The following is a press release from FamilySearch:

Online Volunteers Will Make Historic 1950 US Census Searchable Online

FamilySearch International today announced its participation in the 1950 US Census Community Project. FamilySearch is inviting online volunteers to assist in making the 1950 US census easier for everyone to search and discover their family connections—while having the opportunity to make personal discoveries of their own. This unique crowdsourcing project, the largest census undertaking to date, will make the 150 million records of the individuals found on the census’s tens of thousands of digital images searchable online.

WHY THE 1950 US CENSUS?

U.S. Census Bureau

The US census collections are some of the most popular online databases used by millions of people for family history research. Most people in the US today can remember an ancestor who can be found in the 1950 US census.

On April 1, 2022, the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States will make digital images of the 1950 US census available to the world. Protected by law for 72 years, this long-awaited census will be the most comprehensive record set available of those who were living in that historic era in the United States. The 1950 US Census Community Project is a national collaborative effort that uses the Internet, artificial intelligence, and a massive volunteer workforce to make these census records searchable online.

The outcome of this amazing initiative benefits everyone. Not only will every page of the 1950 US census be digitally preserved forever, but the general public will have convenient access to volumes of rich historical information that could provide the missing links to their own family histories.

WHAT KIND OF INFORMATION DOES THE 1950 US CENSUS CONTAIN?

The 1950 US census included the obvious questions such as name, age, gender, race, education, and place of birth. But the census also posed more detailed questions that will cast refreshing light on the preceding decade—which included World War II and the return of US troops. For example, those over age 14 were asked, “What was this person doing most of last week—working, keeping house, or something else?” and “What is the highest grade of school that the person has attended?”

Enthusiasm and interest in the 1950 census have been building steadily since the release of the 1940 census in 2012. These new records will introduce us to the 40,000,000 people born during this era of baby boomers. But this postwar decade wasn’t just prosperous for newborns. It also ushered in the civil rights movement, rock ’n’ roll, suburban living, and a wave of colorful innovations. Many of the powerful voices and inspired minds behind these changes will be found in the 1950 census—like 14 past and future U.S. Presidents, vocalist Aretha Franklin and actors Chuck Norris and Jimmy Stewart.

The 1950 US Census Community Project is receiving additional support from Ancestry.com and leading societal organizations to engage and coordinate the volunteer workforce needed to deliver the ambitious 1950 US census project.

Although the 1950 US census is notably larger than the 1940 US census, thanks to advancements in technology, the anticipated help of online volunteers, and community support, the project is expected to be completed in a few months following the census’s release by NARA.

THE ROLE OF ONLINE VOLUNTEERS WITH THE 1950 US CENSUS

Ancestry will use state-of-the-art handwriting recognition technology to scan the census images and make a functioning searchable index. Online volunteers on FamilySearch.org will then be able to find a surname or location of personal interest to them as a starting point to perform a comprehensive review of the computer-generated index to ensure it is accurate and complete. To stay on top of the 1950 US Census Community Project’s updates or to volunteer to help create the rich, searchable index, subscribe at FamilySearch.org/1950census.

The North of Ireland Family History Society (NIFHS) has launched its new season of online genealogy classes. There are 12 classes covering a good range of topics to suit all levels. Some are offered twice, in two different time slots, to suit overseas attendees. Each session lasts for around 90-minutes, with a one-hour talk followed by questions and answers.

The first class is for beginners to Irish genealogy and starts on Thursday 3rd February so book quickly if you'd like to attend. The other classes are scheduled for various dates up until May.

Two-Session Classes:

* Strictly for Beginners - Irish Family History (GMT morning option)

* Strictly for Beginners - Irish Family History (GMT afternoon option)

* DNA - Family Finder

One-Session Classes

* Griffith’s Valuation Records

* An Introduction to Scottish Online Records

* Emigration to Australia and New Zealand

https://www.nifhs.org/courses/* PRONI Online Records

* Using Ancestry DNA

* Five Top Tips for Analysing your DNA Results

Free Classes

* More Online Resources for Genealogy and Family History (GMT morning option)

* More Online Resources for Genealogy and Family History (GMT afternoon option)

* NIFHS Look-Up Service

* What’s New in Family Tree Maker

* DNA Day – Beginner’s Talk

Single classes are £10, two-session classes are £15, and some are offered for free as part of the society's commitment to encouraging genealogy education. A Class Notes booklet (£5) is available as an optional extra for the “Emigration to Australia and New Zealand” class.

Find out more and book online at the NIFHS website: https://www.nifhs.org/courses/.

PQINA, a Dutch agency focused on designing and developing ‘highly polished web components,’ has introduced Edit.Photo, a free browser-based photo editor that offers a fast and effective editor without any cookies, pop-ups, accounts, adds and tracking.

Edit.Photo is built on pintura, a Javascript Image Editor SDK also developed by PQINA. The web app works on both desktop and mobile browsers and is incredibly fast and intuitive. It offers all of the basic editing tools you might need to process a photo, including a crop/rotate tool, filters and a robust array of fine-tuning features, including brightness, contrast, saturation, exposure, color temperature, clarity, vignette and more. As of now, Edit.Photo doesn't support Raw formats, but any JPG or PNG image should work without any problem.

You can read more at: https://bit.ly/3IQucY8.

The normal "rule of thumb" for preserving documents has long suggested the best method of preserving documents is to digitize them. However, recent experiences in South Africa show that digitization alone may not be sufficient.

A project about five years ago was supposed to create a digital store of the South African Parliament’s archive. But quality-control samples suggest that nearly half the pages were not scanned properly, and there are troubling questions about how the project was managed, especially by Parliament itself.

A botched digitisation project has probably condemned irreplaceable documents to extinction following a recent fire in Parliament that damaged or destroyed many paper documents. As a result of the fire plus the improper digitization, many of South Africa's most important legal documents are now lost forever.

No other store of archival material in the country has a copy. Of particular importance are the annexures to the Hansard — the official record of Parliament’s deliberations going back to 1910. The records include unpublished government reports, annual reports, research, and manuscripts.

You can read more about this sad news at https://bit.ly/3IUWCAx.

The following is a Plus Edition article written by and copyright by Dick Eastman.

Disclaimer: This article makes several statements about the laws of the United States. Please keep in mind that I am not a lawyer and am not trained in legal affairs. However, I have discussed these issues with several attorneys who specialize in intellectual property issues and I have also done a lot of reading. This article reflects my opinions which have been shaped by what I have read and what I have been told.

I will point out what I believe are obvious facts. However, nothing in this article should be treated as legal advice. If you have questions, you are advised to seek legal council from someone who is versed in intellectual property issues.

I frequently receive email messages from genealogists complaining that someone else has "stolen" their data. Recently, I received a message from a newsletter reader asking how we can encrypt our data before uploading it to protect it from people who want to "steal" it. Today's correspondent wanted to find a method of "hiding" the data from unknown people so that he could control the data being sent to only people he approved of. Then he was hoping to find a method of preventing those people from forwarding "his" data to others.

I have one question: why?

Where did you obtain "your" information? I bet it came from census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records, right? In the United States and in many other countries (but not all), that information is public domain. It is not "your data," regardless of where you obtained it.

The remainder of this article is reserved for Plus Edition subscribers only. If you have a Plus Edition subscription, you may read the full article at: https://eogn.com/(*)-Plus-Edition-News-Articles/12334199.

If you are not yet a Plus Edition subscriber, you can learn more about such subscriptions and even upgrade to a Plus Edition subscription immediately at https://eogn.com/page-18077. 

The following announcement was written by the (U.S.) National Genealogical Society (NGS):

Today NGS launched Foundations in Family History, a new online course designed for genealogy hobbyists and intermediate researchers. This course was developed to give each family historian a solid foundation in the research skills needed to find and evaluate records for their family and to build their family tree—generation by generation. The course consists of three parts with eighteen lessons which build on one another. Students will learn how to examine sources and develop a research plan. The course demonstrates how online resources and published family history sources can impact students’ research. Also featured are a step-by-step process for using, locating, and evaluating genealogy records; practical applications to apply lessons to personal family research; case studies and citations that illustrate how to put lessons into action; and complementary NGS Magazine articles and videos. Foundations in Family History is the ideal course for the DNA test taker who wants to create a family tree to connect with matches; the genealogy enthusiast who wants to take their family history knowledge to the next level; or the librarian or archivist who wants to learn more to assist their patrons. This course, along with a new certificate course for more advanced researchers coming later in 2022, replaces American Genealogical Studies. For more information and to enroll, visit NGS Foundations in Family History.

Award-winning stage and screen actor Matthew Modine will headline the all-online RootsTech Connect 2022 conference March 3-5.

Modine, who starred in NetFlix’s “Stranger Things” and HBO’s widely acclaimed AIDS docudrama “And the Band Played On,” is the youngest of seven children, FamilySearch, the church’s genealogical arm, notes in a recent blog, and fell in love with film when his father managed a drive-in theater.

He also has become an environmental activist and launched a pro-cycling organization called Bicycle for a Day.

“Modine will talk about how he has chosen connection in his life,” the blog states. “Matthew says, ‘There are dozens of things each of us can do that have an immediate and positive impact [on others].’”

Besides Modine, apostle Ulisses Soares and his wife, Rosana, will speak to the virtual attendees on the conference’s final day, dubbed Family Discovery Day, from their native Brazil.

“Family history isn’t all about the distant past,” Elder Soares said in a news release. “You can look to your own recent experiences and stories or history as it unfolds right here in the present. You can establish your own traditions. It is a combination of the past and the present that makes you uniquely you.”

Registration is now open here for this free global celebration of family history.

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Jan. 27, 2022 -- 23andMe Holding Co. (Nasdaq: ME) (“23andMe”), a leading consumer genetics and research company, announced today that it will report financial results for the fiscal year 2022 (FY2022) third quarter after the market closes on Thursday, February 10, 2022. The Company will webcast a conference call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the quarter’s financial results and report on business progress.

The webcast can be accessed on the day of the event at https://investors.23andme.com/news-events/events-presentations. A webcast replay will be available at the same address for a limited time within 24 hours after the event.

In addition, 23andMe will use the Say Technologies platform to allow retail and institutional shareholders to submit and upvote questions to management. Starting today, shareholders can submit questions ahead of earnings by visiting https://app.saytechnologies.com/23andme-2022-q3. The Q&A platform will remain open until 24 hours before the earnings call.

About 23andMe
23andMe, headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, is a leading consumer genetics and research company. Founded in 2006, the Company’s mission is to help people access, understand, and benefit from the human genome. 23andMe has pioneered direct access to genetic information as the only company with multiple FDA authorizations for genetic health risk reports. The Company has created the world’s largest crowdsourced platform for genetic research, with 80 percent of its customers electing to participate. The 23andMe research platform has generated more than 180 publications on the genetic underpinnings of a wide range of diseases, conditions, and traits. The platform also powers the 23andMe Therapeutics group, currently pursuing drug discovery programs rooted in human genetics across a spectrum of disease areas, including oncology, respiratory, and cardiovascular diseases, in addition to other therapeutic areas. More information is available at www.23andMe.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements regarding the future performance of 23andMe’s businesses in consumer genetics and therapeutics and the growth and potential of its proprietary research platform. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included or incorporated in this press release, including statements regarding 23andMe’s strategy, financial position, funding for continued operations, cash reserves, projected costs, plans, and objectives of management, are forward-looking statements. The words "believes," "anticipates," "estimates," "plans," "expects," "intends," "may," "could," "should," "potential," "likely," "projects," "continue," "will," “schedule,” and "would" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements are predictions based on 23andMe’s current expectations and projections about future events and various assumptions. 23andMe cannot guarantee that it will actually achieve the plans, intentions, or expectations disclosed in its forward-looking statements and you should not place undue reliance on 23andMe’s forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (many of which are beyond the control of 23andMe), or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained herein are also 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on June 21, 2021 and in 23andMe’s Current Report on Form 10-Q filed with the SEC on November 10, 2021, as well as other filings made by 23andMe with the SEC from time to time. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Except as required by law, 23andMe does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

According to Michal Frankl from the Department of Modern Social and Cultural History at the Academy’s Masaryk Institute and Archives:

"Among the dozens of incidents marked in the map is the case of Arnošt Polák, who was arrested for failing to mark his Identification card with the letter J. For that he faced a fine of 5,000 crowns or five days in prison. I guess that was one of the very common incidents that happened in Prague in those days...

“While we were working on the project we combed through the files of the Prague police and we came across approximately 17,000 such incidents.

“This can include cases when people were arrested for some kind of special trespassing, or acting against anti-Jewish decrees, such as that they were outside without the Star of David attached to their clothes, that they entered a park, they were in a shop outside of the very limited hours for Jews, or for instance they wanted to travel on public transport in ways that were not allowed to them."

You can read more at: https://english.radio.cz/new-app-tracks-holocaust-it-happened-prague-streets-8740371.

In an opinion issued on Wednesday, Jan. 26, the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) helped clear the way for the Equal Rights Amendment, according to leading ERA advocates. In January of 2020, under Trump, the OLC issued an opinion arguing that Congress had no power to remove a seven-year timeline for ratification in the preamble of the ERA and that therefore three recent state ratifications were invalid. The OLC opinion issued by the Biden administration strongly affirms the power of Congress to remove the deadline. The opinion follows the overwhelming consensus among constitutional law scholars.

According to a recent amicus brief authored by former Stanford Law School Dean Kathleen Sullivan and signed by Laurence Tribe, Dorothy Roberts, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Catharine MacKinnon and 11 other top constitutional scholars:

“The language of Article V is mandatory: an amendment to the Constitution ‘shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states.’ Nor does the text of Article V envision a role for an executive branch officer to assert his discretion regarding the validity of the amendment. The text requires no additional action by Congress or by anyone else after ratification by the final State.”