Do-gooder Is Not a Positive Term

*Do-gooder Is Not a Positive Term
By Maeve Maddox

A reader questions the positive use of the epithet do-gooder:

"One use of the language that disturbs me is the use by my local paper of the term “Do-gooder” [to refer] to people who are indeed doing good deeds by helping or contributing. However the only definitions I have seen for the term appear to refer to those who are trying to do good, but do so in unrealistic or wrong means. I feel the current use is not considering the older, perhaps archaic, usage."

The OED does list one example of the noun Do-Good to mean “a person who does good,” but the only citation given is dated 1654 and the usage is labeled obsolete. In subsequent usage, the nouns do-good and do-gooder have not been intended as compliments.

These OED examples from the 1920s reflect the pejorative usage:

"1923 There is nothing the matter with the United States except…the parlor socialists, up-lifters, and do-goods."

"1925  He could not stand them—no decently constituted American can—nor the uplifters and do-gooders who rule us to-day."

The Web offers numerous examples of do-gooder in headlines that introduce stories that make it clear that the term is meant in a positive sense:

Ebola-stricken doc described as driven do-gooder

Africa [has become] the hottest continent for A-list do-gooders like Bono and Brangelina.

Salvation Army honors Mon Valley do-gooders

Brooklyn Do Gooder Awards to honor community service

The misuse of do-gooder to mean “one who does genuine good” may have gone too far to reverse. If that’s the case, it’s unfortunate.

We need a word that describes a person who acts according to his own idea of what doing good is without considering the consequences that might affect the recipients of the supposed good.

For example, a corporation or celebrity might think that giving free shoes and free shirts to every person in a poor village is an excellent way to do good, whereas in reality the act would create worse poverty for the village cobblers, weavers, tailors, and seamstresses.

English has other words to describe a person who tries to improve the lives of others. Philanthropist is an obvious choice, but many speakers might share the difficulty of the Wizard of Oz when he tries to use the word:

Back where I come from there are men who do nothing all day but good deeds. They are called phila…er, phila…er, yes, er, Good Deed Doers.

Ruling out philanthropist as too difficult to pronounce, we still have benefactor, humanitarian, altruist, and social reformer. And, perhaps, “Good Deed Doer.”

*http://www.dailywritingtips.com/do-gooder-is-not-a-positive-term/

Library Humor

Scheduled Classes for Computers

11 a.m. - 12 p.m. Reserved—Gibson
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: Ms. Lynn Gibson COM018 (20) Finding books presented by Ms. Kim Stahler.

Word of the Day

pyrophoric
 \ pahy-ruh-FAWR-ik, -FOR- \, adjective;  
1.Chemistry . capable of igniting spontaneously in air.

Quotes:
Plutonium is highly reactive and pyrophoric . The ceramic crucibles are also inert and nonreactive.
-- Tom Clancy, "The Sum of All Fears," 1991

And since " pyrophoric " just means "inflames on contact with air" it is highly misleading to tell librarians that it isn't pyrophoric  in a vacuum.
-- Nicholson Baker, "Double Fold," 2001

Origin:
Pyrophoric  entered English in the late 1700s from the Greek root pyrophóros  meaning "fire-bearing."

Dictionary.com

Library Quote

"The part of my education that has had the deepest influence wasn't any particular essay or even a specific class, it was how I was able to apply everything I learned in the library to certain situations in my life. . . The library takes me away from my everyday life and allows me to see other places and learn to understand other people unlike myself."

Gloria Estefan
Musician

Scheduled Classes for Computers

12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. Reserved - Dr. Mogford
Where: Yocum instruction area
Description: Topic: COM 131/132 -- Using literature databases Instructor: Dr.
Mogford for Course Name: Theatre 120 (10) presented by Ms. Brenna Corbit.


3:30 p.m. - 4:50 p.m. Reserved--Ms. Greene
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: Ms. Jodi Greene ORI102 (20) Intro. to Library presented by Ms. Patricia
Nouhra.

National Wear Red Day - February 6, 2015

1 in 3 women die of heart disease and stroke each year. Celebrate National Wear Red Day with Go Red For Women on Friday, Feb. 6, 2015 to help save women’s lives. 

Tomorrow is National Wear Red Day. Show your support for the awareness of heart disease.

National Wear Red Day is a day in February when many people wear red to show their support for the awareness of heart disease.

It occurs in America on the first Friday in February each year, where people wear red.

The Heart Truth—is a national awareness campaign for women about heart disease sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Designed to warn women of their #1 health threat, The Heart Truth created and introduced the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness in 2002 to deliver an urgent wakeup call to American women.

Word of the Day

stour
 \ stoor \  , noun;  
1.British Dialect . a. tumult; confusion. b. a storm.
2.British Dialect . blowing dust or a deposit of dust.
3.Archaic . armed combat; battle.
4.British Dialect . a time of tumult.

Quotes:
Then there began a great stour , and much people was slain; and ever Sir Lancelot did what he might to save the people on King Arthur's party…
-- Sir Thomas Malory, "Le Morte d'Arthur ," 1485

Better one hour's stour  than a year's peace…
-- Ezra Pound, "Sestina: Altaforte," The English Review , 1909

Origin:
Stour  stems from the Old French word estour  which means "battle."


Dictionary.com

The Quotable Book Lover

*"I find television very educational. Every time someone turns it on, I go in the other room and read a book."

Groucho Marx (1895-1977)

*The Quotable Book Lover, edited by Ben Jacobs & Helena Hjalmarsson

Starting Your Family History

*Starting Your Family History
Step 1: Do your “home” work.

On your mark …
In most cases, you will need to know some background information about your family before you go to a library or archives or before you log in to an online genealogy database. The very best way to begin a successful genealogy project is to gather information that you already know about your family, or can find out by talking to relatives and looking at sources that you have in your home. These might include birth and death certificates, obituaries and other newspaper clippings, family Bibles, letters, diaries, the backs of photographs, yearbooks and diplomas or any other family papers. Older relatives often can give you information about previous generations that you may not know.

Step 2: Organize your facts.
Get set …
When you visit a library, it is helpful to have your starting information organized on a standard genealogy chart. This helps the librarian know at a glance where you should begin to look for more information, and also will help you keep track of the data you collect. Pedigree and family group charts are the most common types of worksheets used by genealogists. Many varieties of charts are freely available on the web.  A good set can be found at the following PBS site:  www.byub.org/ancestors/charts/. The most important information to gather when you are beginning your search are the names of direct ancestors, including the maiden names of women, and dates and places of birth, marriage and death. Other helpful information would include the places your ancestral families lived and the names of collateral family members, such as the siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles of your ancestors, and religious affiliation and military service.

Step 3: Continue your research.
Go!
Visiting a library’s website before making a physical visit is helpful. Even the most comprehensive genealogy collections do not have everything; it still is necessary to visit courthouses, county libraries and other facilities for records that are not available elsewhere. Library websites often have a collection description so that you can determine whether the records you seek are likely to be there. You also may have access to the library’s catalog and be able to create a list of books or microfilms that you would like to consult. Create a research plan with specific ideas about information you would like to find during your visit: “I want to find out when my great-grandfather John Jones died,” for example, rather than “I want to know everything about my Jones family.”

When using online sources, especially large subscription websites, the information you have gathered from home sources will allow you to create detailed searches in specific databases. This is likely to generate more meaningful results than a simple name search with no date or place specifics. Your background information also will help you distinguish between individuals of the same name.

It’s the adventure of a lifetime!

 *http://www.genealogycenter.org/Pathfinders/GettingStarted.aspx

Please check out the Genealogy Resourses in The Yocum Library Online Databases: History and Genealogy.
 http://www.racc.edu/Yocum/onlineDatabases/history.aspx

Black History Facts - Black History - HISTORY.com

*Black History Month honors the contributions of African Americans to United States history. Did you know that Madam CJ Walker was America’s first self-made woman to become a millionaire or that George Washington Carver was able to derive nearly 300 products from peanuts? Get the story of the creation of the NAACP, famous firsts in African American history and other black history facts.

Black History Month began as “Negro History Week,” which was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

On February 12, 2009, the NAACP marked its 100th anniversary. Spurred by growing racial violence in the early twentieth century, and particularly by race riots in Springfield Illinois in 1908, a group of African American leaders joined together to form a new permanent civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). February 12, 1909 was chosen because it was the centennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.

Jack Johnson became the first African-American man to hold the World Heavyweight Champion boxing title in 1908. He held on to the belt until 1915.

John Mercer Langston was the first black man to become a lawyer in Ohio when he passed the Bar in 1854. When he was elected to the post of Town Clerk for Brownhelm, Ohio in 1855 Langston became one of the first African Americans ever elected to public office in America. John Mercer Langston was also the great-uncle of Langston Hughes, famed poet of the Harlem Renaissance.

Thurgood Marshall was the first African American ever appointed to the United States Supreme Court. He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and served on the Supreme Court from 1967 to 1991.

George Washington Carver developed 300 derivative products from peanuts among them cheese, milk, coffee, flour, ink, dyes, plastics, wood stains, soap, linoleum, medicinal oils and cosmetics.

Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American ever elected to the United States Senate. He represented the state of Mississippi from February 1870 to March 1871.

Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to the House of Representatives. She was elected in 1968 and represented the state of New York. She broke ground again four years later in 1972 when she was the first major party African-American candidate and the first female candidate for president of the United States.
The black population of the United States in 1870 was 4.8 million; in 2007, the number of black residents of the United States, including those of more than one race, was 40.7 million.

In 1940, Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American performer to win an Academy Award (the film industry`s highest honor) for her portrayal of a loyal slave governess in Gone With the Wind.

In 1992, Dr. Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to go into space aboard the space shuttle Endeavor. During her 8-day mission she worked with U.S. and Japanese researchers, and was a co-investigator on a bone cell experiment.

* http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-facts

Word of the Day

afflated
 \ uh-FLEY-tid \, adjective;  
1.
having inspiration; inspired.
Definition of afflated| See synonyms| Comment on today's word| Suggest tomorrow's word

Quotes:
Regimental pride had taken them unawares and quite afflated  them.
-- Evelyn Waugh, "Men at Arms ," 1952

This afflated  reflection has stirred the hearts and minds of American Superheroes from General George Washington right down to the current Incarnation, who is much given to visions of God working His wondrous will through the invention of America.
-- Robert Coover, "The Public Burning ," 1977

Origin:
Afflated  comes from the now-obsolete verb afflate  which means "to inspire."

Dictionary.com

Scheduled Classes for Computers

9:30 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. Reserved—Mr. Walentis Where: Yocum Instruction Area Description: Mr. Al Walentis COM121 (20) Using ProQuest databases presented by Ms. Kim Stahler. 6 p.m. - 7:20 p.m. Reserved—Mr. Walentis Where: Yocum Instruction Area Description: Mr. Al Walentis COM121 (20) Using ProQuest databases presented by Ms. Patricia Nouhra.

Scheduled Classes for Computers

9:30 a.m. - 10:50 a.m. Reserved—Ms. Corbett
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: Ms. Jodi Corbett COM152 Homors Speech (10) NO INSTRUCTION; reserve 12 computers in instruction area.

Word of the Day

glut
 \ gluht \, noun;  
1.an excessive supply or amount; surfeit.
2.a full supply.
3.an act of glutting or the state of being glutted.
verb:
1.to feed or fill to satiety; sate: to glut the appetite .
2.to feed or fill to excess; cloy.
3.to flood (the market) with a particular item or service so that the supply greatly exceeds the demand.
4.to choke up: to glut a channel .
5.to eat to satiety or to excess.

Quotes:
Somehow, among the glut  of social networks that emerged in the mid-2000s, Twitter survived Fail Whales, corporate back-stabbings and attempted buyouts by Yahoo, Facebook and Al Gore to become one of the biggest websites on the Internet, with 230 million monthly active users.
-- Victor Luckerson, "The 7 Most Important Moments in Twitter History," Time , November 07, 2013

It had been named after him in a glut  of enthusiasm for the town's independence following the Revolutionary War.
-- John Irving, The World According to Garp , 1978

Origin:
Glut  is a back formation of the word glutton  referring to "a person who eats and drinks excessively or voraciously."

Dictionary.com

Hack, Hacker and Hacking

*Hack, Hacker and Hacking
By Maeve Maddox

A reader is puzzled by a new permutation of the word hack:

The word “hack”, until recently, meant to break into someone’s Internet account or system. Now I see it meaning “tips” or “suggestions”.  Am I correct?

Like this reader, the only meaning that hack held for me in regard to computers was as a verb meaning “to illegally enter a computer system.” I too was surprised to come across headlines like the following:

100 Life Hacks That Make Life Easier

23 Inventive Hacks That Every Parent Should Know

Millennials Are Ditching Delivery for This Dinner Hack

Best Travel Hacks

17 Thanksgiving Hacks For The Best Meal Of Your Life

How did hack go from “illegal computer activity” to “a tip for making things easier to do”?

Looking a little further, I find that hack and hacking to connote only malicious unauthorized access to computer files may reflect general usage, but not that of programmers who are proud to be known as “hackers.”

The OED has ten entries for the word hack: five as a noun, four as a verb, and one as a combining form.

The verb hack in the sense of “to cut with heavy blows” has been in the language since the early 13th century, but the use of hack in the context of computer programming dates from the 1970s.

Note: Hack in the sense of “to cope with” dates from 1955: “I can’t hack all this extra work.”

The etymology of the computer term hack is not certain. According to one theory, it derives from the noun hack used as tech slang for “one who works like a hack at writing and experimenting with software, one who enjoys computer programming for its own sake.” (OnlineEtymologyDictionary).

The noun hacker does not carry a connotation of illegal activity in the following OED citations from 1976:

The compulsive programmer, or hacker as he calls himself, is usually a superb technician.

The compulsive programmer spends all the time he can working on one of his big projects. ‘Working’ is not the word he uses; he calls what he does ‘hacking’.

The earliest citation that associates the word hacking with illegal activity is dated 1983:

Hacking, as the practice of gaining illegal or unauthorized access to other people’s computers is called.

Because hack, hacker, and hacking have such varied connotations, writers should consider the intended audience when using them.

In the programming community, hacker and hacking are good things, or at least neutral. Using an adjective to describe the bad kind might be useful when writing for programmers, for example, “malicious hacking” or “illegal hacking.”

As for the noun hack meaning “tip,” “suggestion,” or “work-around,” I expect the usage will become embedded in computer-speak.

The trendy use of hack in the context of cooking, parenting, and other non-computer-related fields, however, will probably eventually revert to tip or suggestion.

*http://www.dailywritingtips.com/hack-hacker-and-hacking/

Library Humor

Scheduled Classes for Computers

7:30 p.m. - 8:50 p.m. Reserved--Mr. Uhrich
Where: Yocum Instruction Area
Description: Mr. William Uhrich COM121 (20) Using Proquest Central presented by Ms. Patricia Nouhra.

Groundhog Day

Groundhog Day  is a day celebrated on February 2. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, then spring will come early; if it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and the winter weather will persist for six more weeks.

Word of the Day

boustrophedon \boo-struh-FEED-n\,
noun:an ancient method of writing in which the lines run alternately from right to left and from left to right.

This, they call the boustrophedon form because it mimics the back-and-forth pacing of an ox tied to a tether.
-- Chuck Palahniuk, "Lullaby"

Elsa suddenly recalls a word from the recesses of her memory: boustrophedon, scripts written in alternating directions.
-- Jennifer Vanderbes, "Easter Island"

This ancient form of writing is named for an ancient form of farming and literally translates as "to turn like an ox while plowing." Derived from the Greek boûs for "ox," and strophē meaning "to turn," boustrophedon describes a snake-like motion in which a line of text doubles back on itself as it descends a page.

Dictionary.com Word of the Day