8 a.m. - 8:50 a.m. Reserved -- Mr Walentis
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: 12 computers only: 19 students
9 a.m. - 9:50 a.m. Reserved--Mr Walentis
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: 12 computers only: 19 students
7:30 p.m. - 8:45 p.m. Reserved—Mr. Uhrich
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: Mr Uhrich COM121 (15) NO INSTRUCTION, RESERVE 12 COMPUTERS
Monday, March 31, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Scheduled Classes for Computers
10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Reserved--Ms Moyer
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: Introduction to Library: 10 students presented by Ms. Marcina Wagner
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: Introduction to Library: 10 students presented by Ms. Marcina Wagner
Killing Cursive is Killing History
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the average person had minimal education and could not read or write. As late as the early 20th century, vast numbers of people still could not even sign their name. After huge strides during the last century, well-intentioned legislators are set to return us to those times.
For the past 20 years, schools have been continually de-emphasizing the teaching of cursive writing to students. The development of No Child Left Behind, and the newer Common Core Curriculum has only reinforced that. Fewer and fewer legislatures are requiring the teaching of cursive writing.
The argument for most of this is that cursive writing is no longer necessary. In today's high-tech world of smartphones, tablets and computers, many people feel that cursive writing is no longer needed.
Unfortunately, there are many side effects of this kind of thinking. One of the more public instances of these problems occurred during the George Zimmerman trial, when a 19-year-old witness could not read a document she was handed -- because it was written in cursive. Growing up on the East Coast, one of the rites of passage in youth is usually a school trip to Washington, D.C. One of the most impressive stops was to the National Archives, waiting in line to walk through the rotunda holding the Charters of Freedom. The awe one feels when approaching the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights is indescribable. These are the documents that we live by. Nowadays, you can even look at the originals on the National Archives website.
Unfortunately, this experience is one that future generations will never have. Reading those documents is as foreign to them as reading documents in 15th-century Secretary Hand to older folks. They will only be able to read transcriptions of the original.
This issue is not just about social history, but about personal history as well. For example, many young girls (and more than a few young boys) keep diaries and journals. They write about the details of their everyday lives: what they ate, who they played with, who they had a crush on, horrible teachers, etc.. Many keep these diaries and journals throughout their lives. Reading through them gives one a sense of what they were feeling at the time. But the children and grandchildren of these authors will not be able to read them, because they are written in cursive. And diaries and journals are not the only problems. What about the letters they wrote to each other? Or the cards they gave to each other on special occasions?
In order to read these personal documents, future generations will need to have someone transcribe them into a word-processing document.
Unfortunately, they'll miss the subtleties in the handwriting to indicate feelings and emotions while writing. They won't see the hard pen strokes of anger, and they won't be able to see the beautiful flowing handwriting of happiness. Much is lost in the translation.
Not only can this generation not read or write cursive, they can no longer even sign their names. They write everything, including their own names, in block letters. Signing your name has been a proof of identity for hundreds of years. Those who could not sign their names would have to make their mark in front of witnesses. Contracts, mortgages, wills and all manner of other legal documents require our signature. What will the future bring for people who cannot put their signatures to documents?
What can you do to keep this tragedy from happening? You can contact your local school committee and encourage them to continue providing instruction in cursive writing to their students. The Common Core Curriculum does not ban the teaching of cursive writing; it simply does not include it. Several states have already taken the initiative to include cursive writing. Until then, there is nothing to prevent you from teaching your own children and grandchildren how to read and write using cursive. It isn't that difficult, and a wide variety of resources are available online. Your local literacy center can also help you.'
* http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-j-leclerc/killing-cursive-is-killin_b_4261572.html
Friday, March 28, 2014
Scheduled Classes for Computers
9 a.m. - 10 a.m. Reserved — Dr. Thompson-Torchia
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: Dr. Lucie Thompson-Torchia ORI1-2 (30) Intro to Library PowerPoint
presented by Ms. Kim Stahler.
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: Dr. Lucie Thompson-Torchia ORI1-2 (30) Intro to Library PowerPoint
presented by Ms. Kim Stahler.
Word of the Day
vigilant
\ VIJ-uh-luhnt \ , adjective;
1.keenly watchful to detect danger; wary: a vigilant sentry.
2.ever awake and alert; sleeplessly watchful.
Quotes:
She would have to remain vigilant : yes, vigilant against herself, vigilant against her own mind and the tricks it played!
-- Stavros Stavros, "The Sentimentalist," 2010
But no one ever dreams of being sober and vigilant at the right time, so the organization, like many larger such, is a broken reed.
-- Hugh Stowell Scott, "The Sowers," 1896
Origin:
Vigilant has been around in English since the 1400s. It comes from the Latin vigilāre meaning "to be watchful."
\ VIJ-uh-luhnt \ , adjective;
1.keenly watchful to detect danger; wary: a vigilant sentry.
2.ever awake and alert; sleeplessly watchful.
Quotes:
She would have to remain vigilant : yes, vigilant against herself, vigilant against her own mind and the tricks it played!
-- Stavros Stavros, "The Sentimentalist," 2010
But no one ever dreams of being sober and vigilant at the right time, so the organization, like many larger such, is a broken reed.
-- Hugh Stowell Scott, "The Sowers," 1896
Origin:
Vigilant has been around in English since the 1400s. It comes from the Latin vigilāre meaning "to be watchful."
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Word of the Day
coxcomb
\ KOKS-kohm \ , noun;
1.a conceited, foolish dandy; pretentious fop.
2.Archaic. head; pate.
3.Obsolete. cockscomb ( def 2 ).
Quotes:
In a country where intellect and action are trammelled and restrained, men of rank and fortune may become idlers and triflers with impunity; but an English coxcomb is inexcusable…
-- Washinton Irving, "Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists, A Medley," 1821
"...He is extremely insinuating; but it's a vulgar nature. I saw through it in a minute. He is altogether too familiar; - I hate familiarity. He is a plausible coxcomb ."
-- Henry James, "Washington Square," 1880
Origin:
Coxcomb is a corrupted spelling of cock's comb , the comb of a rooster, hence the badge resembling it that was worn in the cap of a professional fool or jester, hence the wearer of the cap, hence a fool or a vain and silly man.
\ KOKS-kohm \ , noun;
1.a conceited, foolish dandy; pretentious fop.
2.Archaic. head; pate.
3.Obsolete. cockscomb ( def 2 ).
Quotes:
In a country where intellect and action are trammelled and restrained, men of rank and fortune may become idlers and triflers with impunity; but an English coxcomb is inexcusable…
-- Washinton Irving, "Bracebridge Hall, or The Humorists, A Medley," 1821
"...He is extremely insinuating; but it's a vulgar nature. I saw through it in a minute. He is altogether too familiar; - I hate familiarity. He is a plausible coxcomb ."
-- Henry James, "Washington Square," 1880
Origin:
Coxcomb is a corrupted spelling of cock's comb , the comb of a rooster, hence the badge resembling it that was worn in the cap of a professional fool or jester, hence the wearer of the cap, hence a fool or a vain and silly man.
Daily Writing Tips - Can vs. May
Can vs. May
by Maeve Maddox
*Can and may belong to a category of verbs variously referred to as auxiliary, helping, modal, and defective. They are linguistic fossils, deriving from Old English conjugations that have dwindled through time to only one or two forms.
May and its past form might come from OE magan, “may, to be able.” In modern English, may sometimes carries the sense of expressing permission. Some parents still teach their children to make requests with the word may rather than can. The routine goes like this:
Child: Mother, can I play outside?
Mother: I’m sure you can play outside. The question is, “May you?”
Child: May I play outside?
Mother: Yes, you may.
In present tense, may and might are almost interchangeable. A subtle difference is that may can indicate a more likely possibility than might. For example, consider the following sentences:
“I may go to Billy’s game.”
“I might go to Billy’s game.”
The use of may suggests a greater possibility than might. The first speaker, for example, may be a parent, while the second speaker may have little interest either in sports or in Billy and is merely being polite.
Either may or might is acceptable in the present tense; in the past tense, might is almost always going to be the correct choice. For example, “He might have won the election if he hadn’t been so truthful.” The present form may could be used to indicate uncertainty about something that may or may not have happened in the past: “She may have intended a compliment when she said that about your hair.” When in doubt, use might.
Can and could derive from OE cunnan, “to be able.” Present tense can conveys possibility and ability: “I can help with the painting.” It can also be used to make a statement about the future: “I can help you with the painting tomorrow.”
Can is often used to pose a question that is really a strong request or command: “Can you stop your whining and just do your work?” “Can you hold the door for me?”
Could is used in the past tense to talk about past ability or possibility. For example, “I could recite the alphabet before my older brother.” “You could have taken a short cut and arrived before the others.”
Could can also be used in the present tense to couch a request: “Could you please tell me where I can park?”
Can, could, may, and might all take the bare infinitive:
“I can remember everything.”
“I could wish for a second chance.”
“She may go to New Orleans next year.”
“They might spend the night in Joplin.”
Note: In its most recognizable form, the English infinitive is written with the particle to in front of it: to go, to sing, to feel, to believe. This is called the “full infinitive.” When written without the to, it’s called the “bare infinitive.” The bare infinitive is sometimes called the “zero infinitive.”
*http://www.dailywritingtips.com/can-vs-may/
by Maeve Maddox
*Can and may belong to a category of verbs variously referred to as auxiliary, helping, modal, and defective. They are linguistic fossils, deriving from Old English conjugations that have dwindled through time to only one or two forms.
May and its past form might come from OE magan, “may, to be able.” In modern English, may sometimes carries the sense of expressing permission. Some parents still teach their children to make requests with the word may rather than can. The routine goes like this:
Child: Mother, can I play outside?
Mother: I’m sure you can play outside. The question is, “May you?”
Child: May I play outside?
Mother: Yes, you may.
In present tense, may and might are almost interchangeable. A subtle difference is that may can indicate a more likely possibility than might. For example, consider the following sentences:
“I may go to Billy’s game.”
“I might go to Billy’s game.”
The use of may suggests a greater possibility than might. The first speaker, for example, may be a parent, while the second speaker may have little interest either in sports or in Billy and is merely being polite.
Either may or might is acceptable in the present tense; in the past tense, might is almost always going to be the correct choice. For example, “He might have won the election if he hadn’t been so truthful.” The present form may could be used to indicate uncertainty about something that may or may not have happened in the past: “She may have intended a compliment when she said that about your hair.” When in doubt, use might.
Can and could derive from OE cunnan, “to be able.” Present tense can conveys possibility and ability: “I can help with the painting.” It can also be used to make a statement about the future: “I can help you with the painting tomorrow.”
Can is often used to pose a question that is really a strong request or command: “Can you stop your whining and just do your work?” “Can you hold the door for me?”
Could is used in the past tense to talk about past ability or possibility. For example, “I could recite the alphabet before my older brother.” “You could have taken a short cut and arrived before the others.”
Could can also be used in the present tense to couch a request: “Could you please tell me where I can park?”
Can, could, may, and might all take the bare infinitive:
“I can remember everything.”
“I could wish for a second chance.”
“She may go to New Orleans next year.”
“They might spend the night in Joplin.”
Note: In its most recognizable form, the English infinitive is written with the particle to in front of it: to go, to sing, to feel, to believe. This is called the “full infinitive.” When written without the to, it’s called the “bare infinitive.” The bare infinitive is sometimes called the “zero infinitive.”
*http://www.dailywritingtips.com/can-vs-may/
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Word of the Day
fussbudget
\ FUHS-buhj-it \ , noun;
1.a fussy or needlessly fault-finding person.
Quotes:
"...He's a cowardly fussbudget , and he's still livid about the ruckus my mother made.”
-- Gioia Diliberto, "I Am Madame X," 2003
“Well, miss fussbudget , it looks as if one of your kids found another winner.” “Mother, I'm not a fussbudget as you say. I just worry about my children, that's all.”
-- Lonnie Magee, "Settling In," 2006
Origin:
An Americanism dating from around 1900, fussbudget is a portmanteau of fuss and budget . Though the origins of fuss are unknown, budget comes from the Middle French term meaning "bag."
\ FUHS-buhj-it \ , noun;
1.a fussy or needlessly fault-finding person.
Quotes:
"...He's a cowardly fussbudget , and he's still livid about the ruckus my mother made.”
-- Gioia Diliberto, "I Am Madame X," 2003
“Well, miss fussbudget , it looks as if one of your kids found another winner.” “Mother, I'm not a fussbudget as you say. I just worry about my children, that's all.”
-- Lonnie Magee, "Settling In," 2006
Origin:
An Americanism dating from around 1900, fussbudget is a portmanteau of fuss and budget . Though the origins of fuss are unknown, budget comes from the Middle French term meaning "bag."
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Berks Arts Council - Hidden River Film Initiative
Wednesday, April 23 @ 7 p.m.
at R/C Reading Movies 11 & IMAX in downtown Reading. The series is planned for the third
Wednesday of every month and will focus on independent and local films that audiences in the Greater
Reading area may not have an opportunity to view on the big screen otherwise.
In Deaf Jam, Aneta Brodski seizes the day. She is a Deaf teen introduced to American Sign Language (ASL) Poetry, who then boldly enters the spoken word slam scene. In a wondrous twist, Aneta, an Israeli immigrant living in the Queens section of New York City, eventually meets Tahani, a hearing Palestinian slam poet. The two young women embark on a hearing/deaf collaboration, a performance duet that is a metaphor for the complex realities they share.
Deaf Jam aims to revitalize this unique and endangered art form. Taking us inside a fascinating and vibrant world where self - expression and cultural identity are fiercely pursued, Deaf Jam may change the way we think about the non - hearing world forever. It provides a vehicle for empowering Deaf youth, and expands the social images of the Deaf community.
http://www.berksarts.org/hidden-river-film-initiative.aspx
Here is the film website:
http://www.deafjam.org/
at R/C Reading Movies 11 & IMAX in downtown Reading. The series is planned for the third
Wednesday of every month and will focus on independent and local films that audiences in the Greater
Reading area may not have an opportunity to view on the big screen otherwise.
In Deaf Jam, Aneta Brodski seizes the day. She is a Deaf teen introduced to American Sign Language (ASL) Poetry, who then boldly enters the spoken word slam scene. In a wondrous twist, Aneta, an Israeli immigrant living in the Queens section of New York City, eventually meets Tahani, a hearing Palestinian slam poet. The two young women embark on a hearing/deaf collaboration, a performance duet that is a metaphor for the complex realities they share.
Deaf Jam aims to revitalize this unique and endangered art form. Taking us inside a fascinating and vibrant world where self - expression and cultural identity are fiercely pursued, Deaf Jam may change the way we think about the non - hearing world forever. It provides a vehicle for empowering Deaf youth, and expands the social images of the Deaf community.
http://www.berksarts.org/hidden-river-film-initiative.aspx
Here is the film website:
http://www.deafjam.org/
Scheduled Classes for Computers
9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Reserved—Ms. Corbett
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: Ms. Corbett COM152 (8) NO INSTRUCTION -- reserve 12 computers
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: Ms. Corbett COM152 (8) NO INSTRUCTION -- reserve 12 computers
The Yocum Library and the Environment
How does Yocum Library help the Environment?
Recycling items;
- Borrowing books, DVDs means multiple users for one item.
- The library puts out items for "Free to a good home."
- The library reuses paper for scrap paper and recycle bottles and cardboard boxes.
Computers;
- The library uses a print management system to reduce waste.
- The library uses websites for information rather than paper handouts.
- The library uses databases rather than print magazines/books.
- The library has ebooks available .
- Turning off some computers when not in use.
- Turn off computers every night.
The building;
- We have steps for each floor, except 3 rd to 4th.
- The library pulls down the blinds on sunny days.
Monday, March 24, 2014
Scheduled Classes for Computers
8 a.m. - 8:50 a.m. Reserved--Mr. Brant
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Introduction to the Library: 30 students presented by Ms. Brenna Corbit.
7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Reserved—Mr. Vanim
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Mr. Al Vanim ORI102 (30) Intro to Library PowerPoint presented by Ms. Patricia Nouhra.
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Introduction to the Library: 30 students presented by Ms. Brenna Corbit.
7:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Reserved—Mr. Vanim
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Mr. Al Vanim ORI102 (30) Intro to Library PowerPoint presented by Ms. Patricia Nouhra.
Academic Testing Center Weekend Request Form
Attention RACC Students:
In order to make it easier for students to request weekend testing in the library for make-up tests or proctored tests for online courses, we have developed an online form.
Students, go to the RACC Academic Testing Center webpage
http://www.racc.edu/Yocum/testing.aspx
and click on the link for the online form
http://www.racc.edu/Forms/TestingCenter.aspx
Students need to submit forms by the Thursday prior to the weekend that they want to take tests.
They will receive a confirmation in their RACC Ravens email accounts.
Information about this new form should be in the next weekly student email, but please share this new information with other students too.
In order to make it easier for students to request weekend testing in the library for make-up tests or proctored tests for online courses, we have developed an online form.
Students, go to the RACC Academic Testing Center webpage
http://www.racc.edu/Yocum/testing.aspx
and click on the link for the online form
http://www.racc.edu/Forms/TestingCenter.aspx
Students need to submit forms by the Thursday prior to the weekend that they want to take tests.
They will receive a confirmation in their RACC Ravens email accounts.
Information about this new form should be in the next weekly student email, but please share this new information with other students too.
Word of the Day
philately
\ fi-LAT-l-ee \ , noun;
1.the collecting of stamps and other postal matter as a hobby or an investment.
2.the study of postage stamps, revenue stamps, stamped envelopes, postmarks, postal cards, covers, and similar material relating to postal or fiscal history.
Definition of philately| See synonyms| Comment on today's word| Suggest tomorrow's word
Quotes:
...she had meant to examine these more carefully herself, but the very idea of philately bores her to distraction and she has hardly given them a glance.
-- Margaret Drabble, "The Gates of Ivory," 1991
But he could hardly talk to Julia about either philately or his German penfriend. 'I like music.' This was no good either—who didn't?
-- Rosy Thornton, "Hearts and Minds," 2007
Origin:
Philately entered English in the 1860s and comes from the Greek roots phil- meaning "love," and atéleia meaning "freedom from charges." This second element refers to the recipient's freedom from delivery charges thanks to the stamp affixed to the letter.
Dictionary.com
\ fi-LAT-l-ee \ , noun;
1.the collecting of stamps and other postal matter as a hobby or an investment.
2.the study of postage stamps, revenue stamps, stamped envelopes, postmarks, postal cards, covers, and similar material relating to postal or fiscal history.
Definition of philately| See synonyms| Comment on today's word| Suggest tomorrow's word
Quotes:
...she had meant to examine these more carefully herself, but the very idea of philately bores her to distraction and she has hardly given them a glance.
-- Margaret Drabble, "The Gates of Ivory," 1991
But he could hardly talk to Julia about either philately or his German penfriend. 'I like music.' This was no good either—who didn't?
-- Rosy Thornton, "Hearts and Minds," 2007
Origin:
Philately entered English in the 1860s and comes from the Greek roots phil- meaning "love," and atéleia meaning "freedom from charges." This second element refers to the recipient's freedom from delivery charges thanks to the stamp affixed to the letter.
Dictionary.com
Sunday, March 23, 2014
.jpg)
Saturday, March 22, 2014
National Women’s History Month 2014
*...In celebration of Women’s History Month, here you go. Undercover reporters. Abolitionists. Suffragists. Civic leaders. Artists. These amazing Pennsylvania women made their mark on history! 1. Nellie Bly: Undercover journalist
 |
| Nellie Bly |
Via biography.com
Born Elizabeth Jane Cochrane, this Pittsburgh native famously went undercover as a journalist to report on patient abuse in New York’s Blackwell Island Lunatic Asylum. She began her journalism career at the Pittsburgh Dispatch, where she had her first taste of investigative reporting.
2. Lucretia Mott: Abolitionist, suffragist
 |
| Via washingtonpost.com |
Via washingtonpost.com
Lucretia Mott moved to Philadelphia in 1811 and soon became a national hero for her devotion to the anti-slavery and women’s suffrage movements. Among her many achievements, she founded both the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society and Swarthmore College. She is one of the few women with a statue in the Capitol.
3. Marian Anderson: National performer
 |
| Via amychristiansen.blogspot.com |
Via amychristiansen.blogspot.com
The first African American to perform in New York City’s Metropolitan Opera, Anderson was born in humble circumstances in Philadelphia. She is most famous for her 1939 concert at the Lincoln Memorial after she was barred from performing at D.C.’s Constitution Hall because of her race. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt led the charge to ensure this gifted singer had the opportunity to perform on a grand stage – the Lincoln Memorial.
 |
| C. Delores Tucker |
Via visionaryproject.org
Born, raised, and educated in Pennsylvania, Delores Tucker was a civil rights activist and public servant. She became the first African American Secretary of State in the country when she began her tenure as Pennsylvania Secretary of State in 1971. Before her death in 2005, Tucker began a campaign against violent and sexually explicit rap lyrics.
U.S. Capitol History Alert Tucker was the force behind lobbying for an image of Sojourner Truth to appear in the Capitol. A statue of the civil rights icon now rests in Emancipation Hall.
5. Mary Cassatt: Impressionist
Via marycassatt.orgBorn in Allegheny County, Cassatt attended the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia before going abroad. She is most famous for her impressionist artwork depicting women and children.
6. Maria Sanford: Professor
An education trailblazer, Maria Sanford is remembered for her role as one of the first female college professors. After serving as superintendent of Chester County schools, she began teaching history at Lucretia Mott’s Swarthmore College.
U.S. Capitol History Alert Thanks to Minnesota, Sanford has a spot in Emancipation Hall to honor her service to the University of Minnesota.
7. Betsy Ross: Small business womanVia americangallery.wordpress.com
A skilled seamstress, Elizabeth “Betsy” Ross owned an upholstery business in Philadelphia during the time of the American Revolution. As the legend goes, she was commissioned by George Washington to make a flag for the newly minted United States.
8. Katharine Drexel: American saint
Via patheos.com
Born into a prominent Philadelphia family, Katharine Drexel devoted her life to serving Native American and African American communities by establishing schools. She is the founder of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, as well as Xavier University in New Orleans. In 2000, she was canonized as a saint, only the second American ever to be recognized in this way.
9. Molly Pitcher: Courage under fireVia playrific.com
It is widely believed that Mary Ludwig Hays McCauley helped fight the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse during the American Revolution. Nicknamed “Molly Pitcher,” she delivered water to help clean the cannons during the battle. As the legend goes, Molly began firing her husband’s cannon after he collapsed in the heat. The existence of Molly Pitcher, who resided in Carlisle, is evidenced by a federal pension she received in her own name.
10. Jennie Wade: Courage under fire - Part II Via totalgettysburg.com
Virginia “Jennie” Wade was the only civilian casualty of the Battle of Gettysburg. Jennie, a Gettysburg native, spent the first two days of the battle giving bread and water to Union soldiers. On the third day, she was kneading dough in her kitchen when she was fatally struck by a Confederate bullet. By a national executive order, the Jennie Wade Monument and the Betsy Ross House are the only women’s memorials to fly the American flag 24 hours a day.
* http://www.buzzfeed.com/sentoomey/10-fascinating-pennsylvania-women-jxex
Word of the Day
noetic
\ noh-ET-ik \ , adjective;
1.of or pertaining to the mind.
2.originating in or apprehended by the reason.
Definition of noetic| See synonyms| Comment on today's word| Suggest tomorrow's word
Quotes:
"William," croaked Peggy, "this is dumb! It's the gaudiest thing since the carnival came to town. It's silly. And unnecessarily noetic , and" — she hiccoughed; I gave her a hefty whack on her back — "wonderful!"
-- Charles R. Johnson, "Oxherding Tale," 1982
Tory and I were "Noeties" — noetic counselors and counseling supervisors with the Institute of Noetic Technology.
-- John Dalmas, "The Reality Matrix," 1986
Origin:
From the Greek noētikós meaning "intelligent," noetic has been used by English speakers since the mid-1600s.
\ noh-ET-ik \ , adjective;
1.of or pertaining to the mind.
2.originating in or apprehended by the reason.
Definition of noetic| See synonyms| Comment on today's word| Suggest tomorrow's word
Quotes:
"William," croaked Peggy, "this is dumb! It's the gaudiest thing since the carnival came to town. It's silly. And unnecessarily noetic , and" — she hiccoughed; I gave her a hefty whack on her back — "wonderful!"
-- Charles R. Johnson, "Oxherding Tale," 1982
Tory and I were "Noeties" — noetic counselors and counseling supervisors with the Institute of Noetic Technology.
-- John Dalmas, "The Reality Matrix," 1986
Origin:
From the Greek noētikós meaning "intelligent," noetic has been used by English speakers since the mid-1600s.
Friday, March 21, 2014
National Women’s History Month 2014
*National Women’s History Month 2014
Celebrating Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment
Women Inspiring Innovation through Imagination
Each year, March is designated as National Women’s History Month to ensure that the history of American women will be recognized and celebrated in schools, workplaces, and communities throughout the country.
This year’s theme, Celebrating Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment, honors the extraordinary and often unrecognized determination and tenacity of women. Against social convention and often legal restraints, women have created a legacy that expands the frontiers of possibility for generations to come. They have demonstrated their character, courage and commitment as mothers, educators, institution builders, business, labor, political and community leaders, relief workers, women religious, and CEOs. Their lives and their work inspire girls and women to achieve their full potential and encourage boys and men to respect the diversity and depth of women’s experience.
The lives and work of the 2014 Women of Character, Courage and Commitment Honorees span the centuries of American history and come from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. National Women’s History Month 2014 provides an excellent opportunity to honor women and their accomplishments
Chipeta (1843 – 1924)
Indian Rights Advocate and Diplomat
Chipeta was a Ute Indian leader, diplomat, and peacemaker who used her influence with Chief Ouray (her husband) to avert a war between the Ute tribe and the White settlers. In 1880 she was included in a Ute delegation to negotiate a reservation resettlement treaty in Washington DC.
Anna Julia Cooper (1858 –1964)
African American Educator and Author
Anna J. Cooper was an author, educator, speaker, and among the leading intellectuals of her time. Born into enslavement, she wrote A Voice from the South (published in 1892), widely considered one of the first articulations of Black feminism.
Agatha Tiegel Hanson, (1873–1959)
Educator, Author, and Advocate for Deaf Community
Agatha Tiegel Hanson was a teacher, poet, and advocate for the deaf community. In 1893 she became the first woman to graduate from Gallaudet University. Her valedictorian speech argued for the recognition of the intellect of women, a cause she advocated throughout her career.
Katharine Ryan Gibbs (1863 – 1934)
Women’s Employment Pioneer
Katharine Ryan Gibbs founded the Gibbs Schools (1911), providing women with high-level secretarial training and the opportunity to earn their own incomes. Her schools quickly expanded, opening branches near many ivy-league universities, and effectively establishing secretarial work as a desirable occupation.
Frances Oldham Kelsey (1914 – Present)
Pharmacologist and Public Health Activist
Frances Oldham Kelsey is a pharmacologist who, while working at the FDA, refused to authorize thalidomide for market (a drug that later proved to cause severe birth defects). She went on to help establish the rules for clinical trials and directed the surveillance of drug testing at the FDA.
Roxcy Bolton (1926 – Present)
20th Century Women’s Rights Pioneer
Roxcy Bolton is a lifetime advocate and activist for women’s rights. She founded Florida’s first battered women’s shelter (1972) and the nation’s first hospital-based Rape Treatment Center (1974). Her extensive work includes lobbying for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and convincing NOAA to name hurricanes after both women and men.
Arden Eversmeyer (1931 – Present)
The Old Lesbian Herstory Project, Founder
Arden Eversmeyer founded the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (1999), to ensure that the stories of lesbians born in the first part of the 20th century, who were labeled “mentally ill”, fired from their jobs, rejected by their families, and even raped and murdered with impunity, are recorded in history.
Carmen Delgado Votaw (1935- Present)
International Women’s Rights Activist
Carmen Delgado Votaw is a leading advocate for girls and women’s rights both nationally and internationally. She served on the International Women’s Year Committee, worked with the first United Nations Conference on Women, and has significantly influenced the advancement of women in Latin America.
Ann Lewis (1937- Present)
Women’s Rights Organizer and Women’s History Advocate
Ann Lewis is a leader of progressive political reform focusing on the importance of civic involvement, health-care reform, economic and work-family policies, and international and national women’s rights. She served as a White House Communication Director and is a national commentator on public policy.
Jaida Im (1961 – Present)
Advocate for Survivors of Human Trafficking
Jaida Im founded Freedom House (2010), the first residential shelter and aftercare program for adult female survivors of human trafficking in Northern California. In 2013, Freedom House opened a similar shelter for girls. The organization already has served hundreds of survivors, offering holistic case management, counseling, and educational and job-training resources.
Tammy Duckworth (1968 - Present)
Member of Congress and Iraq War Veteran
Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran and US Representative from Illinois. Recognized for her commitment to serving veterans with disabilities, she seeks mandatory government funding of veterans’ healthcare and improvements in transition assistance. She is the first woman with a disability elected to the House of Representatives.
Lisa Taylor (1974-Present)
Civil Rights Attorney
Lisa Taylor is a civil rights attorney for the Department of Justice where she has enforced the rights of HIV victims, autistic children, and educational opportunities for minority students. As a Naval Officer she challenged sexual harassment and aided in establishing her ship’s first anti-harassment program.
For more information about these Honorees or National Women’s History Month, visit www.nwhp.org or email nwhp@nwhp.org or call (707)-636-2888. For promotional materials. Visit Theme and Celebration materials in our webstore.
* http://www.nwhp.org/whm/pressrelease.php
Celebrating Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment
Women Inspiring Innovation through Imagination
Each year, March is designated as National Women’s History Month to ensure that the history of American women will be recognized and celebrated in schools, workplaces, and communities throughout the country.
This year’s theme, Celebrating Women of Character, Courage, and Commitment, honors the extraordinary and often unrecognized determination and tenacity of women. Against social convention and often legal restraints, women have created a legacy that expands the frontiers of possibility for generations to come. They have demonstrated their character, courage and commitment as mothers, educators, institution builders, business, labor, political and community leaders, relief workers, women religious, and CEOs. Their lives and their work inspire girls and women to achieve their full potential and encourage boys and men to respect the diversity and depth of women’s experience.
The lives and work of the 2014 Women of Character, Courage and Commitment Honorees span the centuries of American history and come from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. National Women’s History Month 2014 provides an excellent opportunity to honor women and their accomplishments
Chipeta (1843 – 1924)
Indian Rights Advocate and Diplomat
Chipeta was a Ute Indian leader, diplomat, and peacemaker who used her influence with Chief Ouray (her husband) to avert a war between the Ute tribe and the White settlers. In 1880 she was included in a Ute delegation to negotiate a reservation resettlement treaty in Washington DC.
Anna Julia Cooper (1858 –1964)
African American Educator and Author
Anna J. Cooper was an author, educator, speaker, and among the leading intellectuals of her time. Born into enslavement, she wrote A Voice from the South (published in 1892), widely considered one of the first articulations of Black feminism.
Agatha Tiegel Hanson, (1873–1959)
Educator, Author, and Advocate for Deaf Community
Agatha Tiegel Hanson was a teacher, poet, and advocate for the deaf community. In 1893 she became the first woman to graduate from Gallaudet University. Her valedictorian speech argued for the recognition of the intellect of women, a cause she advocated throughout her career.
Katharine Ryan Gibbs (1863 – 1934)
Women’s Employment Pioneer
Katharine Ryan Gibbs founded the Gibbs Schools (1911), providing women with high-level secretarial training and the opportunity to earn their own incomes. Her schools quickly expanded, opening branches near many ivy-league universities, and effectively establishing secretarial work as a desirable occupation.
Frances Oldham Kelsey (1914 – Present)
Pharmacologist and Public Health Activist
Frances Oldham Kelsey is a pharmacologist who, while working at the FDA, refused to authorize thalidomide for market (a drug that later proved to cause severe birth defects). She went on to help establish the rules for clinical trials and directed the surveillance of drug testing at the FDA.
Roxcy Bolton (1926 – Present)
20th Century Women’s Rights Pioneer
Roxcy Bolton is a lifetime advocate and activist for women’s rights. She founded Florida’s first battered women’s shelter (1972) and the nation’s first hospital-based Rape Treatment Center (1974). Her extensive work includes lobbying for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and convincing NOAA to name hurricanes after both women and men.
Arden Eversmeyer (1931 – Present)
The Old Lesbian Herstory Project, Founder
Arden Eversmeyer founded the Old Lesbian Oral Herstory Project (1999), to ensure that the stories of lesbians born in the first part of the 20th century, who were labeled “mentally ill”, fired from their jobs, rejected by their families, and even raped and murdered with impunity, are recorded in history.
Carmen Delgado Votaw (1935- Present)
International Women’s Rights Activist
Carmen Delgado Votaw is a leading advocate for girls and women’s rights both nationally and internationally. She served on the International Women’s Year Committee, worked with the first United Nations Conference on Women, and has significantly influenced the advancement of women in Latin America.
Ann Lewis (1937- Present)
Women’s Rights Organizer and Women’s History Advocate
Ann Lewis is a leader of progressive political reform focusing on the importance of civic involvement, health-care reform, economic and work-family policies, and international and national women’s rights. She served as a White House Communication Director and is a national commentator on public policy.
Jaida Im (1961 – Present)
Advocate for Survivors of Human Trafficking
Jaida Im founded Freedom House (2010), the first residential shelter and aftercare program for adult female survivors of human trafficking in Northern California. In 2013, Freedom House opened a similar shelter for girls. The organization already has served hundreds of survivors, offering holistic case management, counseling, and educational and job-training resources.
Tammy Duckworth (1968 - Present)
Member of Congress and Iraq War Veteran
Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War veteran and US Representative from Illinois. Recognized for her commitment to serving veterans with disabilities, she seeks mandatory government funding of veterans’ healthcare and improvements in transition assistance. She is the first woman with a disability elected to the House of Representatives.
Lisa Taylor (1974-Present)
Civil Rights Attorney
Lisa Taylor is a civil rights attorney for the Department of Justice where she has enforced the rights of HIV victims, autistic children, and educational opportunities for minority students. As a Naval Officer she challenged sexual harassment and aided in establishing her ship’s first anti-harassment program.
For more information about these Honorees or National Women’s History Month, visit www.nwhp.org or email nwhp@nwhp.org or call (707)-636-2888. For promotional materials. Visit Theme and Celebration materials in our webstore.
* http://www.nwhp.org/whm/pressrelease.php
New DVDs to the Yocum Library Collection
Most of these items are ready, but a few may still be in processing.
Short Term 12
Saving Mr. Banks
Louise Brooks v.1
The Great Beauty (Italian)
Almost ready
All Is Lost
Gravity
Baggage Claim
La Strada
Mary Tyler Moore Show s.5
Mary Tyler Moore Show s.6
How I met your Mother s.8
Top of the Lake
East West 101
Ready soon
Grandmaster
Hunger Games: Catching Fire
About Time
Enough Said
Hysteria
Frances Ha
This Is Spinal Tap
Book Thief
Dallas Buyers Club
I'm in love with a church girl
Frozen
Fuego en el alma (Spanish)
Instructions not included (Spanish)
Our Children (French & Arabic)
Blair Witch Project
Carrie
Fortunes of War
20 Feet From Stardom
Inequality for all
Gasland II
US History: Industrial Revolution
CSI: Miami s.4
Get him to the Greek
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas
Thor: The Dark World
The Shield, s.1
The Shield, s.2
The Wire s.1,3,4,5
Counselor
Henry James Collection
Mad Men s.6
Fast & Furious 6
Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Don Jon
Fruitvale Station
Percy Jackson : Sea of Monsters
Elysium
Dr. Who: The Day of the Doctor
Blue Jasmine
Captain Phillips
Last Vegas
In a World
The Butler
Escape Plan
Ender' Game
Devil Wears Prada
Epic Romances
Tommy Lee Jones Collection
Bruce Willis Collection
Mad Men s.4 c.2
Wolverine
Barbara (German)
Dexter, Final Season
Short Term 12
Saving Mr. Banks
Louise Brooks v.1
The Great Beauty (Italian)
Almost ready
All Is Lost
Gravity
Baggage Claim
La Strada
Mary Tyler Moore Show s.5
Mary Tyler Moore Show s.6
How I met your Mother s.8
Top of the Lake
East West 101
Ready soon
Grandmaster
Hunger Games: Catching Fire
About Time
Enough Said
Hysteria
Frances Ha
This Is Spinal Tap
Book Thief
Dallas Buyers Club
I'm in love with a church girl
Frozen
Fuego en el alma (Spanish)
Instructions not included (Spanish)
Our Children (French & Arabic)
Blair Witch Project
Carrie
Fortunes of War
20 Feet From Stardom
Inequality for all
Gasland II
US History: Industrial Revolution
CSI: Miami s.4
Get him to the Greek
Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas
Thor: The Dark World
The Shield, s.1
The Shield, s.2
The Wire s.1,3,4,5
Counselor
Henry James Collection
Mad Men s.6
Fast & Furious 6
Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Don Jon
Fruitvale Station
Percy Jackson : Sea of Monsters
Elysium
Dr. Who: The Day of the Doctor
Blue Jasmine
Captain Phillips
Last Vegas
In a World
The Butler
Escape Plan
Ender' Game
Devil Wears Prada
Epic Romances
Tommy Lee Jones Collection
Bruce Willis Collection
Mad Men s.4 c.2
Wolverine
Barbara (German)
Dexter, Final Season
Word of the Day
totem
\ TOH-tuhm \ , noun;
1.a natural object or an animate being, as an animal or bird, assumed as the emblem of a clan, family, or group.
2.an object or natural phenomenon with which a family or sib considers itself closely related.
3.a representation of such an object serving as the distinctive mark of the clan or group.
4.anything serving as a distinctive, often venerated, emblem or symbol.
Quotes:
Many's the savage I've run into who sees his totem in dreams or visions.
-- Philip José Farmer, "The Dark Design," 1977
Grandma refused to interpret the dreams. Padlock asked her fiancé to have a go at it. He based his interpretation on totemic symbols. Padlock belonged to the elephant totem .
-- Moses Isegawa, "Abyssinian Chronicles," 1998
Origin: This Americanism came to English in the mid-1700s from Ojibwa.
Dictionary.com
\ TOH-tuhm \ , noun;
1.a natural object or an animate being, as an animal or bird, assumed as the emblem of a clan, family, or group.
2.an object or natural phenomenon with which a family or sib considers itself closely related.
3.a representation of such an object serving as the distinctive mark of the clan or group.
4.anything serving as a distinctive, often venerated, emblem or symbol.
Quotes:
Many's the savage I've run into who sees his totem in dreams or visions.
-- Philip José Farmer, "The Dark Design," 1977
Grandma refused to interpret the dreams. Padlock asked her fiancé to have a go at it. He based his interpretation on totemic symbols. Padlock belonged to the elephant totem .
-- Moses Isegawa, "Abyssinian Chronicles," 1998
Origin: This Americanism came to English in the mid-1700s from Ojibwa.
Dictionary.com
Thursday, March 20, 2014
First Day of Spring 2014: Vernal Equinox
.jpg)
*In 2014, spring begins with the vernal equinox on March 20 at 12:57 P.M. EDT. Here’s more information about the equinox, signs of spring, and stunning spring photos!
The Vernal Equinox
Ah, spring! This season brings increasing daylight, warming temperatures, and the rebirth of flora and fauna.
The word equinox is derived from the Latin words meaning “equal night.” Days and nights are approximately equal everywhere and the Sun rises and sets due east and west.
At the equinoxes, the tilt of Earth relative to the Sun is zero, which means that Earth’s axis neither points toward nor away from the Sun. (However, the tilt of Earth relative to its plane of orbit, called the ecliptic plane, is always about 23.5 degrees.)
Vernal Equinox Questions and Answers
Question: Why doesn’t the vernal equinox (equal night) on March 20 have the same number of hours for day and night?
Answer: Our former astronomer, George Greenstein, had this to say: "There are two reasons. First, light rays from the Sun are bent by the Earth's atmosphere. (This is why the Sun appears squashed when it sets.) They are bent in such a way that we are actually able to see the Sun before it rises and after it sets. The second reason is that daytime begins the moment any part of the Sun is over the horizon, and it is not over until the last part of the Sun has set. If the Sun were to shrink to a starlike point and we lived in a world without air, the spring and fall equinoxes would truly have ‘equal nights.’”
Question: According to folklore, you can stand a raw egg on its end on the equinox. Is this true?
Answer: One spring, a few minutes before the vernal equinox, several Almanac editors tried this trick. For a full workday, 17 out of 24 eggs stood standing. Three days later, we tried this trick again and found similar results. Perhaps 3 days after the equinox was still too near. Try this yourself and let us know what happens!
Signs of Spring
Spring is also the time when worms begin to emerge from the earth, ladybugs land on screen doors, green buds appear, birds chirp, and flowers begin to bloom. The vernal, or spring, equinox signals the beginning of nature’s renewal in the Northern Hemisphere.
You can track when the seasons change by recording animal behaviors and the way that the plants grow. Listen to the new sounds and observe what you hear and see.
* http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-spring-vernal-equinox
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Scheduled Classes for Computers
6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Reserved—Ms. Barbieri
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Ms. Theresa Barbieri COM040 (19) Evaluating Internet resources presented by Ms. Patricia Nouhra.
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Ms. Theresa Barbieri COM040 (19) Evaluating Internet resources presented by Ms. Patricia Nouhra.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Scheduled Classes for Computers
8 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Reserved--Ms Moyer
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Introduction to Library: 24 students presented by Ms. Kim Stahler
11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Reserved--Ms Moyer
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Introduction to Library: 18 students presented by Ms. Kim Stahler
12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Reserved--Ms Moyer
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Introduction to Library:25 students presented by Ms. Kim Stahler.
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Introduction to Library: 24 students presented by Ms. Kim Stahler
11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Reserved--Ms Moyer
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Introduction to Library: 18 students presented by Ms. Kim Stahler
12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m. Reserved--Ms Moyer
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Introduction to Library:25 students presented by Ms. Kim Stahler.
Word of the Day
idem \AHY-dem, ID-em\,
pronoun:
the same as previously given or mentioned.
Moreover, the EU presents a governance system where the authority of government is dispersed into multiple levels and institutions (idem, p. 20).
-- Giovanni Moro, "Citizens in Europe," 2011
Indeed, if narrative identity is the identity of the characters associated with this leisure life-world, it is also the identity which links ipse and idem.
-- Tony Blackshaw, "Leisure Life," 2003
Idem stems from the Latin word of the same spelling which meant essentially "it."
Dictionary.com
pronoun:
the same as previously given or mentioned.
Moreover, the EU presents a governance system where the authority of government is dispersed into multiple levels and institutions (idem, p. 20).
-- Giovanni Moro, "Citizens in Europe," 2011
Indeed, if narrative identity is the identity of the characters associated with this leisure life-world, it is also the identity which links ipse and idem.
-- Tony Blackshaw, "Leisure Life," 2003
Idem stems from the Latin word of the same spelling which meant essentially "it."
Dictionary.com
Monday, March 17, 2014
Word of the Day
Eire
\ AIR-uh, AHY-ruh, AIR-ee, AHY-ree \ , noun;
1.the Irish name of Ireland.
2.a former name (1937–49) of the Republic of Ireland.
Quotes:
What the entry did give was this: that the "Ireland" referred to in the dead man's letter to Miss Vane did in fact mean Eire and not Northern Ireland.
-- Michael Innes, "The Journeying Boy," 1949
Save the trees of Ireland for the future men of Ireland on the fair hills of Eire , O.
-- James Joyce, "Ulysses," 1918-1920
Origin:
Eire comes from Irish Gaelic word that means "Ireland." This term comes from the name of the Gaelic goddess of land, Ériu.
Dictionary.com
\ AIR-uh, AHY-ruh, AIR-ee, AHY-ree \ , noun;
1.the Irish name of Ireland.
2.a former name (1937–49) of the Republic of Ireland.
Quotes:
What the entry did give was this: that the "Ireland" referred to in the dead man's letter to Miss Vane did in fact mean Eire and not Northern Ireland.
-- Michael Innes, "The Journeying Boy," 1949
Save the trees of Ireland for the future men of Ireland on the fair hills of Eire , O.
-- James Joyce, "Ulysses," 1918-1920
Origin:
Eire comes from Irish Gaelic word that means "Ireland." This term comes from the name of the Gaelic goddess of land, Ériu.
Dictionary.com
Word of the Day
Word of the Day
phenom
\ FEE-nom, fi-NOM \
noun;
1.Slang. a phenomenon, especially a young prodigy: a twelve-year-old tennis phenom.
Quotes:
"...You're a phenomha. What is the word? Maybe I can't say it, Arnie. But it's what you are. Phenon. A phenom ?"
-- Peter Hedges, "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," 1991
The roommate was a late admit and supposedly some kind of baseball phenom .
-- Chad Harbach, "The Art of Fielding," 2011
Origin:
Phenom is simply a shortening of the word phenomenon . This colloquial term has been used in English since the late 1800s.
Dictionary.com
phenom
\ FEE-nom, fi-NOM \
noun;
1.Slang. a phenomenon, especially a young prodigy: a twelve-year-old tennis phenom.
Quotes:
"...You're a phenomha. What is the word? Maybe I can't say it, Arnie. But it's what you are. Phenon. A phenom ?"
-- Peter Hedges, "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," 1991
The roommate was a late admit and supposedly some kind of baseball phenom .
-- Chad Harbach, "The Art of Fielding," 2011
Origin:
Phenom is simply a shortening of the word phenomenon . This colloquial term has been used in English since the late 1800s.
Dictionary.com
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Word of the Day
Word of the Day
triumvirate
\ trahy-UHM-ver-it, -vuh-reyt \ , noun;
1.any group or set of three.
2.Roman History. the office or magistracy of a triumvir.
3.a government of three officers or magistrates functioning jointly.
4.a coalition of three magistrates or rulers for joint administration.
5.any association of three in office or authority.
Definition of triumvirate| See synonyms| Comment on today's word| Suggest tomorrow's word
Quotes:
Because the triumvirate of Virginians could not yet show their hand publicly, they had to depend to considerable degree on the denizens of the distasteful newsmongering world.
-- William Safire, "Scandalmonger," 2000
When Miss Gerrard left, her place in the triumvirate was taken by Miss Murrill.
-- Rosemary Manning, "The Chinese Garden", 1962
Origin:
Triumvirate comes from the Latin triumvirātus and has been in English since the 1500s.
Dictionary.com
triumvirate
\ trahy-UHM-ver-it, -vuh-reyt \ , noun;
1.any group or set of three.
2.Roman History. the office or magistracy of a triumvir.
3.a government of three officers or magistrates functioning jointly.
4.a coalition of three magistrates or rulers for joint administration.
5.any association of three in office or authority.
Definition of triumvirate| See synonyms| Comment on today's word| Suggest tomorrow's word
Quotes:
Because the triumvirate of Virginians could not yet show their hand publicly, they had to depend to considerable degree on the denizens of the distasteful newsmongering world.
-- William Safire, "Scandalmonger," 2000
When Miss Gerrard left, her place in the triumvirate was taken by Miss Murrill.
-- Rosemary Manning, "The Chinese Garden", 1962
Origin:
Triumvirate comes from the Latin triumvirātus and has been in English since the 1500s.
Dictionary.com
New Location of Academic Testing Center
The Academic Testing Center is located in Berks Hall Room 153 Mondays through Fridays on a walk-in basis. Students must register for these tests at least one hour prior to the closing of the Testing Center.
In addition, testing is available in The Yocum Library by appointment on Saturdays and Sundays. For weekend testing call Nina Mollica at 610-372-4721 x 4227 or email library@racc.edu.
The deadline for weekend appointments is the Thursday prior to the test. Students must present a picture ID when using the Academic Testing Center.
http://www.racc.edu/Yocum/testing.aspx
In addition, testing is available in The Yocum Library by appointment on Saturdays and Sundays. For weekend testing call Nina Mollica at 610-372-4721 x 4227 or email library@racc.edu.
The deadline for weekend appointments is the Thursday prior to the test. Students must present a picture ID when using the Academic Testing Center.
http://www.racc.edu/Yocum/testing.aspx
Saturday, March 15, 2014
Word of the Day
contiguous
\ kuhn-TIG-yoo-uhs \ , adjective;
1.touching; in contact.
2.in close proximity without actually touching; near.
3.adjacent in time: contiguous events.
Quotes:
"...' Contiguous '?” she had suggested. “Perhaps the territories are contiguous,” Jacob had replied.
-- Caleb Crain, Necessary Errors , 2013
To continue, there was a third layer of the skirts of the city, from Newark and the Jersey suburbs up to bitter Connecticut and the ineligible sections of Long Island—and doubtless contiguous layers down to the city's shoes...
-- F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Beautiful and the Damned," 1922
Origin:
Contiguous entered English in the early 1600s from the Latin contiguus meaning "bordering upon."
\ kuhn-TIG-yoo-uhs \ , adjective;
1.touching; in contact.
2.in close proximity without actually touching; near.
3.adjacent in time: contiguous events.
Quotes:
"...' Contiguous '?” she had suggested. “Perhaps the territories are contiguous,” Jacob had replied.
-- Caleb Crain, Necessary Errors , 2013
To continue, there was a third layer of the skirts of the city, from Newark and the Jersey suburbs up to bitter Connecticut and the ineligible sections of Long Island—and doubtless contiguous layers down to the city's shoes...
-- F. Scott Fitzgerald, "The Beautiful and the Damned," 1922
Origin:
Contiguous entered English in the early 1600s from the Latin contiguus meaning "bordering upon."
Meet the Yocum Staff - Miriam Stone
Name: Miriam Stone
Position: Head of Interlibrary Loan and Special Collections
Educational Background: BS Social Research/Sociology/minor English Literature - Misericordia University. Graduate work – Developmental Disabilities/Education – Marywood University - 15 credits library science - Northampton County Community College, State certification in Librarianship as Pennsylvania Librarian.
Favorite Book: "To kill a mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Favorite Movie (s): "Terminator 2", "A Few Good Men", "Steel Magnolias" and "Fried green tomatoes."
Favorite area of the library: Circulation Desk.
Special Interest: Appreciation of all forms of art.
Hobby: Drawing, needlepoint, crocheting, stenciling and trying other new ideas that come along.
Position: Head of Interlibrary Loan and Special Collections
Educational Background: BS Social Research/Sociology/minor English Literature - Misericordia University. Graduate work – Developmental Disabilities/Education – Marywood University - 15 credits library science - Northampton County Community College, State certification in Librarianship as Pennsylvania Librarian.
Favorite Book: "To kill a mockingbird" by Harper Lee
Favorite Movie (s): "Terminator 2", "A Few Good Men", "Steel Magnolias" and "Fried green tomatoes."
Favorite area of the library: Circulation Desk.
Special Interest: Appreciation of all forms of art.
Hobby: Drawing, needlepoint, crocheting, stenciling and trying other new ideas that come along.
Friday, March 14, 2014
*Pi Day is an annual celebration commemorating the mathematical constant π (pi). Pi Day is observed on March 14 (or 3/14 in the U.S. month/day date format), since 3, 1, and 4 are the three most significant digits of π in the decimal form. In 2009, the United States House of Representatives supported the designation of Pi Day.[2]
In the year 2015, Pi Day will have special significance on 3/14/15 at 9:26:53 a.m. and p.m., with the date and time representing the first 10 digits of π.
The earliest known official or large-scale celebration of Pi Day was organized by Larry Shaw in 1988 at the San Francisco Exploratorium,[4] where Shaw worked as a physicist,[5] with staff and public marching around one of its circular spaces, then consuming fruit pies.[6] The Exploratorium continues to hold Pi Day celebrations.[7]
On March 12, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a non-binding resolution (HRES 224),[2] recognizing March 14, 2009, as National Pi Day.[8]
For Pi Day 2010, Google presented a Google Doodle celebrating the holiday, with the word Google laid over images of circles and pi symbols.[9]
Pi Day has been observed in many ways, including eating pie, throwing pies and discussing the significance of the number π.[1] Some schools hold competitions as to which student can recall Pi to the highest number of decimal places.[10][11]
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has often mailed its application decision letters to prospective students for delivery on Pi Day.[12] Starting in 2012, MIT has announced it will post those decisions (privately) online on Pi Day at exactly 6:28 pm, which they have called "Tau Time", to honor the rival numbers Pi and Tau equally.[13][14]
The town of Princeton, New Jersey, hosts numerous events in a combined celebration of Pi Day and Albert Einstein's birthday, which is also March 14.[15] Einstein lived in Princeton for more than twenty years while working at the Institute for Advanced Study. In addition to pie eating and recitation contests, there is an annual Einstein look-alike contest.[16]
**References
* /** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pi_Day
Word of the Day
thingamajig \ THING-uh-muh-jig \ ,
noun;
1. Informal. a gadget or other thing for which the speaker does not know or has forgotten the name.
Quotes:
“Why, a thingamajig . For dogs, you know.” Sally nodded. “Oh, a thingamajig for dogs? Now I understand.”
-- P. G. Wodehouse, "The Adventures of Sally," 1921
“You have to punch out the questions on that thingamajig , and the answers come out on tape from the whatchamacallits. You can't just talk to it.” A doubt crossed his fine face.
-- Kurt Vonnegut, "Player Piano," 1952
Origin:
The origins of thingamajig are unknown, though it first appeared in English in the 1870s. It is an extended form of the word thing that likely came from an earlier form, thingum .
noun;
1. Informal. a gadget or other thing for which the speaker does not know or has forgotten the name.
Quotes:
“Why, a thingamajig . For dogs, you know.” Sally nodded. “Oh, a thingamajig for dogs? Now I understand.”
-- P. G. Wodehouse, "The Adventures of Sally," 1921
“You have to punch out the questions on that thingamajig , and the answers come out on tape from the whatchamacallits. You can't just talk to it.” A doubt crossed his fine face.
-- Kurt Vonnegut, "Player Piano," 1952
Origin:
The origins of thingamajig are unknown, though it first appeared in English in the 1870s. It is an extended form of the word thing that likely came from an earlier form, thingum .
Thursday, March 13, 2014
Word of the Day
claptrap
\ KLAP-trap \ , noun;
1. pretentious but insincere or empty language: His speeches seem erudite but analysis reveals them to be mere claptrap.
2. any artifice or expedient for winning applause or impressing the public.
Quotes:
What is she to sneer at a brave, enduring race of fellow-beings! Dress them in tawdry rags, locate them anywhere on the continent, write out their history in sounding claptrap , and she would be stirred by pathetic thrills.
-- John Trafford Clegg, "David's Loom: a story of Rochdale's life in the early years of the nineteenth century," 1894
...it was on the whole an enormous piece of claptrap ; the room, almost vacant when I entered, began to fill.
-- Charotte Brontë, "Villette," 1853
Origin:
Claptrap came to English in the 1720s as a portmanteau of clap and trap.
Dictionary.com
\ KLAP-trap \ , noun;
1. pretentious but insincere or empty language: His speeches seem erudite but analysis reveals them to be mere claptrap.
2. any artifice or expedient for winning applause or impressing the public.
Quotes:
What is she to sneer at a brave, enduring race of fellow-beings! Dress them in tawdry rags, locate them anywhere on the continent, write out their history in sounding claptrap , and she would be stirred by pathetic thrills.
-- John Trafford Clegg, "David's Loom: a story of Rochdale's life in the early years of the nineteenth century," 1894
...it was on the whole an enormous piece of claptrap ; the room, almost vacant when I entered, began to fill.
-- Charotte Brontë, "Villette," 1853
Origin:
Claptrap came to English in the 1720s as a portmanteau of clap and trap.
Dictionary.com
High Scoring Words For Our Scrabble Playing Patrons
*Whether you consider winning at Scrabble a case of extreme luck or supreme spelling ability, here are 10 words that—if conditions are right—will help you trump any opponent.
1. OXYPHENBUTAZONE
Definition: An anti-inflammatory medication used to treat arthritis and bursitis.
Conditions: The theoretically highest-possible scoring word under American Scrabble play—as calculated by Dan Stock of Ohio—has never actually been played … and probably never will (unless you’re really, really lucky). That’s because it has to be played across three triple word score squares and build on eight already-played (and perfectly positioned) tiles.
Points: 1,778
2. QUIZZIFY
Definition: To quiz or question.
Conditions: Not only will you need to draw the game’s only Q and Z tiles (there’s only one of each), but a blank tile, too (in place of the second Z). Play this verb as your first word across two triple word squares with the Z on a double letter score square and you’ve got the game’s most valuable eight-letter bingo.
Points: 419
3. OXAZEPAM
Definition: An anti-anxiety drug.
Conditions: All that stress will melt away if you can build on one existing letter, play across two triple word score squares, place one of the most valuable tiles (i.e. X or Z) on a double letter score square and net a 50-point bingo.
Points: 392
4. QUETZALS
Definition: The national bird of Guatemala as well as one of its monetary units.
Conditions: Placement is everything to score this whopper of a word: Building on one letter, use all seven letters on your rack for a 50-point bingo, with Q and S on triple word score square and Z on a double letter score space.
Points: 374
5. QUIXOTRY
Definition: A romantic or quixotic idea or action.
Conditions: In 2007, Michael Cresta used an already-played R and all seven of his tiles across two triple word score squares to earn the most points ever on a single turn, which aided in a second record for the full-time carpenter: the highest-ever individual game score (830 points).
Points: 365
6. GHERKINS
Definition: A small pickle, made from an immature cucumber.
Conditions: In 1985, Robert Kahn paid tribute to the pickle at the National Scrabble Championship in Boston—using an E and R already on the board—to set a record for a non-bingo word score.
Points: 180
7. QUARTZY
Definition: Resembling quartz.
Conditions: “Quartzy” held the record for highest-ever single turn score until “Quixotry” nearly doubled its total in 2007. Play it across a triple word score square with Z as a double letter score, with a 50-point bingo for using all seven letters on your rack.
Points: 164
8. MUZJIKS
Definition: A Russian peasant.
Conditions: On its own (with no bonuses or extra points), “muzjiks” is worth an impressive 29 points. But exhaust all of your tiles on your first turn to spell it, and you’ll earn more than four times that—which is what player Jesse Inman did at the National Scrabble Championship in Orlando in 2008 to earn the record for highest opening score.
Points: 126
9. SYZYGY
Definition: An alignment of three celestial bodies.
Conditions: Forget trying to pronounce it (though, for the record, it’s “SIZ-i-jee”). Instead, just remember how to spell it—and that it’s worth 21 points au naturel. You’ll need one blank tile to make up for the lack of Ys (there are only two in the game). For a higher total, land the Z on a double letter score square and the final Y on a triple word score square.
Points: 93
10. ZA
Definition: Slang term for pizza.
Conditions: Big words are great and all, but two-letter words can also score big. And be especially annoying to your opponent. Build on two As—one directly below, the other directly to the right of a triple letter square—to spell this two-letter delectable across and down.
Points: 62
* http://mentalfloss.com/article/50090/10-words-will-win-you-any-game-scrabble
IMAGE CREDIT: HASBRO
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
The Yocum Library Collection - Ireland
.jpg)
Listed are items that can be found in the Yocum Library Collection related to Ireland.
Books
1 - Ireland : the complete guide
Oram, Hugh.
Call number: DA980 .I74 1998
Subject:Ireland -- Guidebooks. , Northern Ireland -- Guidebooks. , Northern Ireland -- Maps.
2 - Ireland : a Smithsonian natural history
Viney, Michael,
Call number:QH143 .V555 2003
3 - The everything Irish history & heritage book :
from Brian Boru and St. Patrick to Sean Féin and the toubles, you all need to know about the Emerald Isle
Hackney Blackwell, Amy., Hackney, Ryan.
Call number:DA911 .H33 2004
Year:c2004.
Subject:Ireland -- History -- Handbooks, manuals, etc. , Ireland -- Civilization -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Subject:Natural history -- Ireland.
4 - The confession of St. Patrick ; and, Letter to Coroticus
Patrick,, Patrick,, Skinner, John.
Call number: BR1720.P26 A3 1998
Subject:Christian saints -- Ireland -- Biography. , Christian saints -- Ireland -- Correspondence. , Patrick, Saint.
5 - Heritage of Ireland : a history of Ireland & its people
Harris, Nathaniel,
Call number: DA925 .H37 1998
Year:c1998.
Subject:Ireland -- Civilization. , Ireland -- History.
6 - Ireland /
Scotney, John.
Call number: DA980 .S29 2006
Year:2006.
Subject:Life skills -- Ireland. , Ireland -- Guidebooks. , Ireland -- Social life and customs -- 20th century.
DVD
7 - Ireland
Celtic myths & splendors
Mortimer, Sandy., Trailwood Films.
Features Irish stories and highlights of its history and scenery.
Call number: DA980.I745
Subject:Tales -- Ireland. , Ireland -- Description and travel. , Travelogues (Motion pictures, television, etc.)
8 - Music CD
Women of Ireland
Ceoltoiri (Musical group)
Call number: M1744 .C46 1998
Year:p1998.
Subject:Folk songs, English -- Ireland. , Folk songs, Irish -- Ireland. , Folk dance music -- Ireland.
9 - Fonn le fonn
traditional Irish dance music
O Ceannabhain, Tomas., Kelly, Eugene.
Call number: M1744 .F66 1998
Word of the Day
fervent
\ FUR-vuhnt \ , adjective;
1. having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, etc.; ardent: a fervent admirer; a fervent plea.
2. hot; burning; glowing.
Quotes:
The laird Glenross sunk on his knees by the side of the bed, on which she lay extended in death; his hands were clasped, his eyes closed, and his head bent downwards; the whisperings of a fervent devotion burst from his lips.
-- Francis Lathom, "The Mysterious Freebooter; or, The Days of Queen Bess," 1806
He had heard Miss Ophelia speak often of a cough, that all her medicaments could not cure; and even now that fervent cheek and little hand were burning with hectic fever; and yet the thought that Eva's words suggested had never come to him til now.
-- Harriet Beecher Stowe, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," 1852
Origin:
Fervent first entered English in the 1300s and ultimately comes from the Latin fervēre meaning "to boil."
Dictionary.com
\ FUR-vuhnt \ , adjective;
1. having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, etc.; ardent: a fervent admirer; a fervent plea.
2. hot; burning; glowing.
Quotes:
The laird Glenross sunk on his knees by the side of the bed, on which she lay extended in death; his hands were clasped, his eyes closed, and his head bent downwards; the whisperings of a fervent devotion burst from his lips.
-- Francis Lathom, "The Mysterious Freebooter; or, The Days of Queen Bess," 1806
He had heard Miss Ophelia speak often of a cough, that all her medicaments could not cure; and even now that fervent cheek and little hand were burning with hectic fever; and yet the thought that Eva's words suggested had never come to him til now.
-- Harriet Beecher Stowe, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," 1852
Origin:
Fervent first entered English in the 1300s and ultimately comes from the Latin fervēre meaning "to boil."
Dictionary.com
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Word of the Day
geomancy \JEE-uh-man-see\,
noun:
divination by geographic features or by figures or lines.
It was classified as a work on omens, portents, and prodigies, and placed in the category of 'Principles of Form' among works on geomancy and physiognomy (now lost) in the official dynastic bibliography of the Former Han.
-- Anne Birrell, "The Classic of Mountains and Seas," 1999
Vainly I consulted the stars and made use of geomancy and necromancy…
-- Clark Ashton Smith, "Lost Worlds," 1944
Geomancy came to English in the 1300s from the Greek roots meaning "earth" and "divination."
Dictionary.com
noun:
divination by geographic features or by figures or lines.
It was classified as a work on omens, portents, and prodigies, and placed in the category of 'Principles of Form' among works on geomancy and physiognomy (now lost) in the official dynastic bibliography of the Former Han.
-- Anne Birrell, "The Classic of Mountains and Seas," 1999
Vainly I consulted the stars and made use of geomancy and necromancy…
-- Clark Ashton Smith, "Lost Worlds," 1944
Geomancy came to English in the 1300s from the Greek roots meaning "earth" and "divination."
Dictionary.com
Monday, March 10, 2014
The Yocum Library Spring Break Hours
(Spring Break I):
Monday-Thursday, March 10-13
The Library is open 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Regular Friday Hours,
March 14 - 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Word of the Day
synergy \SIN-er-jee\,
noun:
1. the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions, etc.; synergism.
2. Physiology, Medicine/Medical. the cooperative action of two or more muscles, nerves, or the like.
3. Biochemistry, Pharmacology. the cooperative action of two or more stimuli or drugs.
The stock market had been wavering up and down for some time due to the lingering confusion over the effects of the Trade Reform Act. But what kind of evil synergy was this?
-- Tom Clancy, "Debt of Honor," 1994
The synergy of monasticism became a major civilizing force so that, some six centuries later, Cadfael's choice of the Benedictine monastery was a natural one for a weary wandering soldier seeking stability and order in a disordered world.
-- Anne K. Kaler, "Cordially Yours, Brother Cadfael," 1998
Synergy has been around in English since the mid-1600s and comes from the Neo-Latin synergia, which in turn, came from the Greek meaning "working together."
Dictionary.com
noun:
1. the interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions, etc.; synergism.
2. Physiology, Medicine/Medical. the cooperative action of two or more muscles, nerves, or the like.
3. Biochemistry, Pharmacology. the cooperative action of two or more stimuli or drugs.
The stock market had been wavering up and down for some time due to the lingering confusion over the effects of the Trade Reform Act. But what kind of evil synergy was this?
-- Tom Clancy, "Debt of Honor," 1994
The synergy of monasticism became a major civilizing force so that, some six centuries later, Cadfael's choice of the Benedictine monastery was a natural one for a weary wandering soldier seeking stability and order in a disordered world.
-- Anne K. Kaler, "Cordially Yours, Brother Cadfael," 1998
Synergy has been around in English since the mid-1600s and comes from the Neo-Latin synergia, which in turn, came from the Greek meaning "working together."
Dictionary.com
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Word of the Day
cognizant \KOG-nuh-zuhnt, KON-uh-\,
adjective:
1. having cognizance; aware (usually followed by of ): He was cognizant of the difficulty.
2. having legal cognizance.
A Frenchman was cognizant of the murder. It is possible--indeed it is far more than probable--that he was innocent of all participation in the bloody transaction which took place.
-- Edgar Allan Poe, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," 1841
I don't really think you've been as cognizant of that fact in the past as you might have been.
-- Stanley Elkin, "Boswell: A Modern Comedy," 1964
Cognizant is modern construction, dating from the early 1800s. It is likely formed from the term cognizance.
Dictionary.com
adjective:
1. having cognizance; aware (usually followed by of ): He was cognizant of the difficulty.
2. having legal cognizance.
A Frenchman was cognizant of the murder. It is possible--indeed it is far more than probable--that he was innocent of all participation in the bloody transaction which took place.
-- Edgar Allan Poe, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," 1841
I don't really think you've been as cognizant of that fact in the past as you might have been.
-- Stanley Elkin, "Boswell: A Modern Comedy," 1964
Cognizant is modern construction, dating from the early 1800s. It is likely formed from the term cognizance.
Dictionary.com
Virginia Woolf Books in Yocum Library Collection
The voyage out /
Woolf, Virginia,
PR6045.O72 V68 2000
Year:2000;
To the lighthouse /
Woolf, Virginia,
PR6045.O72 T6 1990
Year:1990;
Monday or Tuesday :
eight stories
Woolf, Virginia,
PR6045.O72 M63 1997
Year:1997;
Mrs. Dalloway /
Woolf, Virginia,
Call number:WOO
PR6045.O72 M7 1997
Year:1997.
More books by Virginia Woolf and be found @ http://catalog.berks.lib.pa.us/?uilang=en
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Word of the Day
fallacy \FAL-uh-see\,
noun:
1. a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief, etc.: That the world is flat was at one time a popular fallacy.
2. a misleading or unsound argument.
3. deceptive, misleading, or false nature; erroneousness.
4. Logic. any of various types of erroneous reasoning that render arguments logically unsound.
5. Obsolete. deception.
"Mind you, I see the fallacy," he said. He liked the word. It was an honest admission of error.
-- George Friel, "The Boy Who Wanted Peace," 1964
Because it has been his practice to listen to all that could be said against him; to profit by as much of it as was just, and expound to himself, and upon occasion to others, the fallacy of what was fallacious.
-- John Stuart Mill, "On Liberty," 1859
Fallacy came to English in the 1300s from the Latin fallācia meaning "a trick."
Dictionary.com
noun:
1. a deceptive, misleading, or false notion, belief, etc.: That the world is flat was at one time a popular fallacy.
2. a misleading or unsound argument.
3. deceptive, misleading, or false nature; erroneousness.
4. Logic. any of various types of erroneous reasoning that render arguments logically unsound.
5. Obsolete. deception.
"Mind you, I see the fallacy," he said. He liked the word. It was an honest admission of error.
-- George Friel, "The Boy Who Wanted Peace," 1964
Because it has been his practice to listen to all that could be said against him; to profit by as much of it as was just, and expound to himself, and upon occasion to others, the fallacy of what was fallacious.
-- John Stuart Mill, "On Liberty," 1859
Fallacy came to English in the 1300s from the Latin fallācia meaning "a trick."
Dictionary.com
8 Things You May Not Know About Daylight Saving Time
*By Christopher Klein
Early Sunday morning, most Americans will set their clocks ahead one hour as daylight saving time (DST) returns. Springing forward may seem simple enough, but daylight saving’s history has actually been quite complex—and misconceptions about it persist today. As you prepare to reset your watches, alarms and microwaves, explore eight facts about daylight saving time that might surprise you.
1. It’s “daylight saving time,” not “daylight savings time.”
Many people render the term’s second word in its plural form. However, since the word “saving” acts as part of an adjective rather than a verb, the singular is grammatically correct.
2. Though in favor of maximizing daylight waking hours, Benjamin Franklin did not originate the idea of moving clocks forward.
By the time he was a 78-year-old American envoy in Paris in 1784, the man who espoused the virtues of “early to bed and early to rise” was not practicing what he preached.
After being unpleasantly stirred from sleep at 6 a.m. by the summer sun, the founding father penned a satirical essay in which he calculated that Parisians, simply by waking up at dawn, could save the modern-day equivalent of $200 million through “the economy of using sunshine instead of candles.” As a result of this essay, Franklin is often erroneously given the honor of “inventing” daylight saving time, but he only proposed a change in sleep schedules—not the time itself.
3. Englishman William Willett led the first campaign to implement daylight saving time.
While on an early-morning horseback ride around the desolate outskirts of London in 1905, Willett had an epiphany that the United Kingdom should move its clocks forward by 80 minutes between April and October so that more people could enjoy the plentiful sunlight.
The Englishman published the 1907 brochure “The Waste of Daylight” and spent much of his personal fortune evangelizing with missionary zeal for the adoption of “summer time.” Year after year, however, the British Parliament stymied the measure, and Willett died in 1915 at age 58 without ever seeing his idea come to fruition.
4. Germany was the first country to enact daylight saving time.
It took World War I for Willett’s dream to come true, but on April 30, 1916, Germany embraced daylight saving time to conserve electricity. (He may have been horrified to learn that Britain’s wartime enemy followed his recommendations before his homeland.) Weeks later, the United Kingdom followed suit and introduced “summer time.”
5. Daylight saving time in the United States was not intended to benefit farmers, as many people think.
Contrary to popular belief, American farmers did not lobby for daylight saving to have more time to work in the fields; in fact, the agriculture industry was deeply opposed to the time switch when it was first implemented on March 31, 1918, as a wartime measure. The sun, not the clock, dictated farmers’ schedules, so daylight saving was very disruptive.
Farmers had to wait an extra hour for dew to evaporate to harvest hay, hired hands worked less since they still left at the same time for dinner and cows weren’t ready to be milked an hour earlier to meet shipping schedules. Agrarian interests led the fight for the 1919 repeal of national daylight saving time, which passed after Congress voted to override President Woodrow Wilson’s veto. Rather than rural interests, it has been urban entities such as retail outlets and recreational businesses that have championed daylight saving over the decades.
6. For decades, daylight saving in the United States was a confounding patchwork of local practices.
After the national repeal in 1919, some states and cities, including New York City and Chicago, continued to shift their clocks. National daylight saving time returned during World War II, but after its repeal three weeks after war’s end the confusing hodgepodge resumed. States and localities could start and end daylight saving whenever they pleased, a system that Time magazine (an aptly named source) described in 1963 as “a chaos of clocks.” In 1965 there were 23 different pairs of start and end dates in Iowa alone, and St. Paul, Minnesota, even began daylight saving two weeks before its twin city, Minneapolis.
Passengers on a 35-mile bus ride from Steubenville, Ohio, to Moundsville, West Virginia, passed through seven time changes. Order finally came in 1966 with the enactment of the Uniform Time Act, which standardized daylight saving time from the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, although states had the option of remaining on standard time year-round.
7. Not everyone in the United States springs forward and falls back.
Hawaii and Arizona—with the exception of the state’s Navajo Nation—do not observe daylight saving time, and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands also remain on standard time year-round. Some Amish communities also choose not to participate in daylight saving time.
(Around the world, only about one-quarter of the world’s population, in approximately 70 countries, observe daylight saving. Since their daylight hours don’t vary much from season to season, countries closer to the equator have little need to deviate from standard time.)
8. Evidence does not conclusively point to energy conservation as a result of daylight saving.
Dating back to Willett, daylight saving advocates have touted energy conservation as an economic benefit. A U.S. Department of Transportation study in the 1970s concluded that total electricity savings associated with daylight saving time amounted to about 1 percent in the spring and fall months.
As air conditioning has become more widespread, however, more recent studies have found that cost savings on lighting are more than offset by greater cooling expenses. University of California Santa Barbara economists calculated that Indiana’s move to statewide daylight saving time in 2006 led to a 1-percent rise in residential electricity use through additional demand for air conditioning on summer evenings and heating in early spring and late fall mornings. Some also argue that increased
recreational activity during daylight saving results in greater gasoline consumption.
* http://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-daylight-saving-time
Early Sunday morning, most Americans will set their clocks ahead one hour as daylight saving time (DST) returns. Springing forward may seem simple enough, but daylight saving’s history has actually been quite complex—and misconceptions about it persist today. As you prepare to reset your watches, alarms and microwaves, explore eight facts about daylight saving time that might surprise you.
1. It’s “daylight saving time,” not “daylight savings time.”
Many people render the term’s second word in its plural form. However, since the word “saving” acts as part of an adjective rather than a verb, the singular is grammatically correct.
2. Though in favor of maximizing daylight waking hours, Benjamin Franklin did not originate the idea of moving clocks forward.
By the time he was a 78-year-old American envoy in Paris in 1784, the man who espoused the virtues of “early to bed and early to rise” was not practicing what he preached.
After being unpleasantly stirred from sleep at 6 a.m. by the summer sun, the founding father penned a satirical essay in which he calculated that Parisians, simply by waking up at dawn, could save the modern-day equivalent of $200 million through “the economy of using sunshine instead of candles.” As a result of this essay, Franklin is often erroneously given the honor of “inventing” daylight saving time, but he only proposed a change in sleep schedules—not the time itself.
3. Englishman William Willett led the first campaign to implement daylight saving time.
While on an early-morning horseback ride around the desolate outskirts of London in 1905, Willett had an epiphany that the United Kingdom should move its clocks forward by 80 minutes between April and October so that more people could enjoy the plentiful sunlight.
The Englishman published the 1907 brochure “The Waste of Daylight” and spent much of his personal fortune evangelizing with missionary zeal for the adoption of “summer time.” Year after year, however, the British Parliament stymied the measure, and Willett died in 1915 at age 58 without ever seeing his idea come to fruition.
4. Germany was the first country to enact daylight saving time.
It took World War I for Willett’s dream to come true, but on April 30, 1916, Germany embraced daylight saving time to conserve electricity. (He may have been horrified to learn that Britain’s wartime enemy followed his recommendations before his homeland.) Weeks later, the United Kingdom followed suit and introduced “summer time.”
5. Daylight saving time in the United States was not intended to benefit farmers, as many people think.
Contrary to popular belief, American farmers did not lobby for daylight saving to have more time to work in the fields; in fact, the agriculture industry was deeply opposed to the time switch when it was first implemented on March 31, 1918, as a wartime measure. The sun, not the clock, dictated farmers’ schedules, so daylight saving was very disruptive.
Farmers had to wait an extra hour for dew to evaporate to harvest hay, hired hands worked less since they still left at the same time for dinner and cows weren’t ready to be milked an hour earlier to meet shipping schedules. Agrarian interests led the fight for the 1919 repeal of national daylight saving time, which passed after Congress voted to override President Woodrow Wilson’s veto. Rather than rural interests, it has been urban entities such as retail outlets and recreational businesses that have championed daylight saving over the decades.
6. For decades, daylight saving in the United States was a confounding patchwork of local practices.
After the national repeal in 1919, some states and cities, including New York City and Chicago, continued to shift their clocks. National daylight saving time returned during World War II, but after its repeal three weeks after war’s end the confusing hodgepodge resumed. States and localities could start and end daylight saving whenever they pleased, a system that Time magazine (an aptly named source) described in 1963 as “a chaos of clocks.” In 1965 there were 23 different pairs of start and end dates in Iowa alone, and St. Paul, Minnesota, even began daylight saving two weeks before its twin city, Minneapolis.
Passengers on a 35-mile bus ride from Steubenville, Ohio, to Moundsville, West Virginia, passed through seven time changes. Order finally came in 1966 with the enactment of the Uniform Time Act, which standardized daylight saving time from the last Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, although states had the option of remaining on standard time year-round.
7. Not everyone in the United States springs forward and falls back.
Hawaii and Arizona—with the exception of the state’s Navajo Nation—do not observe daylight saving time, and the U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands also remain on standard time year-round. Some Amish communities also choose not to participate in daylight saving time.
(Around the world, only about one-quarter of the world’s population, in approximately 70 countries, observe daylight saving. Since their daylight hours don’t vary much from season to season, countries closer to the equator have little need to deviate from standard time.)
8. Evidence does not conclusively point to energy conservation as a result of daylight saving.
Dating back to Willett, daylight saving advocates have touted energy conservation as an economic benefit. A U.S. Department of Transportation study in the 1970s concluded that total electricity savings associated with daylight saving time amounted to about 1 percent in the spring and fall months.
As air conditioning has become more widespread, however, more recent studies have found that cost savings on lighting are more than offset by greater cooling expenses. University of California Santa Barbara economists calculated that Indiana’s move to statewide daylight saving time in 2006 led to a 1-percent rise in residential electricity use through additional demand for air conditioning on summer evenings and heating in early spring and late fall mornings. Some also argue that increased
recreational activity during daylight saving results in greater gasoline consumption.
* http://www.history.com/news/8-things-you-may-not-know-about-daylight-saving-time
Friday, March 7, 2014
Scheduled Classes for Computers
1 p.m. - 2 p.m. Ms. Dapcic Angst
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Ms. Linda Dapcic Angst ORI102 (8) Intro to Library PowerPoint presented by Ms. Kim Stahler.
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Ms. Linda Dapcic Angst ORI102 (8) Intro to Library PowerPoint presented by Ms. Kim Stahler.
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Scheduled Classes for Computers
9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Reserved—Ms. Essig
Where: Yocum Instruciton Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description:Ms. Brenda Essig COM131 College Study Skills (15) NO INSTRUCTION; reserve 12 computers
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Reserved—Dr. Singleton
Where: Yocum Instruction Area (& Ref Area)
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Dr. Donna Singleton COM122 (15) NO INSTRUCTION -- Reserve 12 computers.
Where: Yocum Instruciton Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description:Ms. Brenda Essig COM131 College Study Skills (15) NO INSTRUCTION; reserve 12 computers
11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Reserved—Dr. Singleton
Where: Yocum Instruction Area (& Ref Area)
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Dr. Donna Singleton COM122 (15) NO INSTRUCTION -- Reserve 12 computers.
Word of the Day
cockalorum \kok-uh-LAWR-uhm, -LOHR-\,
noun:
a self-important little man.
Meantime, let him be foolish! "I suppose he thinks he's the grand high cockalorum!" she told herself, chuckling.
-- Margaret Wade Campbell Deland, "The Iron Woman," 1911
His mother was dead and he could write about her: a young woman, a girl, really, with Sid, who was just a child, and Rose, who was even younger, emigrating from an inhospitable Russian countryside with that young cockalorum of a husband--good God, was he that way even then?--to live in this alien land and die before she was fifty.
-- Joseph Heller, "Good as Gold," 1979
This mock Latin term is a derivative of cock, meaning "a male chicken." It came to English in the early 1700s.
Dictionary.com
noun:
a self-important little man.
Meantime, let him be foolish! "I suppose he thinks he's the grand high cockalorum!" she told herself, chuckling.
-- Margaret Wade Campbell Deland, "The Iron Woman," 1911
His mother was dead and he could write about her: a young woman, a girl, really, with Sid, who was just a child, and Rose, who was even younger, emigrating from an inhospitable Russian countryside with that young cockalorum of a husband--good God, was he that way even then?--to live in this alien land and die before she was fifty.
-- Joseph Heller, "Good as Gold," 1979
This mock Latin term is a derivative of cock, meaning "a male chicken." It came to English in the early 1700s.
Dictionary.com
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Book Review - "Life Itself," a Memoir
 |
| General Collection PN1998.3.E327 A3 2011 |
A review by Gerald Bartell
In the 1950s, long before he won a Pulitzer Prize for his film criticism, Roger Ebert spent many a Saturday afternoon sipping root beer and munching jawbreakers, Necco Wafers and licorice at the Princess Theater in his home town of Urbana, Ill. Five cartoons, a newsreel, a Batman, Superman or Rocketman serial and then a double bill -- a Lash LaRue western followed by a Bowery Boys or Abbott and Costello comedy -- flashed before him.
Ebert's memoir, Life Itself, resembles one of those movie marathons. Tales from childhood, interviews with film stars and directors, funny and touching stories about colleagues, and evocative essays about trips unspool before the reader in a series of loosely organized, often beautifully written essays crafted by a witty, clear-eyed yet romantic raconteur.
Ebert begins with his childhood, a time when he did not, as one might think, escape an unhappy home at the movies. His parents sometimes quarreled over money, but mostly Roger's account of the family's life in Urbana suggests the Midwestern comfort of a Booth Tarkington short story.
On summer nights, the Eberts sipped homemade lemonade on the front porch of a two-bedroom white stucco house with green awnings. They talked to neighbors and watched for fireflies as "the sounds of radios, voices, distant laughter would float on the air." Young Roger founded the Roger Ebert Stamp Company, published a neighborhood newspaper and read voraciously, developing a passion for the novels of Thomas Wolfe.
Also emerging was a passion for journalism. At 16, Ebert covered high school sports for the Urbana News-Gazette, and then, as a student at the University of Illinois, became the decidedly liberal editor of the Daily Illini. After graduation he landed a job at the Chicago Sun-Times, where, in 1967, the features editor named Ebert the paper's film critic.
With no formal film education, Ebert headed to the movies, heeding Pauline Kael's approach to film: "I go into the movie, I watch it, and I ask myself what happened to me."
Over time, Ebert developed guidelines for his work. He likes movies about "Good People," an elastic definition that includes Hannibal Lecter ("the victim of his unspeakable depravities...he tries to do the right thing.") And Ebert hesitates to hurt people: "I feel repugnance for the critic John Simon, who made it a specialty to attack the way actors look. They can't help how they look any more than John Simon can help looking like a rat."
Ebert's take on film critic Gene Siskel, his co-host for the TV series "At the Movies," should quell persistent rumors that the men disliked each other. Yes, they feuded over films so intensely that the studio where they taped often had to be cleared. But underneath the tensions, Ebert says, he cared for Siskel like a brother. Of Disney and CBS execs who dropped plans for a sitcom starring the men as rival critics, Ebert says, "Maybe the problem was that no one else could possibly understand how meaningless was the hate, how deep was the love."
Ebert's work as a film critic sent him traveling, and his wonderfully personal essays on places around the world where he seeks solitude are highlights of the book, rich in reflections, imagery and sensory detail. Travelers who return year after year to the same destination will savor Ebert's reflections on these rituals:
I have many places where I sit and think, 'I have been here before, I am here now, and I will be here again.' Sometimes, lost in reverie, I remember myself approaching across the same green, or down the same footpath.... These secret visits are a way for me to measure the wheel of the years and my passage through life. Sometimes on this voyage through life we need to sit on the deck and regard the waves.
In 2006 Ebert received a diagnosis of thyroid cancer. The surgeries that followed left him unable to eat, drink or speak and looking "like an exhibit in the Texas Chainsaw Museum." Is he unhappy? Not really, partly because he began pouring his "regrets, desires and memories" into a blog, which led to his doing this book. Because of the writing, Ebert says, he was lucky: "I wrote, therefore I lived."
Ebert's luck is also our luck. We can nibble Twizzlers, Twinkies and Milk Duds and enjoy Ebert's marathon of memories.
Bartell is an arts and travel writer based in Manhattan.
http://www.powells.com/review/2011_09_21
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Scheduled Classes for Computers
9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Reserved—Ms. Essig
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Ms. Brenda Essig COM131 College Study Skills (15) NO INSTRUCTION; reserve 12 computers.
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Reserved—Ms. Stuckert
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Ms. Kate Stuckert COM051 (25) Using ProQuest databases (more introductory version) presented by Ms.Kim Stahler.
2 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Reserved—Ms. Stuckert
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Ms. Kate Stuckert COM051 (25) Using ProQuest databases (more introductory version) presented by Ms.Kim Stahler.
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Ms. Brenda Essig COM131 College Study Skills (15) NO INSTRUCTION; reserve 12 computers.
12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Reserved—Ms. Stuckert
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Ms. Kate Stuckert COM051 (25) Using ProQuest databases (more introductory version) presented by Ms.Kim Stahler.
2 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Reserved—Ms. Stuckert
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Calendar: Yocum Library
Description: Ms. Kate Stuckert COM051 (25) Using ProQuest databases (more introductory version) presented by Ms.Kim Stahler.
Word of the Day
caveat \KAY-vee-at; KAV-ee-; KAH-vee-aht\,
noun:
1. a warning or caution; admonition.
2. Law. a legal notice to a court or public officer to suspend a certain proceeding until the notifier is given a hearing: a caveat filed against the probate of a will.
I must beg leave, before I finish this chapter, to enter a caveat in the breast of my fair reader; and it is this: Not to take it absolutely for granted, from an unguarded word or two which I have dropped it, "that I am a married man."
-- Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, 1759
So the owner of a balky horse would issue the caveat, "You'll be surprised to see the way he works," the surprise being that he would not work at all.
-- Roger Welsch, Mister, You Got Yourself a Horse: Tales of Old-Time Horse Trading, 1987
Caveat comes from the Latin caveat, "let him beware," from cavere, "to beware."
Dictionary.com
noun:
1. a warning or caution; admonition.
2. Law. a legal notice to a court or public officer to suspend a certain proceeding until the notifier is given a hearing: a caveat filed against the probate of a will.
I must beg leave, before I finish this chapter, to enter a caveat in the breast of my fair reader; and it is this: Not to take it absolutely for granted, from an unguarded word or two which I have dropped it, "that I am a married man."
-- Laurence Sterne, The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, 1759
So the owner of a balky horse would issue the caveat, "You'll be surprised to see the way he works," the surprise being that he would not work at all.
-- Roger Welsch, Mister, You Got Yourself a Horse: Tales of Old-Time Horse Trading, 1987
Caveat comes from the Latin caveat, "let him beware," from cavere, "to beware."
Dictionary.com
Reading Public Museum Programs & Events
March & April 2014
Let’s Explore
Every Wednesday: Now - May 7 – 1:30 - 2:30 p.m.
Hey Kids, let’s explore The Museum! Bring your grown-up to The Museum for an afternoon of fun. Each week we will explore a new gallery, hear exciting stories and make a special craft to take home!
March 5 – Trash to Treasure
March 12 –Tyrannosaurus Time
March 19 – Behind the Mask
March 26 –To the Moon and Back
April 2 – Tulips and Unicorns
April 9 – Chocolate
April 16 – Bunnies in My Back Yard
April 23 – The Flowers Outside
Cost: Members – $20 for 1 child and 1 adult; Non-Members – $30 for 1 child and 1 adult; $5 per additional child; $6 per additional adult.
Registration is required; contact Wendy at 610-371-5850 x223 or wendy.koller@readingpublicmuseum.org
Spring Break Camp
April 14 - 18
Spend your Spring Break at the Reading Public Museum! Learn the science behind flight, make your own paper, construct cars that move, and much more.
Break Week Camp is offered 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. for students entering grades 2 through 8.
Cost: Members $40 per day or $175 for the week; Non-Members $45 per day or $200 for the week
Registration is required; contact Jaq at 610-371-5850 x227 or j.accetta@readingpublicmuseum.org
Toast to the Past: Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice:
A Celebration of Women’s History Month
March 20 – 5:30-7:00pm
Join us for a spirits and cocktail tasting (21 and over only!) followed by a presentation on Museum objects related to Women’s History.
Cost: Members $10 each; Guests of Members $15 each
Registration is required; contact Wendy at 610-371-5850 x223 or wendy.koller@readingpublicmuseum.org
Backyard Composting Workshop
April 5 – 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Join PSU Master Gardeners for this how-to discussion and demonstration. Composting is an important recycling practice that keeps organic “black gold” on your property and reduces expensive hauling and landfilling in our municipalities.
Cost: Members $10; Non-Members $20
Registration is required; contact Wendy at 610-371-5850 x223 or wendy.koller@readingpublicmuseum.org
Girl Scout Day - March 8, 2014
Brownie Painting – 12:00-2:00 p.m.
Visit our art galleries, make a mural with other scouts and learn how to paint a still life! You will earn your Painting Try-It (not included) in this art-filled day.
Junior Drawing – 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Explore our “Works on Paper Gallery” then learn to draw using a variety of mediums and techniques. You will earn your Drawing Badge (not included) in this art-filled day.
Each workshop is $12/scout, $6/adult.
Registration is required; contact Jaq at 610-371-5850 x227 or j.accetta@readingpublicmuseum.org by March 3.
Cub Scout Day - March 22, 2014
Weather Workshop – 12:00-2:00 p.m.
The weather might not be great outside, but inside we will be having lots of fun! Earn your Weather Belt Loop and Academics Pin (not included) as you build your own rain gauge, make a weather vane to take home, and more!
Geology Workshop – 3:00-5:00 p.m.
Play a part in the rock cycle, learn how to test for hardness, and more as you earn your Geology Belt Loop and Academics Pin (not included). Plus tour our extensive rock, mineral and fossil collections!
Each workshop is $12/scout, $6/adult.
Registration is required; contact Jaq at 610-371-5850 x227 or j.accetta@readingpublicmuseum.org
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)