The Most Unromantic Valentine's Day Post You'll Ever Read

Valentine's Day is upon us! Unfortunately (or happily, for some), we don't all have a sweetheart with whom we can share the day. Here are some great nuggets that happened on February 14 that have absolutely nothing to do with love.

Frederick Douglass

• Frederick Douglass was born a slave in February of 1818. Once when he was a child, his mother called him her Valentine. He chose to celebrate his birthday on February 14 in honor of her memory. He became a staunch abolitionist and went on to edit a newspaper and to author many autobiographical works, such as A Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. That's about one of the sweetest things I've ever read, and I definitely felt myself becoming emotional as I read it. Romantic value? Oh, about a 0.

• Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest opened in London on February 14, 1895. Although there is an air of romance about the play, the sheer genius of Wilde's droll wit has always been what has impressed me. Some Oscar Wilde, with or without a date, is always rewarding.

• 

  Some of the results of
  the Dresden firebombing

  The eve of 1945's Valentine's Day and well into the morning of Love Day itself heralded the beginning of the firebombing of Dresden during World War II. Kurt Vonnegut's controversial novel Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death goes into some detail about the bombing. Nothing like a little firebombing to put you in an unromantic mood.
  
  
• On Valentine's Day 1974, Alexander Solzhenitsyn was charged with treason for his book The Gulag Archipelago. The book is a detailed examination of the gulag prison system in the now former Soviet Union. Treason, exile, and Siberian prison camps: three things that don't make me feel loving or lovable.
• P. G. Wodehouse, the author of the Jeeves and Wooster books (one word: hilarious) and various other books, short stories, and plays, had a heart attack and died February 14, 1975. Not the best Valentine's Day for his loving wife Ethel.

• 

  Salman Rushdie and
  The Satanic Verses

  On February 14, 1989 the Ayatollah Khomeini, the religious and political ruler of Iran, issued a fatwa asking for author Salman Rushdie's death. Rushdie's book, The Satanic Verses, caused much conflict in the world of Islam, and many Muslims agreed with Khomeni that the book attacked the Prophet Mohammed and the sacred book the Koran. Not in a loving mood at all, was he?
• There are at least two men to whom Valentine's Day is attributed; neither of them met a pretty end. Saint Valentine of Terni was tortured and beheaded, while Saint Valentine of Rome was merely beaten and beheaded. Either way, once you've lost your head, you're probably not thinking much about romance.

If you didn't see it last year be sure to check out our Valentine's Day tribute to loving names. The Reference Department at the Mississippi Library Commission hopes you have a happy and well-read February 14th.


"Frederick Douglass." Notable Black American Men, Book II. Ed. Jessie Carney Smith. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 14 Feb. 2013.
"P(elham) G(renville) Wodehouse." Contemporary Popular Writers. Ed. Dave Mote. Detroit: St. James Press, 1997. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 14 Feb. 2013. 
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fotothek_df_ps_0000086_001_Deformierter_Stahlgittermast_an_der_Eisenbahnstrecke_.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frederick_Douglass_c1860s.jpg
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/14/newsid_2541000/2541129.stm 
http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-valentine-of-rome/
http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-valentine-of-terni/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/1989/feb/15/salmanrushdie
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/feb/14/salman-rushdie-ayatollah-khomeini-fatwa
http://www.todayinliterature.com/stories.asp?Event_Date=2/14/1895

Milk Sickness

We recently received a question from a patron wanting to find out what type of weed killed Abraham Lincoln's mother. Seeing as today is Lincoln's birthday, we decided to share our findings with you! Abraham Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, died of "milk sickness," according to the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park. The root cause of milk sickness was from a plant called white snakeroot--a person is made ill by drinking the milk of a cow that has consumed this plant. The website mentions the disease "was most common in dry years when cattle wandered from poor pastureland to wooded areas in search of food." Nancy Hanks Lincoln died on October 5, 1818 when Lincoln was nine years old.

White Snakeroot

Anna Pierce, an Illinois doctor, is credited in the book Poisons and Antidotes by Carol Turkington with solving the mystery of milk sickness. The disease killed Anna's mother and sister-in-law, and sickened her father. After a series of observations she "campaigned to prevent drinking milk during the summer" (Turkington 310). A Shawnee woman explained to Anna that white snakeroot was used as a treatment by the Shawnee for snakebites, but it was also the cause of milk sickness (in humans) and trembles (in cows). Unfortunately, Anna tested out this theory on a calf which ended in the calf developing "trembles." Nothing more was mentioned about this calf's fate, but scientists were able to find out what made the plant so toxic to humans and livestock.Turkington writes, "In 1987, scientists discovered that the constituents of snakeroot are not in themselves toxic but are converted to toxic substances by the body's own metabolic processes" (310).
 
According to the book Wildflowers of the Natchez Trace by Stephen L. Timme and Caleb C. K. Timme, this plant can be found in the wooded areas of Tupelo, MS up to Nashville, TN. Their flowering dates are listed from April through May. While milk sickness is no longer an issue as it was in the 19th century, due to improvements in processing milk, it can still be deadly if consumed directly (which we don't recommend).


Image: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ageratina_altissima_White_snakeroot_8.27.2011.jpg
Turkington, Carol. Poisons and Antidotes. NewYork: Facts on File, Inc., 1994. Print
Timme, Stephen L. and Caleb C. K. Timme. Wildflowers of the Natchez Trace. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2000. Print
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace, National Historical Park Kentucky: http://www.nps.gov/abli/planyourvisit/milksickness.htm

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A patron put us to the test to see if we could locate any pictures or articles we could find in our microfilm collection about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Talk about a treasure hunt! We thought it would be great to share a few of the pictures we found with you!

 

"Advice For Living" was a monthly advice column in Ebony magazine from 1957-1958.

The King Center, located in Atlanta, GA, is the largest repository of primary material related to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. They have an online archive of documents available for browsing. For more glimpses into the life of this great civil rights leader check out the National Geographic Kids and Time photo galleries!

"Victim of Attack." 21 Sept. 1958: 40. Microfilm. The New York Times 1958 Sept 21-25.

“Advice For Living.” Nov. 1957.: 106. Microfilm. Ebony v.11-12, Nov 1955 – Oct. 1957 Reel 5.

[Picture with King Olev V] Associated Press 5 Apr. 1968: 25. Microfilm. The New York Times 1963 Apr 1-10B.

[Picture with Coretta Scott King] May 1968: 125. Microfilm. Ebony v.23, 7-12 May – Oct. 1968 No Index Reel 2 of 2.

Time: http://www.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1952031,00.html

National Geographic Kids: http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/kids/photos/gallery/martin-luther-king-jr/#/01-martin-king-010909_14065_600x450.jpg

The King Center: http://www.thekingcenter.org/archive 

 

Double Digit Days

I've been looking forward to writing "12-12-12" all month. I know this probably sends you running for your "Nerd Flags", but you have to admit that it's kind of fun! It turns out that I'm not the only one with a peculiar proclivity for double digits. Today (12-12-12!) is also the last Bonza Bottler Day of the year.

In Australian English, bonza means fantastic or terrific; bottler refers to something excellent. Back in 1985, Elaine Freemont from South Carolina decided that these special days provided the perfect opportunity to celebrate. Bonza Bottler Day has been commemorated ever since. The Bonza Bottler Day website has some terrific ideas for ways to share double number days with your friends, family, and community. Still not sure how you want to get in on the act? Make a stop at your local library and checkout double the books!

2012 Chase's Calendar of Events
http://www.bonzabottlerday.com/Home_Page.html

2012-2013 FALIS Directory

We have just received our hard copy of the Financial Assisitance for Library and Information Studies (FALIS) directory for the 2012-2013 academic year! This valuable resource is published annually by the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR) and aims to assist both current and potential LIS students in their search for financial assistance.

You can find the full directory online (FALIS Directory PDF), and guidance on ALA scholarship opportunities here:

http://www.ala.org/educationcareers/scholarships

In this directory, you will find financial assistance offered in the U.S. and Canada by:

• National, state, and provincial library associations, foundations, and agencies
• Academic institutions
• Local libraries

National and regional awards in the U.S. and Canada are listed in this directory as well. In order to ensure accurate, and complete information, ALA encourages granting bodies to submit updates when information changes. ALA also encourages current and potential LIS students to look for financial assistance offered through local groups, clubs, and unions that may not be listed in this directory. You may also check with your local library for general scholarship books and college directories.

Advancing, promoting, and supporting libraries and the library profession is one of great importance to ALA, and the Mississippi Library Commission. We would be more than happy to assist you in your research!

Well, Bless Your Drumsticks - It's Thanksgiving

As Americans, Thanksgiving is part of our soul. It's family, and friends, and food, but much more than that. Thanksgiving leaves a mark on us: it is at once unique to each family, but still universal enough to convey a feeling of warm nostalgia far away from the actual day and trappings of festivity. Some of our favorite authors are fond of Thanksgiving as well. Along with them, we wish you the happiest of Thanksgivings:

As our house was the largest and most conveniently located, it was traditional for these relatives to aim themselves our way every year at Thanksgiving; though there were seldom fewer than thirty celebrants, it was not an onerous chore, because we provided only the setting and an ample number of stuffed turkeys.

-Truman Capote, The Thanksgiving Visitor

Thanksgiving dinner was good. Pa had shot a wild goose for it. Ma had to stew the goose because there was no fireplace and no oven in the little stove. But she made dumplings in the gravy. There were corn dodgers and mashed potatoes. There were butter, and milk, and stewed, dried plums. And three grains of parched corn lay beside each tin plate.

-Laura Ingalls Wilder, On the Banks of Plum Creek

Thanksgiving was coming, and Aunt Fay cooked around the clock in every spare minute. Cooking and baking and grating and freezing. I did some of it in an apron that swept the floor.
I suppose she was cooking for the McKinneys too. She was making enough for thrashers, as people say around here: a twenty-two-pound turkey and four pies. But then she said she was taking a Thanksgiving dinner to Mrs. Vorhees too. "She don't have anybody to eat with."

-Richard Peck, Strays Like Us

"I long to see my boys together, and have begged the wanderers to come home to Thanksgiving, if not before," answered Mrs. Jo, beaming at the thought.
"They'll come, every man of them if they can. Even Jack will risk losing a dollar for the sake of one of our jolly old dinners," laughed Tom.
"There's the turkey fattening for the feast. I never chase him now, but feed him well; and he's 'swellin' wisibly,' bless his drumsticks!" said Ted, pointing out the doomed fowl proudly parading in a neighboring field.

-Louisa May Alcott, Jo's Boys

Booker and Charlene invite me to Thanksgiving dinner with the Kanes. His grandmother lives in a small house in South Memphis, and evidently she's been cooking for a week. The weather is cold and wet, so we're forced to remain inside throughout the afternoon. There are at least fifty people, ranging in age from six months to eighty, the only white face belonging to me. We eat for hours, the men crowded around the television in the den, watching one game after the other. Booker and I have our pecan pie and coffee on the hood of a car, in the garage, shivering as we catch up on the gossip.

-John Grisham, The Rainmaker

Ellen, We Can't Quit You, Baby

Have you ever heard of Josephine Haxton? Born in 1921 in Natchez, she's the author of several soul-searching books about the South-Mississippi in particular. She passed away Wednesday (November 7, 2012) here in Jackson, MS.

Perhaps you're more familiar with her nom de plume. Back when Haxton began writing, she based her first book on two of her aunts. When it was ready to wing its way into the world, she didn't want her relatives to be recognized. Ellen Douglas, the author, and A Family's Affairs, the book, were both "born" in 1962. The book won a Houghton Mifflin Fellowship. Several other novels followed, in addition to essays and other nonfiction. Her novel Apostles of Light was nominated for a National Book Award. In 2000, she received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Literature, and in 2008, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mississippi Institute of Arts and Letters.

Haxton hobnobbed with some of the literary giants of Mississippi: Shelby Foote, Walker Percy, Eudora Welty, Charles Bell. She was well acquainted with newspaperman Hodding Carter, too. In their own small way, the Haxtons both tried to stave off the insanity of some Mississippians' response to the Civil Rights Movement. Josephine held meetings in her home and ignored color boundaries. Her husband Kenneth advocated school integration. The two stayed in Greenville and raised a family. These influences consistently appeared in Haxton's books.

One of Haxton's hallmarks was her honest prose. She didn't sugar coat. She didn't shy away from hard truths. Haxton consistently confronted tensions in her home state with a sharp eye and ear for the people who live there. She saw the faults, the quirks, the human foibles within all of us-even ones we didn't know we possessed. She painted authentic pictures-of the awkward relationships between men and women; of the stumbling unions between blacks and whites; of what the South used to be and what it is becoming-that we recognized as and in ourselves.

In her last book, a collection of essays entitled Witnessing, Haxton had this to say:

I remember saying to a friend of mine, joking one day while we sat in the Greenville cemetery, the unlikely but beautiful spot where we often went to share a beer and look at the headstones, that my own epitaph should be, "She was always willing to take a small chance."

I think she did better than that. Don't you?

Douglas, Ellen. Witnessing. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2004.
Inge, William, ed. The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, Volume 9: Literature. The University of North Carolina Press, 2008.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20121108/NEWS/311070072/Writer-Josephine-Haxton-aka-Ellen-Douglas-dead-91