Food for Every Holiday

Just about everyone is familiar with the traditional foods associated with some of the big holidays. For instance, we all know that turkey is on most people’s tables at Thanksgiving, and you can’t escape the smell of barbecue on the Fourth of July. But what about those holidays you don’t usually associate with food, like Presidents Day or Columbus Day? It turns out that there are traditional dishes for these occasions and many more. Some of the foods on these menus are everyday foods that you can prepare in honor of the day; others are foods that you may have never heard of before.

To observe Lincoln’s birthday in February, you could make a dish called burgoo, an assortment of whatever meats and veggies are available. Now, the old recipes from frontier times call for bear meat and squirrel. Thankfully, modern recipes substitute beef, veal, and chicken. What a relief! I can’t imagine risking my life to add bear meat to my meal, and I don’t think I could ever kill a cute little squirrel unless I really had no other choice. Other foods used to celebrate Lincoln’s birthday include cornbread, brown sugar pie, anchovy toast, and pineapple pudding.

Another meal for February is “The Hunt Breakfast”, which can be whipped up to observe Washington’s birthday. This one is definitely not one of those small, simple breakfasts. I guess you wouldn’t have to include everything in the recipe, but here’s what the traditional meal includes: one or two types of game bird, a ham, fish, biscuits, grits, two or three sweets, sausage, apple rings, herbed eggs, chicken orange puff, orange sauces, light wings, butter, honey, and coffee. What a feast!

Everyone associates Saint Patrick’s Day with the color green and clovers, but what about fish chowder? Maybe you should. It’s one of the foods you could serve for St. Paddy’s Day. Why chowder? Tradition holds that Marching Societies made a practice of serving the dish to parade participants because it’s a filling and tasty way to help keep participants warm. Other Saint Patrick’s Day foods include Indian pudding, baked beans, oatmeal bread, Irish stew (consisting of lamb shoulder, potatoes, sliced onions, carrots, turnips and green veggies), and jellied Irish coffee.

Finally, we arrive at Columbus Day. Many Italian, Spanish, and West Indian dishes can be used to celebrate this day. They include eggplant casserole, pasta sauce of chicken livers and pepperoni, chicken with pineapple, rum salad dressing, chicken banana soup, and fish fillets with peanuts.

If you’re one of those people who likes cooking for special occasions, you can add these holidays to your culinary calendar. Even if you aren’t planning to cook anything special for St. Patrick’s Day or Columbus Day, these foods seem like a good way to add some variety to your menus on any day of the year.

Source: Huntley, Suzanne. The Year-Round Holiday Cookbook. New York: Atheneum, 1969.

Go Ask Beatrice Sparks.

One of the new books I mentioned last week was Literary Hoaxes: An Eye-Opening History of Famous Frauds by Melissa Katsoulis. After browsing this book, I can only hope that the next time I watch Jeopardy!, there is a category on this subject.

I can’t tell you how disappointed I am to hear that officially, Go Ask Alice is a hoax. I heard it might be, but never pursued it because I wanted to believe that a teenager who quickly goes from innocent girl to crack-addict had the time and wherewithal to keep a diary during her journey. (I did think it was odd that she was homeless and hitchhiking around California, but always had her trusty diary with her.) The work is not, in fact, the work of a devoted, drug-addled diarist hopped up speed, but instead the work of Beatrice Sparks, a Mormon housewife who wrote it as a cautionary tale.

Sparks’s undoing was claiming that she threw away the original manuscript after she transcribed it, as well as going to write other fake-o diaries, including one that was Satan-themed. Oh, Beatrice! You should’ve quit while you were ahead.

Another story I found intriguing is that of rivaling biographers of the poet John Betjeman. Upon completing his manuscript, Biographer A heard that Biographer B intended to write a biography of the poet. Biographer A knew that Biographer B would be relying heavily upon previous biographies and would be eager for new information. So naturally, Biographer A fabricated a letter to Betjeman from a secret lover, which Biographer B believed and published in his work.

This is my favorite part: Biographer A bought a copy of the book and then, discovering the letter reprinted in its entirety, he rejoiced: “Passers-by might have mistaken the jig-dancing, air-punching gentleman in the street for a lunatic, or a drunk waiting anxiously for the nearby Wykeham Arms to open. But for [Biographer A] this was the greatest trick he had ever played in his life” (323). Bonus points for making the first letters of each sentence in the fake letter spell out something unsavory about Biographer B.

Other well-known hoaxes are included, of course, like James Frey or J.T. LeRoy, but I particular liked the stories I’d never heard before. This book is a great little read if you like big fat liars. In other words, I highly recommend it!

Katsoulis, Melissa. Literary Hoaxes: An Eye-Opening History of Famous Frauds. Skyhorse Publishing, 2009.

Humpty Dumpty Had an Argument About Nouns.

This afternoon we had a Meebo patron who was trying to settle an argument with her boyfriend over a question they saw on the quiz show "Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?" The question asked how many common nouns are in the nursery rhyme about Humpty Dumpty.

Let's see:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the king's horses and
All the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again.

Wall, fall, king, horses, men. That's five. While the patron didn't say what side of the argument she was on, our guess is that the use of "fall" as a noun here (and not a verb) was what started the argument. (If the rhyme was "Humpty Dumpty was having a ball / But Humpty Dumpty was going to fall," fall would be a verb.)

Meebo patron, I hope this settles it! If you have any other game show disputes, please let us know!

William, Jane, And John Must Be Separated!

This blog post originally appeared 3/10/2008.

While Elisabeth was waiting for her oatmeal to cook the other morning, she was wandering the stacks and came upon an interesting book called Virgins: Reluctant, Dubious, & Avowed. It has proven to be fascinating and covers all aspects of chastity, celibacy, and prudery. Speaking of prudery, check out this passage from a Scotswoman's 1877 diary:

"It is a rule that on our library shelves the books written by authors and authoresses must be kept apart. Lady novelists must be strictly separated from the gentlemen writers so Mamma was extremely annoyed that Emily had put them back on the wrong shelves after dusting. She sacked the girl without more ado. 'Look what you've done! You've placed Miss Jane Austen between Mr. William Shakespeare and Mr. John Milton. Go pack your bag this minute and leave this house immediately.'"

While quaint, I don't think we'll adopt this method of shelving here at MLC.

Segal, Muriel. Virgins: Reluctant, Dubious, & Avowed. Macmillan, 1977. 142-143.

Teacher Salaries

A meebo patron needed to compare Mississippi teacher salaries to the national average. So he/she smartly contacted the Mississippi Library Commission.
Here are the numbers.

The average teacher salary in Mississippi is $41,215. This figure comes from the 2010 Superintendent's Annual Report. Nationally, teachers are averaging $54,319. This figure comes from the National Education Assiocation.

I hope this helps!

The Origin of the Doughnut, Among Other Things.

As our new books ordered in May get cataloged and processed, our shelves get filled with fantastic new treasures! Three that I plucked off the shelf this morning are Bubble Gum and Hula Hoops: The Origins of Objects in our Everyday Lives, Literary Hoaxes: An Eye-Opening History of Famous Frauds, and Reflections/Refractions: Self-Portraiture in the Twentieth Century.



Bubble Gum and Hula Hoops has not only an adorable cover, but is filled with tidbits about how things came about. While the author, Harry Oliver, lists no sources (I hate that!), there are still some interesting facts that could be verified with a little additional research.

• Because I love doughnuts—and it is a personal belief that you shouldn’t trust people who don’t like doughnuts—I was delighted to read about the doughnut’s origin. While fried dough is in most cultures (see also: beignets, sopapillas, etc), the hole in the middle allegedly came about in this manner:

“The claim is that, in 1846, Captain Hanson Gregory, the son of a baker, set sail with a hearty supply of his mother’s treats. Halfway through the journey the crew came up against an aggressive storm....In order to have both hands free to control the vessel, he impaled a doughnut on to a spoke of the ship’s wheel, piercing it with a large hold through the center” (89). Gregory later told his mother what happened, and she started punching holes in the center before cooking, which led to uniform cooking and an easy way to hold the doughnuts while eating.

• Leo Gertstenzang invented the cotton swab in 1925 after “he observed his wife cleaning their baby’s ear with a toothpick with cotton wrapped around one end of it” (110). This gave me the heebies, especially because now, cotton swabs are not even recommended for ear cleaning. Go ahead: visit the Q-tip website and find the place where it mentions sticking them in your ear. Good thing Leo changed the name to Q-tips; they were originally called Baby Gays.

• Ancient lipstick ingredients included finely crushed semiprecious stones, algae plant matter, crushed beetles, and silvery fish scales (113). Ew.

• Josephine Cochrane invented the dishwasher and filed a patent for her invention, but her husband didn’t want to help her financially with the necessary changes and upgrades her invention needed. So Josephine waited until he died (and became a wealthy widow) and then produced the beloved appliance (28).

• Chemist T.L. Williams mixed coal dust and Vaseline to apply to his sister Mabel’s eyelashes. Allegedly, this improved look allowed Mabel to win her man over (see, this is where I’d like a source) and Williams called his creation Maybelline (get it? Mabel + Vaseline!) (114).

Sources or no, this is a cute book made for browsing, but not recommended for answering reference questions.

Oliver, Harry. Bubble Gum and Hula Hoops: The Origins of Objects in our Everyday Lives. Penguin, 2007.

The Gall Of Those Skeeters!

I'm sure you've all noticed by now that we have a serious case of logophilia running rampant in the Reference Department. The newest fan to the flame? Barrelhouse Words by Stephen Calt is serious word fun. Every word or expression in this unique dictionary can be found in at least one old Blues song. A barrelhouse, for example, was an "all-purpose tavern, gambling den, dance hall, and brothel" (p 12-13). (Don't they still have those in Las Vegas?) Calt was even smart enough to provide the original couplet with each entry. I especially enjoyed these three:

• I would say gallnippers, them gallnippers bite too hard
  I sat back in my kitchen, and just sprayed it up in my back yard.-Blind Lemon Jefferson, "Mosquito Moan," 1929
  A gallnipper is a Southern term for a large variety of mosquito. (p 98)
• Pour me out some white mule, pour me out some sandy rye
  I don't want no bug juice, that ol' stuff is too darn high.
  -Barbeque Bob, "Blind Pig Blues," 1928
  White mule is a 1920s term for bootleg whiskey, corn liquor (also called "mule"), or any other colorless whiskey, the comparison to a mule stemming from its kick. (p 266)
• Way down South you oughta see the women Shimmy and shake
  Got a new way a-wiggle, make a weak man break his neck.
  -Blind Lemon Jefferson, "Southern Woman Blues," 1928
  To break one's neck means to marry in Southern slang. (p 36)

Those gall nippers have been awfully busy this summer!

Calt, Stephen. Barrelhouse Words: A Blues Dialect Dictionary. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois, 2009.

Don't Be Didine!

This blog post originally appeared 2/28/2008.

We all know that "canine" means dog and "feline" means cat, but did you know the rest of these animal adjectives?


Ant: myrmicine
Armadillo: dasypodid
Crocodile: eusuchian
Dodo: didine
Duck: anatine
Duck-billed platypus: monotremal
Flea: pulicine
Flamingo: phoenicopterous
Goat: caprine
Goose: anserine
Louse: pedicular
Mite, tick: acarian

I am going to have to try hard to manage to work in some of these into my everyday vocabulary. Let's see:

He took a phoenicopterous stance while playing hopscotch.
Don't be didine! Of course I love this blog.
That is the lowest, most pedicular thing you have ever done.

Feel free to leave your own adjective-filled comments if you get the urge.

Source: Schott's Almanac 2008 Page-a-Day calendar; Thursday, February 28.

Calling All Choppers And Spuds

This blog post originally appeared 2/12/2008.

Because I am a fan of the excellent Schott’s Miscellany series – Schott’s Original Miscellany, Schott’s Food and Drink Miscellany, etc – I bought the Schott’s Almanac Page-a-Day calendar this year. It is a treasure trove of my favorite kind of nuggets: funny and random.


Last Saturday’s page deals with the British armed forces’ tendency to give automatic nicknames to people with certain surnames. Like so:

Surname: Austen
Nickname: Bunny

Surname: Clarke
Nickname: Nobby

Surname: Harris
Nickname: Chopper

Surname: Miller
Nickname: Dusty

Surname: Murphy
Nickname: Spud

Surname: Payne
Nickname: Whacker

Surname: Short
Nickname: Jumper

Surname: Smith
Nickname: Smudger

Surname: White
Nickname: Chalky

Surname: Young
Nickname: Brigham

Sadly, none of the reference staff’s surnames are on this list, although I do know several Chalkys and Spuds. I really shouldn’t talk; my grandmother was a Smudger.

Canadian Inheritance from Meebo Patron.

Dear Meebo Patron,

Thanks for your question about Canadian inheritance taxes. From your note, I wasn't sure if you were asking from the perspective of someone in the U.S. or Canada, but nevertheless, Canada's inheritance tax was repealed in 1972. Estates are treated as sales and taxes owed are paid by the estate, not the beneficiaries.

However, because we are not attorneys, I recommend that you contact the Canada Revenue Agency's International Tax Services Office at 1-800-267-5177 or find a lawyer in your area specializing in estate planning (you can do this through a Google search: "estate planning and your city, your state," but I recommend following the Mississippi Bar's recommendations on finding a lawyer as well).

I hope this helps! Please let us know if you need anything else, and thanks again for your question!

A Golden Treasury

I’m still weeding, and perhaps it’s fate that I ended up with the section of the collection that houses the cookbooks. You see, I’m not much of a cook (although I’m working on it), but I do know that good recipes can be hard to find. The usual weeding logic is difficult to apply when it comes to cookbooks. Recipes can be treasures, and sometimes the older ones can be the best ones!


I think it’s with this notion in mind that Better Homes and Gardens decided to create the Golden Treasury of Cooking. Yes, the book is literally “golden”, with the front and back covers wrapped in gold-colored leather. And it’s also definitely a treasury. The book presents five decades’ worth of great recipes from the 1930s to the 1970s. One of the things that increases this book’s value is that Better Homes and Gardens updated the recipes for modern kitchens and appliances and tested them to make sure everything still turned out all right afterward. Granted, “modern” in the context of this book is the 1970s, but as far as I can tell, the kitchen of the 1970s isn’t that different from most kitchens today … right? Anyway, my bet is that you can try these recipes in your own kitchen and that they’ll turn out fine.

Another cool thing about this book is that it profiles American life during each of the decades covered, emphasizing culinary trends of the eras.

• In the 1930s, homemade ice cream became a big trend in kitchens across America because the “mechanical icebox”, or refrigerator, began to see widespread use.
• The trends of the 1940s were heavily influenced by World War II for the first half of the decade. With rationing and shortages, people had to make the most of what they had. One example is the rise in home canning to preserve vegetables and fruits from their victory gardens.
• The 1950s brought peace and prosperity to America, and people indulged in foods that hadn’t been readily available during the war, such as rich desserts and certain types of meat. Barbecuing became more popular, as did pancake houses and burger joints.
• The 1960s was a time of experimentation, and food was no exception. Foreign foods rose in popularity, and cooks began to try new foods, recipes, and seasonings. “Gourmet” became a culinary buzzword, and fondue became a popular way to serve and entertain guests.
• By the 1970s, convenience was key when it came to food preparation. People still enjoyed a good home cooked meal, but they also wanted more time for leisure activities, so they turned to foods that could be prepared in a minimal amount of time. Microwave cooking became a hit. At the same time, there was a growing interest in special interest foods and natural foods.

The book is packed with great historical nuggets in addition to the ones I’ve mentioned here and a ton of recipes. As far as the weeding goes, the Golden Treasury of Cooking is a keeper!

Source: Better Homes and Gardens Golden Treasury of Cooking. USA: Meredith Corporation, 1973.

Monkeying Around on MAGNOLIA

While browsing MAGNOLIA to help answer a reference question, I found an article from Social Justice Research by Sarah F. Brosnan titled “Nonhuman Species’ Reactions to Inequity and their Implications for Fairness.” In the article Brosnan attempts to discover if chimpanzees recognize the inherent unfairness in receiving unequal payment for equal work. To get a response, subject monkeys were rewarded a token after they completed a chore. The monkeys then used the token to obtain their reward. Some monkeys were given cucumbers, which they like, while other monkeys were given grapes, which they love. The experiment shows that the monkeys were happy with cucumbers until they noticed their friends were getting grapes for the same work. This picture shows one monkey's reaction upon receiving cucumbers.
















Brosnan argues that by studying animal reactions to inequality we can better understand the evolution of cooperative interactions among humans. This makes sense to me so I’m inclined to agree with her. But, this article mostly made me think about two things. First, messing with monkeys is funny. Look at that picture; that monkey really wants his grape! I think it’s important to note here that the monkey is not being hurt; rather the monkey is just being irritated. I don’t know why the idea of irritating monkeys makes me laugh, but it does. I mean, every time I look at that picture I laugh.

Secondly, this article reminds me that America is the greatest country on earth. Isn’t it amazing that some of the smartest people in America get paid to think of ways to tick off monkeys? I’m sure the experiment can help us understand how humans evolved into communal animals or whatever, but, in the end, isn’t this experiment simply about cheating a monkey out of his hard earned grapes? Man, America rocks!



Brosnan, Sarah. 2006. "Nonhuman Species' Reactions to Inequity and their Implications for Fairness". Social Justice Research. 19 (2): 153-185.

Be Afraid... Be Very, Very Afraid

This post originally appeared 2/5/2008.

John Kenneth Muir, the author of Horror Films of the 1980s, insists in his introduction that art imitates life. So what in the world was happening in the libraries of this most decadent decade to garner attention in horror films? Well, I think Muir explains it best in Appendix A from his book:


The Library of Doom!


Many 1980s films feature scenes set at libraries. It makes sense: Often characters are faced with the necessity of research (The Changeling, Of Unknown Origin) and the library is simply the best place for that (at least pre-Internet). Some library scenes even involve rapes and murders (The Incubus), and frightening confrontations with the likes of Mr. Dark (Something Wicked This Way Comes).

The Changeling (1980)

The Beyond (1981)

Evilspeak (1982)

The Incubus (1982)

Of Unknown Origin (1983)

Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)

Witchboard (1986)

The Unnamable (1988)

I, Madman (1989)
Watch them if you dare! And SHHHHHHHHHH!

Muir, John Kenneth. Horror Films of the 1980s. McFarland, 2007: 790.

Goooooooal!

Are you suffering from World Cup soccer withdrawal yet? If so, here's one last tantalizing taste. (If not, what, are you made of stone?!) I think you would have to be after seeing this goal at the 1:35 mark.

After that down-to-the-wire goal (It truly was a magnificent goal! They were about to move to a shootout, of which I am not a fan!), I wanted to see a list of the tally of winners over the years. I always need to see things in writing; I guess I process information better that way. I visited the FIFA World Cup Archive page and dug up this:

5 wins   Brazil
4 wins   Italy
3 wins   Germany
2 wins   Argentina
2 wins   Uruguay
1 win   England
1 win   France
1 win   Spain

Am I the only one that didn't know that Uruguay had won two and that the very first World Cup was held in Montevideo? Or did the rest of you also fall victim to the downfall of watching soccer on a big screen with no sound? Be sure to poke around some more on the FIFA site. You can see footage from old World Cup games, photos, and just about any nitpicky statistic you could dream up.

Maybe if I scour the site often enough, I'll understand all the rules by the time Brazil 2014 rolls around. You think?

Sports Fanatics

If you know anything about basketball, you know that last night LeBron James announced his intention to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and join the Miami Heat. After hearing the news many Clevelanders acted like they faced the apocalypse. Men wept like children, jerseys were burned, and buildings were vandalized. It was amazing to see how seriously some people take sports.

This morning, I came in and thought I would look on MAGNOLIA to see if I could dig up an article on the psychology of sports fans. Luckily, I found plenty of articles and they had some very specific titles. Here are two of my favorites: “Understanding College Sport Fans’ Experiences of and Attempts to Cope with Shame” and “The Effects of Team Identification and Game Outcome on Willingness to Consider Anonymous Acts of Hostile Aggression.” (Both of these are from The Journal of Sports Behavior)

The second article was particularly interesting because it offered a few sample questions. Subjects were asked to answer on a scale from 1 to 8; 1 representing “definitely would not” and 8 representing “definitely would.” Here are a few sample questions:

“If you could remain completely anonymous and there was no possibility of arrest or retaliation, would you…”
“Trip the star player of the rival team?”
“Trip the coach of the rival team?”
“Break the leg of the star player of the rival team?”
“Break the leg of the coach of the rival team?”
“Murder the star player of the rival team?”
“Murder the coach of the rival team?”

If you answered with an 8 on any of these questions I would recommend that you spend less time following sports and more time in the library looking for a meaningful hobby.

Wann, D. L., Z. Culver, R. Akanda, M. Daglar, C. De Divitiis, and A. Smith. 2005. "The Effects of Team Identification and Game Outcome on Willingness to Consider Anonymous Acts of Hostile Agression". Journal of Sports Behavior. 28: 282-294.

Bada Birthday Bing!

Today is my birthday. (No, you may not ask how old I am!) As a small way to commemorate the day, I thought I'd treat us to some random birthday nuggets.

• In Russia, birthday celebrators eat pie instead of cake. Can I just have a slice of both?
• Most common birthday in the United States? October 5. Least common? May 22.
• Birthdays in Ghana are commemorated with a ritual cleansing using a special leaf. (One that has been soaking in water overnight, no less!)
• The song "Happy Birthday to You" was written in 1893 by two sisters and was originally titled "Good Morning, Dear Teacher, Good Morning to You." I'll give you one try to guess their professions!
• During Colonial times, the birthday person received an extra spank not only for "One to grow on" but also for "One to live on, one to eat on, one to be happy on, and one to get married on!"
• In modern times, the Irish tip you over and touch your head to the ground. Thankfully, all of my Irish friends have left the country.
• Nine percent of birthday boys and girls have their special day in August.

"You Say It's Your Birthday?" Antiques and Collecting Magazine 114.8 (Oct 2009): 48-53. EBSCOhost 7 July 2010.

One More Farm--Much Closer Than the Others.

Dear Meebo Patron Asking About the Grass-Fed Beef Close to Jackson,

I found another farm for you: Livingston Springs Farm in Madison. They are also at the Mississippi Farmer's Market on High Street every Satruday if you'd like to visit with them.

Thanks again for your question!

How Do You Like Those Apples?

Today, a Meebo patron wanted to know if apples are grown or harvested in any southern states. Indeed they are! Apples are grown all over the U.S., and the South is no exception. A website called All About Apples lists apple orchards in nearly every state in the Union, and several are located in the southern region of the country. Here’s a list of cities and towns where you can find apple orchards in southern states:


Alabama
Athens, Hazel Green, Cullman

Arkansas
Greenbrier, Wynne, Conway, Clarksville, Dover, Omaha

Georgia
Ellijay, Locust Grove, Mount Airy, Lakemont, Alto, Blue Ridge, McCaysville, East Ellijay, Clarkesville, Demorest, Moultrie

Kentucky
Virgie, Maysville, Versailles, Bedford, Mt. Serling, Shelbyville, Nancy, Louisville, Hodgenville, Paris, Campbellsville, Central City, Clay, Bowling Green, Eddyville, Henderson, Allensville, Hopkinsville, Owensboro, Hudson, Paducah, Scottsville, Russellville, Big Clifty, Edmonton

Mississippi
Pontotoc, Rienzi, Liberty, Greenville

South Carolina
Long Creek, Mountain Rest, Inman

Tennessee
Sevierville, Pleasant Shade, Cleveland, Spencer, Cosby, Mount Juliet, Summertown, Signal Mountain, Buffalo Valley, Springfield, Union City, Rogersville, Arrington, Gallatin, Crossville, Adams, Dunlap, Russellville

Texas
Idalou, Pittsburg, Roanoke, Lometa, La Feria, Medina, Fredericksburg, Pollock, Mason, Carthage, Wichita Falls

Virginia
Arlington, Purcellville, Syria, Markham, Winchester, Flint Hill, Woodville, Amissville, Middletown, Stephens City, Cross Junction, Timberville, Bedford, Cana, Charlottesville, Crozet, Afton, Faber, Roseland, Pembroke, Lovingston, Tyro, Daleville, Duffield, Troutville, Monroe, Bent Mountain, Piney River, Chatham, Critz, Wytheville, Moseley, Oak Grove, Hampton

West Virginia
Kearneysville, Romney, Martinsburg, Gerrardstown, Harpers Ferry, Summit Point, Charles Town

And there you have it! If our Meebo patron or any of our other readers out there have any more questions about apples or where to find them, All About Apples is a great place to start. And as always, you can contact the MLC reference staff, and we’ll be happy to find out for you!

Source:  www.allaboutapples.com

Stop the Presses!

This morning a meebo patron asked how much those warranty cards that are often included with appliances cost. Pricing can fluctuate depending on weight or size of paper, color or black and white prints, and other details. But, for a quality estimate, I spoke to Jennifer, a wonderful representative from Printingforless.com. Here is the estimate I received:

1000 4.25x5.5 Postcards (4 color, none coating, 14 pt) gloss cover cards cost $126.00, with shipping.

Of course these prices could drop depending on quantity or if the company does in-house printing. The interesting question here is if consumers should fill out the warranty card at all.

Tom Hebrock, writing for twice.com, argues that many extended services- plans can benefit consumers. Hebrock explains, “A good service program, may, for example, cover damage from power surges or normal wear and tear.” However consumerreports.org warns customers to be cautious of companies using catchphrases offering “lifetime” warranties. They claim, ““Lifetime” can pertain to the life of the buyer, the usual life of a product, or the life of, say, a vehicle if the warranty is offered on a part.” The bottom line is that before you purchase any warranty, make sure to read the fine print.

Lastly, you can always call, meebo, or email the reference department at MLC if you have any questions about a warranty. We will do our best to answer any question you may have before your next big purchase.

Hebrock, Tom. “Consumer Advocates Misinformed on Extended-Service Plans.” Twice.com, September 28, 2001, http://www.twice.com/article/355572-Consumer_Advocates_Misinformed_On_Extended_Service_Plans.php (accessed July 6, 2010)
“A Lifetime Warranty Means…” Consumerreports.org, January 10, 2010, http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/january/shopping/lifetime-warranties/overview/lifetime-warranties-ov.htm (accessed July 6, 2010)