Last month, we talked about “defragmenting” your computer.  I hope all of you did remember to defrag your computer to make it healthy and speedy.

 Tip of the Month: How Virus Scanner Programs Work
 “Scanner” means a specialized program that looks for codes known to appear in computer virus programs.  The scanner’s database consists of “strings” of computer instruction code, extracted from known virus programs, but not likely to show up in legitimate programs.  The scanner’s “engine” searches (scans) computer memory (RAM) and files on a floppy disk, CD or hard drive, reading each file’s computer language instructions, and cross-referencing  the code it finds with code stored in its database files.  If it finds a match, the scanner alerts you, and performs whatever other built-in actions the discovery of an infected file calls for.  Built-in actions are how scanner program is configured (I.e., automatically clean the infected file).
  Hundreds of viruses are discovered every month.  You should scan your files regularly and update your DAT files monthly.  These are the files of known viruses that will be sorted in its database.  This is especially important if you use the Internet, even if you use it just for email.  When you purchase a virus scanner program, most vendors will give one year of FREE updates.
  If you virus scanner program is two or three years old, it’s more likely that it will miss a virus than find one, so I’d advise you to replace it as soon as possible.
 Web site of the month: www.igrandparents.com
 Perhaps you do not live in the same city, state, or time zone as your grandchildren, but with igrandparents.com it won’t matter as much.  You can set up your own personal “Grandparent web site” (don’t worry,  no fancy Internet knowledge necessary), or learn about health and safety issues, or just pay a visit to Grandma Betty’s Corner for information on everything from entertainment to fitness.  You can also take advantage of the free online membership, which entitles you to electronic greeting cards and periodic birthday reminders.  And because this is a site devoted to grandparents and grand parenting, there is plenty of opportunity for shipping.  Have fun!

 Are you thinking about buying a computer for the first time?  Perhaps wondering if it would be worth it to upgrade your existing computer?  Want to get connected to the Internet? Or perhaps you want to understand how to use your computer and the programs on it.  I can help you!  I even make house calls.  And remember—there is no such thing as a dumb question.

 If you have comments, suggestions or questions, or need help with your computer, feel free to contact me at:
 Robert Johnstone
 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum
 Attn: Techno Corner
 P.O. Box 600511
 St. Paul, MN 55106

 Email:  johnstone@uswest.net
 Phone: 651-772-2075

Is the Mounds Theater Haunted?

 The following true accounts are from women who spent an evening in the old Mounds Theater in Saint Paul.
  Four of us assembled in the theater lobby, on a cold, bleak evening in April.  We were there to investigate what seemed to be a  haunting in the projection booth in this long forgotten 1920's theater. There was something in this particular room that would  make the bravest of people stop in their tracks and shiver. Was there something or someone in this projection booth that had  forgotten to leave when the doors were closed in 1960?
  Once we had gathered in the lobby, we bolted the door behind us and slowly ascended the old steps leading up to the balcony, no one speaking a word. There was a sliver of light coming through the door, which seemed to bathe the floor in a ghastly green hue. We each found our places in the balcony, kicking old popcorn boxes to the side as we settled in for the duration of our stay.  As we sat there, we all became aware of the darkness around us and our senses kicked into high gear.  Our  eyes strained to identify anything of significance that was familiar or unfamiliar in this huge expanse of darkness. Our lungs filled with the musty odor of 30 years of accumulated dust. It was then that we heard the first sounds. The sound was that of someone slowly trudging up the left hand side of the stairwell and bells could be heard. We could not breathe, nor could we move. It was as  if we were all glued to our seats. The footsteps appeared to be getting closer to where we were all sitting and then a flash of  light was seen to the left of us. The light shot past us and down to the lower side of the stage and through the exit door. There was a scream and. . . ."

 The following is written by Barbara With, psychic, author, music writer and producer. 
  Psychics come in all different shapes, sizes and levels of expertise.  Some can hold an object and relate details of the life of  the person, who owns or owned the object. Others can successfully describe things that have happened or predict with some degree of accuracy what will happen in the future. Still others can contact people who have passed on. I am none of those kinds of psychics. I focus my psychic abilities to reflect back to you, the condition of your spirit, mind, body and emotions.  I sometimes deal with past lives and loved ones who have died, but mostly I advise on ways to successfully maneuver through the challenges of  your own life, using the most of your own abilities. So when Raeann Ruth asked me to come to the theater and spend some time there to see if I could pick up anything with my psychic abilities I had no idea if I could help shed light on the Mounds Theater Ghost.
  As we entered the theater that night, there was definitely a presence. I put my voice-activated tape recorder in the front of the stage and we went into the balcony to wait in the dark. The degree to which we could hear noises and all sorts of odd sounds, was profound.  At one point I heard what sounded like something being dragged across the floor.  Two of  the other women heard bells and other strange things.  We sat as long as we could stand it and then something happened that made us all say, "Light the candle!!"  As soon as the candle was lit, all of the noises stopped and it was dead quiet.
  I could not pick up any information about the theater itself, or the possible ghost inside. However, I did get the impression that this particular place had been very important for the Native Americans during the 1800's.  Very near to the theater some important event took place that was the end of an era as they knew it.  I strongly sensed a great sorrowing and deep pain, but also a commitment to stay with the Earth, even in death, with the intention to someday help inspire a new community, a community that would possess the same kind of harmony and community that the Native Americans did back then.
  In the end, my tape recorder only recorded the sound of setting it down on the stage and then picking it up again as we left.  But maybe there is a deeper reason why the Portage and Raeann seem to have extra special help (besides all the good people like George Hardenbergh, who donated the theater to the Portage) growing and evolving the Portage's influence in the community.  Maybe there really are spirits of some of the early Native Americans who once loved this particular place on the St. Paul Bluffs.  Have they come back in another form to help rebuild the Earth that meant so much to them in life?  Who knows? But whether you believe it or not, it's fun to imagine it might be true.

 Barbara With is available for psychic readings.  Visit her website at www.barbarawith.com/, or call her at 612-522-0150. 

Police list the most commonly stolen motor vehicles

The St. Paul Police Department is providing the following list of motor vehicles that are most likely to be the targets of auto theft.  With this information, the public will be better able to take proactive steps to reduce the potential for victimization.  The list is not intended to be a complete profile of all of the automobiles that are stolen in St. Paul.  However, it does give an accurate picture of the most commonly targeted vehicles.
  "Car thieves, like most criminals, are creatures of habit and opportunity," said Commander Timothy Lynch, head of the Automobile Theft Unit.  "They do what is easy and convenient for them.  The best way to combat them is to limit their opportunity and make them invest extra time and effort in attempting to commit crimes"
  For additional information on how you can protect your automobile from theft, pleas contact your auto dealer.  Also, you can contact the St. Paul Police Department's Auto Theft Unit at 651.292.3574.

Toyota
   Camry
   Corolla
GM mid size
   Cutlass
   Century
   Celebrity
GM full size
   Bonneville
   Park Avenue
   88 & 98
Honda & Acura
   Civic
   Accord
   Legend
   Integra
Chrysler MiniVans
   Caravan
   Voyager
Chevy Trucks
   Blazer
   GMC Pickups
Ford midsize & compact
   Taurus
   Sable
   Escort
   Tracer

Volunteers Needed

Guild Incorporated, an organization that helps people with serious depression and other persistent psychiatric disabilities, is looking for volunteers who may be interested in assisting with the following opportunities:

 Volunteers enjoy flexible schedules, ongoing training and support, reimbursed expenses, and most of all, the satisfaction of helping people.  We are located at 1025 Dodd Road in West St. Paul.  For more information, contact Kim Klisch, volunteer coordinator at 450-2220, ext. 12.

 The Mounds Theater will be cleaned out in the near future.  Volunteers will be needed to help clear out the theater.  Please call the Portage for Youth at 651.772.8674 for further information.

Cooking in the Bluff
by Shiela Johnstone

 This month features some items that your children can help you with in the kitchen.  I’m sure they will enjoy putting  these together for friends and family members!

Witches Hats
 You need fudge striped cookies, Hershey® Kisses and a tube of orange decorator icing.  Turn cookies upside down so that the chocolate side is up.  Use the orange decorator icing to pipe around the hole in the center of each cookie.  Place an unwrapped Kiss on the icing circle.  Finish by piping around the base of the Kiss and drawing a little bow.

 Decorator Frosting
 2/3 cup butter
 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
 2 tablespoons milk
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
 4 drops food coloring

>  Beat butter or margarine in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds
>  Slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, beating well.  Beat in the milk or lemon juice, then add the vanilla if desired
>  To tint the frosting, add food coloring as much as needing for desired color
 Makes 2 cups

 Nutrition at a glance per serving:
 Calories            186
 Protein              0g
 Total fat            8g
 Sodium             79mg
 Cholesterol       21mg
 Carbohydrates  30g

Ghost Suckers
 Use these as party favors, hanging them from the ceiling until you’re ready to distribute them to your guests.
 Take a round headed lollipop and lay the head in the center of a white handkerchief, facial tissue, or cloth square.  Gather the handkerchief down around the stick and tie tightly just below the head with a rubber band, twist tie, or string.  Add 2 black dots for the eyes.
  You can also use these ghosts as an invitation to your party!  Write the party date and location around the outside of the handkerchief before making the ghosts.  If you plan to mail them, you might want to use flat round lollipops and padded envelopes.

 If you have comments, suggestions, a special recipe that you would like to share, or you are looking for a special recipe, feel free to contact me at:
 Shiela Johnstone
 Dayton’s Bluff District Forum
 Attn: Cooking in the Bluff
 P.O. Box 600511
 St. Paul, MN 55106
 Email:  shiela@uswest.net
 Phone: 651-772-2075

 Until next time, have a fun and safe Happy Halloween!
 

 Dear stay at home mom:
  It is becoming the trend that parents want to stay home with their kids, both moms and dads. There are many jobs out there that you are able to do from your home. Jobs can consist of phone telemarketing, surveys, typing, stuffing envelopes, and an array of other tasks. You were looking in the right places to find these jobs. Usually, your local paper will carry them in the very beginning of the classified or job section.  Other places to find jobs are on the Internet.  I know you looked and your search engine may have missed them. A good web site look at is homeworkingmom.com.  This site is dedicated to people like you and will answer your questions along with helping you find a position. If these sources are not of help, the next thing you should do is to get your telephone book out and start calling businesses, temp agencies, and/or women’s organizations. The people there can help to direct you to someone that can be of service. 
  I wish you the best of luck in your job search and to anyone that is interested in doing the same. 

 Readers, please keep sending in your questions.  I will try to help you with any subject; that is, anything that can be printed in the newspaper!  The questions received will be answered on a first come, first served basis, but I will try to get to all of your questions as soon as possible.

  Sincerely, Amber

If you have a question that you would like answered, please write to me at: 
Attn: Ask Amber 
798 E. 7" Street 
St. Paul, MN 56106 
Or e-mail your question to: askamber1@hotmail.com

All answers given herein are solely the opinion of the writer and not the Dayton's Bluff District Forum nor the writers or advertisers or the people and businesses included in the column. Amber's answers will be researched in depth and are accurate as opinion, but not necessarily fact.

Peb Tab Tom Qhib Cuv Npe Rau Lub Caij Nplooj Ntoos Zeeg

 Peb lubkooshaum "Portage for Youth" thov hawm txog nej txhuas tus. Lub kooshaum "Portage for Youth" yog ib qhov chaw pab rau cov menyuam ntxhais hnub nyoog 8-15 xyoo rau thaum lub sijhawm uas lawv los tom tsev kawm ntawv los tsev thiab thaum lub caij ntuj so.  Txojkev pab no yog pab rau cov ntxhais uas nyob ib puag ncig ntawm Dayton's Bluff Neighborhood hauv lub zos Xees Phos (Saint Paul) no. Lub kooshaum "Portage for Youth" no twb tsim tau txojkev pab cov ntxhais uas nyob rau tim Sab-hnub- tuaj ntawm lub zos Xees Phos (Eastside Saint Paul) no los tau 4 xyoo no lawm.  Cov kev pab yog muaj raws li nram no:

 Lub kooshaum "Portage for Youth" no tejkev pab yog qhib rau thaum lub sijhawm cov  menyuam twb los tom tsev kawm ntawv los txog tsev lawm. Cov ntxhais uas kawm ntawv ntawm cov tsev kawm ntawv xws li Dayton's Bluff Elementary, Mounds Park All Nations, los yog lwm lub tsev kawm ntawv li Highland Park yog cov peb txais tos yav tag los.  Yog tias leejtwg tus ntxhais uas muaj hnub nyoog li 8-15 xyoo no peb xav caw kom tuaj nrog peb koom thiab ntaus phoojywg nrog rau sawvdaws ntawm peb sab zos no.  Peb xav kom tau txhuas tus tabsis cov uas nyob ze uas kom lawm tuaj ko taw tuaj tau tso.  Thaum tsaus ntuj uas peb sib ntsib tag ntawv peb mam ho muab tsheb xa lawm los mus  tsev.  Lub sijhawm uas feem ntau ntawm peb cov kev pab txhawb no yog ntawm lub sijhawm li 3:30-5:30 teev thaum tsaus ntuj.  Tsuas yog tias Kas-las-tej (Karate) thiab Kev Seev Cev (Dance) thiaj yog ob qho uas tseem yuav tau tsav  tsheb thauj thiaj mus txog.  Txhua txojkev pab ntawm lub kooshaum "Portage for Youth" no yog ua pab dawb xwb rau cov ntxhais thiab lawv tsev neeg.  Peb thov caw cov ua niam thiab txiv tuaj koom nrog peb kawm ntawv Askiv rau ntawm hmo Tuesday thiab Thursday.  Txojkev qhia ntawv Askiv no los yog qhia dawb xwb, thiab.

 Thov ho hais qhia rau txhua tus ntxhais kom lawv ho paub txog peb tejkev pab txhawb no.  Yog tias leej twg xav paub ntxiv los yog txaus siab xav tuaj nrog peb koom no thov hu tus xovtooj (651) 772-8674 tuaj nrog Raeann Ruth tham yog tias to taub lu Askiv, tsis li,  thov faj lus rau Txiabneeb Vaj, nws mam hu tuaj nrog tham qhia rau nej ntxiv

 Tsis tag lis xwb, thov sau npe thiab cov ntsiab lus raw li sau tseg nram no es muab xa tuaj rau peb los tau ib yam.  Peb vam ntsoov tos tias nyaj yuav tau koj, koj tsev neeg, los yog koj tus ntxhais tuaj nrog peb sib koom tsis ntev tom ntej no.  Thaum kawg no peb thov nquag txhawb txog peb los ntsiab lus ntawm peb lub kooshaum no uas hais tias,”Menyuam ntxhais tshwj txhuas txojkev tseem ceeb”-"Girls rule in all the Best Ways." 
 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NPLOOJ NTAW CUV NPE

Niam/txiv lub Npe:

Chaw Nyob:

Xovtooj: (         )            -
 

   Npe Ntawm Cov Menyuam (Name of Children)                          Hnub Nyoog (Day of Birth)
 1. 
 2. 
 3. 
 4. 
 5. 

Good Neighbor Code Enforcement Pilot Program

 The Dayton’s Bluff District Four community Council and the City of St. Paul have formed a partnership to reduce neighborhood blight via increased code enforcement.  Several areas in Dayton’s Bluff were chosen to begin work last February. These areas are the Ross-Reaney neighborhood and the lower bluff from Mounds Boulevard to Forest Street.
  The roots of the Good Neighbor Code Enforcement Pilot lie in community frustration over the perceived lack of effectiveness of city code enforcement.  Countless community meetings have been held over the years with citizens asking for relief in general and remedies for specific blighted properties—usually with little result.  This reached a head late in 1998 when residents along Maria Avenue, who were frustrated by eh City’s lax  response to a persistently blighted property, loaded up the strewn garbage and junk into two pickup trucks and deposited it on the landlord’s doorstep on Summit Avenue.
  In 1999, “PACT” Problem Properties Committee was established.  It had limited success in solving problem properties along Maria Avenue but did create a consistent dialogue between residents and the city over a variety of blight related issues.  This dialogue lead to a proposal that the Community Council and the City form a partnership to specifically address external code violations in the most blighted areas in Dayton’s Bluff.
  The pilot began last February with leadership from the city coming from city council member Kathy Lantry, Housing Information Center director and former City Council President Dave Thune, and from the community from residents Sharon McCrea and Gene Piccolo.
  A biweekly committee meeting was established where properties with code violations are reviewed and the committee also devised the system currently in use.  Neighborhood volunteers are trained on city code and then deliver Good Neighbor Code Violation Notices to properties with obvious violations.  If the violations are not cleaned up in a reasonable amount of time, they are referred directly to two Code Enforcement Officers, Chuck Votel and Jack Reardon, who have half of their time assigned to the Dayton’s Bluff pilot.  This is actually a relatively small change, since much of their time is spent in Dayton’s Bluff anyway.  These officers then issue citations.
  Volunteers also receive training on personal safety issues and how to refer residents to assistance who may not otherwise have the mans to clean up violations.  A special phone line at he Housing Information Center is dedicated to this program and housing counselors are available to assist residents with problem solving.
  So far the program has been very successful.  When compared to the same 6-month period last year, closed cases for code violations have doubled in the target areas.  At the beginning of the program in February, 87 abandoned and illegally stored vehicles were counted it the Ross-Reaney area.  Only 13 were counted several weeks ago.  Volunteers report that the improvements in their areas are visible and in several cases dramatic.
  Over 30 volunteers have been trained and have issued over 150 notices.  Roughly 40% of the violations have been taken care of with the notices,  another 20% being cleaned up in the intervening 3 or 4 days it takes from when the Code Enforcement Officers are faxed an address and to when they arrive to cite the property.  Therefore, almost 60% of observed code violations in the targeted areas are solved prior to any city intervention.
  The Good Neighbor code Enforcement Pilot is a new approach to an age-old problem and, according the Dave Thune, could become how code enforcement is done across the city of it is deemed a success in Dayton’s Bluff and if the mayor and city council support its growth.
  The Good Neighbor Code Enforcement Pilot will be holding a celebration and planning for 2001 event on Tuesday, October 10 from 7:00 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. in the Great Hall at Metro State University.  City council member Kathy Lantry and Chief District Court Judge Larry Cohen will be present to offer words of encouragement.  Mayor Norm Coleman, who originally authorized the City to enter into a partnership with Dayton’s Bluff for this new way of getting business done, is also invited.  Anyone who is interested in this program is encouraged to attend.