Daniel Jan

2010 US CENSUS INFORMATION

THIS IS BASICALLY SOME COMMON SENSE  INFORMATION  AND SOME SOUND ADVICE WITH REGARD TO THE 2010 US CENSUS. IT IS TO BE READ AND SHARED WITH YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR FRIENDS.

 

FIRST OF ALL: Please be VERY cautious about giving  just the simple basic Information to the  Census Workers. You probably have NEVER met this person before, so be cooperative , courteous, but  firm in your brief time spent  with the Census taker.

 

As the 2010 U.S.  Census process begins, the
Better Business Bureau (BBB), a nationally recognized and reputable organization, advises people to be cooperative, but also to be on your guard and cautious, so as not to  become a victim of fraud or identity theft.

The first phase of the  2010  U.S.  Census is under way as workers have begun verifying the  addresses of households across the country. Eventually, more than  140,000  U.S.  Census workers will count every
person in the  United  States  and will gather information about every person living at each address  including name, age, gender, race, and other relevant data.

 

The US Census information gathered will also document how many illegal immigrants, or, using the politically correct definition, will document how many "undocumented" persons are also residing  in the  USA.

THE REALLY BIG QUESTION ON EVERYONE'S MIND IS: How do you tell the difference  between a legitimate U.S. CENSUS worker and a con artist? The  BBB offers the following advice:

When a  U.S. Census worker knocks on your door , he/she/they should have the following: They MUST HAVE and properly display  a US CENSUS ID Card/Badge, a handheld device for counting(?), a US Census Bureau

canvas bag, and a  confidentiality notice. Please ask to see their
identification and their  badge before answering their questions. 
However, you should NEVER invite anyone you don't know into your
home.
    

US Census workers are currently ONLY knocking on doors to verify ADDRESS INFORMATION. DO NOT, REPEAT, DO NOT give your Social Security number, your credit card(s), or any banking information to ANYONE, even if they claim they need it for the US CENSUS.

 

 REMEMBER, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ASK, YOU  REALLY ONLY
NEED TO TELL THEM HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE AT YOUR 
ADDRESS.
 
While the Census Bureau might ask for basic financial information, such as a salary range, YOU DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT  YOUR FINANCIAL
SITUATION.  The Census Bureau WILL NOT ask for Social  Security, bank account, or credit card numbers, nor will employees  solicit donations.  Anyone asking for that information is NOT with  the US Census Bureau.
 
 AND VERY IMPORTANTLY, REMEMBER, THE CENSUS BUREAU HAS DECIDED NOT TO WORK WITH ACORN
ON  GATHERING THIS INFORMATION..  No Acorn worker should approach you  saying he/she is with the US Census Bureau.

 

 Eventually, Census workers may contact you by telephone, mail, or in  person at home. However, the Census Bureau will not contact you by Email, so be on the lookout for Email scams impersonating the US Census Bureau.
 
Never click on a link or open any attachments in an Email that are supposedly from the  U.S.  Census Bureau.
 
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO SHARE THIS  SIMPLE, BUT BASIC INFORMATION  WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS. IT COULD MAKE THE DIFFERENCE IN HAVING A FAMILY MEMBER BECOME A VICTIM OF IDENTITY THEFT---OR WORSE. THIS IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO AND FOR OUR SENIOR CITIZENS.

HATS OFF TO PENNSYLVANIA

"HATS OFF TO PENNSYLVANIA" OR "THE GREATEST POLKA SCAM-BOREE"... OR ...PLEASE.....TELL ME WHY IS IT THAT THE "FAVORITE RADIO POLKA SHOW PERSONALITIES" IN THE BINGHAMTON-SOUTHERN TIER AREA OF NEW YORK HAVE BEEN RIPPING OFF THE MULTITUDES OF NON-PROFIT CULTURAL AND SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS TO THE TUNE(pardon the ironic expression) OF HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS??? And, the ultimate insult and injury in this annual scam, in my opinion, repeat , in my opinion, is that this has been going on all this time, with the TOTAL BLESSING fo the clergy (amen and God help us...) AND SUPPORT of these many non-profit organizations including the ethnic churches, cultural organizations, and other non-profit organizations along with the many local business and corporate organizations who were, at first, indirectly and then directly drawn into this grand-scale scheme and scam of, pardon the expression, "fleecing of the lambs(churches and parishoners). It's supposed to be a real big secret, soooooo,... "Shhh...don't ask and ...please don't tell...!!!" Yeah, right!!!

A few quotes would be most appropriate here. They are:

"There's a sucker born every minute."(spoken by P.T. Barnum , entrepreneur-owner and con-man extraordinaire of the famous Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Circus)

"I seen my opportunities and I took them."(spoken by William V. Plunkett, infamous 19th century NYC political leader of Tammany Hall)

But...let's start at the beginning...and give credit where credit is due.

"We're gonna have a polka celebration" says the chorus of a polka written in the last millennium by a famous polka band leader from Chicago... And, in Pennsylvania, these words have echoed across the state for the past 17 years. And, they really DO  have a reason to celebrate in the Commonwealth. In fact, it's in the many hundreds of thousands of reasons to celebrate.

Updated for the year 2008, This year is the 18th anniversary  celebration that the volunteers from the many ethnic churches and volunteer fire companies across the Keystone State, showed the radio station "polka and ethnic music show personalities" the "door," a sure sign of dishonor in the state known for its superb hospitality. In plain and simple Pennsylvania lingo, they gave the "Pied Pipers of Polkas" the boot and told 'em to keep off and stay off the church and fire company properties. And, in the process, these churches and fire companies were successful in finally ending the long-standing free-flow of bigh bucks, calculated to the polka tune of many thousands of dollars per year, which went directly into the coffers of the very wealthy radio stations and their "up-front moneymakers,' the radio show polka personalities, a.k.a. the "Polka Profiteers."

When this happened 18 years ago, little did these brave, hospitable, yet defiant Pennsylvania volunteers think that what they did would have repercussions across the entires state and into neighboring states as well. Truly, these courageous Pennsylvanians actually deserve an award for their efforts in making a real monetary contribution to their community  by finally ending an intolerable, yet legal theft of services going away from organizations like the churches and the fire companies whose main mission is to save lives...one way or another. Who would've thunk it... and in the Commonwealth State honored with its own polka 'way back in 1942.

Blasphemy and sacrilege!!! How could these patriotic Pennsylvania volunteers do such an un-American thing like chasing the "Polka Profiteers" off their property? After all, weren't these the same high-profile polka show personalities the ones who did their best(!?) on their weekly polka shows to "bring out the crowd" to all the fund-raising events such as picnics, polka dances, ethnic bazaars, festivals, pig roasts,Oktoberfests, and Sunday morning breakfasts at all the non-profit churches and fire halls?  Well, actually in one word---NO!!!

You see, it took just one of these Keystone State volunteers from Western Pennsylvania, a volunteer fireman and an assistant battalion chief who was also in charge of the fire company's fund-raisers (whose name , unfortu-nately, is lost to history). He felt that "something just wasn't right" at the many fund-raisers for the new air packs and other necessary fire-fighting equipment, so he decided to do some snooping around to see where and how all the money was coming in ...and then quickly going out...

Well, what he found was a cavernous hole in the fire company's efforts to raise funds. He was almost speechless..here was a money trail..not trickling, but GUSHING AWAY from his fire company's picnics and DIRECTLY into the pockets of the radio station's Fort Knox-like vaults. And, the "polka personality pirates" were quietly laughing... all the way to the bank!!!

Here's the dirty little secret that hit him like a ton of kielbasa!

For years, the radio stations and their "on-air polka personalities" had created and been operating a scam...or some would call it a delusional myth. The scheme was that the radio stations and their famous on-air polka show personalities would come to the fund-raising events and set up shop, at no charge(for free) to the non-profit organization to do their own ver- sion of "fund-raising"...with all their "feel good and do-good live remote broadcasts. " While on the air live at the non-profit event  fund-raiser ,they would urge the people who listen to their radio show to come out and support the fund-raising event. And, the whole scam, believe it or not.. was underwritten by the "good-guy business and company sponsors who paid some real big bucks to have their business mentioned on the air as a "proud supporter" of the fund-raiser.This way, the  non profit churches  and fire companies got the money from the sale of food, beverages, admission, and games of chance, etc..

But, the radio stations were the REAL big winners at fund-raising for they quietly took home their own big bucks fund-raising money in the form of "proud sponsor ads." And, it was proven that the radio stations, at times, actually "cleaned up" by making MORE money than the churches and fire companies at their own fund-raisers. Go figure!!!

And, in the past year of 2007, during this past summer of cultural events one " polka radio show personality" from the Binghamton area continually BRAGGED that he "did "(you could probably come up with a better word) five[5] live remote broadcasts in one weekend.

Question...How much money did the non-profit and cultural organizations actually LOSE ..and how much money was "raked in" to the radio station's money vaults??? And, did this "famous polka personality " boldly park the station's official vehicle  on your parish church property and grounds while he was "fleecing" your cultural event and walking away with thousands of "proud sponsor" dollars, a.k.a. "the big bucks." As P.T. Barnum said, "There's a sucker born every minute" and Plunkett of Tammany Hall said, "I seen my opportunities and I TOOK THEM."

I guess you didn't know that giving money AWAY to the very rich radio stations at your non-profit event was a true, yet unbelievably  convolu- ted corporal work of mercy. Remember... "'Tis better to give than to receive..." right???

And, just how much money was generated by all of the radio stations for a four-hour fund-raiser in the Keystone State? Think about this for some "near no-brainer math"... at just $100. per "proud sponsor ad " (based upon mid-1990's price for a 60 second ad on the commercial radio)figured into a real neat cool /hot / or whatever ... thousand or more dollars per event. But, when you add the number of non-profit events per year and multiply that by 17 years or 30 years... you get the picture of how much money was STOPPED going to the filthy rich radio stations in the state of Pennsylvania.

Are you or should you ......be mildly upset or very angry ...that this con-tinues to happen today, eighteen years later, in the Southern Tier and "Greater" Binghamton area of New York!!!?

Gosh, in the Binghamton , NY area  in the year 2008, I hope they invite you and all of the officers, clergy, and all the members of your church or fire company to the wealthy radio station Holiday Parties. They should... for you and  your non-profit fund-raiser made it  all possible for them to pay for salaries, the new SUV with the radio station logo that parks on your property for free and advertises their radio station at your fund-raiser, and their new radio transmitter.     So until next time.....listen to the "proud sponsors" on your favorite polka show and do some easy math to find out how much money that the non-profit organization LOST...by being a "good guy-proud sponsor."  Today, in 2008, a "proud sponsor' radio ad costs about $300.00 per minute...and when it's all said and done, you've been "had" again!!!

Shhh...keep this post a secret..I certainly don't want people in the Binghamton, NY area to have heart attacks  when they find out how much money they lost this summer AGAIN at fund-raisers complete.... with the famous "live remote polka show personality broadcasts."

POLKA MUSIC FOR FATHER'S DAY(IN OPPOSITION TO COUNTRY & WESTERN MUSIC FOR FATHER'S DAY)

POLKA MUSIC for FATHER'S DAY (IN OPPOSITION TO COUNTRY & WESTERN MUSIC("NASHVILLE-STYLE ") FOR FATHER'S DAY

I have patiently waited for one month for another or "any polka show personality,"( polka d.j.or i.j.)on the radio, internet, or on the television, along with any polka music columnist or the editor of a polka newspaper across this nation, to respond to an article written and published in the USA Weekend Supplement for Sunday, June 8-10, 2007. This particular article in question was found in many Sunday newspapers across the USA, including my hometown newspaper, the Binghamton( New York) Press & Sun-Bulletin.

Why should this particular news article in question, found on pages 12 and 13 of the USA Weekend Sunday Supplement be of any interest to any/all of the polka personalities and anyone connected with/to the polka music across this nation?  Perhaps, then, you probably should read this post.

First, permit me to provide you with a Press Release for my 19th Annual Father's Day Special 3-hour program scheduled for Tuesday, June 12, 2007 and my emails sent to the local newspaper and the USA Weekend Supplement.

Dear Special Features/Program Editor(name edited):

I am re-sending you and the USA Weekend Supplement to the Press & Sun-Bulletin for June 8-10, 2007, my original email  dated June 4, 2007.

My reason? I wish to take issue with the title of the article and also a number of statements written in the article about Music and Father's Day by Lance Smith, the host of the "CMT Countdown" and Katie Cook , of the "CMT Insider."

Here is my original email to you:

Dear Special Features/ Program Editor,

On June 12, 2007 I will be doing another special program, this one for the celebration of Father's Day 2007.

The full particulars of the Press Release include:

You can give your father, grandfather, and godfather a special gift of music when you listen to and enjoy the "grandchild-tested and grandparent-approved" European Ethnic Melodies Show's special presentation for the celebration of Father's Day on Tuesday June 12, 2007 from 7-10 P.M. on Binghamton University radio, WHRW, at 90.5 on the local FM dial and simulcast world-wide at www.whrwfm.org 

The 19th Annual Father's Day program will honor our fathers, grandfathers, godfathers, fathers-in-law, and step-fathers with the widest range of the most memorable eclectic, dynamic life-force multi-ethnic folk, world, and polka music from two continents from the past century and more of recorded music.

Our immigrant-ancestor fathers, grandfathers, and godfathers will also be honored and remembered as the members of our family who made the initial journey to America so many years ago...in search of a better life and freedom for our families.

Since 2004, the radio program has been identified as the first very multi-ethnic music and wealth-of-health wellness radio show in the nation. This means you can give your brain an upgrade and a retro-fit of all the dynamic music of your cultural heritage, for all of the music played on the program for the past 19 years has been identified by language, nationality, and culture. It's the "ultimate cultural experience"  that begins where ALL polka and polka varieties shows end.

The European Ethnic Melodies Show, hosted by Daniel Jan Walikis, is a recognized beacon of wholesome musical entertainment stylized and structured for the entire inter-generational family world-wide.

If you have any questions, please call me anytime(except Tuesday evenings) at (607)729-2808.

Sincerely,

Daniel Jan Walikis (BU- Class of '77)

For further verification/information... my new website is @ danieljan.com

(FYI)

Retired History Dep't faculty member of the Windsor, NY Central School District

Retired musician-bandleader

Retired Ellis Island Historian & Charter Tour Specialist

Slavic & Immigration Historian

Ethno-musicologist & Polka Music Historian

World War II Historian

Member of the USS Davis(DD-937) Association

Member of the Tin Can Sailors(Navy Destroyer Veterans)Association

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AND   NOW... POLKA MUSIC vs COUNTRY & WESTERN MUSIC FOR FATHER'S DAY... and the IMPORTANT key issues that EVERYONE  in the polka music entertainment business missed!!!(NO suprprises here..)

My issues with this article written by the two "Nashville stars" begin  with the title of the article found on the cover of the USA Weekend Supplement entitled, "How Father's Day inspires country music stars" and include other statements made on pages 12 and 13 of the article. Also, the sub-title of the article, "Here's why country is the perfect musical genre for Father's Day."  Please read further...

Obviously, the people in Nashville have NEVER heard of the other type of "blue collar music'"and the other musician-composer-bandleaders who have been writing music to honor their fathers long before Nashville recording artists began to write any songs to honor their fathers.

For your information and for the (historical and accurate)record,...these other "blue collar workers" labored in the mines, steel mills, glass factories, and meat packing houses and used their music as an avocation to take their minds off the terrible work conditions, ethnic  stereo-typing, and overt prejudice found in their new homeland, America.  And, out of the difficulty of trying to "become American" by learning the language and all of the parameters of becoming  American citizens, they actually found the time to write songs in order to honor, respect, and to pay tribute to their fathers, grandfathers, and godfathers, the pillars of the family structure, also from the "other side of the tracks."  And please note, the songs written to honor fathers, grandfathers, and godfathers, were also written in Europe as well in the 19th and 20th centuries, long before there was a "Nashville-type genre."

Would you like to compare lists of songs for Father's Day as to the the number of songs written by the "Nashville bands" and the numbers of songs I have that have been written to honor fathers, grandfathers, and godfathers by the musician-composer-bandleaders from both Europe and the USA?  And, I'll be glad to set up the nation-wide Press Conference for the comparison of your list with my list!!!

Truly, I'd be glad to compare my list of Father's Day music with yours,... ANYTIME..., and I'll translate some of the songs into English so you can understand what they mean! The music I play for Father's Day is TOTALLY  family-oriented with songs written by a son (and a musician-composer-bandleader) about the true love, honor, and respect for his father, grandfather, and godfather-the ultimate act of a musician to honor his paternal family members by writing songs to honor them.

And, overall, the songs I play for my special Father's Day  program are truly grandchild-tested and grandparent-approved.

Please note that the music I play for Father's Day does NOT deal with anti-family "Nashville-genre" topics such as borderline themes of adultery, cheating spouses, drunkenness, big trucks and..whatever.., divorce, macho and testosterone-laden he-men on the open road looking for "some action at the roadhouse."  My question is ..are any of these topics of the titles of your Nashville-sound songs going to be played along with the music for Father's Day??? Hmmm...

So, don't tell me this nonsense, in your opinion, or in the actual article, that Nashville has a "corner" or a "monopoly" on "country songs being the perfect genre for Father's Day."  DUH!!!!

In conclusion, Mr. Lance Smith and Ms. Katie Cook, in the future, and in my opinion, may I suggest you  check  ALL your sources and your erroneous statements, mis-statements, and gaffes more completely before you begin to seriously write and publish articles about music, including Nashville-genre music, that are not entirely accurate. And, if you are actually "legitimate" reporters for the "Nashville-scene" of music, you certainly have a lot of explaining to do...and some apologizing!!!

By the way, you probably do you remember Dan Rather, former CBS news anchor, who was fired for not checking the accuracy, verification, and the sources of his information. Think about it...

And, next year, you may want to tune in to a REAL Father's Day  program and listen to and enjoy the finest European ethnic, folk, world, and polka music played and sung in many tempos and languages-all for Dad's special day...  Yes....with ethnic, folk, world, and polka music  being the "perfect and legitimate genre of music "for Father's Day, "I'll show ya HOW to git 'er done!!!"

Happy Father's Day!!!

Sincerely,

Daniel Jan Walikis