Feb 22-28 1999

From merope@Radix.Net Mon Feb 22 18:33:39 1999

Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 18:33:38 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

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Subject: Daily Board Show

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don't worry, be happy...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* contains much editorial content. Read at your own risk!

Saturday 20 February 1999:

The Board votes on Motion 99-2 (Board secretary); voting is both on the

called for question and the "substitute motion". At the close of the

day, there were 8 ayes for both.

Tomorrow's news today: Motion 99-2 is declared passed, and Bill Oliver's

name is bandied about for the new position of Board Secretary.

You Were Dying to Know Corner: Found this slipped under my door last

night:

"Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 21:20:18 -0600

To: TOMBPROJ-L@rootsweb.com

Since the nomination period has now expired and we have only had

one nominee, I believe that we can delcare there is no need for an

election and we proudly place Linda Lewis on the board as our

representative.

Thank you, everyone, for making this easy!

Sue

USGenWeb Project National Coordinator"

This author was not aware that the bylaws had been temporarily suspended

in order to place Linda Lewis on the Board. The project bylaws clearly

state that "In the event a board member is unable to complete his/her

term, the Advisory Board will appoint a replacement to serve until the

next scheduled election." While the Board is certainly allowed to ask the

project members for candidates and just as certainly allowed to vote to

appoint whomever the project members recommend, there is generally a

process to this. This process goes: 1) Motion; 2) Second the motion; 3)

Discuss the motion; 4) vote on the motion; 5) announce results. The Board

members must be familiar with this process since they followed it for each

and every interim appointment they have made thus far. So why this time

did they skip everything else and go to step 5? While the "damn the

bylaws, full steam ahead!" approach certainly is efficient, it does

deprive the various board members of the opportunity to discuss the pros

and cons of having the potential appointee on the Board, and deprives the

membership of a full public vote on this issue. But something tells me

the Board had no choice in this matter.

BTW, when did the National Coordinator change his name to Sue?

Today's qoute comes from a reader:

"It is useless for sheep to pass resolutions in favour of vegetarianism

while the wolves remain of a different opinion. "

---William Ralph Inge, D. D. 1860-1954

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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From merope@Radix.Net Tue Feb 23 20:04:45 1999

Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 20:04:40 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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How do YOU spell relief?...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* contains large doses of editorial content. Read at your

own risk!

Sunday 21 February 1999:

The Board continues to vote on motion 99-2 (Board secretary). Three more

members vote "aye", bringing the count to 11 ayes, 0 nays.

The NC updates the vote count a couple of times; his final tally is 12

ayes, 0 nays, and 3 not voting. He declares the motion passed and opens

the floor for nominations for the position of Board secretary.

One board member says he would like to nominate Bill Oliver for the

position of Board secretary.

One board member "seconds that motion" [although it's not actually a

motion.]

One board member takes issue with one of the NC's vote updates: "Nope.

<g> Substitute motion 99-2 had passed and was sitting in my mail box two

minutes after we concluded our conversation last night. Megan's is number

ten and posted a bit more than two after yours." He also asks: "Before

moving on to 99-3, which hasn't been seconded yet, can we process 99-2 and

select a secretary?"

In other news: The DBS is saddened to learn that George Baugh Everton,

Jr., former editor of Everton's Genealogical Helper, passed away at his

home in Providence, UT this last weekend at the age of 69.

"Men fear thought as they fear nothing else on earth -- more than ruin --

more even than death.... Thought is subversive and revolutionary,

destructive and terrible, thought is merciless to privilege, established

institutions, and comfortable habit. Thought looks into the pit of hell

and is not afraid. Thought is great and swift and free, the light of the

world, and the chief glory of man."

--Bertrand Russell

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

-------------------

From merope@Radix.Net Wed Feb 24 17:51:57 1999

Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 17:51:55 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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New large economy size!...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* editorial content, guaranteed pure. Read at your own risk!

Monday 22 February 1999

NC Tim Stowell is nominated for the position of Board secretary by one of

the Board members.

Tomorrow's News Today: The nomination of Tim Stowell for Board secretary

is seconded.

A Word to The Wise Corner: Despite RW's assurances that all attachments

are blocked, the infamous Happy99.exe worm is being spread through some RW

mailing lists addresses. In the face of mounting listowner questions, Tim

"Heir Apparent" Pierce had this to say: "On closer inspection, I see that

the patch isn't working on all of the lists. In fact, very few of them

are going to block them from the -REQUEST address (though the regular

lists should be correctly blocked). This fix is going to be harder than I

thought. I'll try to correct it, but for the time being it looks like

listowners are going to continue getting the Happy99 viruses from the

-REQUEST addresses." [Bummer.]

Sorry, Come Back Another Time Corner: GenConnect will apparently be down

for a few days, according to the following from Pam Carey Durstock: "

GenConnect will be down for possibly a few days while it is worked on.

Please advise your visitors, should they ask." [Bummer.]

"Politics is the art of preventing people from sticking their noses in

things that are properly their business."

--Paul Valry

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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From merope@Radix.Net Thu Feb 25 21:16:07 1999

Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 21:16:06 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Creme brulee with an attitude...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* contains editorial content. Read at your own risk!

Tuesday 23 February 1999:

The nomination of Tim Stowell for Board secretary is seconded.

Tomorrow's News Today: The coordinator of Census II shares an exciting new

project with the Board.

Don't Blink Or You'll Miss It Corner: There's an interesting item in the

current Rootsweb Review, that is apparently in response to some pointed

questions being asked of Rootsweb on various lists. Sandwiched between

statistics, begs for money and a truly interesting essay on who all gets

the RWR, is a brief update on the business status of Rootsweb. They've

apparently upgraded their legal service and are using two firms of

attorneys to assist them in preparing to file for 501(3c) status, instead

of the CPA friend that was assisting them previously. Rootsweb is

described as "currently a "sole proprietorship" in Kern County,

California." [Whatever happened to the "mom and pop" status that's been

claimed since at least last summer? Even if 'sole proprietorship' is a

subtype of 'mon and pop' or vice versa, this does not explain why the

state of CA apparently has no record of it.] They are optimistic that

they'll have the paperwork completed in the several weeks and then it

could be up to 270 days before the IRS grants approval. Back in July

they estimated it would be October or September before they had the filing

ready; now they are down to a more hopeful "several weeks". We look

forward to hearing further developments on this front.

"Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who

is fixed to a star does not change his mind."

--Leonardo DaVinci, Notebooks (c. 1500)

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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From merope@Radix.Net Sun Feb 28 08:54:44 1999

Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1999 08:54:38 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Don't pay the ferryman until he gets you to the other side...its Your

Daily Board Show!

*warning* contains three days worth of editorial content. Read at your

own risk!

Wednesday 24 February 1999:

The NC forwards a message to the Board that is apparently from a census

transcriber: "It is my impression that the transcription mode for the

census did not permit conversion to an alpha file, without which the

census is a huge waste of time....How do matters stand today on new

transcriptions?"

In reply to which the coordinator for Census II posts the following: "The

USGenWeb Census Project File Managers have begun making a surname index

for each transcription submitted to the USGenWeb Census Project. They are

also, as time permits, going back and making an index for all of the

earlier files submitted to the USGenWeb Census Project. [would this be

because Census II files are not searched by RW's search engine?]

Thursday 26 February 1999:

At the request of the NC, a Board member posts the following: "As

requested by our National Coordinator - I am asking for a vote for the

position of secretary of the advisory board. Both Tim Stowell and Bill

Oliver have been nominated, and neither of them has written to me

screaming - - - not me! not me! So at this time, I ask you to vote for

one of the above." [She also indicates she will accept write-ins]

Friday 25 February 1999:

The voting for secretary commences. At the close of the day there were 7

votes for Bill, 5 votes for Tim, and one abstention.

This Just In: A little bird tells me that voting for Secretary is

completed and the new Board secretary will be Bill Oliver. Let's revisit

motion 99-2 for just a moment. According to this new motion Board

Secretary Bill will be posting Board minutes [hopefully in a timely

fashion], numbering all motions, declare the status of motions including

the quorum and the point at which enough votes have been posted to decided

the outcome, posting Board announcements to regional lists and maintain

the Advisory Board passwords to pass them on to the next elected NC. So,

looking at this list, it occurs to this reporter, what exactly is left for

the NC to do? He cannot call meetings to order, since the Board never

sleeps. He cannot adjourn meetings. Numbering motions, opening

discussion periods, calling for votes and declaring outcomes has

apparently passed to Board Secretary Bill under item 3 of Motion 99-2. He

has no vote in any case, since under the current bylaws a "tie" is by

definition a defeated motion. So what's an NC to do? The only truly

national representative on the Board, elected in a project-wide vote has

been reduced to nothing but a puppet on a string. Ever wonder who's

making him dance?

Apology Corner: The DBS show apologizes to those of you who have missed

the DBS during the last two days. The hard-working staff had a long week

and decided to take a couple of days off. <g>

"Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder

respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."

--George Orwell

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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