you can view news, photos and more anywhere on your desktop.

Google Desktop comes with Sidebar where you can get all of your
personalized information in one place. Google Desktop is fully
integrated with most of Google. Just add Google Gadgets to customize
your desktop and Sidebar to work the way you want it to.

Google Desktop will even suggest new gadgets you can use based on
topics you are most interested in.

AGoogle Gadgetis a software code that allows you to customize
your desktop, sidebar, or Google Homepage.

There are gadgets for calendars, favorite videos and movies, and adding
and searching webclips, and much more.


Picasa - Photo organizer

Picasa allows you to instantly locate and organize, edit, and share all
the photos and pictures on your computer in seconds. You can even remove
red eye and fix photos easily.

Picasa finds the pictures you forgot you had by scanning the images on your
computer and automatically sorts them by date. With Picasa you can organize
your entire collection while you watch.

Move and re-name a picture or a group of pictures in seconds by simply
dragging and dropping pictures from one folder in Picasa to another.

Then make a label for your photo or groups to make viewing and sharing easier,
and for making slide shows, movies,or for emailing.

You can even give your photos a gold star rating to easily find your favorites,
and you can password protect those photos you want to keep private.

Google Pack Screensaver - Photo screensaver

After you have organized your photos from your personal collection with Picassa, load them into the Google Pack Screensaver - Photo screensaver and view pictures full screen or as a collage, or turn photos from your personal collection into a screensaver.

Configuration is easy and you can set the selection, transition, and timing of
the rotation of your images.

Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer - Search toolbar

This program installs in seconds and enables you to search from any web page, autofill forms with one click, and block annoying pop-ups.

View the button gallery and add buttons to the Google Toolbar to search your favorite sites, bookmark frequently visited pages and access them from anywhere,
and translate pages into English instantly.

Add the spell checker button for your email.There's even a button for sharing
web pages with friends using a blog, email,or SMS.Google Toolbar is available
in Enterprise Edition and Firefox versions

Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar - Web browser

Google touts Mozilla Firefox with Google Toolbar as a "A Better Web Experience".

Firefox is easy to install and import your favorites. It comes with many
useful features like tabbed browsing, Live Bookmarks, an integrated Search bar, quick page loading, and easier navigation for everyone, including those who are visually or motor-impaired.

Firefox delivers Web pages faster than ever and keeps you more secure when
you’re browsing the Web by blocking viruses,worms, spyware, and popup ads.

The new Software Update feature makes it easy to get the latest security and
feature updates to Firefox which are automatically downloaded in the background
and prompts you when they are ready to be installed.

This is just a small list of features Firefox has.


Ad-Aware SE Personal - Antispyware utility

This software program helps to protect your privacy by safely detecting and
removing spyware.

Ad-Aware SE Personal comes with powerful features that provide advanced
protection from known data-mining, aggressive advertising, Trojans, dialers, malware, browser hijackers, and tracking components.

Ad-Aware SE Personal scans fixed and removable drives, memory and Windows
registry, logs information about scans and malicious content removals, and
it uses the Code Sequence Identification (CSI) technology to detect known
and unknown variants of malware.


Norton AntiVirus 2005 Special Edition - Antivirus utility

This well known virus protection program from Symantec protects your PC
from viruses, worms and Trojan horses and Includes a 6-month subscription
to protection updates.


Adobe Reader 7 - PDF reader

Adobe Systems' PDF (portable document file) reader allows you to view,
print, and search PDF files and launches up to 50% faster than Adobe Reader 6.0.

There are optional software programs you can add to Google Pack such as:

Google Talk - Voice and IM application-Call or send instant messages
to your friends for free.

All you need to make free calls is an Internet connection,
a microphone, and a speaker.

Google Video Player - Video player- Play videos purchased and
downloaded through the Google Video website.

RealPlayer - Media player - Play popular media formats, organize music
and videos and transfer music to iPod and other portable media players.

GalleryPlayer HD Images - acquire, organize and display the world's
finest art and photography from the world's finest museums and galleries.

For as little as $0.99 per image, you can bring great masters like Monet,
van Gogh, Degas and Andy Warhol into your home or office. Perfect for your screensaver or desktop.

Well, there you have it , an overview of Google Pack and it's components.
This is truly a great value for anyone seeking to enhance their web experience,
r add to their computer's capability. Best of all it's Free

OOPS

If you have been trying to post a comment and couldn't
because a password was required, you can now do so.
You still have to use the word verification. That helps keep
our blog from being spammed by people posting
links to sites that may be offensive,or to generate hits to their
affiliate programs.

Your Comments Are Needed

Fellow classmates,
Let's start the New Year with new ideas,and content for our blog. Please use the comments link to offer suggestions on what topics you would like to see posted.

Maybe you could write an article on any non inflammatory topic,or provide links to sites with interesting content or helpful information.

Our respective interests will vary, but that does not mean others will not appreciate your input.

By the way,
Have you been prompted by Windows Update to download Internet
Explorer 7 (I.E.7)?

If you did, you may have noticed your computer "acting differently", starting more slowly, or having problems processing your emails.

It is possible I.E 7 is the problem. It depends on your brand
of computer.

The best way to solve the problem is to do a System Restore
back to a time just before you downloaded I.E.7.

To find System Restore, click Start>AllPrograms>Accessories>System Tools>System Restore. Follow the directions on the page.

It may be best to wait until Microsoft works out the bugs before before downloading I.E.7.