published

  While working on the family tree I have searched old newspapers. I am lucky in that my hometown had its' own newspaper, published weekly, and still does in fact. That has to be somewhat of a rarity today I would think. The paper began in 1885. In its' pages I have found much information about my family. Births, deaths, and the stuff of everyday living. Their names appear in advertisements as well. But my birth is not a part of that record. I have searched and there is no birth announcement for me. I'm not certain as to the reason for that. I'm unaware if you had to pay a fee to have that information included. I had written a couple letters to the editor that are there, they are published at the discretion of the editor.  I submitted a poem once as well that was printed. Still, no mention of my birth. And when my time comes I'm certain there will be no obituary either as I don't live there anymore. There would be no reason for them to have that knowledge or use space for someone as insignificant as myself. Should I gain a measure of fame That would change. Understand that is not a complaint, merely an observation. Back in the day we used to get information about birth, death, marriages, and such primarily through the newspaper. At least in East Hampton we did. The East Hampton Star, whose banner proclaims, It shines for all. Well, guess it was behind the clouds the day I was born. 

 I was thinking about that after seeing a wedding announcement on Facebook. Facebook has become somewhat my source of information about such things. A sort of crazy newspaper. The "editor" can block anyone from submitting articles that they choose while those being blocked have no recourse. It was the same when you wrote to the paper, they may or may not publish it. There is a difference however when I pay for publication. They called it advertising, you could take out an ad. It is what paid for the paper. I'm guessing it still works in that fashion. Facebook certainly does. So I am seeing the news the "editor" allows to be news. The thing is, there are no "sections" on Facebook, unless you wish to count the groups as sections of the whole, a piece of the paper, like the travel or gossip section, some are like the funny papers. As a result I could be reading along, browsing different articles and there it is, an obituary. I wasn't expecting that, I wasn't looking in that section. Or I could see some other announcement, a casual mention that catches me off guard. And they always seem out of place. Sandwiched between what someone just ate for dinner and a debate about abortion is an announcement about a life event. Just a casual mention that so and so has cancer or a mass murder just occurred.

 I did create a group, my own section in the paper you could say, and I am the editor. It's called the administrator though, I am granted limited powers. I can block people from using my section if I choose but the "managing" editor can block everything! So I do have a measure of control over what is published in my section. I have restricted a few people from posting in that section, just because. But for the most part I do very little editing at all. My group, my section of the paper, does provide me with local news. Well, it was local to me fifty years ago anyway. I recognize the family names and most places. It's a funny thing. That newspaper I mentioned, The East Hampton Star, is available online. I do not subscribe to it but have read some stories from it. In the paper however I know little of what they are talking about. The names aren't familiar, the issues sure are foreign to me, leaf blower noise, and what celeb is doing what. No, I quit reading that paper a long time back. They did, and perhaps still do, have a column about the past. Twenty five years ago, Fifty years ago and 75 years ago. An article from that time would be reprinted. I remember reading them and laughing, and occasionally Mom or Grandma would remark, I remember that. This June the Star could publish, from fifty years ago, the graduating class of East Hampton High. My name would be in the list! I remember that. 

 And today I can look at my memories page on Facebook. Mine goes back about ten years, It is amusing at times to see what I did post. Many times I find nothing much has changed. But it is fun to see how the kids have grown over that ten year period. Facebook is great for that anyway. All the pictures and posts are there, in an archive, if you wish to search for them. It is far more detailed that the local newspaper though and that may or may not be a good thing. Just like those old newspapers I have found articles that are less than flattering from many years back. Of course, to be in the paper it had to be significant, on Facebook, not so much. It is all there, often lacking context. I just saw that a contestant of American Idol or Americas got talent withdrew from the show because of a picture taken when he was 12. Someone else in the picture is wearing a Klu Klux Klan outfit so he must be a white supremist. Something like that anyway. But that's what I'm thinking about. I don't know how to do it but I'm certain there are plenty of people that know how to look at your online past, everything you have ever posted. And that is something to be aware of. You could look but you won't find my birth mentioned in the paper. I was born though, I can vouch for that. This Facebook newspaper however does record everything. Be careful what you publish is my advice.