Jonathan V. Last editor

From the all-star cast that brought you The Seven Deadly Virtues and The Dadly Virtues comes the ultimate Christmas survival guide: The Christmas Virtues. The Christmas season is a minefield of terrors: The family get-togethers with weird uncles, the sloppy office parties, the annoying 10-page Look-at-Us holiday letters--and we haven't even mentioned the Black Friday mobs and that wretched Alvin and the Chipmunks song that plays every 90 minutes on Pandora, whether you like it or not. Rum-pah-pah-pum. And don't forget the PC police lurking around every corner looking to beat the last bits of joy and comradery out of our society. Merry Christmas? Really? But it doesn't have to be this way. 'Tis the season to recapture the wonder of Christmas, in our hearts and in our homes and even out in the public square. The Christmas Virtues is a humorous companion for, and guide to, navigating the trials and tribulations of the holiday season. It's a reminder of how we can embrace the joy, hope, and love of Christmas--of the real Christmas. And a call for us to stand up for Christmas because America needs it now, more than ever. So sit back and enjoy the following tales by your favorite authors: Rob Long's "The Christmas Spirit: In Defense of...

Jonathan V. Last editor

From the all-star cast that brought you The Seven Deadly Virtues and The Dadly Virtues comes the ultimate Christmas survival guide: The Christmas Virtues. The Christmas season is a minefield of terrors: The family get-togethers with weird uncles, the sloppy office parties, the annoying 10-page Look-at-Us holiday letters--and we haven't even mentioned the Black Friday mobs and that wretched Alvin and the Chipmunks song that plays every 90 minutes on Pandora, whether you like it or not. Rum-pah-pah-pum. And don't forget the PC police lurking around every corner looking to beat the last bits of joy and comradery out of our society. Merry Christmas? Really? But it doesn't have to be this way. 'Tis the season to recapture the wonder of Christmas, in our hearts and in our homes and even out in the public square. The Christmas Virtues is a humorous companion for, and guide to, navigating the trials and tribulations of the holiday season. It's a reminder of how we can embrace the joy, hope, and love of Christmas--of the real Christmas. And a call for us to stand up for Christmas because America needs it now, more than ever. So sit back and enjoy the following tales by your favorite authors: Rob Long's "The Christmas Spirit: In Defense of Ebenezer Scrooge." P. J. O'Rourke's "The Commercialization of Christmas: God Moves (The Merchandise) in a Mysterious Way." Andrew Ferguson's "Jingle Bell Rock: Taking the Christ Out of Christmas Songs" Matt Labash's "Home for the Holidays: The Trials and Tribulations of Family." Stephen F. Hayes' "here Comes Santa Claus: The Wonder of Christmas Morning." Toby Young's "The ghosts of Christmas: Holidays Past and Present" Jonah Goldberg's "The War on Christmas: It's Real, and It's Spectacular." Christopher Buckley's "Saint Joseph: The Forgotten 'Father Christmas.'" Kirsten Powers' "The first Noel: Christmas with Jesus." James Lileks' "Boxing Day and the Christmas Hangover." And More

CATALOG PAGE

This is a rerun, but it's "timeless" (sorry could not help myself)

Take a look at the first picture of the tower and compare it to the second. Notice anything? (Aside from the fact that it needed a good cleaning!) The tower built in 1927 to cover up a smoke stack of the central heating plant for the university, was dedicated as a memorial to former students who gave their lives during World War I. Since the clocks were installed, they never did work well, all four clocks would have different times and at some point stopped all together. While undergoing repair, they took the hands off the clocks. The most interesting part about the repair of the tower clocks is that it was done as a personal gift by a few students of the university. Thomas Toenjes, a senior in electrical engineering, along with his associates, Edward Sailer, Peter Kay, and Leo Moore, spent months of their own time getting no money or class credit working on repairing the clocks. The university paid for the material they used which came to about $800. The university had gotten estimates to repair the clocks of $10,000-$25,000. After having the correct time only twice a day for some 12 years, the clocks finally got running on time in 1965-but that’s not the end of the story. It still had no bells, which leads to another interesting story.

This is a rerun, but it's "timeless" (sorry could not help myself)

Take a look at the first picture of the tower and compare it to the second. Notice anything? (Aside from the fact that it needed a good cleaning!) The tower built in 1927 to cover up a smoke stack of the central heating plant for the university, was dedicated as a memorial to former students who gave their lives during World War I. Since the clocks were installed, they never did work well, all four clocks would have different times and at some point stopped all together. While undergoing repair, they took the hands off the clocks. The most interesting part about the repair of the tower clocks is that it was done as a personal gift by a few students of the university. Thomas Toenjes, a senior in electrical engineering, along with his associates, Edward Sailer, Peter Kay, and Leo Moore, spent months of their own time getting no money or class credit working on repairing the clocks. The university paid for the material they used which came to about $800. The university had gotten estimates to repair the clocks of $10,000-$25,000. After having the correct time only twice a day for some 12 years, the clocks finally got running on time in 1965-but that’s not the end of the story. It still had no bells, which leads to another interesting story.

One quiet night in 1953 the bells started to strike twelve and went on, and on, and on, and on……The Rev. George Shiple, then superintendent of the grounds and buildings, got Clerical Jimmy Valentine, as the only man with keys that summer night, out of bed to turn them off. They did not ring again for another 13 years!

Paul Bricker, a graduate student in physics along with fellow ham radio enthusiasts and members of the U-D Ham Club, John Augenstein, Mark Karney, Dennis Kramer and several machine shop technicians, put in 500 (free) hours along with $500 for equipment and material to get the bells ringing again. Each of the four bells weighs 1,100 lbs. and are all the same tone. On Oct. 20, 1966, when Rev. Malcolm Carron, S.J. was inaugurated as the university’s new president, the bells were ringing again for the first time since they were silenced in 1953.

On one more final note: for its 50th anniversary, the tower got a much needed bath. In 1977 a low pressure sand blasting process returned the Tower to its original sandstone color.

Comment from an earlier posting:

The American Psychological Association has released the latest edition, the seventh edition,  of the Publication Manual.

Highlights include:

Full color throughout.

An updated chapter with guidelines for writing without bias that address age, disability, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality .

A new chapter about APA’s updated journal article reporting standards.

Two paper formats: one for students and one for professionals. The student paper format does not require a running head nor does it require an abstract. The required content on the title page differs as well.

Best practices for ethical writing, including discussions on avoiding plagiarism and updated guidance on navigating the publication process and disseminating research findings.

100+ new reference examples, including coverage for websites, social media and classroom resources, plus more than 40 new sample tables and figures.

Considerable information on punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and the use of italics.

Detailed information about how to report statistical data.

The APA will continue to provide support and resources for the 6th edition until August 2020 at which time they expect the transition to the new edition will be complete.

The American Psychological Association has released the latest edition, the seventh edition,  of the Publication Manual.

Highlights include:

Full color throughout.

An updated chapter with guidelines for writing without bias that address age, disability, gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, and intersectionality .

A new chapter about APA’s updated journal article reporting standards.

Two paper formats: one for students and one for professionals. The student paper format does not require a running head nor does it require an abstract. The required content on the title page differs as well.

Best practices for ethical writing, including discussions on avoiding plagiarism and updated guidance on navigating the publication process and disseminating research findings.

100+ new reference examples, including coverage for websites, social media and classroom resources, plus more than 40 new sample tables and figures.

Considerable information on punctuation, capitalization, spelling, and the use of italics.

Detailed information about how to report statistical data.

The APA will continue to provide support and resources for the 6th edition until August 2020 at which time they expect the transition to the new edition will be complete.

The library has three copies of the manual: 2 at the Research and Information Desk (for internal use only) and one in the stacks available for check out. Come in to the library and look at the new, the 7th edition of the APA Publication Manual.

We know you're getting geared up for the toughest time of the term- FINALS! Don't panic. We have you covered.

The McNichols Campus Library is open during finals week. Remember to have your Student ID with you to enter the building.

Sunday December 10: 12:00pm - 7:00pm
Monday December 11 through Thursday December 14: 8:00am - 10:00pm
Friday December 15: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday December 16: 10:00am - 4:00pm

The Library Also Offers:

Group study rooms (reserve a room here)

Scantrons – Free

Blue Books – Free

Color Printing – 25 cents per page

Spiral Binding – Free

Photocopying – 10 cents per page

Assistance from a librarian - priceless

When you're ready to relax, we have plenty of DVD's available.

And...

don't forget to grab a cup of Starbucks coffee at

The...

We know you're getting geared up for the toughest time of the term- FINALS! Don't panic. We have you covered.

The McNichols Campus Library is open during finals week. Remember to have your Student ID with you to enter the building.

Sunday December 10: 12:00pm - 7:00pm
Monday December 11 through Thursday December 14: 8:00am - 10:00pm
Friday December 15: 8:00am - 5:00pm
Saturday December 16: 10:00am - 4:00pm

The Library Also Offers:

Group study rooms (reserve a room here)

Scantrons – Free

Blue Books – Free

Color Printing – 25 cents per page

Spiral Binding – Free

Photocopying – 10 cents per page

Assistance from a librarian - priceless

When you're ready to relax, we have plenty of DVD's available.

And...

don't forget to grab a cup of Starbucks coffee at

The Bookmark.

GOOD LUCK!

Sandra Wilson & Julia Eisenstein, Librarians