Ediacaran Period, also called Vendian Period, uppermost division of the Proterozoic Eon of Precambrian time and latest of the three periods of the Neoproterozoic Era, extending from approximately 635 million to 541 million years ago.  The onset of the Ediacaran Period coincided with the rapid retreat of ice sheets and glaciers associated with the Marinoan (or Varanger-Marinoan) glaciation—which began near the end of the Cryogenian Period and ended approximately 635 million years ago—and declines in the carbonisotope composition of marine rocks.  Oxygen levels rose in the atmosphere and in the oceans, and many scholars suggest that the change in carbon isotopes can be attributed to the oxidation of dissolved organic carbon in marine environments. The end of the Ediacaran Period, however, was determined using a biological marker, the lowermost boundary of the trace fossil Trichophycus pedum.  The Ediacaran Period was marked by considerable tectonic activity, including the end of the Pan-African episode—a long interval of mountain building, rifting, and reorganization spanning most of the Neoproterozoic Era.  The Ediacara fauna was named for the Ediacara Hills of South Australia, where a large group of early metazoans that required atmospheric oxygen for growth was discovered in 1946.  John P. Rafferty  Read more and see graphics at https://www.britannica.com/science/Ediacaran-Period  See also Enigmatic Ediacarans at https://burgess-shale.rom.on.ca/en/science/origin/03-enigmatic-edicarans.php

The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of African Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.  As a Harvard-trained historian, Carter G. Woodson, like W. E. B. Du Bois before him, believed that truth could not be denied and that reason would prevail over prejudice.  His hopes to raise awareness of African American’s contributions to civilization was realized when he and the organization he founded, the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH), conceived and announced Negro History Week in 1925.  The event was first celebrated during a week in February 1926 that encompassed the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.  The response was overwhelming:  Black history clubs sprang up; teachers demanded materials to instruct their pupils; and progressive whites, not simply white scholars and philanthropists, stepped forward to endorse the effort.  The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial. President Gerald R. Ford urged Americans to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”  That year, fifty years after the first celebration, the association held the first African American History Month.  Since then each American president has issued African American History Month proclamations.  And the association—now the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH)—continues to promote the study of Black history all year.  (Excerpt from an essay by Daryl Michael Scott, Howard University, for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History)  The Law Library of Congress has compiled guides to commemorative observations, including a comprehensive inventory of the Public Laws, Presidential Proclamations and congressional resolutions related to African American History Month.  https://africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/about/  2019 event highlights  https://www.africanamericanhistorymonth.gov/

Join the Toledo Lucas County Public Library during Black History Month, paying tribute to the generations of African-Americans who struggled with adversity to achieve full citizenship in American society.  Take part in a whole month of activities including:  Read-In:  Read, listen to or watch ANY title from ANY African-American author and add your name to the banner at your favorite branch.  Share Your Migration Story:  Trace your country of origin, region or another city that led you to Toledo, Ohio and examine the path that others have followed.  A Day with Lady K  Join TLCPL for a musical program featuring Karen Harris, who will sing Motown Hits.  Elev8ted Productions presents "Dances from the Motherland," a tribute to African dance.  Join us for a performance by Phylicia Hills, who will demonstrate the fine art of African dance and the meaning behind the movement.  The DJOBI Wake Up Ensemble  Enjoy the masterful sound of West African music and the roots of African-American music with Emmanuel Djobi and his ensemble.  Enjoy a unique style of African-American gospel music when Sacred Steel, led by Del Grace, presents the spiritual history of the sacred African-American steel guitar.  One of Toledo's finest soul food Restaurants, J'Mae's, will have the quintessential dish, baked macaroni and cheese, to sample.  Find dates, times and locations of events at https://www.toledo.com/news/2019/01/26/daily-dose/celebrate-black-history-month-at-the-toledo-library/

In August 2018, when Behrouz Boochani was speaking with NPR over the phone, the Kurdish-Iranian journalist said his debut book, written mostly with texts he sent from an Australian detention center, was meant "to make a challenge against this system, to tell the truth to people."  The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, which are among Australia's most prestigious literary prizes, singled out Boochani's No Friend But the Mountains:  Writing from Manus Prison for their highest honor:  the Victorian Prize for Literature.  His book also won in the nonfiction category.  The Victorian Prize carries a purse of 100,000 Australian dollars, while the nonfiction award brings 25,000 on top of that—or about $90,000 in USD, all told.  But because Boochani remains detained on Manus Island, part of Papua New Guinea, at the same offshore facility where he's been held since 2013, his translator, Omid Tofighian, picked the awards up at the ceremony in his stead.  And Boochani had to deliver his remarks through a recorded video message.  "I have always said I believe in words and literature.  I believe that literature has the potential to make change and challenge structures of power," he said.  "Literature has the power to give us freedom."  Boochani himself has not enjoyed physical freedom for more than five years now.  He has lived in a kind of legal purgatory since he fled from Iran to Indonesia and then tried to travel to Australia, where he had hoped to obtain asylum after his pro-Kurdish publication attracted the scrutiny of Iranian security forces.  Colin Dwyer  https://www.npr.org/2019/01/31/690404443/asylum-seeker-barred-from-entering-australia-wins-its-richest-literary-prize

The 22nd World Computer-Bridge Championship attracted nine bridge bots, each entry playing as a team of four identical bots.  This year’s contestants were two-time defending championship, Wbridge5 (France), last year’s runner up, Synrey Bridge (China), Micro Bridge (Japan), Q-Plus Bridge (Germany), Bridge Baron (USA), Shark Bridge (Denmark), Meadowlark Bridge (USA), RoboBridge (The Netherlands), and TCS BridgeBot (India).  In two close semifinal matches Wbridge5 defeated Q-Plus Bridge by the margin of the carryover, 158.7 – 155 and Synrey Bridge bested Micro Bridge 87 – 78.7.  The final was a rematch between last year’s finalists, with the same result, Wbridge5 defeating Synrey Bridge, 150.9 – 132.  See a description of a rematch between last year’s finalists, the last board of the match at https://bridgebotchampionship.com/2018-world-computer-bridge-championship/

Wolcott House historical lectures at the Maumee branch of the Toledo-Lucas County Public Library February 2019  Link to locations of all branches at http://events.toledolibrary.org/events?term=wolcott 

http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com  Issue 2036  February 5, 2019