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June 17, 2017 is the 242nd anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, an event we mark in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as Bunker Hill Day. It falls on a Saturday this year, so why not take the opportunity to visit some historic sites and learn more?

  • Visit the Bunker Hill Monument for the “Decisive Day” guided tour offered by the Boston National Historic Park, which departs daily every half hour.
  • There are also special Bunker Hill Day tours at the Adams National Historical Park in Quincy.

If you don’t have time to get out this weekend, here are the Top Ten Things You Should Know About Charlestown and the Battle of Bunker Hill according to our Head of Research & Instruction and Charlestown denizen, Becky Morin

1) The Battle of Bunker Hill was mostly fought on Breed’s Hill. That’s where the Monument is. Bunker Hill is actually taller and steeper, and is home to the lovely Saint Francis de Sales, a beautiful Roman Catholic church dedicated in 1862. If you don’t know which hill is which, we know you’re a tourist.

Bunker Hill Monument and Col. William Prescott statue

By Siddharth Mallya. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

2) Charlestown was actually not part of the City of Boston when the Battle took place. Charlestown is OLDER than Boston (as any proud Townie will gladly inform you), and did not become part of the City until 1874.

3) Charlestown is where Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride really kicked off. He was ferried in a rowboat from Boston, landing near the Charlestown Battery, and picking up a horse from his friend Deacon John Larkin, a lifelong Charlestown resident.

4) There is debate as to why the Colonial forces fortified Breed’s Hill instead of Bunker Hill, although many think it is because Breed’s Hill is closer to Boston. The British had planned the siege to capture Bunker Hill, as they wanted to dig in fortifications on the area’s highest points.

5) It took the British three attempts to capture Breed’s Hill, even though their numbers were far greater than the Colonial forces.

6) Charlestown burns during the Battle, the first of two major fires to strike the community.

7) Proud Charlestown residents still fly the Bunker Hill Battle Flag.

Bunker Hill Flag

By DevinCook at English Wikipedia, via Wikimedia Commons

8) While the British defeat the Colonists at the Battle of Bunker Hill, they suffer severe casualties and the Siege of Boston comes to a stalemate.

9) The Bunker Hill Monument (which you now know is on Breed’s Hill) is 221 feet tall and was completed in 1842.

10) Beloved French hero of the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette, is said to be buried beneath a sprinkling of soil from Bunker Hill, procured by his son.

Want More?

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-true-story-of-the-battle-of-bunker-hill-36721984/
http://charlestownhistoricalsociety.org/history/historic-timeline/
https://www.masshist.org/revolution/bunkerhill.php
https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun17.html

Boston Chinese New Year 2016

2016 Chinese New Year Parade in Boston (Matthew Dailey)/ CC BY-NC 2.0

Tomorrow, January 28th, is the first day of the Chinese Calendar and the beginning of the Year of the Rooster. Starting this evening, the next two weeks will be filled with celebrations. Fireworks, feasts, family reunions and parades are some of the well-known festivities associated with the Lunar New Year. There are also a great many traditions associated with the Lunar New Year that are centuries old, such as the hanging of traditional ‘new years’ poems, cleaning the home, the receiving new clothes and getting one’s haircut.

And because our campus is located very conveniently in Chinatown, be sure to check out the Chinese New Year Parade! It’s the largest annual celebration in Boston’s Chinatown with lion dancers, music, and firecrackers—and if you haven’t tried the plethora of food options in our neighborhood, what a better time to venture out and celebrate? This year’s parade will be held on Sunday, February 12th. Here’s some more information about the festivities in Boston. .

If you are celebrating Lunar New Year, we wish safe travels and  much joy and prosperity this year! 恭贺新禧  Happy New Year!

Further reading:

About the Lunar New Year

Chinese New Year Traditions

Five Things You Didn’t Know About the Year of the Rooster

Stories about Chinese New Year

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vote

While you probably don’t need to be reminded that there is a presidential election happening on November 8th ,  a re-fresher on this year’s Massachusetts ballot questions might be in order.

First, if you know that you are registered to vote in Massachusetts, but can’t remember where  it is that actually cast your ballot, check out:
Where do I vote in Massachusetts?
http://wheredoivotema.com/bal/MyElectionInfo.aspx

Okay, now that you know where you are going to vote, you can decide how you are going to vote.  There are four statewide ballot questions this year. According to Ballotpedia, the four ballot questions are asking for a “yes” or “no” vote on the following:

  • Question 1: would allow the Gaming Commission to issue an additional slots license.
  • Question 2: would authorize the approval of up to 12 new charter schools or enrollment expansions in existing charter schools by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education per year.
  • Question 3: would prohibit certain methods of farm animal containment.
  • Question 4: would legalize recreational marijuana for individuals at least 21 years old.

Ballot questions can be tricky! Since a “yes” or “no” vote on a ballot questions may have ramifications that go way beyond simply affirming the idea proposed, you need to understand  the legal and social implications of your decision. This in mind, please check out the following resources. Not only  do they provide great information about the ballot questions themselves, but they also provide  you with the “big picture” on the potential implications of your vote:

What You Need To Know About The 4 Mass. Ballot Questions
http://www.wbur.org/politicker/2016/10/21/mass-ballot-questions-guide

“Yea or Nay? A Guide to Massachusetts’ Ballot Questions”
http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/article/2016/10/09/massachusetts-ballot-questions-2016-guide/

Okay folks, now get out there and vote!!

 

September 19 – 23 is National Postdoc Appreciation Week (or NPAW, which is a great acronym).

Last year, Tufts had ~190 postdocs working in a variety of disciplines in Boston, Grafton and Medford.  Almost half of those postdocs were here on the Health Sciences Campus, so chances are you know a postdoc!  Take this opportunity to thank them for their tireless hard work and dedication to research.

 

Post contributed by Laura Pavlech

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MEDLINE computer with Medical Subject Headings book, circa 1974 Image source:  U.S. National Library of Medicine Digital Collections

MEDLINE computer with Medical Subject Headings book, circa 1974
Image source: U.S. National Library of Medicine Digital Collections

Now an indispensable resource, it is hard to believe that PubMed is only 20 years old. First released in January 1996, PubMed was initially an experimental database. One year later, the word ‘experimental’ was dropped and, at a Capitol Hill press conference on June 26, 1997, free web access to MEDLINE through PubMed was officially announced. The press conference featured a demonstration of PubMed by then Vice President Al Gore (anyone remember him?) and a variety of stories from peoples whose lives had been affected by access to MEDLINE (Press Release – Free MEDLINE).

Prior to the launch of PubMed, users had to register and pay to search MEDLINE. Approximately 2 million PubMed searches were executed during the month of June 1997. In April 2015, 3.5 million searches per day were performed in PubMed. PubMed has come a long way over the past 20 years, and will continue to change in the upcoming years (PubMed Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary).

 

Post contributed by Laura Pavlech

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It’s Bike Week! May 14 – May 22, 2016
Post by Amy Lapidow

bike_week

May 14 – May 22, 2016 is Bike Week here in MA. The only state to have such!

What happens on bike week? Events to promote human powered transportation, including a free breakfast at City Hall on Friday!  Find an event near you at: www.baystatebikeweek.com

Interested in a road race, to watch or to participate? www.bikereg.com . There is an event calendar with everything you need to know (including the route), plus links to websites and registration information.

Not into racing, just want to know where there are bike routes? Try https://bikenewengland.com/ subscribe for current info, or get free access to vintage cue sheets.

It can be dangerous to bike in the city. I know I do it everyday. Learn the rules and be safe: http://www.bostonbikes.org/urbancycling  or http://bicyclesafeboston.com/

Don’t have a bike? Not to worry, rent one! https://www.thehubway.com/  There is a hubway station at the Chinatown gate and across from The New England School of Law at Stuart and Charles St. South. The first 30 mins are FREE!

Want discounts for riding a bike? Get a sticker for your helmet at: http://bb2.bicyclebenefits.org/#/home

We’re celebrating Bike Week here at Hirsh too. If you stop by the Library Service Desk and show us your helmet this Wednesday 5/18, we’ll give you a granola bar!

Get out and ride!

Image: http://aaronkuehn.com/art/bicycle-typogram

 

COS Easter Vigil 100403_006

This Sunday is the great feast of Easter, the high point of the Christian calendar (nb: Eastern Orthodox Christians will celebrate Easter on Sunday, May 1). Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ and ends the season of Lent, which began on February 10.

The final week of Lent is called “Holy Week” and the three days preceding Easter are referred to the “Holy Triduum,”  which consists of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. These three days  which recount the final three days of Jesus’ life are marked by Christians around the world by religious observances, fasting,  pilgrimages, and acts of repentance.

Ending this intense period of devotion is the  Great Vigil on the eve of Easter. Christian communities around the world celebrate Easter Sunday with grand religious processions, the giving of small gifts, and feasts with family and friends. If you are celebrating Easter, we wish a  most joyous feast!

Learn more about the “Holy Week” and Easter:

 

Image credit: Calvin Institute of Christian Worship via Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0.

 

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fairuseweek

Monday, February 22nd marks the beginning of Fair Use Week, a time to celebrate the balance in copyright law that addresses freedom of speech and accelerates advancement in education, the arts, science – you name it!

If you use other people’s work, such as images, and/or create content yourself, fair use is an important aspect of copyright law you should know about.  Before you add those images, tables, and figures to your next paper or load those excerpts up on TUSK and Trunk or post that content to your website, consider whether or not copyright law allows it.  Fair use may just be the reason you can.

But how do you know??  Never fear, Hirsh Health Sciences Library is here to help!  We provide information about fair use, including the factors to weigh when determining if you can reuse a work.  You can also send us your specific questions for some guidance on making a decision.

Lastly, join us for a workshop on using images next week.  We’ll survey and search image collections licensed by Tufts and in the public domain.  We will also discuss options for storage, display, and citing sources.  The session will be repeated.  Attend in Sackler 510, either on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, 4-5pm or Friday, February 26, 2016, 9-10am.

Post contributed by Judy Rabinowitz

 

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chinese-new-yaer-red-envelope

Having begun this Monday (February 8), celebrations marking Year of the Monkey will continue for the next two weeks. Often referred to as “Chinese New Year”, the Lunar New Year is celebrated throughout Asia. In Vietnam, Lunar New Year is celebrate as Tết.

Animals from the Chinese zodiac are associated with each new year.. This year is the Year of the Monkey. The Chinese zodiac has a 12 year cycle, so the next  Year of the Monkey will be in 2028.

Fireworks, feasts, family reunions and parades are some of the well-known festivities associated with the Lunar New Year. However, there are a great many traditions associated with the Lunar New Year that are centuries old, such as the hanging of traditional ‘new years’ poems, cleaning the home, the receiving new clothes and getting one’s haircut.

If you are celebrating Lunar New Year, we wish safe travels and  much joy and prosperity this year! 恭贺新禧  Happy New Year!

Learn more about Lunar New Year:

Lunar New Year 2016: Facts, Dates, And Ancient Traditions (Huffington Post)

Stories about Chinese New Year (NPR.org)

Lunar New Year in pictures (BBC.com)

 

Photo credit: Poa Mosyuen, used with permission under Creative Commons license

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By now you have probably heard that Punxsutawney Phil, that most famous of Pennsylvanian marmots, did not see his shadow, foretelling an early spring this year. Lucky us!

Aside from wresting a fat, sleepy rodent from his burrow, there are other traditions associated with this day…including eating groundhog! They are not a threatened species, and are generally considered to be pest animals, especially to gardeners. So maybe it is not shocking that when chef and food writer (and farmer) Ian Knauer found his vegetable beds decimated by a groundhog, he decided to eat the culprit, an event chronicled in his book The Farm, accompanied by a recipe for Groundhog Cacciatore.

I think I will stick to a different Groundhog Day treat, this adorable groundhog-shaped Groundhog Day Cake from CakeSpy!

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