World AIDS Day

Today marks the 20th Anniversary of World AIDS Day. Started in 1988, its purpose is to increase awareness, highlight the importance, and show unity around the common cause of this disease.

The numbers are staggering and frightening when speaking in terms of this disease. According to the World Health Organization, roughly 33 million people are living with HIV worldwide. That is more than the total populations of New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago combined. Two-thirds of those people reside in sub-Sahara Africa. And within some of those countries nearly one in five adults are infected with HIV. In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the number of people living with HIV increased 150% between 2001 and 2007.

Once thought of as a predominately homosexual disease, today the vast majority of HIV infections are transmitted via heterosexual sex. Nearly half of all adults living with HIV are female. In America alone, heterosexual sex accounts for one third of new diagnoses.

Stigma and prejudice are key components in the spread of this disease. In many communities, people with HIV and AIDS are shunned and abused. Because of the social stigmas attached to this disease, many people don't seek treatment for fear of being ostracised. Political and cultural attitudes also play a significant role in the spread of HIV and AIDS. Oftentimes, accurate and reliable information is stifled, while inaccurate information is allowed to flow freely. There are often fears of promoting adequate sex education information to youth.

This disease knows no bounds. Millions upon millions are affected around the world every day by this disease. Millions upon millions more will die from it. There has been speculation that entire generations could be wiped out in Africa because of AIDS. It is frightening to think that we would allow a disease to do just that.

I hope you will make it a point today to educate yourself on HIV and AIDS. That you will consider your own health and well-being, as well as that of others. And that you will take a moment to recognize the millions already lost from this disease.

It's a broken record kinda day

I have had 11 calls so far today asking what time we close.

10 of those consecutively.

1 of them happened to be from the Assistant Director of the Marion Public Library!

The call that broke the streak? From our Youth Services Librarian, Alicia. (And I won't even begin to discuss that conversation!)

For the record: We close at 8 pm this evening.

Thank you.

Police Evidence?!

So here I was, this afternoon, at my Linn Area Reads meeting at the Marion Public Library, immersed in a very serious discussion of humorous staff antics when a Marion staffer came in to interrupt.

Evidently, Marion had been having some theft issues and discovered the patron who was involved in the acts of thievery. He was arrested and charged with said thefts.

However, when the police searched his home, they discovered more than just Marion items that had been stolen. The picture above is one of two items of ours that had been stolen.

Now, first, might I point out that I find it totally hilarious that it was still in the evidence bag when I got it back this afternoon. Second, if you look at the picture you'll notice a line that says location. Read what follows and try to stifle the laughter! Bedroom wall?! I don't know if that means it was attached to the bedroom wall, or it was inside of it. But the fact that the item location was bedroom wall makes this whole situation that much more humorous in my eyes! And you thought our jobs were so quiet and peaceful?!

I am at a loss...

...for words, that is...I just can't seem to come up with anything to blog about lately.

I suppose that some of the problem could be that I have had the stomach flu for the last couple of days (Which by the way, so conveniently showed up when I was on a date...talk about first impressions...yeesh!).

Or perhaps its just a simple case of writers block. I've been trying to participate in NaNoWriMo this month. For those of you unfamiliar...NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month. The goal of NaNoWriMo is to write a 175 page novel (50,000 words) by midnight November 30th. According to the website, "Because of the limited writing window, the ONLY thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly." Although I have a pretty good idea as to what I want to write about, it's been a bit of a struggle to get it all out.

Or quite possibly, it's just that I'm really that boring!

A Random Thought...

DVD and CD discs do not do well as chew toys for children.

Seriously.

Fly Guts

Pat killed a fly on my computer and now there's fly guts on my screen...just thought you all should know.

Evidence of Love

It is written in the colors
Of a thousand autumn twilights
Painted in the eyes of a child
Spoken as forgiveness
By an honest open hand
It’s the friend who will walk the extra mile
It’s the giving,
When there is not enough
There is everywhere
The evidence of love

Our dear friend and colleague Linda Nash, passed away on Monday, November 3rd.

The loss that our staff is feeling right now is immeasurable.

Linda's spirit was indomitable. She was truly a force to be reckoned with. Her strength and integrity through physical disability, cancer, and various other illnesses was inspirational. Her humor and laughter were second to none. But more than anything, it was her love. Her love and her passion. The evidence of her love abounds. From her wonderful family, to her dedication here at Hiawatha Public Library, and her presence in the community, the evidence of Linda's love is everywhere. Yes, there is truly everywhere the evidence of her love. And as I sit here, with tears running down my face, it is the one thing that I will miss so much about her.

But her love will remain...always...


I love you and miss you Linda.


It’s living in the rich earth
Waving in the wind
It’s music that moves us to believe
And dying in a small town
Knowing where true life begins
It’s hope beyond what we can see
It’s the mercy, when tears are not enough
There is everywhere
The evidence of love

*Lyrics by First Call*