SUNDAY'S SOLAR ECLIPSE

This Sunday, May 20th, there will be a solar eclipse visible in southern Utah.  It will take about two hours to complete from the time the moon begins to obscure the sun through to the ring of fire that will appear when the sun is in full eclipse.  The final segment is when the moon begins to move away from the sun.  There are many articles on the internet that give details for the eclipse; I like this one:  Ring of Fire Eclipse. 

I have friends who are coming up from Vegas to view the eclipse in Utah where it will be more complete.  We are uniquely situated here, and in fact, Kanarraville is supposed to be the "ideal" location from which to view the eclipse.  Here is a link for the Kanarraville viewing:  Kanarraville Utah.   Anywhere along the green line of this map should be a great place to be for this cosmic event:

 

 

Safety is of utmost importance when viewing an eclipse.  Never look directly at the sun even during an eclipse.  Just a quick look can cause irreversible retina damage.  You can make a simple pin-hole viewer out of two index cards (or cardboard), or you can get a bit more elaborate with this cereal box viewer:  Viewing a Solar Eclipse.  

Also, if you're going to take photos of the eclipse you still need special eclipse filters to protect your camera.  Enjoy this wonderful event and make sure you view safely!

COTTON DAYS IN UTAH'S DIXIE

This week is Washington City's celebration of Cotton Days.  When the Pioneers initially settled this area, one of the crops they found that did well in southern Utah's warm climate was cotton.  This did not happen by accident.  Cotton growing began over 1000 years ago by the Anasazi Indians who made cotton textiles and clothing.  That tradition was adopted by the Southern Paiute who were living here when the Pioneers began to settle what is now Washington County.  Here is one article that discusses the Anasazi and cotton growing:  Anasazi Cotton Growers. 
The nickname "Dixie" came about after the Pioneers started growing cotton.  The Historic Cotton Mill still stands in Washington city.

Washington City has a full schedule of activities for this year's Cotton Days that will last through the weekend.  Go to this site for the schedule:  Cotton Days. 

Have a great week and weekend enjoying Washington City's Cotton Days!

UTAH ARCHAEOLOGY WEEK

May 5-12 is Utah Archaeology Week.  This is exciting for me, since as an archaeologist I have worked all over Utah, Nevada, and Arizona.  My specialty was investigating ancient hunter-gatherer cultures in addition to the Anasazi, Fremont and Paiute.  Did you know that you can help preserve archaeology sites by becoming a Site Steward through the BLM?  Just go to blm.gov and choose the Arizona Strip office since it is located in St. George.  As a Site Steward you can "adopt" archaeology sites that you visit on a regular basis and report any changes in the site's condition, including vandalism, to the BLM archaeologists.  The Forest Service has a similar program called Passport in Time.  You can go to this link or contact the Forest Service for more information:  Forest Service. 

What will you do for Archaeology Week?  We have so many archaeology sites in southern Utah including rock art and pit-house ruins in Santa Clara, Bloomington, Zion, Little Creek Mesa, and don't forget the wonderful Parowan Gap.  For more information on the Parowan Gap rock art use this link:  parowangap.org. 

The library is a great place to learn more about Utah Native American tribes.  We have books and videos on the ancient history and the modern Native Americans in Utah.  Here is my recommeded reading list in addition to the books we have available on display at the library:

2010   Finders Keepers: a Tale of Archaeological Plunder and Obsession
           [New York: Little, Brown and Co.], Craig Childs
2010   Traces of Fremont: Society and Rock Art in Ancient Utah
            [Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press; Price, Utah: College
            of Eastern Utah Prehistoric Museum], Steven R. Simms
2009   Painters of Utah's Canyons and Deserts [Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith],
           Donna L.l Poulton and Vern G. Swanson
2007   The Parowan Gap: Nature's Perfect Observatory: An Introductory
           Interpretive Guide [Springville, Utah: Cedar Fort], V. Garth Norman
2007   House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the
           American Southwest [New York: Little, Brown and Co.], Craig Childs
2000   Guide to Rock Art of the Utah Region: Sites With Public Access
           [Santa Fe, NM: Ancient City Press], Dennis Slifer
19??   Santa Clara Big Rock/Three Mile Canyon: Indian Rock Art
           [Santa Clara, Utah: Donald C. Whittaker], prepared by
           Dr. Donald C. Whittaker

Don't forget the library for your first stop in appreciating Utah Archaeology Week!

           

EARTH DAY, REALLY?

Sunday, April 22, was Earth Day.  What does this really mean?  When I was a kid we never had Earth Day.  Everyday was a day to take a walk, smell the roses (or lilacs), take a bike ride, play in the field with friends, or to go for a drive with the family.  We did not have (or need) cell phones, electronic gaming devices or videos in the car (really!).  We had good old-fashioned fun in our favorite environments without any gadgets to get in the way of the outdoors.  So, where would we be without Earth Day?  Please read this article to see if you agree or disagree that Earth Day is relevant or "old news":  Old News. 

Back to Earth Day.  Is this a day about "saving the Earth."  The Earth does not actually need saving, it is our local environments that could use some attention.  The Earth will keep on revolving around the sun for some billions of years, with or without us!  Planting trees and such will not actually save the Earth.  For some additional thoughts on this view, please try this link:  Save the Planet? 

 There is a lot of talk today about "going green."  Maybe if we weren't producing products with so much packaging and waste, we would not have so many reasons to go green.  Back in the day…..there was relatively little waste compared to now because people used and re-used everything and had much less to dispose of.  Recycle wasn't the concept, but rather the way of life.  We live in a different world today, and perhaps going green is simply backtracking to a more simpler time. 

Usually at this point in my blog I would give you a reading list of books about going green.  There are so many in our library system that it is hard for me to choose.  So, this week I'm going to suggest that you come into the library, or go to our online catalog @ library.washco.utah.gov to browse our "green" titles. 

We can probably all agree that we love our planet and want to have healthy environments in which to live.  How we accomplish this is as individual as we all are.  The questions about saving the Earth, global warming, climate change and extreme weather are all subject to debate.  I suggest that you do some research, do something "green," and maybe we won't need any Earth-saving strategies!

The Freedom to Protest

The 1950s and 1960s generated so many talented musicians who became the heroes and heroines of the generation.  Pete Seeger is one of these musicians who led the way through the 60s writing songs that defined a generation.  Seeger and others sang of love, hope, peace, and rang out pleas to get the United States out of Vietnam.  Now, at 92 years old, Seeger is once again touring college campuses asking, "Where Have All the Protest Songs Gone."  This link will take you to more of his fascinating story:  Pete Seeger.

Although Seeger's father was a member of the Communist Party, his words also define the role music plays in society:  "...if there is going to be a new society, there must be a new music."  Thankfully the new music of the era did not lead our country in the direction Seeger's father would have chosen.

College campuses were at the forefront of the protests of the 60s, 70s and into the 1980s.  One protest issue in the 1980s was against apartheid in South Africa.  Remember those days?  Some younger readers may not even know what apartheid was about, or who Nelson Mandela is.  Look it up--it's history!

I admit that I am not familiar with most popular singers today, but from what I do hear, I don't care for the music that defines this generation.  I wonder if too much "political correctness"  has turned people away from utilizing their freedom of speech and right to protest.  Is there a fear of saying what we really believe in and a lack of people who dare to stand up for their beliefs?  If this is the case, too bad for our country and the people who do make a difference through peaceful protests that often use music as the messenger.  Nowadays it seems that college protests are about education cuts and rising tuition costs, a message that will not likely raise up a generation of musicians.

Whether you enjoyed the 60s yourself and want to recreate the vibrance of the generation, or if you want to know what it was all about, here is a recommended reading list:

2012   Natural Woman: A Memoir, [New York: Grand Central Pub.],

           Carole King

2009   Paul McCartney: A Life,  [New York: Touchstone/Simon &

           Schuster], Peter Ames Carlin

2008   A Freewheelin' Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties,

           [New York: Broadway Books], Suze Rotolo

2008   John Lennon: The Life, [New York: Ecco], Philip Norman

2008   Society's Child: My Autobiography, [New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin],

           Janis Ian

2007   Clapton: The Autobiography, [New York: Broadway Books], Eric Clapton

2002   This Land Was Made For You and Me: The Life and Songs of

            Woody Guthrie, [New York: Viking], Elizabeth Partridge

2001   His Song: The Musical Journey of Elton John, [New York: Billboard Books],

           Elizabeth J. Rosenthal

2001   Positively 4th Street: The Lives and Times of Joan Baez, Bob Dylan,

           Mimi Baez Farina, and Richard Farina, [New York: Farrar, Straus and

           Giroux], David Hajdu

1988   Long Time Gone: The Autobiography of David Crosby, [New York:

           Doubleday], David Crosby and Carl Gottlieb

Friggatriskaidekaphobia

Are you superstitious?  Do you suffer from friggatriskaidekaphobia?  In other words, are you afraid of Friday the 13th?  Many people dread this day; others just go about their business and think nothing of it.  Why do some people cling to superstitions while others do not?

Why is Friday considered to be an unlucky day, and why does the 13th day of the month add even more bad luck to this day of the week?  The most common answers to these questions come from Christian traditions.  Fridays are considered unlucky since Jesus died on a Friday.  As far as the 13th, it was the 13th apostle at the Last Supper who soon came to his own death.

There is more to this story, however, and you can read about the origins of this superstition here:  Friday-the-13th-superstitions. 

For additional information on superstitions and folklore, and why we believe in them, I recommend the following books that are available at the library:

2009   Supersense: Why We Believe in the Unbelievable,
           [New York: HarperOne], Bruce M. Hood

2007   Do It Yourself Numerology: How to Unlock the Secrets of Your
           Personality With Numbers, [London: Watkins], Sonia Ducie

1992   Superstitions, [New York: Simon & Schuster], Peter Lorie

1969   A Dictionary of Superstitions and Mythology, [London:
           Folk Press Ltd.], reprint of 1927 edition, Biren Bonnerjea

Have a great day, whatever your beliefs!

IT'S SPRING - I MEAN IT'S BASEBALL SEASON

With Spring in the air my thoughts and emotions go straight to the opening of Baseball Season!  Last April I was fortunate enough to attend a Washington Nationals game.  This year I will be content to watch the games I can get on TV.  I would like to dedicate this week's blog not only to baseball, but to one of its greats, Roberto Clemente.  It was 50 years ago that he helped to bridge the racial gap and open up baseball to latino players.  Although Jackie Robinson had joined the major leagues first (in 1947), Clemente joined the ranks a few years later.  Both players were brought into baseball by Branch Rickey.  Rickey was the Vice President of the Brooklyn Dodgers when he recruited Jackie Robinson and had become the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates when he brought in Roberto Clemente.  This link tells the whole story about Clemente and how he was killed while participating in humanitarian efforts:  The King of Beisbol.

For additional information on one of Baseball's true Heroes, the library has several books from which you can choose.  These include:

2008   Roberto Clemente [New York: Chelsea House], Susan Mauddi

           Darraj and Rob Maaddi

2008   Roberto Clemente, Baseball Hall of Famer [Detroit: Lucent Books],

           William W. Lace

2006   Clemente: the Passion and Grace of Baseball's Last Hero [New York:

           Simon & Schuster], David Maraniss

2006   Clemente: La Passion y el Carisma del Ultimo Heroe del Beisbol

           [New York: Atria Books], David Maraniss; traduccion de

           Vicente Echerri

2005   Roberto Clemente: Trailblazers of the Modern World Series

           [Milwaukee, WI: World Almanac Library], David Fischer

Have a great baseball season no matter which team is your favorite!