You’ve Got a Mystery on Your Hands

You've got a mystery on your hands

H1N1 may be a Novel Virus but separate the Fiction from the Non-Fiction and get the facts. Hand washing prevents the spread of germs.  Encourage your customers and staff with these helpful hand washing posters available from Yale University Emergency Management.

Improve your customer experience by following the 2009 Bathroom Blogfest posts on their Facebook Fan Page and via Twitter @BathroomBlogfes to “Flush The Recession & Plunge Into Forgotten Spaces”.

America Chooses to Change

Dreams have been realized.  Fears did not materialize.  Barack Obama has been elected the next President of the United States.  And today, it feels so very good.

WE ARE THE PEOPLE WE'VE BEEN WAITING FOR poster on flickr by springhill2008 Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike

I was in the fourth grade when I first became aware that there was supposed to be a difference in black people and white people.  Little Michael Morris joined our classroom at Longfellow Elementary that year after Dunbar Colored School in Mayfield was closed and our classes were integrated by court order.

I remember how small and quiet and scared he looked as he took his seat in the row next to mine.  His eyes never left his desk.  Thankfully, that allowed me not have to meet his glance since I was sure staring.

I was so curious with wonder at what made this sweet little boy with downcast eyes and dark skin different from me?  Must have been something I couldn’t see.  But different he was, I had been told.  My parents had instructed me to leave him alone.  “You just don’t need to talk to him,” my mom and dad had warned.

Good girl that I was, I obeyed.  It made me feel bad inside, though, until one day he looked up and finally, together, we smiled.  After all, another thing that Daddy and Mama had taught me was to always live by the Golden Rule.

That is all I recall of him as my classmate after that time.  Our smiles.

During the years that followed I believed that perhaps I had dreamed that awful mandate to not speak to the black child.  My father proudly introduced me to black friends of his when I joined him on daily excursions around town.  I realized then that life sure was full of interesting contradictions and surprises.

I loved going with Daddy to the little market on the other side of town or to the uptown courthouse and post office.  It made me feel special to meet and greet all different kinds of folks outside of my regular church and school groups.

As I entered high school, I had many black classmates but not any that I could call friends.  As I planned my 16th birthday party and made out a guest list my parents questioned me about each name they didn’t recognize.  “Now, just who is this Don Tharpe?” they asked.

“Oh,” I said proudly, “he is president of the senior class.”  More details were needed for their satisfaction and when they learned that he was black he was instantly nixed from my list.  I was hurt, humiliated and heartbroken.  This contradiction horribly surprised me.

The last time I checked up on Don Tharpe, he was receiving the 2005 Murray State University Distinguished Alumnus award as president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus in Washington, D.C.  I would love to shake his hand today.

As I recalled these memories during the last week, I could hardly imagine that there was hope for change in America on Election Day.

But now, I believe, that we can hold these truths self evident, that all men are created equal. We now must continue to pray for peace with liberty and justice for all.

the old Moon in the new Moon's arms photo on flickr by circulating / Iris Shreve Garrott - Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike

Tweet the Vote

*TWEET THE VOTE* Text it. Share it. Map it. Protect it!

Twitter Vote Report announced today that voters can use Twitter and the code, or hashtag, #votereport on Election Day to report whether they had a long wait, or voting machines were faulty or if there were registration problems – or if everything went well.

Voters can also send a message to Twitter Vote Report by:

• Sending a text message to 66937 that begins with #votereport
• Calling to (567) 258-8683 (258-VOTE) to leave an automated message by touch tone keypad
• Downloading the Twitter Vote Report iPhone application

Voting Precincts and Locations, McCracken County, Kentucky expect to be very busy and we hope that you can visit some of these locations and report on turnout, weather, excitement and waiting time.

Check out this Google Map for county-wide directions. Then join us as we tweet and record the vote!

Voting Precincts and Locations in McCracken County, Kentucky

Facts about voting in McCracken County, Kentucky:

McCracken County has 54 precincts with 80 Electronic 1242 stand-up curtain machines plus 55 Hart InterCivic eSlateTM handicapped accessible machines.

McCracken County registered voters total 30,973 Democrats, 13,278 Republicans, 3,250 Others, with 21,631 males and 25,869 females. Of the 47,501 prospective voters, several of those will have already voted by absentee ballot.

Video Your Vote in Kentucky, Just Not at Your Polling Place

Planning to video your vote for YouTube?  Or maybe you intend to participate in the Polling Place Photo Project at New York Times?  In Kentucky, state law forbids the use of recording equipment at the polls.   Kentucky’s legislature outlawed video recording or using cell phones or cameras in the voting places in 2005 to avoid intimidating other voters.

Kentucky folks can be a creative bunch.  Somehow, we can figure out how to photograph or video the vote, avoid intimidation and responsibly abide by the law.

For more information about voting in Kentucky, visit: www.vote.ky.gov, call: the State Board of Elections at (502) 573-7100 or email: Secretary of State Trey Grayson at SOS.Secretary@ky.gov

Ready to Vote in Kentucky

The Kentucky General Election is less than two weeks away. Are you ready to vote and what do you know except for what this one thinks about that one? Are you sure which races, outside of the President and Vice President, are being contested across the commonwealth and who are all of the Kentucky candidates?

With more Kentuckians registered to vote than ever before, it seems that “These healthy registration figures are an indication of a potentially strong turnout on election day,” according to Tray Grayson, Kentucky Secretary of State.

Let’s make sure we are ready to vote in Kentucky!  For candidate comparisons of United States President, United States Senate, and United States Congress, courier-journal.com offers a Voter Guide where you can read profiles submitted by candidates and build your personal ballot.

For residents of McCracken County, here is a preview of the Official Ballot.  For other Kentucky counties you may download your county’s ballot at Kentucky Secretary of State Election Overview.

Click to enlarge the Official Ballot for McCracken County, Kentucky, General Election to be held on November 4, 2008

Click to enlarge page 2 of the Official Ballot for McCracken County, Kentucky, General Election to be held on November 4, 2008

Review – The Comeback Season

Once again the Chicago Cubs have broken hearts and seemingly handed a winning season away to the wind.  Oh, the disappointment; oh, the hurt; oh, the pain.  For what all true fans know is more than just a game.

So very much like the game of life as related by Jennifer E. Smith in her first novel, The Comeback Season.

The Comeback Season author Jennifer E. Smith is interviewed on The First Book.

The story of Ryan and Nick as they struggle to learn about life and loss is forever aligned when they both skip school to catch the Cubbies game.  Not just any game but the magical opening day in April at Wrigley Field.  Their trials, much like those of the historical Cubs baseball story, hold tight to bargains, curses, and hope.

But what if the one you loved wasn’t around to disappoint you any more?  What if Ryan didn’t have the bargains to blame?  What if Nick didn’t believe in some curses?  What if we, what if they, had no hope, no reason to remember, no way to hold on?

As the current Cubs hopeful season ends on a strike three and they’re out, The Comeback Season proves to us that the game of life is all about how you play it.  There is always next year, hopefully.

Ryan and Nick get my most valuable player award for knowing that there may not always be a “next year”.  They would rather cherish the deja vu than to risk never loving the magic that comes from both baseball and life.

They hope; they learn; they love for their Cubs and themselves. For just a game.  The game of life they play most beautifully.

The Comeback Season, published in 2008 by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, has been nominated as a YALSA 2009 Best Book for Young Adults.

Liang Receives Carol J. Parris Mentoring Award

Marie Liang, McCracken County Public Library Director

McCracken County Public Library Director Marie Liang has received the Carol J. Parris Mentoring Award during the annual Kentucky Library Association (KLA) conference held this week in Louisville, KY.  She was nominated by the library’s department managers team of Libby Childers, Adult Services Manager; Iris Garrott, Youth Services Manager; Kim Hunt, Business Manager; and Patti Sallee, Technical Services Manager.

Her letter of nomination was created in honor of her guidance and friendship.  Their words follow:

Marie has encouraged each and every member of the library team to continue their education.  She has supported us emotionally and has successfully encouraged the Board of Trustees to provide funding for continuing education.  The 2008-09 budget provides over $31,000 for staff education.  This includes tuition support for approximately 16 employees.

When Marie began working at the McCracken County Public Library in 1992 there were only a few employees with KDLA certification.  Presently all but one of our librarians has their Paraprofessional certification.  The one exception should complete her certification within a year.  There are others that are working toward higher degrees of certification.

Marie doesn’t limit her encouragement to just a few, it is across the board from full-time to part-time.  She believes that any education provided to employees just makes them better employees.  Under her guidance the following have received degrees:  Libby Childers, Masters Degree in Library Science; Bobbie Wrinkle, Bachelors Degree from Murray State University, and Kim Hunt, Associate of Arts from West Kentucky Community Technical College.

Not only has she supported us with continuing education at the college level she has encouraged us to be involved in the local community.  The library participates as a member of the Paducah Area Chamber of Commerce.  We have employees that are active members of the Business and Professional Women’s Association, Rotary Club, and the Lions Club.  Three of us have been through the Leadership Paducah program.    We have employees that volunteer for Kiwanis Club’s McCracken County Fair, serve on the Market House Museum board and work as Precinct Officers for local, state and national elections.  All are paid on library time for their service to our community.

Marie has taught us as managers that communication is the key to management.   Document, document, document and email in triplicate is her mentoring motto to prove that more heads are better than just one when it comes to decision making.

One employee attributes Marie to helping her grow up since she has worked with her from her teenage years.  Marie has helped many of us through marriage, child rearing, divorce, and loss of loved ones.  She has always encouraged us to keep on keeping on.  She has truly counseled, guided and advised us to help shape our personal lives as well as our professional capabilities.

We are so proud to have Marie as our leader and our friend and happy that KLA has recognized her exceptional guidance with this award!

Corduroy Jump Starts Read for the Record

Jumpstart’s Read for the Record

Help bring national attention to the importance of early childhood education by making Jumpstart’s Read for the Record the largest shared reading experience ever.  You can make a difference just by reading with one child in your life.

Jumpstart is asking adults and children to support early education opportunities for all children by reading the official campaign book, Corduroy, together on October 2, 2008 to break the record for the largest shared reading experience ever, which was set by 258,000 people on September 20, 2007 during the 2nd year of Jumpstart’s Read for the Record campaign.

Corduroy by Don Freeman

Learn more about the value of quality early education and acquire new tips on how to make the most of reading time with a young child.

Reading Resources – a variety of great early reading tools and links for parents and professionals.

Best Books – Jumpstart’s list of favorite books to spark a conversation with a young reader!

Corduroy Lesson Plan – Courtesy of Pearson and the Pearson Foundation

It’s a Whole New Day! at Chicago Tribune

Monday marks the beginning of a new era at the major daily newspaper Chicago Tribune.  Change should be welcome in this 21st Century and as they bring you “a Chicago Tribune that is bolder and brighter, better organized and more relevant to your daily life” we wish them well.

Look for “accurate, courageous and groundbreaking reporting you’ve come to expect” and then let them know what you think of the redesign.  Go ahead and get a preview online.