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Abbott and Costello--"Who's On First?"
Abortion. National Abortion Federation.
Adoption. Michigan Adoption Resource Exchange.
Aging. Progeria, a disease of premature aging.
Alzheimer's Disease. Alzheimer's Association.
American Association of Retired Persons. Legal hotline for Michigan residents age 60 and over: 800-347-LAWS.
American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. Also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.
Anniversaries. See Wedding Anniversaries.
Anthems--Canada. "O, Canada," the Canadian national anthem.
Area. Formulas for computing the areas of geometric figures: Dave's Math Tables.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.Automobiles--Defects. Search the Recalls Database at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Use the NHTSA's Complaint Form to report a vehicle safety problem.
Automobiles--Consumer Information. Michigan's "Lemon Law."
Automobiles--Price Guides.
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Baseball--Spring Training Camps.
Better Business Bureau--Detroit.
"Big Apple"--New York City. Nickname originated in 1930s to mean a city full of opportunity, "ripe for plucking." Source: Flexner, Stuart, I Hear America Talking.
Birth, Marriage, and Death Records. See Public Records.
Birthday Greeting from the White House. For those turning 80 or older.
Birthdays--Days of the Week. "Monday's child is fair of face . . ."
Blood Alcohol Levels--Legal Limits for Driving (Michigan).
Blood Alcohol Chart. Shows blood alcohol levels as a function of time, number of drinks, and body weight.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Michigan--Contact Information.
Book Donations--Tax Deductions. IRS Publication 526 contains information about the recordkeeping requirements for donations of books and other noncash charitable contributions. For donations less than $250 in value (which applies in most cases), you should make a list of the items and their approximate value, taking into account depreciated values of used items. You should also obtain a receipt from the library that includes your name, the date of the donation, and the number of books donated.
Boxing Day. Ordinarily observed on the day after Christmas, Dec. 26, it is a legal holiday in Canada, the United Kingdom, and many other countries. Formerly a day when Christmas gift boxes were given to postmen, lamplighters, dustmen, and other public functionaries who did not receive payment directly from the people they served.
Bradford Exchange. Collectible plates.
Building Codes. See Construction Codes.
Bullet--Speed. "Faster than a speeding bullet." According to the National Rifle Association, a standard 150-grain bullet fired from a 30-06 rifle travels at 2,900 feet per second, almost three times the speed of sound. Source: Detroit Free Press, July 19, 1978.
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Cancer Information
Centennial Farms. Michigan Centennial Farm Program.
Charities.
Child Abuse.
Christmas.
Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA). Provides employees and eligible dependents the right to continue group health care coverage for a period of time following certain events that would otherwise result in loss of coverage. COBRA was modified and supplemented by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996.
Construction Codes. Local governing bodies may have their own building codes or ordinances. Others may apply a standard code such as BOCA or the Uniform Building Code. Check with the applicable municipal office to find out which building code applies in your particular case. Addresses and phone numbers for many municipal offices in St. Clair County may be found here. For State of Michigan guidelines, visit the state Bureau of Construction Codes.
Consumer Complaints.
Contractors--Michigan--Licensing.
Corruption in Government. Use GAO FraudNet to report fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement of federal government funds.
Credit Counseling Services. American Bankruptcy Institute (Consumer Corner) assists consumers with information about bankruptcy, how to gain control over finances, credit card advice, how to file for bankruptcy, and what other options are possible.
Credit Reporting Services. If you have been denied credit, you are entitled to a free credit report. If your identity has been stolen, you can ask the credit bureaus to flag your file with a warning and a request that all applications for new credit in your name be double-checked with you. These are the three largest credit reporting services in the United States. You can order your credit report online through any of the three, or use a toll-free phone service.
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Crisis Intervention -- Oakland County. Call Common Ground Sanctuary in Pontiac at 248-456-1991.
Cubit. Based on the length of the arm from elbow to fingertip.
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Daughters of the American
Revolution.
Day, Length of. At 40 degrees north latitude, the longest day of the year is June 21 (14 hrs., 30 min.); the shortest day of the year is December 21 (9 hrs., 9 min.).
Days of the Week--Origin of Names.
Death Records. See Public Records.
Demographics--Michigan.
Detroit
Tigers (Baseball Club)--Schedule.
Detroit Times (Newspaper). The Detroit Times ceased publication in 1960 when it was sold to the Detroit News. The full run of the Detroit Times was from Oct. 1, 1900 through Nov. 6, 1960.
Discrimination in the Workplace. Michigan Department of Civil Rights Complaint Page. Non-discrimination laws also include applicable statutes dealing with sexual harassment in the workplace.
Disabled -- Medical, Dental, and Legal Services. Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service, 1-800-288-5923.
Distances. (Sources: World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1999; World Book Encyclopedia, 1998)
Divorce--Michigan--Forms. Forms
for filing your own divorce action are available at the Library.
Domestic Violence.
Donations of Books. See Book Donations--Tax Deductions.
Donor Cards. To donate organs for medical or scientific purposes, obtain an organ donor card. These are available from local United Way agencies and from the Michigan Chapter of the National Kidney Foundation.
Drinking Age--Michigan. The legal drinking age in Michigan was lowered from 21 to 18 in 1972, then raised back to 21 on December 22, 1978.
Driver's Licenses -- Michigan. The first Michigan driver's license was issued on July 1, 1919, to Governor Albert E. Sleeper. The first driver's license with a photograph was issued on July 1, 1965.
Drunk Driving Laws -- Michigan.
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E=mc2. Formula developed by Albert Einstein relating matter and energy. E stands for energy, M for mass (of matter), and c2 is a constant factor equal to the square of the speed of light. The formula indicates that very large emissions of energy result from tiny masses of matter being converted into energy in processes such as thermonuclear reactions. Source: World Book Encyclopedia, 1998.
E Pluribus Unum. Motto on the Great Seal of the United States. Latin, meaning, "out of many, one." Since 1873, the law has required that this motto appear on one side of every U.S. coin that is minted. Source: World Book Encyclopedia, 1998.
Easter--Dates.
Eldercare Locator Service. This is a toll free hotline to provide assistance to seniors and to those who care for them: 800-677-1116.
Electrical Codes. National Electrical Code Internet Connection.
Erin Go Bragh. "Ireland Forever."
Euthanasia.
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Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993.
Family History. See Genealogy.
Farmland and Open Space Preservation Act. Michigan Public Act 116 of 1974. Provides tax relief to farm owner if land is kept substantially undeveloped.
Fathom. A measure of length based originally on the span of a mariner's outstretched arms. 1 mile = 880 fathoms.
Firearms--Laws and Regulations.
Fireworks. National Council on Fireworks Safety.
Fiscal Year. A fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends. Following are the fiscal years for various governmental entities:
Fishing Conditions -- Michigan.
I pledge allegiance to the flag of Michigan, and to the state for which it stands, two beautiful peninsulas united by a bridge of steel, where equal opportunity and justice to all is our ideal.
Furlong. Originally defined as the length of a furrow a team of oxen could plow before resting. Standardized as 220 yards.
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GED Tests. General educational development (GED) tests, also known as high school equivalency exams.
Geographic Centers. Source: World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1999.
Ghosts--Michigan. Ann Arbor Ghost Hunters Society.
Gifted Children--Michigan.
G.O.P. Members of the Republican Party in the United States began referring to their party as the "Grand Old Party" in the middle 1880's. The term seems to have been an adaptation of "Grand Old Man," which was at that time the admiring nickname applied to British prime minister William Ewart Gladstone.
Grain of Salt. Before you decide to "take it with a grain of salt," you should know that a grain is a measure of weight. There are 7,000 grains to a pound. The Salt Institute says that Americans consume over 84 billion grains of salt per year. Source: Detroit Free Press, July 19, 1978.
"Gry" Words. Librarians have long been subjected to periodic and mysterious waves of questions concerning how many different words in the English language end in "gry." Fortunately, the Internet Public Library has put together a comprehensive and authoritative response to the gry madness.
Guy Fawkes Day. An English holiday commemorating the failure of a band of conspirators led by Robert Catesby to blow up King James I and his Parliament on November 5, 1605. Fawkes was caught in the cellars beneath Parliament as he was about to light the fuse.
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"Happy Birthday" in Foreign Languages.
Hazardous Substances. For information on the possible toxicity of various substances, call the Chemical Referral Center at 1-800-CMA-8200.
Hazardous Waste. If you suspect the presence of hazardous waste, or have questions about hazardous waste disposal, call the EPA's Hazardous Waste Hotline at 1-800-424-9346.
Hemlock Society. See Euthanasia.
Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.
Herpes. Herpes Questions and Answers.
Hiccups, Cures For. These are just a few of the many remedies proposed for hiccups:
Historical Sites--Michigan. National Register of Historic Places in Michigan.
Holocaust Memorial Center (West Bloomfield, Mich.).
Home Schooling.
Homonyms. Words alike in pronunciation, but different in meaning and usually in spelling. Examples: Ewe and yew, dear and deer, etc.
Horse Racing. Horse racing's "triple crown" consists of the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and Belmont Stakes.
Horses, Famous.
Hospice
Houses, Repossessed. For a list of foreclosed VA and HUD homes, drug seizures, and tax-delinquent foreclosures in your area, call 1-800333-3737, extension H-1919.
Housing, Low Income- Information about subsidized housing for
seniors and low-income households.
Humane Society
Humanism. The word "humanism" has many different meanings. It often refers to Renaissance-based movements in the arts, sciences, and literature which emphasized independent research, a rediscovery of Latin and Greek history and literature, and an exploration of non-Christian themes in art. Occasionally it is used to refer to a family of religious and philosophical movements throughout Western history that stress the importance of the individual, the achievements of the human race, and a commitment to seek knowledge for its own sake without dependence on religious doctrines. Sometimes "humanism" is used in a strict sense, especially by evangelical Christians, to refer to "secular humanism," a more or less formal philosophical system that espouses atheism, materialism, and the pre-eminence of the scientific method in acquiring knowledge.
Hunger Relief Organizations.