The Encyclopedia of Life

The Encyclopedia of Life volume 2.0 (EOLv2) is an open- access, collaborative encyclopedia whose vision is "global access to knowledge about life on Earth." . . .  information is gathered from existing databases, and from scientists and nonscientists, to create a collection representing every living organism on Earth. Users may join an online community forum once they create a free EOL account; they may submit or add to an article, add to a collection, ask questions, and offer feedback on the EOLv2 blog http://blog.eol.org/. Information on species is comprehensive, impressive, and authoritative, with detailed material including videos, images, a bibliography, ecology, life history/behavior, conservation, and relevance to humans and ecosystems. Searching for scientific and common names produces exact matches. The site offers users the capability of browsing the database and filtering by type of resource. The website interface is user-friendly, with a search box at the top of every page. In addition to English, the website may be translated into Spanish and Arabic. EOLv2 is a wonderful, free, and convenient resource for researching everything about organisms. Additionally, it is an excellent teaching tool. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Academic, public, school, and research libraries; scholars, educators, undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and general readers." Choice, March 2012, -- reviewed by T. S. H. Chan, SUNY Oswego

Olustee Battle Reenactment, Feb 18th - 19th, 2012

Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park

This park commemorates the site of Florida's largest Civil War battle, the Battle of Olustee, which took place February 20, 1864. More than 10,000 cavalry, infantry and artillery troops fought a five-hour battle in a pine forest near Olustee. Three U.S. Colored Troops took part in the battle, including the now famous 54th Massachusetts. The battle ended with 2,807 casualties and the retreat of Union troops to Jacksonville until the war's end just 14 months later. In 1912, when many living Civil War veterans still attended reunions, the battlefield became the state's first historic site. Olustee Battlefield has a visitor center with historical information and artifacts. A reenactment is held every February and a Civil War Expo takes place in late summer. Scenes for Civil War movies, including the 1989 movie Glory, have been filmed during the reenactments. Visitors can enjoy a meal at the picnic area or take a walk along a mile-long trail that has interpretive signs describing the events of the battle. Map directions to Olustee Battlefield.

Valentine's Day & Singles Awareness Day

The Legend of St. Valentine

The history of Valentine's Day--and the story of its patron saint--is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?  . . .
http://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day   - The History Channel

History of Valentine's Day
The modern St. Valentine's Day celebrations are said to have been derived from both ancient Christian and Roman tradition. As per one legend, the holiday has originated from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalis/Lupercalia, a fertility celebration that used to observed annually on February 15. But the rise of Christianity in Europe saw many pagan holidays being renamed for and dedicated to the early Christian martyrs. Lupercalia was no exception. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius turned Lupercalia into a Christian feast day and set its observance a day earlier, on February 14. He proclaimed February 14 to be the feast day in honor of Saint Valentine, a Roman martyr who lived in the 3rd century. It is this St. Valentine whom the modern Valentine's Day honors. . . . http://www.theholidayspot.com/valentine/history_of_valentine.htm  The Holiday Spot 

The History of Valentine's Day

Contrary to what some may believe, Valentine's Day wasn't created by greetings card companies just to sell cards and candies. It's actually a church sanctioned holiday, as Pope Gelasius deemed February 14 St. Valentine's Day near 498 A.D.  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/14/history-of-valentines-day_n_822911.html  - HuffingtonPost

Will You Be My Anti-Valentine?One person’s Valentine’s Day is another’s Singles Awareness Day (yes, the acronym spells SAD, and yes, someone has already thought to trademark it).The backlash against the romantic holiday with a murky (perhps pagan?) history has swawned a cottage industry of anti-Valentine's paraphernalia. . . . http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/will-you-be-my-anti-valentine/ New York Times